Nick Didkovsky
| Nick Didkovsky | |
|---|---|
 Nick Didkovsky at The Stone | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1958 |
| Genres | Progressive rock |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Associated acts | Doctor Nerve, Vomit Fist |
| Website |
www |
Nick Didkovsky (born 1958) is a composer, guitarist, computer music programmer, and leader of the band Doctor Nerve.[1] He is a former student of Christian Wolff, Pauline Oliveros and Gerald Shapiro.[1]
Career
Didkovsky formed Doctor Nerve in 1984.[2] He received a Masters in Computer Music from New York University in 1987 and went on to develop a Java music API called JMSL (Java Music Specification Language).[3] JMSL is a toolbox for algorithmic composition and performance. JMSL includes JScore, an extensible staff notation editor. JMSL can output music using either JavaSound or JSyn.[4] He has presented papers on his work at several conferences.[1]
Ensemble activities include founding the blackened grindcore band Vomit Fist in 2013.[5] He was a composing member of the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet for the ten years of the band's tenure, and has also played in John Zorn's band.[1]
His debut solo album was released in 1997 and featured contributions from Frith.[6] His second album, Body Parts, came out of a collaboration with Guigou Chenevier.[7]
Didkovsky has composed for or performed on a number of CDs including:
- 1997
- Every Screaming Ear, Label: Cuneiform (January 21, 1997)
- Ayaya Moses, with the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet
- Binky Boy
- 1999, Upbeat, with the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet[8]
- 2000, Ereia, with Doctor Nerve and the Sirius String Quartet
- 2003, Bone - uses wrist grab, with Hugh Hopper and John Roulat
Didkovsky's music has also been arranged by the experimental music group Electric Kompany. He is a co-owner of the "$100 Guitar", a guitar which was circulated amongst many musicians (including Alex Skolnick, Fred Frith, and Nels Cline) for the recording of a concept album about the guitar.[9]
Solo discography
- Now I Do This (1982), Punos Music
- Binky Boy (1997), Punos
- Body Parts (2000), Vand'Oeuvre
- The Bright Lights The Big Time (2005), FMR
- Tube Mouth Bow String (2006), Pogus
- The $100 Guitar Project (2013), Bridge
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 Dorsch
- ↑ Taylor, Graham "Doctor Nerve" in Buckley, Peter (1999) The Rough Guide to Rock, Rough Guides, ISBN 978-1858284576, pp. 302-3
- ↑ Didkovsky, Nick & Burk, Philip L. "Java Music Specification Language, an Introduction and Overview", in Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference, Computer Music Association, 2001, p. 123
- ↑ Dean, Roger T. (2009) The Oxford Handbook of Computer Music, OUP USA, ISBN 978-0195331615, p. 127
- ↑ http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Vomit_Fist/3540383352
- ↑ Jurek
- ↑ Couture
- ↑ Schultze, Tom "Upbeat" in Bogdanov, Vladimir et al (2002) All Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to Jazz, Backbeat Books, ISBN 978-0879307172, p. 443
- ↑ Kozinn, Allan (2013) "A Generic Guitar Inspires a Distinctive Project", The New York Times, April 2, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2014
Sources
- Couture, François "Body Parts Review", Allmusic. Retrieved August 16, 2014
- Dickenson, J. Andrew: "Electric Counterpoint", Urban Guitar, July 2006
- Dorsch, Jim "Nick Didkovsky Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved August 16, 2014
- Jurek, Thom "Binky Boy Review", Allmusic. Retrieved August 16, 2014
- Ross Feller, Ice Cream Time: The Raunchy and the Rigorous
- Rose, Joe, A $100 Guitar Makes A 30,000-Mile Odyssey, , National Public Radio, 4 December 2012
External links
- Official website
- Doctor Nerve Home Page
- JMSL Home Page
- Interview with New Sounds
- Uses Wrist Grab at AllMusic
- Hundred-dollar Guitar Project