Blooz Man-Poet Woman

Blooz Man-Poet Woman for Amplified Flute/Voice by Janice Misurell-Mitchell

Includes performance score, CD

Blooz Man/Poet Woman is derived from an excerpt of the last section of “Profaning the Sacred” (Arizona university Publications, 2000) a work for flute/alto flute/voice and bass clarinet/clarinet which makes extensive use of spoken text in the flute part.  The work is oriented around an idea: the sacred as profane and vice versa.  These concepts are reflected in the texts: “Howl”, by Allen Ginsberg and “Blooz Man”, and “Poet Woman” by former Chicago poet Regie Gibson.  The Ginsberg text speaks of the biblical god, Moloch, to whom children were sacrificed, as a monster created by our political system; the Gibson text continues the theme of hatred inspired by religious dogma but finds strength in opposition through the words of “Poet Woman”.  Blooz Man/Poet Woman treats the voice as an adjunct to the flute, a second instrument, one with a sound often covered or colored by the flute.  The text is thus like words in a visual collage – some words and phrases are clear, while others are only implied.  The music has been rewritten from the original duo so that it may be performed by the flutist alone.

“The second half of the concert had a striking opening with Janice Misurell-Mitchell performing her own work, Blooz Man/Poet Woman, for amplified flute and voice. The text combines two poems by Chicago poet Regie Gibson. Following her captivating recitation of the poem, Misurell-Mitchell performed the poem again, simultaneously with the amplified flute. At times she spoke into the flute, at other times she sang the words. Flutter tonguing, spitting sounds, overblowing, thickly-tongued passages and other contemporary flute techniques punctuated specific words, provided outbursts, or melded into the voice part in this highly creative work.” —Sharon Mirchandani, Journal of the International Alliance for Women in Music