Daniel Knox | John Atwood: Black & Whites

At Watermill, Daniel Knox is creating a long-form composition and song cycle based on the photographs of John Atwood. The pieces, titled John Atwood: Black & Whites, will be presented live at Watermill and set to projected images on Saturday, January 21. Knox will discuss his process and inspirations throughout. This presentation is in preparation for a performance in New York City at 92YTribeca on January 25 at 8pm.

The music will dwell at the intersection of serious composition and popular song in much the same way as the works of Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and Irving Berlin - and more recently - Gavin Bryars, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Henryk Górecki and David Byrne. Knox will sing and perform at the piano, with accompaniment from:

Jim Cooper | Music Director & Double Bass
Chris Hefner | Musical Saw
Ronnie Kuller | Violin
Paul Parts | Electric Bass
Jason Toth | Drums

Knox trades on the tension created when alluring melodies and his rich tenor are mixed with bone-dry tales and his biting, sardonic wit. Similarly, Atwood has a knack for drawing beauty out of dark corners and attracting and repelling in equal measure. His portraits of disenchantment, drunkenness, detritus, exposure, exhaustion, and delusion, whether damning or celebrating, are striking and resonant. In tandem, their voices will express nothing less than a new American Gothic.