Jess Rowland

is a figment of her own imagination. Like an electron, she is neither here nor there, and like absolute space, she is neither up nor down. Mostly, she is sideways.
Jess is a San Francisco based composer, playwright, and performer. Her diverse works have ranged from electronic conceptual pieces, modern jazz piano improvisation, musical puppet-theater, and multi-media video/music collaborations. She is the composer in residence for Shift Physical Theater modern dance troupe, which has cumulated in a full-length artist-in-residence show at ODC Theater in San Francisco, and which forms the basis for her first release on Edgetone Records, The Shape of Poison.

Multi-media has been a recent focus of Jess’s work. In 2004, Jess received a grant from the American Composers Forum to create a new multimedia piece based on John Ashcroft’s stint as a patriotic songsmith:John Ashcroft vs. The Space Librarians . Soon after, Jess hooked up with the experimental label Pax Recordings , and released a CD of solo piano improvisations, H.29, which was quickly followed by Scenes from the Silent Revolution – a double disc set featuring a DVD of the multi-media improve works, and a CD of new musical material. Also notable: Jess played a Baloney Sandwich at the 2004 Big Sur Experimental Music Festival .
She has also written puppet show musicals and musical theater for Dreamland Theater , including two full-length plays:The Truth About Teeth and So Long Differently Thinking Persons . There have been several releases of solo experimental electronics, including Elevator, and The Lifeboat is on Fire.

Jess Rowland
The Shape of Poison
CD Notes
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