Paul Scea, director of jazz studies at West Virginia University, and School of Music alumnus Eric Haltmeier, who formed the duo Space Genetics, have released a new album called “Space Genetics Vol. 3,” which is a return to their roots with familiar woodwinds.

The album features eight compositions that merge woodwind improvisations with synthesizers and laptops, as well as exploring improvisation, electronic music and jazz.

Volume 3 demonstrates an evolution of the avant-jazz duo’s earlier work.

They formed Space Genetics in 2008 with the goal of creating original compositions and/or platforms for improvisation that could be developed independently of time and space, via the use of digital technology.

Volume 1 of “Space Genetics,” released in 2009, was created through an internet-based collaboration, with the two sharing compositional ideas and audio samples online.

They developed compositions that referenced their affinity for harmolodics—which is associated primarily with jazz avant-garde and the free jazz movement—and their desire to expand their sonic palette and surrounding musical context.

In Volume 2, released in 2011, they revealed their identities as improvisers, without their familiar woodwinds. This entire recording was made through improvised performance, using web applications and digital audio workstations.

Scea and Haltmeier hope the Space Genetics concept can be expanded to incorporate the online sharing of musical, visual and lyrical source material provided by artists from a variety of expressive media. The content then would become “open-source,” to be further developed into new musical and artistic forms of expression by student artists and musicians.

Scea holds degrees from Western Washington University and the University of Iowa. He directs the jazz ensembles at WVU and is a free-lance jazz, new music and rhythm and blues performer on woodwinds and MIDI Wind Controller. He is also an artist affiliate with United Musical Instruments.

Haltmeier graduated from the WVU with a bachelor’s degree in music in 1995. He is an active performer on woodwinds, keyboards and electronics and is currently director of music at the Pingree School in South Hamilton, Mass. He taught in the New Jersey public schools for 15 years and served on the music education faculty of Westminster Choir College of Rider University.

“Space Genetics Vol. 3” is available for download from iTunes and Amazon.com/mp3downloads.

For more information about “Space Genetics,” see http://www.paulscea.com/
and http://erichaltmeier.com/.

-WVU-

lb 4/17/12

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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