Clarinetist Tasha Warren is known as a champion for new music with a deep commitment to musical collaboration, and with the release of her latest album, she brings those values to the forefront through a vibrant, 17-track collection of bass clarinet duos that reflect both personal introspection and artistic joy.
Warren, an assistant professor of chamber music at the Michigan State University College of Music, released Dancing in a Still Life (Blue Griffin Recording) this summer alongside a stellar lineup of collaborators including clarinetist and MSU faculty member Guy Yehuda, pianist Amir Farid, guitarist Phil Faconti, the legendary Paquito D’Rivera, and cellist Dave Eggar. Warren previously earned two Grammy nominations for her 2023 collaboration with Eggar, Ourself Behind Ourself, Concealed.
“The name Dancing in a Still Life stems from the contradictions I have personally felt as a mother, wife, and woman musician in a world swirling with movement – seemingly standing in place while moving forward with richness, inspiration, gratitude, and love,” said Warren.
Cellist Dave Eggar is a friend and frequent collaborator with Tasha Warren whose projects he calls powerful and unique.
Dance, both literal and metaphorical, is the thread that ties the music together on the album. There is tension between stillness and motion in the music, both practical and passionate. Warren describes it as “a celebration of friendship and collaboration,” with each piece pairing the bass clarinet with a different instrument, allowing the instrument’s character to shift and evolve in surprising ways.
“I wanted to make an album of duos with musician friends that I love playing with and to feature the bass clarinet with a variety of other instruments,” she said. “Bass clarinet is an interesting enough sound that when you combine it with completely different instruments, it takes on a whole new character and kind of reinvents itself each time.”
For cellist Dave Eggar, the project was a continuation of what he enjoys about collaborating with Warren. It is an appreciation of her artistry but also her initiation of creative projects.
“Tasha’s creativity and ingenuity as a true twenty-first century classical virtuoso is unparalleled,” Eggar said. “She initiates powerful, unique, and relevant projects that open questions and narratives that we need to hear.”
Warren is almost continuously on the move as an artist, teacher, and mother of five. She is a member of American Modern Ensemble which performs this month at MSU and offers master classes and workshops as part of the MSU Federal Credit Union Entrepreneurial Musical Artist in Residence. Such a full life as a musician, she acknowledges, is often not practical, but that has served to motivate her even more.
Blue Griffin Records’ Sergei Kvitko (left) released Dancing in a Still Life which features a recording with Tasha Warren and her husband, fellow clarinetist Guy Yehuda, who calls the album “a tour de force of Tasha’s abilities.”
“I have recently felt more compelled to bring my ‘self’ to my performances after spending most of my career steeped in tradition that is, for all practical purposes, incompatible with motherhood,” Warren explained. “Creatively, there are so many projects I want to take on and so much possibility, but external forces constantly and perpetually tell me that some vital part of me must be sacrificed, that there isn’t enough time, and that I cannot juggle both rigors of being a good mother being an active, relevant musician.”
The title of the album reflects those challenges, as does the cover art created by Warren. It is a collage she calls On Hold that she made in her kitchen using everyday materials while on hold on the phone, making appointments, talking to teachers, and managing her family’s life.
Phil Faconti, performing during a radio promotion of the album, appeared on Tasha Warren’s 2023 release Ourself Behind Ourself, Concealed and performs Daniel Akiva’s Dance Preludes on this latest release.
“I approached this project by chipping away at it over time,” Warren said. “I believe that so many things can be accomplished if you refuse to entertain the excuses and just get started. The universe isn’t going to give me more time, or the perfect time, so I try to seize even the tiniest morsels of time to replace the excuses.”
Warren’s artistic journey is deeply intertwined with her role as an educator. She regularly shares her creative process with students at MSU, encouraging them to pursue their own projects with persistence and imagination.
“I talk with students about projects because I think, as an artist, if you really believe in what you do and you keep pursuing it, it might not seem practical, but you can find a way to do it if you’re patient and you’re persistent,” she said.
Guy Yehuda, who is married to Warren, sees first-hand the challenges Warren faces in managing home life and a career.
“This album is really a tour de force of Tasha’s abilities,” he said. “She never ceases to amaze me with all she’s juggling at the same time: raising our kids, our dogs, cooking, teaching, performing with different groups, recording CDs, and tolerating me!”
Yehuda explained that he created the arrangement for clarinet and bass clarinet of History of the Tango by Piazzolla several years ago. It is gratifying to have recorded it with Warren.
Tasha Warren recorded Patrick Harlin’s Dance Suite For Bass Clarinet and Piano with pianist Amir Farid (right) for her new album, produced and released by Sergei Kvitko (left) under the Blue Griffin Records label.
“We played it many times in different countries on several occasions, so it was nice to finally find some time to record it,” he said. “I’m really happy with how that came out and the album as a whole. It is a great new recording with a beautiful title.”
The piece is part of what makes this new album both intimate and expansive, grounded in personal experience, but reaching toward something universal. It’s also a testament to the kind of resilience Warren hopes to instill in her students.
“Completing this album – and really any project I take on – is an example of one of the most important ideas I can pass onto students,” Warren said. “It’s an idea I try to remind myself and my children: just keep on going. If you have an idea or something to express through your music or art, do it!”
