"Cello Chili" was commissioned by cellist Dawn Avery, for voice and cello, so that it can be performed by a single performer. The intent of the performance is to create a somewhat hypnotic experience of shifting rhythms. The rhythms are derived directly from the text itself, and are a fictitious recipe for a distinctly American stew made of green chiles and pieces of a cello. But the text is also part of the American Indian experience, with two quotes from famed Cherokee humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935). Referring to chili as a "bowl of blessedness," Will Rogers also advised that one should "always drink upstream from the herd." Rogers, a public supporter of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's new deal, helped to bring assistance to the masses of poor Americans and American Indians following the depression. The older stone homes from that era, affectionately known as "FDR houses," still dot many reservations today, and are still standing. "Cello Chili" is served up with a heaping helping of fun and sincere admiration.
lyrics
1 neck, body or belly, cut into small pieces
1 whole scroll, hard-rolled
1 carved tail piece, with spike attached
2 wiggly ribs, dry-rubbed
4 pegs (grated) or 2 cups powdered frogs
1 medium nut, lickety cut
4 roasted green chiles, peeled and diced
To make a bowl of blessedness, boil whole scroll in large bowl. Add the chiles and other ingredients. Cover loosely for about 6 minutes. Simmer profusely or until the grumbling stew discharges a passing tone. Season to taste, and always drink upstream from the herd.
credits
from North American Indian Cello Project,
released November 5, 2021
Composed by Brent Michael Davids of the Mohican Nation
Performed by Dawn Avery
Recorded by Atilla Molnar LIVE at Montgomery College in 2019
Edited and Mastered by Larry Mitchell in 2021
Commissioned by Dawn Avery thanks to a grant from the First Nations Composers Initiative project supported through the Ford Foundation's Indigenous Knowledge, Expressive Culture grant program of the American Composers Forum
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