Musician and composer Paul Elwood of Wichita died in Marseille, France, earlier this year at the age of 66.
Elwood had spent many years living in Greeley, Colorado, where he was professor of music composition at the University of Northern Colorado.
A group of fellow musicians and close friends will gather Sunday, Oct. 12, at Fisch Haus for a memorial concert, which will begin at 3 p.m. Musicians such as John Harrison, Rob Loren, Tim Snider, Dan Moore and Susan Mayo will perform compositions such as "Prelude to the Blue and Perfumed Abyss,” "Punjabi Podcast" and several other works in various configurations throughout the event.
Known for his appreciation of folk and classical idioms as well as pieces that stretched the boundaries of the avant garde, Elwood was also known for his sense of humor, which was tempered by his pursuit of exacting performances and compositions.
Mayo, who had known Elwood for over 40 years, recently spoke with KMUW about her late friend and Sunday’s concert.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You’re a musician. Paul Elwood was a musician and composer. How did the two of you collide?
This is a good story. I met Paul the day I moved to Kansas. I also met my husband the day I moved to Kansas [as well as longtime friends and musicians] Kelly and Diana Werts. Kelly [and I had a mutual friend]. I think I ran into Paul in a parking lot at WSU. He was headed off to Southern Methodist University in Dallas. I saw him for one day. But it was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. All of us remained close. My husband and I [celebrated] our 35th wedding anniversary with Kelly and Diana and Paul in Taos. We’d been doing some Paul Elwood project there. He’s been on my radar for over 40 years.
I’m guessing that he was already composing when you met him. What was it that he was doing as a composer that was distinctly him?
Paul was a crossover. He played banjo, he played a lot of folk and alternative [music], he did free improv, and he did classical composing as well. He managed to bridge those things together. He had a really well-known group in Wichita called The Sons of Rayon, which is iconic for people that know it. Kelly Werts developed Velcro tap dancing [and Paul blended that into] a piece called “Edgard Varése in The Gobi Desert.” It was for Velcro tap dancer and percussion ensemble.
You have to love that. … One of the last things he did was an opera [titled] “Hedy Lamarr: Snow White Under The Knife;” we’ll be screening a film for it at the concert. He had a beautiful language; a certain harmonic language he developed that’s very unique. Now, on a different level, I just appreciate the skill and beauty of his compositions. I think originally it was just the wackiness of what he was doing that was really appealing.
I often think that our friends are with us even after they’re no longer physically present. But I would imagine that when you’re playing a friend’s music after they’ve moved on, there are probably some things that you’re thinking of and maybe you say, “That’s so him.”
Like I say, he has a certain harmonic vocabulary that runs through his classical pieces and also his more alternative folk kind of things and also because we’re doing tunes that he sang. In the piece [Strange Angels: Exploring The Paranormal”], I can hear Paul’s voice singing. It’s a nice way to remember him. It’s nice to be in community and playing with people and being able to share that.
This performance coming up is about celebrating Paul for the people who knew him but people who aren’t familiar with the music and just want to hear this composer’s work that they maybe haven’t heard before. This is a good introduction to his work.
It’s an open concert, and I think it’ll be a marvelous concert whether or not you knew Paul. You can come together and celebrate his music and listen to it. There’ll be a short little reception afterward to just mingle.
