Ken Critchfield

Ken Critchfield is a psychologist (Ph.D. from University of Utah in 2002),
bassist, and composer. His musical work involves experimental forms developed to
explore aspects of dialogue, personality, and meaning. The CD "Foundation,"
produced in 1997 with the help of a Utah Arts Council/NEA grant involved use of
extreme structure (e.g., rigid and minimalist compositional forms) to explore
how organic, human elements impose themselves as "errors" relative to
expectation with just the two "voices" of drums and bass. More recent work with
the group "Seraphim," has involved use of free improvisation among a group of
musicians and poets, allowing structure, pattern, and meaning to emerge in a
very different musical context. Some of this work has been captured on the CD
titled "Hearing Voices". The focus on patterns that emerge through dialogue
parallels Dr. Critchfield's specialty area in psychology which involves focus on
how personality and identity emerge from relatedness with others. This will be
his third time performing for City Arts across the past decade or so, itself
representing an interesting meditation on possible convergences between pattern
and meaning found in literary forms, and those found in human "sound-making"
more generally. This particular performance will involve new material involving
solo improvisation on upright bass, followed by opportunities for audience
discussion about the experience.