Originally, Hall intended to become a professor of literature. But while writing his thesis on the cut-up and fold-in techniques used by William S. Burroughs, he kept encountering a central concept: rub out the word. Burroughs said, “Turn off the script,” the prescription for the addictive, hallucinatory ‘word drug’.
With Burroughs’ centennial looming in 2014, Hall was invited by the Music Gallery in Toronto to mount a multi-disciplinary performance of music, spoken word and video.
Using excerpts from Burrroughs’s Wild Boys, Nova Express, Naked Lunch and The Yage Letters, Hall composed a 9-movement suite for a carefully selected ensemble of 11 highly creative artists from various genres of music: jazz, improvised, world, electronic and electroacoustic musics. The project, ensemble and suite became Rub Out the Word.
The well-received Music Gallery performance spawned “Fever Dream”, an extended piece with movements composed by members of the group and conducted by Hans Tammen at the 416 Toronto Creative Improvisers Festival.
Rub Out the Word (Orchestra)
Ron Gaskin – narrator
David Story – piano, keyboard
John Gzowski – guitar, oud
Heather Saumer – trombone
Tom Richards – trombone
Bruce Cassidy – trumpet, EVI
Chris Cawthray – drums, percussion
Rakesh Tewari – drums, tabla
Jim Sexton – bass, electric bass
Matt Miller – laptop, synthesis
Ted Phillips – cataRT
Glen Hall – flute, bass flute, soprano saxophone, Kyma X, cataRT
Adam Rosen, John Creson – video