STRING PLANET BIO
Novi Novog and Larry Tuttle have created a brave new world of music.
Their group, String Planet (and similarly-titled debut album), combines
two stringed
instruments seldom in the spotlight -- viola and The Stick -- for a genre-crossing
sound utilizing classical, jazz, new age, and pop elements.
Novi, a top viola session musician, and Larry, a longtime proponent of "The
Chapman Stick," have been playing string-music together for the
past 15 years in Los Angeles-area groups such as Freeway Philharmonic
and SoulSkin.
The viola is a little larger than a violin and in orchestras is used
more for the inner harmonic voice than the lead melody line (Novi likes
to slip back and forth between the two). Larry describes
The Stick as "a string section posing as a 2X4" since this
long, narrow, upright, electric instrument has six bass strings tapped
(not strummed)
with the left hand and six melody strings played with the right hand.
Since a Stick player can simultaneously play rhythm along with chords,
harmonies
or melody parts, it often gives the listener the impression of hearing
two instruments.
On the STRING PLANET album, the viola and Stick are backed by a world music
rhythm
section including a wide variety of hand drums and percussion with subtle
touches of
synthesizer for color. One tune features a string quartet and two guest
vocals are sung by recording artist Lauren Wood (Novi's cousin - singer
and composer of “Fallen” from the “
Pretty Woman” Soundtrack).
Using The Stick, Tuttle composed all 13 tunes on the album. "Even
though this is primarily instrumental music," explains Larry, "my
composing mostly comes out of my background in pop music. I generally
write songs with a verse/chorus/bridge structure, going for that hooky “
pop song” appeal.
Tuttle goes on to say, "There is a concept in science fiction called
'a sense of wonder,' and I wanted to have that with String Planet's music.
Our goal was to make it creative, exotic, unique and exciting. Beauty,
imagination and groove were our cornerstones. I wanted to create a showcase
for Novi's big talent, especially her gift for improvising. Novi’s
parts usually begin as spontaneous improvisations, and then we choose
the best ideas to keep for the finished arrangements. We try to leave
a few sections open, both in the studio and in concert, for her to go
wherever she wants, leaving the
door open for magic to happen." Furthering the band's artistic conceptualization
of expansive imagination and other-worldly creativity is the ceramic
sculpture depicted on the CD cover. Titled "Alien," it
was crafted by another cousin of Novi's, the late Elyse Saperstein.
Both Novog and Tuttle have impressive credentials starting with extensive
early classical training, progressing through recording and touring with
major-label rock bands, and then concentrating more on string-oriented
ensembles.
Novi began playing piano at age four, took up violin at age eight and
then moved on to viola. As part of the American Youth Symphony, she studied
under Mehli Mehta. Novi attended the California Institute for the Arts
on a full scholarship where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree after studying under Louis Kievman with additional instruction
in
composition from Leonard Stein and Alan Chaplin. She also won the American
String Teachers Association competition.
But simultaneously, Novog also pursued a career in the world of pop and
rock music. In her childhood, she began playing and recording with
her cousin Lauren Wood which led to an album on the Musicor label as Rebecca
and the Sunnybrook Farmers. The group evolved into Chunky, Novi & Ernie
with two albums on Warner Bros. Records. As Lauren began her solo career
(see www.laurenwood.com), Novi continued to be featured on her recordings.
Novi went on to record and tour in the rock band Sumner on the Elektra/Asylum
label.
Within a few years Novi rose to prominence in the Los Angeles session
scene as a violist for recordings (albums, films, TV shows and commercials)
or
concerts. She has a long list of credits highlighted by her viola solos
on such big chart hit singles as The Doobie Brothers' "Black Water" and
Prince's "Purple Rain" and "Raspberry Beret." Novi
also has performed on recordings by pop artists as diverse as Cher, James
Taylor, Madonna, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Neil Diamond,
Kenny Loggins, Ray Charles and Julio Iglesias. Novog's talents also extend
to working in other genres such as folk (Indigo Girls, Gordon Lightfoot,
Dan Fogelberg, Shawn Colvin), country (Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris & Linda
Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers), jazz (Stanley Clarke, David Benoit), new age (John
Tesh, Nicholas Gunn, Tangerine Dream, David Arkenstone), and blues (John
Mayall). In addition, Novi has performed onstage with many other artists
including Everclear, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Frank Zappa, Scott
Weiland, John Cale, Gladys Knight and Luther Vandross. Some of Novi's film
soundtrack work includes "Pretty Woman," "Dead Poet's Society," "Sliding
Doors," "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "One Fine Day."
Growing up in Seattle, Larry Tuttle discovered the string bass at age nine
and embarked on a childhood saturated in music -- playing in school, city
and regional symphony orchestras. He played principal bass for a summer
at the National Music Camp in Interlochen (the foremost program of its
kind in the country) and sat in with the Seattle Symphony as an honor student.
He also studied under that orchestra's principal bassist James Harnett
at the University of Washington. Larry received extensive private study
from such notables as Ron Simon, Ring Warner and Oscar Zimmermann, and
took a revelatory ear-training course from jazz great Gary Peacock (Keith
Jarrett).
Discovering the electric bass and progressive rock bands such as Yes, ELP
and Gentle Giant while in high school, Larry went on to play for ten years
with the rock group Russia which moved to Los Angeles and recorded two
albums for Warner Bros. Records.
"
When I began playing The Stick," says Tuttle, "it was a life-changing
move. It opened entire vistas of musical expression for me. It allowed
me to continue as a bass player while adding the opportunity to play melodies
at the same time, and it became an ideal instrument to compose on as well." In
1999 Larry released THROUGH THE GATES, an album of solos performed on
The Stick.
Larry and Novi met when they formed the instrumental string ensemble
Freeway Philharmonic with guitarist Robert Stanton. While in that group
they recorded
four albums -- FREEWAY PHILHARMONIC, CAR TUNES, SONIC DETOUR and ROAD
TO JOY. In 2003 Tuttle and Novog joined the part-vocal-and-part-instrumental
band SoulSkin which recorded
a self-titled album and were featured on National Public Radio. In recent
years Novi and Larry have worked frequentlycreating string arrangements
for various artists, performing in classical string ensembles, and playing
concerts with Freeway Philharmonic and as String Planet.
With their first String Planet recording, their years together show a
deep affinity for each other's playing and their uncanny entwining-interplay
within
each song. "I often can sense what Larry is going to play," states
Novi. "I love to move around within a song playing the melody, then
a counter-melody, then a harmony part, and maybe adding some coloring and
inner
voices. We try for lots of dynamics. Our passion is the sound of strings
working together."
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