If I’m not careful, this space becomes a mirror - reflecting only my work, my thoughts, my life. Yet since I was a kid, I’ve felt the urge to share the work that impacts me, in the hopes it will impact you. To say ‘look at this!’. A window, not a mirror.
This is the first of what I hope to be an intermittent series shining a light on other creatives, starting with some friends who follow this blog. Consider it a modest thank you for being part of my inspiration and my community.
We all strive to put ourselves out there; why not make a habit of putting each other out there? We need creative solidarity more than ever. This is my small contribution to the cultural commons - elevating art for the public good.
To give this mission a hook, I’m calling it the Illumination Project.
Ted Zook is a unique and compelling figure in the DC experimental/improvisation scene, with a deep, mystical understanding of music and sonic landscapes. While he is trained on classical guitar, live he usually plays an Omni Bass, set up as a basscello, through digital signal processors. For studio sessions, he also plays a variety of digitally-processed, non-traditional analog instruments such as bowls, rainsticks, slidewhistle, whistle-flutes, and oceanharp.
He is quite active through a variety of solo performances and live collaborations that fearlessly cross boundaries. The first time I saw him live, must have been over ten years ago, I was floored. My immediate thought was ‘who is this guy, what is that SOUND?’ Clearly he was the real deal.
On a personal and creative level, I want to say Ted has always been super kind and supportive. He showed up (literally) for me when I was edging tentatively into midlife solo acoustic work, that was both daunting and very different from what I was known for over many years in bands. He has never hesitated to offer encouragement, grateful for that. His spirit of paying it forward is something I try to do as well.
Here are just two of countless well-recorded tracks you can and should stream on his Soundcloud:
“Snæfellsjökull Sólseturrökkur” is a work inspired by trips to Iceland and the view of Snæfellsjökull volcano from approximately 60 miles across Faxaflói Bay from Keflavik at sunset (sólsetur) and the following twilight (rökkur). This is a solo project on slidewhistle, bowls, oceanharp and rainstick.
Another solo performance from March 2026: This is a stereo recording of an improvised basscello accompaniment to dance by the Small Creatures Dance Project inspired by the stunning artwork by Barbara Januszkiewicz on display at Look: An Unexpected Arts Experience. The performance was unscored, unrehearsed and 100% improvised on the spot.
