Dialectical Imagination is the duo of pianist Eli Wallace and percussionist Rob Pumpelly. Based in Oakland, CA, their music is sparked by the dialectical relation of compositional structure and spontaneous creative volition, resulting in a unique embrace of the composition/improvisation paradox. The key performance aim is the happening of aesthetic ecstasy. For any given performance, the aesthetic experience, itself and altogether, is primary. No abstract cause or theory validates or qualifies the directly presented aesthetic offering. Dialectical Imagination generates ecstatic music for ecstatic people.
Eli Wallace is a dexterous pianist, composer and educator. Well versed in a broad range of styles, his wide-ranging practical knowledge of the keyboard leaves him in constant demand as a musical collaborator and accompanist. Also a soloist and bandleader with interests in jazz, improvisation, and contemporary avant-garde classical music, Eli’s performance schedule is extensive and broad covering much of California as well as other parts of the U.S. and even abroad. He earned his Master’s in Music (Jazz Composition) at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA where he studied with Jason Moran, Jerry Bergonzi, Ken Schaphorst, Frank Carlberg, and Kati Agocs.
Rob Pumpelly is an adept composer, multi-instrumentalist, theorist and educator. His compositional activities span a wide range of styles and platforms including works for classical and avant-garde chamber ensembles, vocal ensembles, percussion ensembles, jazz combos, rock groups, hardcore groups, and improv collectives. Rob is responsible for the compositional structures and formal arrangements utilized by Dialectical Imagination. In addition to his extensive percussion experience, he is also an accomplished guitarist and pianist. Rob earned a Master of Arts degree in Composition at Mills College, where he studied with Fred Frith, Alvin Curran, David Bernstein, Pauline Oliveros, and Chris Brown. In the field of aesthetic theory, Rob advocates a Transcendental Realist approach to art encouraging ecstatic participation in the primary aesthetic experience offered through art.
Christian Pincock is a composer/performer who performs on trombone and electronics. Informed by a firm background in jazz, his current work integrates many musical styles and elements and focuses on narrative, gesture and detail to inspire and entertain while exploring new musical territory. Christian’s current projects include a jazz-influenced original band Slipstitch and solo works on trombone and computer using custom controllers including organ pedals, sensors and computer software for live control over computer-generated sounds and processing.