Cenizo Journal Spring 2014 | Page 9

“My parents bought an Airstream and were on their way to Mexico for their honeymoon,” Julian explained. “But their trip was cut short when the Airstream  got  flipped over  by a twister. Somewhat stranded in the Rio Grande Valley, they decided to settle there. They started teaching, then after a while, my dad found work with the Corpus  Christi Caller  Times. Three chil- dren were born; I was the last.” A few years later they moved to Edinburg, Texas and start- ed the Mock Music School. A major feature was classic guitar orchestras  – large ensembles in which guitarists with a wide range of skill level can partici- pate. Guitar orchestras – or “choirs” as they are some- times known – were popular in Europe, but were a rela- tively new phenomenon in the United States.  The Mocks were among the first to start a guitar orchestra in Texas.  At the same time they began publication of  a quarterly journal called  Creative Guitar International. They bought a printing press to print the magazine. In the summers they toured Europe pro- moting the magazine and investigating possible sto- ries. They published the classic guitar magazine for nine years.  The couple appreciated living in the Rio Grande Valley for its proximity to the Mexican border.  They often took a many-hour bus ride to Mexico City for master classes with the late  guitar maestro  Manuel Lopez- Ramos, who died in 2006. In 1976 the Mock family moved to Alpine, forming a local guitar orches- tra,  and later opening a small health food store. Their enterprise was called The Health Basket and Music School. Jerry Mock passed away in 2008. Ruth moved to the small beachside town of Yachats, Oregon in 2012 with little more than a backpack.  She has become known for  encouraging those around her to pick up an instrument. She continues to play at every possible opportunity…so much so that she’s been given the nickname “Fiddlin’ Around Ruth.” Julian lives in Fort Davis and Alpine with his partner,  artist/writer  Alyce Santoro,  inventor of a textile  woven from  audio cassette  tapes and author of a fascinating book called Philosoprops: A Unified Field Guide.  Julian played steel-strung guitar for many years. He returned to classical guitar in 2002. He was, in many ways, returning to his roots. Traditional classical guitarists have found a lack of modern compositions  being written for their instrument. With the release of Julian Mock’s latest CD, “Ecstatic Mechanism,” classical guitarists now have eight  Julian  Mock compositions to expand their repertory. The aim of his new pieces is to entice the listener as well as other guitarists to explore unconventional rhythms and melodic diversions. Through these new compositions, Mock demonstrates a broad range of sounds that can be coaxed from the classic guitar.   Mock says of  his music that he explores “old and new techniques, tonalities, and rhythms ...  combining textures and ideas from different eras and places, creating sonic mosaics of polyphonic possibilities.” “Ecstatic Mechanism” is also the title of an eight-minute composition on his latest CD. The name comes from the novel Her by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. “I was already in the way of myself wanting to fly or climb just as there is an ecstatic mechanism in birds that makes them fly upwards in spite of worms, but I was in the wrong coun- try.” The book is a favorite of Alyce’s. This  release  is Mock’s first since 2002. His earlier album, titled “Sound Travels,” contains 16 compositions for ed melody and rhythm. He has incred- ible control of the instrument. He uses a combination of open and fretted notes, which is pretty neat.” Bennack praises the guitarist’s use of “pull-offs” in “Qualia,” which is dedi- cated to Julian’s older brother Nelson Mock. The rhythms were inspired by Malian musician Ali Farka Toure. Bennack also praised “Reynosa,” a  romantic-style  piece dedicated to Mock’s late father Jerry. Reynosa, Mexico is where Jerry Mock , then 38, pur- chased his first guitar. The guitar  Julian  Mock plays on  “Ecstatic Mechanism”  was made by Mexico City luthier Juan Pimentel  for the Mock family in 1975.  Nelson’s two young- sters are continuing the family tradition of learn- ing to play instruments from an early age-- his daughter, 15, is already adept at classical guitar  and clarinet  and his son, 13, plays cello  and  euphonium. Julian’s sister Melody, an artist and website design- er,  plays violin  with a Mexican folk trio.  Whether musicians offer romantic har- monies or modern dis- cord, success in the music world, according to Mock, can be  chal- lenging. “The traditional Gutarist/Composer Julian Mock. Photo © Luc Novovitch path for a performer is to study for many years, the steel-string ‘dreadnought’ that then enter international competi- were written  and recorded in tions.  Those who win might get Terlingua. recording contracts. I decided pretty During a Sunday afternoon concert quickly I didn’t want to go that route, in January at a private home in but it wasn’t until quite a bit later that the Davis Mountain Resort, Roseland I started writing.” Klein, Marfa Public Radio’s Mock will hit the road on a west- classical music commentator, told coast concert tour in April and May, Julian she finds his polyphonic compo- with dates currently scheduled in sitions “sophisticated” but  not neces- Aspen, San Francisco, and Yachats. sarily  “unconventional.”  “They defi- He also anticipates the release of nitely are classical music,” she said. another CD in 2014. He invites you to Steve Bennack, who teaches guitar listen to a free download of his work. at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, CDs, sheet music and free download: exclaimed, “Wonderful! He runs the julianmock.com gamut of guitar techniques in his play- Digital copies of "Creative Guitar:"cre- ing. “Spaceship Earth”  has an  alter- ativeguitarinternational.com. nate picking  technique  where the thumb  plays an alternating bass line, while the fingers play a syncopat- Cenizo Second Quarter 2014 9