Humor is the key to the technically sophisticated sound sculptures of Omaha-born and San Francisco-based
Jay Cloidt. Splicing together digitally sampled deconstructions of classical and pop references,
Cloidt creates pieces that have provoked comparisons with
Spike Jones,
Charles Ives,
Igor Stravinsky, and
P.D.Q. Bach. His compositions have been commissioned and recorded by the
Kronos Quartet and the Paul Dresher Ensemble. The recipient of a master's degree in electronic music and recording media from the Mills College Center for Contemporary Music in Oakland, CA, in 1981,
Cloidt launched his career as keyboardist for a variety of pop and rock bands. Turning to composition in 1979, he had his first success when the
Kronos Quartet commissioned him to write Kole Kat Krush in 1989. The piece, which incorporated snippets by
Stravinsky,
Beethoven,
Eric Clapton, and Sly Stone, was later performed by the
Kronos Quartet as the title track of
Cloidt's debut album a decade later.
Cloidt's collaboration with
Dresher began, in 1990, when he served as sound designer/engineer of an opera, Pioneer, written by
Dresher, Rinde Eckert, John Duykes, Jo Harvey Allen, and
Terry Allen, and performed by a band featuring
Dresher on bass and guitar and
Philip Aaberg on keyboards. Five years later,
Cloidt was commissioned to write Life Is Good for the Paul Dresher Ensemble.
Cloidt has also composed pieces for the Margaret Jenkins and G. Palmer dance companies.