seattle circle presents:
music from tuning the air
Now Available on Bandcamp
Volume 1: "Running The Set" (Jun 2007) - NOW AVAILABLE
Volume 2: Season 4 Closing Night - Capitol Hill Arts Center (Dec 2007) - release date TBD
Volume 3: Seattle Circle Presents: Music from Tuning the Air (Jul 2008) - release dateTBD
(All proceeds from sales of the “Music from Tuning the Air” series go to Seattle Circle, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and are tax-deductible. Seattle Circle’s mission is “to develop and promote appreciation in music in the Puget Sound area through education, workshops and music events.” Tuning the Air was a big one! Their work continues, and your support is greatly appreciated.)
Music from Tuning the Air is carefully chosen name for this series of recordings.
For those who are unfamiliar, TUNING THE AIR was a 7-year long series of performance events presented here in Seattle, which ran from 2005-11. It was the brainchild of Frank Sheldon, who envisioned what he described as a “location-based performance team.” Groups typically hone their performance skills by going on the road and doing it over and over, and over again. Frank’s observation was that this could be addressed by essentially bringing the road to us. A series of weekly performances in a fixed location, for one year.
I can clearly hear his voice in a meeting of the Seattle Guitar Circle on February 28, 2005. “Weekly, without fail, for one year. Or don’t do it.”
The notion of performing in a fixed location was very exciting. In particular, it meant that we could finally present this music the way we, the performers, experience it every day. In Guitar Craft we work in Guitar Circles. That is, we literally sit in a circle. We can all see and hear one another very clearly, so the connection and communication amongst the players has a heightened immediacy, and that is something that is tangible in the music. Additionally, the 360º aural space affords very exciting arrangement options.
That, in a nutshell, is the Tuning the Air experience. The players sit in a Circle. The audience sits inside the Circle.
The full history of the project is something for another time. But this was the beginning.
In the second year we began recording the performances. I was in the role of Musical Director at the time, and as I was also a player it was sometimes difficult to separate my personal experience within the performance from the larger view that the role required. What worked? What didn’t? What needed to be tightened up in rehearsal? How did the set flow? Where could we improve? So these recordings, basically bootlegs, were never intended for release. Rather, they were there so that we could review the performance afterward and get answers to the larger questions. 109 of the 225 total performances were recorded. In addition, there are recordings of the music presented outside the context of a Tuning the Air Performance; radio appearances, a formal recording session, and such.
Now, nearly 16 years since the final performance of Tuning the Air, I am finally getting down to the task of collecting, documenting, and archiving, all of the material available regarding this truly remarkable undertaking. In the process I have re-listened to a lot of recordings (a lot!), with fresh ears. Several performances have jumped out. And these seem worth sharing.
No audio recording can present the Tuning the Air experience. Nevertheless, the music is truly wonderful, the performances extraordinary, and these recordings stand on their own. This deserves to be heard. So: Music from Tuning the Air.
Curt Golden, May 2026, Seattle, WA
(Poster designed and created by Roberto Duse)