Work samples

  • Elegy (Wood Moths)
    This piece was originally sketched – as the main title suggests – as a tribute to a friend who had recently met an untimely end. Time has passed though, and while the friend is still missed, the material has transformed, like fallen wood in the forest, acting as habitat for moths, beetles, and more, reflecting decay, transformation, and growth. Performed here by Violist Jonathan Newmark, Cellist Elizabeth Skola Davis, and myself on bass, this piece was choreographed by Adrienne Kraus Latanishen and danced by Tessa Hom and Anastasia McKenzie for Baltimore Composers Forum’s Sound in Motion VI.
  • Telemachus at Pylos
    A short fantasy for woodwind quintet played here by the Patagonia Winds, January 2020. If you’ve read the Odyssey, you may want to picture this scene as you listen: Telemachus lands in Pylos, the first stop in his journey to find his father; he tells of his search, and is regaled with tales of heroism before sleeping, waking, and continuing his journey.
  • Song of a Soldier Missing His Child
    One track from the album P'ansori, East to West, produced for Synnara Records, Seoul. P'ansori is a traditional Korean opera form consisting of a single vocalist and a single drum; for this album, I was asked to introduce jazz-influenced instrumental accompaniment, and to blend it with the existing opera.
  • The Argument (excerpt)
    A jazz composition performed here by Jazz Jones in 2010. I am currently at work on a collection of recordings of my jazz compositions.

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About Ian

Baltimore City
Since singing and playing in punk bands in the early eighties, Ian has performed, composed, arranged, and produced music a wide variety of styles and mediums. From fast punk to free jazz, bop to baroque, and contemporary classical to modern folk, Ian has written for and/or performed with musicians on both coasts, as well as Korea and Russia. His work has accompanied theater, film, modern dance, and has ranged from the solo to the orchestral. A graduate of the University of Washington, Seattle,… more
View Ian's Resume
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Habitat

In 1990-91, bassist Ian Rashkin and pianist Todd Harper played together in “The Seekers of Beauty”, a Minneapolis based jazz collective featuring original compositions emphasizing explorations in form, rhythm, and improvisation. When Ian left Minneapolis, the two kept in touch with their various musical adventures; for years, Harper and Rashkin have been planning a musical reunion, and at long last the plans coalesced to bring you this special event in 2019. Habitat brings together compositions and improvisatory skeletons created by Harper and Rashkin over the last 30 years -- some revisited from their early collaboration, and some never yet performed -- plus a couple of songs by Todd's mentor, Carei Thomas. Joining them on this adventure are two of the Baltimore area’s most creative and talented musicians, saxophonist Sarah Hughes and drummer Eric Kennedy.
  • Habitat - Live at An die Musik by Ian Rashkin
    Live recording of Habitat, compositions by Todd Harper, Ian Rashkin, and Carei Thomas, performed by Todd Harper, Ian Rashkin, Sarah Hughes, and Eric Kennedy.
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    Mike 'n' Ike

    Mike 'n' Ike is a jazz trio, sometimes a duo, sometimes a quartet or more. It is based around guitarist Mike Banham and bassist Ian Rashkin, currently with drummer Jim Deshler. The group plays standards and other jazz gems, as well as many of Ian's jazz compositions. 
    • Mike n Ike by Ian Rashkin
      Mike 'n' Ike demo recording from 2016, featuring Mike Banham, Ian Rashkin, and Jim Deshler.
    • Mike n Ike at the BMA
      Mike 'n' Ike recorded live at a reception event at the Baltimore Museum of Art in 2016, featuring Mike Weber (trombone), Mike Banham, Ian Rashkin, and Jim Deshler.
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    • Sleeping with Beasts

    Score to a silent film created in 1994 by Tiffany Saito and Michelle Kelley. The movie features a meeting in a bar between Cinderella and Snow White, comparing their love lives. 

    Score composed by Ian Rashkin, and performed by Paula Maya (piano) and Ian Rashkin (bass). Recorded at Jack Straw, Seattle, 1994, and funded by a grant from King County Arts Commission.
    • Sleeping with Beasts, Scene I
      Composed by Ian Rashkin Piano - Paula Maya, Bass - Ian Rashkin Recorded at Jack Straw, Seattle, 1994, and funded by a grant from King County Arts Commission.
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