tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89735297482497105132024-03-13T22:08:55.064-07:00The SoundScrollAn exploration of music and sound art in Seattle and surrounding areas, with an emphasis on the adventurous (along with some visual art, film, and other assorted variations on random themes)S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-33791995582905669692023-03-29T16:48:00.001-07:002023-03-29T17:00:30.098-07:00Ten More Albums: Loops, Strangers, and a Voyage to Middle-EarthMini-revies of ten more albums, mostly classical this time.<br>
Maybe next month I'll be able to return to at least one live concert.<br><br>
John Adams: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQJaJuMTouE">Shaker Loops</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh9oFL8zUEk">Violin Concerto</a><br>
(Kent Nagano, London Symphony, Gidon Kremer)<br>
Two of the greatest late-20th century "classical" compositions, with complex formal structure despite the wide variety of "moods". Though the orchestration is conventional (violin solo with symphony orchestra; string section), the "sound" is often surprising and delightful. Listen for the reference to the Mozart Clarinet Concerto amid the dreamlike bells and shimmer of the second movement of the Violin Concerto.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS_8SRe6No4">JS Bach: Cantatas<br>
(Thomas Quasthoff)</a><br>
This is music at its most sublime: mathematically complex, pleasant, spiritual, somehow more complete than a lot of other music. Quasthoff’s bass-baritone voice is smooth and melodic; dramatic without overstating the performance. The oboe and violin soli, in counterpoint to the vocal lines, are a nice touches; as is the varied instrumentation on this CD. Listening to this, I have the thought again: a lot of music is still trying to come to terms with J. S. Bach.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck9m_Vi7-eI">Brahms: Piano Trios
<br>(Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, Yo-Yo-Ma)</a><br>
Though I’m a lifelong listener to classical music, Brahms (and chamber music) are relatively new to me (I grew up on composers like Mahler and Messaien, and used to perceive Brahms symphonies as endless undifferentiated full-orchestra sameness). These recordings would have just the opposite effect on the neophyte: one may be tempted to consider them too “easy listening”. Indeed, they are easy on the ears, but they are by no means muzak. Beneath the friendly surface, there is conflict: melodies unfold in a state of flux, growing and developing (and sometimes clashing with one another!) even as they are stated for the first time. Fragments are picked apart and grow into their own melodies. The parts are passed from one instrument to another; the violin and ‘cello, of course, have similar roles but the piano provides dramatic contrast. All of this is of course “standard” classical music development; Brahms’ genius seems to be to extend it into what were at the time new territories. It’s all quite fascinating for active listening. The performances are nearly flawless, as one would expect from the all-star performers.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTKedpWJbdc">John Cage: Works for Two Keyboards</a><br>
(Pestova/meyer Piano Duo)<br>
Two contrasting works from two differing periods of Cage's creativity: sparse aleatoric music with an emphasis on silence, and complex rhythms from prepared pianos without a hint of silence. Endlessly fascinating!<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X93eh2D2IM&list=PL0KhVgPCbpSIzinRz4y_4anM3Qr3jCYkL">Robert Glasper: In My Element</a><br>
Beautiful, subtle jazz as chamber music. The solos are refined and usually delicate (except for that one manic drum solo under restrained piano chords), and virtuosic without the endless fast runs (listen to how many notes I can play!) favored by some other contemporary jazz artists. Also, a Radiohead song (immediately recognizable) is gently ushered in as a Standard. Beautiful stuff, but with enough substance for repeated listening. This is (thankfully) not “smooth jazz”!<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TekHTBJbyTo">Arianna Savall: Hirundo Maris</a><br>
There is fairyland in this music. There is also the world of the Arabian Nights, and Middle-Earth, and El Dorado, and Shangri-La, and Camelot, and all those other opalescent places that vanished without a trace into mythology (they never were) but left fragrant traces in our memories. The origin of this music is not mysterious: it's Medieval and Renaissance songs from the Iberian Peninsula ("the South"), Scotland and Norway ("the North") -- but the performances are so beautiful, delicately nuanced, so (both) spiritual and sensuous (so "Elvish", as LOTR fans might say) that we think we are hearing the sounds of a shimmering but long-lost world. Arianna's voice floats effortlessly through webs of notes, and has a much more pleasing quality than that of her famous mother. The instrumentals are likewise gossamer. An occasional anachronism is introduced (dobro, for example), updating the music slightly, but not detracting from the mixed European/Arabic timbres characteristic of the period. Beautiful sounds. Listen to it the next time you're on a trip to Narnia.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9UwRLfYUlo&list=PLIFeRjks1hSyG0VS4HneK4wfThrummkWI">Paul Simon: Stranger to Stranger</a><br>
Innovative instrumentation (instruments by none other than Harry Partch!), catchy tunes, and sometimes seemingly random lyrics make this Simon the master at the height of his songwriting powers. “Wristband” is a great synthesis of groove and social commentary. Worth a listen for Simon fans (and for those, like me, who haven’t necessarily followed his long career.)<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do-DtCjANNE">Liaisons (Reimagining Sondheim)<br>
(Anthony de Mare)</a><br>
These are not "arrangements" or "remixes" (where the original song remains more or less intact despite drastic changes in style and accompaniment) but "compositions" (where the original melody, and sometimes the rhythm, are used as the basis for something completely different). There's quite a varitey of styles here, ranging from jazz-brushed impressionism to upbeat minimalism and even a couple of pieces for prepared piano. Many of them are quite beautiful, though expression (rather than obligatory beauty) is what the composers are after. Quite an interesting collection!<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buxu0cE4jLI&list=OLAK5uy_l7RI_lIC7GXOcMx9bMjUGhDdW2hronisY">Alessandro Striggio: Mass in 40 Parts (Missa Ecco si Beato Giorno)</a><br>
(I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth)<br>
The grand apotheosis of polyphony -- layer upon layer of glorious sound, with a few instrumental surprises.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW5vOElI7Ik&list=PLJ7QPuvv91JtSii4ISw8xbJKcDLtdJhXQ">Tinawiren: Live in Paris</a><br>
Here, the award-winning Malian Tuareg music group becomes a jam band of the Grateful Dead ilk. The music builds slowly, establishing a groove here, adding a layer there, finally growing into up-tempo jamming (and something close to a driving beat). More academically, much of the music is in various pentatonic modes. This, along with the vocal style, give it a slightly “exotic” (whatever that means) sound to American listeners. Most listeners will not understand the words, of course, though if you read the translations, most of the songs are about overcoming persecution and challenging war with peaceful ideals. Throughout, the audience participation is not only audible, but impassioned. Cheering begins as soon as instrumental intros become recognizable and cheers can be heard during peaks in most songs. …Jamming music? Impassioned audience? Songs about peace? It’s as if the best parts of 1960’s hippiedom have been exported. Or are these universal longings?<br><br>
After reading this, don't forget to check out the <a href="https://bookwordsblog.blogspot.com/">sister blog (about books and fun for "werd nerds")</a>. And, you can read more about music (in a fictional context, not a blog) in my latest novel, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grendul-Rising-Book-MadStones-Tetralogy/dp/B0B4L6WJSB">Grendul Rising</a> (epic fantasy; Book One of the MadStones Tetralogy). "Put your hands up and step away from the bagpipe!"
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-22375419894356254562022-12-10T07:06:00.000-08:002022-12-10T07:06:22.912-08:00Seven More Albums: Seattle Music Including One for ChristmasSome music I've listened to recently that has something to do with Seattle, including two by the Seattle Symphony and one Christmas album. I posted these reviews (recommendations) on the local public library website.
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<a href="https://stevebarsotti.bandcamp.com/album/along-these-lines">Steve Barsotti</a>: Say Tin-tah-pee-mick<br>
Seattle has a thriving experimental music scene. Case in point: this mysterious, noisy, subtle, lo-fi album. Inhabiting a strange world a little closer to Richard Lerman than Harry Partch, made-up electroacoustic contraptions rattle and hum and buzz and intone against a background of silence or white noise. There is one track that is barely there ("on the threshhold of hearing") and the very next one that should be played as loud as possible ("on the threshhold of pain"). Love it or hate it (I'm in the first group), there is no music quite like this.
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<a href="https://stevepeters.bandcamp.com/album/occasional-music-2007">Steve Peters: Occasional Music</a><br>
Not an “album” as such, this is a collection of shorter pieces by one of Seattle’s masters of experimental music and sound installations. There’s a delicate piano piece in the manner of Arvo Pärt; an ambient drone piece in which the binaural beats are actually played (on accordions); and a gamelan piece that, if one listens closely, reveals itself to be an extended riff on a blues progression. The middle four pieces were all composed for choreographed dances; these blend ambient trumpet, improvisations reminiscent of Miles Davis, electronic sounds (sometimes startling), and “folk music” (played on hand percussion and various flutes) from an imaginary culture. The overall effect is “mellow” but somehow vaguely disquieting at the same time. The CD ends with two “ambient” pieces, of which “Circular Lullaby” is particularly fascinating: beautiful, modal melodies can emerge from simply playing several tones, each repeating at a different time interval than the others. I’d recommend this CD heartily for anyone interested in music that’s even slightly off the beaten track, and/or as a good introduction for someone not familiar with Mr. Peters’ music.
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcnvGk7Peas">Seattle Phonographers Union</a><br>
Spontaneous musique-concrète made with field recordings unaltered in any way – only the stop and start points and the relative volume are decided by the performers. The result is a fascinating soundscape, at times relaxing, at times vaguely ominous, and at times humorous (there is a bit near the end that’s probably hilarious regardless of one’s musical taste).
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WpehZ3dSxM">Sunn O))): Monoliths and Dimensions</a><br>
One reviewed described this as “drone metal” and my brain went “TILT!” trying to imagine a fusion of Phill Niblock and Metallica. That would be like abstract realism or the southern north pole. Then I listened to it, and, yup – they really have mixed musical opposites. Like drone music, it’s (sometimes seemingly infinitely) slow, where every new note is a major event. Like metal, it’s made with fuzz guitars and distorted vocals, and sounds best at punishing volume levels. There’s also a ghoulish chorus of Tibetan trumpets and a melodic trombone improvisation, both apparently played by Seattle new-music luminary <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tvMp4XDICU">Stuart Dempster</a>. I should also mention the (unusual for metal) use of (or lack of) percussion: there are no drums, though twice in the second song, all motion ceases to the peal of a single bell. Fun (if perhaps overly dramatic and doom-laden) stuff, both for the uninitiated and the experimental-music nerd.
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH64aMfh41s&list=PLJO9oMDgWVEXcR6Mn_D2slgHZdxRO5SVA">Heart: Lovemongers Christmas</a><br>
A very original Christmas album, with several new songs and new takes on old favorites. Heart (known here as "The Lovemongers") sounds the way they played and sang on their early albums ("Dreamboat Annie", "Little Queen", "Dog and Butterfly"), with a lot of acoustic work, subtle vocal pyrotechnics, and some surprising chords and rhythms. Don't play this as background music for a Christmas party; it demands too much close listening for that.
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA2mXSUt77o">Berio: Sinphonia</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpVU_gWV9dI">Boulez: Notations</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMSgWhIENSk">Ravel: La Valse</a><br>
Excerpts from three concerts by the Seattle Symphony are on this CD -- I was at all three of them! Berio's "Sinfonia" begins with startling dissonances and the weird stream-of-consciousness amplified pseudo-pop vocals (here provided by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKuFujJq6zU">Roomful of Teeth</a>) -- this was "new" enough to cause one couple who were sitting in front of me to leave the concert after only ten minutes in (and someone else behind me to comment "I have very little tolerance for this kind of thing" -- to which I snapped, "I have very little tolerance for those think that this IS a kind of thing" -- meaning that this is an utterly unique piece.) The centerpiece is the psychedelic "remix" of the Mahler Second (in turn a reworking of an earlier Mahler piece) overlaid with Samuel Beckett words -- reaching a tragic climax with "all of this can't stop the wars, can't make the old young again or lower the price of bread -- Say it again, louder!" and Mahler's fortissimo "resurrection chord" (resurrection is not possible in Beckett's nihilist universe). The CD then retraces avant-garde French music back, though Boulez' bombastic "Notations" (for the largest orchestra I've ever seen -- when I saw them play it, it was kind of comical to see them scale down for a Mahler symphony) and Ravel's spicy "La Valse", which is of course no longer "avant-garde" and quite a popular piece. The Ravel was as startling when first played as the Berio still seems to be to some, and it ends with a crashing conclusion that brings this CD to a fiery close. The whole CD is a masterpiece, but be forewarned: this is not symphonic music as usual.
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Messiaen: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0KEluTnSi4">Poems Pour Mi</a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSrsM5WcaTs">Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine</a><br>
The Seattle Symphony, conducted by Ludovic Morlot, continues its award-winning series of CDs of modern French composers, here supplemented by soprano Jane Archibald, the Northwest Boychoir, and two instrumental soloists. This is sensuous music, full of rich chords (often with unexpected dissonances that paradoxically add beauty, “like a bee in a flower” in Messiaen’s own words), meandering melodies, and in the second piece, literal birdsongs played on the piano (the instrument that probably sounds least like a bird!). The modernist Stravinskyan edge has been subsumed into a post-Debussy lusciousness. There is at the same time a religious holiness to the sound. The first piece is a collection of religious/love songs; the second more obviously “sacred” but still couched in the terms of sensuality (Messiaen has gotten the point of the Song of Solomon.) The listener may at first be confused by this duality (and by the “spooky” sounds of the Ondes Martenot, an early electronic instrument that sounds close to a Theramin), yet further listens reveal the “big picture” of it all. In this context, that “Theremin” sound is merely part of the delicious texture. All in all, I recommend this highly.
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-54484920544332547912022-11-26T18:59:00.005-08:002022-11-27T07:41:14.715-08:00...And ten more albums (that I've listened to recently)Again, I originally posted these reviews on the local public library's website.
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcWwtQmAt7E&list=PLk4kw0jk2soW9mVqrXxoIBpiPCfzk-Fro" target="_blank">Brian Eno: Apollo</a><br>
It’s nice to hear the old recordings again, especially with the volume levels corrected (on another, older, CD edition, the guitar pieces – originally side 2 of the vinyl record – were jarringly louder than the synthesizer pieces). There are moments of celestial beauty here, as well as mysterious electronic soundscapes that suggest, to my ear at least, underwater rather than outer space. The second CD ("For All Mankind"), however, doesn’t add much; Eno’s original soundtrack music was fairly interesting and experimental, while the added CD is more overtly “easy listening”, borderline elevator music. I rate this “three stars”: five stars for the first (original) soundtrack and one for the additional material.
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srf_T_J43aU&list=PLfeFiqqWWbJvlSWvRCeW4QMnv3W9yiWXA" target="_blank">Ballake Sissoko: At Peace</a><br>
The delicate, gently swaying strains of the West African kora (with other instruments on occasion). On one level it's great (and peaceful, per the title) background music, but if you listen to it only that way you'll miss much of the subtlety and sophistication. Like Bach, this is mathematically "perfect" music that leaves room for intense beauty (or perhaps its beauty is because of its mathematical perfection). Listen for the interplay of main and accompanying melodies, and how both seem to escape from the ever-present rhythms. I would definitely attend a chamber music recital include a selection or two of kora music...!
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyqSTCqbw8U&list=PLa4T9NsDtq8zHSKBZyUwiJrkgUVCsvwVd" target="_blank">Wayne Shorter: Emanon</a><br>
What appears to be a graphic novel is in fact a beautifully illustrated, colorful reason for nearly three hours of labyrinthine, spellbinding music. This is a mixed-media project. The CD "booklet" contains the graphic novel: the adventures of the eponymous superhero and "rogue philosopher" in a multiverse in which all planets appear to be inhabited by humans in some kind of crisis of creativity. The illustrations are striking, but there isn't really much of a plot. Emanon (“No Name” backwards) fights a number of monsters (including the final one that metamorphoses into a beautiful woman whom we sense is his soul-mate), but mostly he gives his creativity to people. He is a metaphor for the music, which is on three CDs in the back of the booklet. These are Mr. Shorter's compositions. His sax is joined by the piano, bass, and drums of three other capable jazz musicians. The virtuoso duet work of Danilo Perez (piano) and Brian Blade (drums) is particularly interesting and satisfying (if a little unusual). The pieces feature angular, open melodies, often epic and "symphonic" as much as "jazzy" in nature (one thinks of Copland as well as Coltrane). The first CD supplements the massive feel with an actual orchestra (albeit a chamber ensemble). The compositions themselves are very complex in form. Concise but ecstatic solos (longer in the "live" performances) alternate with "classical" development sections, but these two musics merge. One becomes the other, in the same way that the monster is the woman in the graphic novel. This is beautiful, epic stuff, though in the end it is the music that holds one's attention more than the graphic novel -- and that seems to be the point.
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Maurice Ravel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-YwjICCLN0" target="_blank">L'enfant et les sortilèges</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8jge5lymvE" target="_blank">Shéhérazade</a>; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGgEroiMBCY" target="_blank">Alborada del gracioso</a><br>
Saitō Kinen Orchestra (with soloists), conducted by Seiji Ozawa<br>
"The Child and the Magic Spells", for the listener, is comical; for the child in the story, it's a nightmare -- until he learns his lesson. Ravel's mastery of harmony and orchestration comes through, perhaps more than his command of melody: all of the characters have their own music and instrumentation. In fact, the orchestration is so spectacular that the listener hears instruments that aren't there: for example, the opening oboe and flute sound exactly like the Chinese pipes (the sheng), though that instrument is not in the orchestra. The comical singing is overblown at times (the clock singing "ding ding ding ding ding" gets grating), but these touches of extravagance help to tell the tale convincingly. Watch out for the cats. "Shéhérazade" is another fairy tale, though it's a far calmer affair. We're treated to languid impressionist harmonies and beautiful melodic lines that seem to float to their destination rather than get there by conventional melodic development. Ms. Graham's performance of these is elegant and refined, in contrast to the phantasmagorical effects of the singing in "L'enfant". There's also a phantom gamelan (more instruments that aren't there!) somewhere in the first movement. Lastly, "Alborada del gracioso" is instrumental and seems tacked on at the end of this CD to fill up time, though it's a good reading and performance of this orchestral showpiece.
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Kristen Chenoweth: For the Girls<br>
How many different voices can one singer have?
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MBZe5FH_yg&list=PLJqdIgtKbsQ6STSFnrkxXBNb148AOzBqV" target="_blank">Goat Rodeo Sessions</a><br>
Stuart Duncan, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile<br>
A beautiful collection of "bluegrass" Americana compositions, played with restraint and very little of the "listen to how many notes I can play really fast!" show-offishness that is often the bane of the genre; and yet the technique by these master musicians is impeccable (as is their expressiveness on their instruments). Brilliant!
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1z5DQh2NUA&list=PLi78mopnWP_4Djoyl1hM9WxImNgARmIDK" target="_blank">Keith Green: The Ministry Years</a><br>
I remember a lot of these songs. Much commercial "Christian music" was a wasteland back then (late 1970's - early 1980's -- see my review of Rich Mullins' "Songs") but these, like Mullins, are well-written, personal, and catchy (they tend to sound like Elton John). That some of them are cloying or banal is probably beside the point: Green was after earworms that would play Scripture passages or encouraging moral lessons in one's head, replacing the overly sexualized or violent lyrics of much pop music. It's nice to look back at these songs as an early way to counter such negativity.
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU4i7cuKyLU&list=OLAK5uy_kZyv9jEUEYvTgbT_ZS_nRamJH4iRpM31Q" target="_blank">Tanya Tagaq: Retribution</a><br>
This album both treats and subjects the listener to a series of dark, primordial soundscapes (and one more or less conventional rap song), many nominally about nature extracting revenge on humans for environmental degradation. (A video of the title track of this album can be seen on Youtube, and it is genuinely frightening as Ms. Tagaq assumes the persona of a vengeful wolf-spirit.) These are not "songs" or "compositions" in any usual sense. Most tracks are probably improvised in several levels of recording with added layers of electronics in post-production, though this is nothing like a "jam band". The primary sound is that of Inuit throat-singing, with occasional bits of Tuvan throat-singing and other "extended" and avant-garde vocal techniques. The result is sometimes surprisingly close to Australian didgeridoo, showing a commonality in musics from half a world apart. Scary, hypnotic, and paradoxically tranquil in places, this is somehow "traditional" music akin to Sunn O)))'s non-tradition, and is certainly worth a listen. Yet it is not for the timid listener.
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0SavtJKq80" target="_blank">Ives: Symphony No. 4</a><br>
Seattle Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, conducted by Ludovic Morlot<br>
The Seattle Symphony does it again with this recording of one of the US' greatest composers. The 4th Symphony is, as always, an epic of (sometimes hilariously) off-kilter Americana (with a little Brahms thrown in for good measure), and "The Unanswered Question" is as beautiful, mystical, and mysterious as always. Highly recommended, and please listen with the volume turned up.
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YqF69HLkj8" target="_blank">Arvo Part: Tabula Rasa</a><br>
This seminal album still sounds as fresh as when it was released. It did indeed begin with a "blank slate", and then went on the completely alter the way contemporary classical music was viewed.
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If you're interested in reading something that isn't about music, check out the <a href="https://bookwordsblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">sister blog of this one</a> (it's about books and about words), or read the novels of my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27414728-tond-book-one">"Tond" series</a> (high fantasy) or my short stories: Silkod of the Drenn (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/JOURN-Journal-Imaginative-Literature-vol/dp/1736711490" target="_blank">in JournE</a>) and The Fourth Source (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Speculation-Villains-Benjamin-DeHaan-ebook/dp/B09ZSK8MWR">in Summer of Speculation: Villains</a>).
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-79742720784806049652022-11-19T05:19:00.001-08:002022-11-19T05:19:30.775-08:00Five (or Six) Books about MusicShort reviews of books about music; I posted these on the local public library's website.<br><br>
Before I start, though: a self-promo. My novel <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grendul-Rising-Book-MadStones-Tetralogy/dp/B0B4L6WJSB">Grendul Rising</a> (MadStones Tetralogy, Book One) features a lot of music: music used (iterally) as a weapon in chapter one, music in the context of nature in chapter two, and, later on, in the midst of a riot (I'm paraphrasing so it makes sense out of context), "Put your hands up and step away from the bagpipe!" (No, I don't actually dislike bagpipes.)
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Okay, on to the books that are "really" about music.<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlFje788ULlS8Fmaa4qKnPVFRTpQ5_OffWg08qW0N2SvP18TK2NYHnH9IMZi3iPc0dvRFylQlZ53tCgqv272Npwepy1R7rh4gZ-lHpQhrXaC8XN4mzXAo1mX7bm4YW4xGXbgSXx3pqDS6cAGESfzFUttJFml-cqqgYbe-GqExopY8xJc-ggMETb2I/s298/SoundScroll%20-%20Listen%20to%20This.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="200" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlFje788ULlS8Fmaa4qKnPVFRTpQ5_OffWg08qW0N2SvP18TK2NYHnH9IMZi3iPc0dvRFylQlZ53tCgqv272Npwepy1R7rh4gZ-lHpQhrXaC8XN4mzXAo1mX7bm4YW4xGXbgSXx3pqDS6cAGESfzFUttJFml-cqqgYbe-GqExopY8xJc-ggMETb2I/s200/SoundScroll%20-%20Listen%20to%20This.jpg"/></a></div><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7962206-listen-to-this">Listen to This</a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7962206-listen-to-this"></a></b><br>
by Alex Ross<br>
A great collection of essays about music. The author not only talks about the when and where of music (including interviews with living artists), but goes deep into its analysis and aesthetics. The book helped me reconnect with some of my old favorites (Schubert, Cecil Taylor, Radiohead, John Luther Adams) as well as appreciate some that I haven't particularly liked before (Brahms, Verdi, Björk, Bob Dylan). It was also interesting to read his analysis of the reoccurrence of a particular motif throughout musical history, discussion of modern Chinese music, debunking of the Mozart myth, and the fact that "classical music is dying!" has been a trope for 700 years.<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0AQ2XAg_mmkZ6wBQJqsymtWIb5pHmvATVlTMEAW1D_CzyDY0_udy_mUHH4ZOY1GS5Qfy9hekg2uCt4pRofLaXYhvUJtb3odZIyXtZo_MLdy_OimKlGzTnJvLKQwWKdteDpjqliRpLrecNCCFAG4Ia4SfekeeqXBNrR0YoYRtebq_MGa59edLMey9/s307/SoundScroll%20-%20Haunted%20Weather.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="200" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0AQ2XAg_mmkZ6wBQJqsymtWIb5pHmvATVlTMEAW1D_CzyDY0_udy_mUHH4ZOY1GS5Qfy9hekg2uCt4pRofLaXYhvUJtb3odZIyXtZo_MLdy_OimKlGzTnJvLKQwWKdteDpjqliRpLrecNCCFAG4Ia4SfekeeqXBNrR0YoYRtebq_MGa59edLMey9/s200/SoundScroll%20-%20Haunted%20Weather.jpg"/></a></div><b><b>Haunted Weather: Music, Silence and Memory</b></b><br>
by David Toop<br>
A brief, detailed (not opposite terms in this case!) overview of the state of music in the early 21st century. Among other things, there are chapters about improvisation, about composing with silence, about film music (including the dread-inducing soundscape of “Alien” and late 20th-century collaborations between Teshigahara and Takemitsu); about extremely large-scale compositions (one piece lasting more than 600 years, one lasting 1000 years), and about the incorporation of pre-recorded material into new works (including such use in both ambient and rap music, which would otherwise appear to be opposites). Mr. Toop seems to have had experience in all of these areas, and his knowledge is encyclopedic – the bibliography and discography themselves would keep the reader/listener occupied for months.<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLDYeJkp5su4wb99bAcrrA5qHSPNK_IjjjVisEQ7p5Cq5CSrxghMX2-VLMeiU1h8ECzjJ6HQLcitrW6AUptW9nLcaABRK8EgltwfAPcxXZljciJqSe0RRyqc6yi_FYcdHUiF-O6DcDyRaQwpRZsiZQ4Kn6NCad0Va6piXQX42keKAtsRirxXSIhr_/s289/SoundScroll%20-%20Noise%20of%20Time.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="200" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLDYeJkp5su4wb99bAcrrA5qHSPNK_IjjjVisEQ7p5Cq5CSrxghMX2-VLMeiU1h8ECzjJ6HQLcitrW6AUptW9nLcaABRK8EgltwfAPcxXZljciJqSe0RRyqc6yi_FYcdHUiF-O6DcDyRaQwpRZsiZQ4Kn6NCad0Va6piXQX42keKAtsRirxXSIhr_/s200/SoundScroll%20-%20Noise%20of%20Time.jpg"/></a></div><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25912206-the-noise-of-time">The Noise of Time</a></b><br>
by Julian Barnes<br>
Interesting biographical novel about the life of composer Shostakovitch and the ruinous effects of totalitarianism on art, told in flashbacks and stark but strangely beautiful prose. Makes me want to listen to the music again.<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lqAglPFbgapmphQsdEiRJuaDkQvKYnAlcONoUIrUDtq9oyNeip6ty5I7_yJJ8nEhroTNoDGIQ7s7NJf7f7CVIeivG3XNWvCSwdTIMYLDthHCQVNWRhu8YUSjeSKS3Ah89MJACgjBXxOJyo_PsQhpbWcbyvSBGCimIk9920yxVYjPF6d-E0uXIAxu/s299/SoundScroll%20-%20future-sounds.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="200" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lqAglPFbgapmphQsdEiRJuaDkQvKYnAlcONoUIrUDtq9oyNeip6ty5I7_yJJ8nEhroTNoDGIQ7s7NJf7f7CVIeivG3XNWvCSwdTIMYLDthHCQVNWRhu8YUSjeSKS3Ah89MJACgjBXxOJyo_PsQhpbWcbyvSBGCimIk9920yxVYjPF6d-E0uXIAxu/s200/SoundScroll%20-%20future-sounds.jpg"/></a></div><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37703005-future-sounds">Future Sounds: The Story of Electronic Music from Stockhausen to Skrillex</a></b><br>
By David Stubbs<br>
Not so much an overview as a series of detailed biographies and critiques of certain artists and their work, this is a fascinating book. All styles of electronic music are covered, from the most experimental avant-garde to the most mainstream pop (the author does not fall into the common trap of labelling all electronic music “experimental”). However, this book is overwritten; reading it is an exhausting slog through a swamp of breathless superlatives and affectedly hip verbosity. That said, it does make a compelling case for revisiting this music.<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEg1ySgP0ioE-gen6kr7Kj1QudurZh7vsoFgb8b6yzrZbxKuaO9BX_83YToSqjo9_R5DuxWl1hUMRX1UmNqGt7pxRCeFUzHVfU2G9iOcZKKgyul054_hQ9F9zPET4s65cdNrWHaLC-n21BxP4P_4hjyqBAhiuTsDLHcPf7LPgQ8Kb68oCPTHtx2yZX/s304/SoundScroll%20-%20Capturing%20Music.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="200" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEg1ySgP0ioE-gen6kr7Kj1QudurZh7vsoFgb8b6yzrZbxKuaO9BX_83YToSqjo9_R5DuxWl1hUMRX1UmNqGt7pxRCeFUzHVfU2G9iOcZKKgyul054_hQ9F9zPET4s65cdNrWHaLC-n21BxP4P_4hjyqBAhiuTsDLHcPf7LPgQ8Kb68oCPTHtx2yZX/s200/SoundScroll%20-%20Capturing%20Music.jpg"/></a></div><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20663689-capturing-music">Capturing Music: The Story of Notation</a></b><br>
by Thomas Forrest Kelly<br>
Fascinating, witty explanation of what at first seems an impenetrable topic (earlier methods of writing music were different in kind, not just in style, from today's scores and sheet music). The terms are explained: finally, it's easy to know the difference between a neume and a note (besides how it looks on a page) — as well as how a virga differs from a punctum and a breve from a semibreve, what a "perfection" was, and why the 14th-century pop-culture antihero Fauvel was always drawn with the head of a horse. The whole thousand-year-plus history is explained, mostly in its formative centuries, along with various geniuses (Guido the Monk, Philippe de Vitry) who invented ways of notating specific pitch or rhythm. There's also some commentary by the so-called Anonymous 4 (not the vocal group who are named after him), and the book ends with a complex operatic score: one page of "Wozzek" by Alban Berg. Since this system of notation was invented in Europe (mostly in France), all of the examples come from there; it would have been nice to see how the system has been adapted to write non-Euorpean music such as jazz and gamelan (as well as contemporary variations like graphic scores). But this history is interesting and explanatory as far as it goes. A side note: the accompanying CD is intended just as examples, but it is quite beautiful and I recommend listening to it on its own.
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-58184431931664956962022-11-12T07:34:00.002-08:002022-11-12T07:54:36.571-08:00Five More Albums: Pulitzer Prize-Winning MusicI posted these reviews on the local public library website: CD’s (albums) of Pulitzer Prize-winning music, whether or not the artist/composer saw it as an “album” or a stand-alone piece.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh6quNNc3A4">Elliott Carter: String Quartets</a> – Pulitzer 1960 (for no. 2) and 1973 (for no. 3)<br>Juliard String Quartet<br>
It begins with a loud, angular declamation from the cello (with a single viola note) and proceeds from there. Unlike some composers who clothe their modernism in lush orchestration (Boulez) or tranquility derived from silence (Cage) or architectural aggression (Xenakis), this is the unvarnished stuff. It’s stark. It’s austere. It is recorded without a whiff of reverb. It is not music of angst, as some would have such “modern” music to be; rather, maybe it expresses little emotion at all. It’s pure mathematics. As a listener, unraveling the complicated formulae that govern the melodic lines and the rhythms is exhausting, maybe impossible – and ultimately extremely rewarding; an intellectual exercise that leads finally to understanding. With that understanding comes the realization that much of what I have just said (stark, austere, non-emotional) is actually not true at all…! There are richly contrasting moments, such as the slow quiet music in the First Quartet that keeps getting overlaid with louder, faster variations on the same sequences. There’s that final quasi-resolve of the Pulitzer-Prize winning Third Quartet (so complex that the liner notes list what’s happening in which speaker on your stereo!) where everything comes together in dissonant but final triple-stops. There are the occasional excursions into pizzicato textures. And above all, there are the rhythms – incomprehensible at first hearing, later resolving into obvious meters – some of them actually groove as they morph and mutate and crosshatch one another. Yes, it’s complicated. Yes, it’s difficult. Yes, it’s far more beautiful than you’d think at first. Give this a listen, and once you’re past the initial trepidation, don’t complain to me that you’re hooked.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGva1NVWRXk">John Luther Adams: Become Ocean</a> – Pulitzer 2014<br>Seattle Symphony conducted by Ludovic Morlot<br>
Listen to it as backgroung sound: it's a pretty soundscape. Listen to it closely: it's a complex layering of wave upon wave of contrapuntal detail. Wagnerian in scope but intimate in detail, this is satisfying music that stands up to repeated listening.<br>
A sad story: I had a chance to hear the world premiere of this piece, played by the Seattle Symphony conducted by Ludovic Morlot, but for some (forgotten) reason I decided to go to some other concert instead (I don’t even remember what that other concert was). Later I found out that this piece had not only won a Pulitzer but also a Grammy (for the recording). It’s kind of like the time I had a chance to personally witness a comet crash into Jupiter (Astronomy club, Berkeley, CA.) I missed that one too because I simply forgot about it until after they’d carted off all of the telescopes.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxeLU9nyia4&list=PLjnccbW1Wa6QFsceMFaLBlTisHoPVV_YS">Julia Wolff: Anthracite Fields</a> – Pulitzer 2015<br>
This large-scale contemporary classical composition (Pulitzer Prize winner 2015) chronicles the world of coal mining. Beginning with a "horror movie soundtrack" and litany of names of people who've died in mines, it proceeds through a number of moods and styles -- from despair to hope for a better life, though there is some doubt to the validity of this hope because the words are drawn from an advertisement. Throughout, the vocal lines become progressively complex and interwoven as the words become more minimalist. This is a very emotional work, good for active listening. Do not attempt to listen to it while doing something else.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkXwoWgwVkk">Henry Threadgill and Zooid</a>: In for a penny, in for a pound – Pulitzer 2016<br>
This is charmingly disorienting music. It’s jazz-fusion, certainly, but not jazz fused with rock or funk; it’s jazz fused with, …what…?. It’s modernist (or even serialist) classical chamber music. It’s improvised. It’s thoroughly carefully composed. Each of the two CD’s feature one short piece followed by two longer ones. In all, notes scatter in a whimsical manner, seemingly without logic, and yet the notes all go together in the most logical of ways. In some sections, it’s difficult to distinguish who’s playing the melody and who’s playing the rhythm – or is there really a difference? The longer pieces consist of strings of shorter sections; careful listening reveals that some of these sections repeat with different instruments or in different meters or with different parts interposed. The titles sound “classical” in the manner of contemporary chamber music, stating the title and the instrumentation (for example, “Dosepic, for cello”) but these designations are only a general guideline. The eponymous instrument does more improvising than the others, and usually has one unaccompanied solo, but the others are present in the piece. All in all, this is more Elliot Carter than Miles Davis. That is neither a positive nor negative statement; it merely indicates the style of the music. I could also describe it as a kaleidoscope of notes. I’ve had fun listening to it, but it may take several listens to comprehend it fully. Again, that's neither a positive nor negative statement; the music is captivating even as I’m waiting.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRmy3BXF5ZU&list=PL1Tx_5tVnHqAZJh1rKwmv1TdJ4X1we-XO">Kendrick Lamar: Damn</a> – Pulitzer 2018<br>
“I was takin’ a walk the other day…” And so this begins. As expected from the title, (and in contrast to that innocent opening), this musical "walk the other day" isn't nice. Nobody has ever gotten a Pulitzer in music for writing inoffensive little songs. (Think I'm wrong here? Consider these from previous awards: Julia Wolff’s “Anthracite Fields” is about deaths of coal miners; Winton Marsalis’ “Blood on the Fields” is about slavery; and George Crumb’s startling anti-symphony “Echoes of Time and the River” – which caused a near riot in Seattle in the 1960’s – is about mortality in general. Even the purely instrumental works, such as those by Henry Threadgill or Elliot Carter, are edgy even though they aren't "about" anything.) In the case of “Damn”, the music itself is not shocking in any way; it’s well-composed hip-hop numbers with tunes and chord progressions straight out of jazz standards (and, oddly, few samples or beat-boxes). There are beautiful backup vocals in tight harmony. In fact, much of the album (over the deep subwoofing, obligatory in hip-hop) is understated and often quite pretty – I can’t really imagine this music booming full-blast from a souped-up car cruising the avenue on a Friday evening. It’s the lyrics that are startling. At first listen the words may seem like nothing but a collection of F-bombs and N-bombs. One is tempted to turn it off and comment that it’s no different from all of those other records where the swearing is merely passed from one rapper to another without anyone in the middle thinking about what’s actually being said. That is not the case here. First of all, not every song has the “swears”, and those that do have them for a reason: this is about the despair of the urban poor in the US, and the anger of one constantly exposed to bigotry and racism in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. As stated in “Yah” (the third song), even the Bible is (mis)quoted to support continued oppression (this along with the refrain “ain’t nobody prayin’ for me” which occurs in several of the songs). Most of the songs are narratives. In many, the “characters” in the stories care for one another even as they admit appalling situations and, sometimes, shortcomings. The song “loyalty” is about this. In a linguistic slight-of-hand, “loyalty” is often pronounced so it sounds like “laity” – the “regular” people in this case – or “larity”, maybe a coined word that could mean "the quality of being a lariat” and hence a trap (even loyalty could be a trap!). In the end, this “takin’ a walk the other day” comes full circle. The blind woman in that first tale loses her life at the hands of someone trying to “help” her – and we (listeners) are left feeling guilty for being entertained by the nasty surprise. By the end of the record, we realize that it may have been us (or our political institutions) who supplied that nasty surprise.<br><br>
Okay, I’m at the end of this, and since the Pulitzer isn’t entirely classical anymore, I’d like to retroactively nominate two non-classical works that should have won some kind of award.<br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll3CMgiUPuU">John Coltrane: A Love Supreme</a> (one of the best jazz albums ever, in my opinion)<br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb0rZSa5F8U">Simon and Garfunkel: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme</a> (the album, not just the song; a high point for creativity in “pop” music even if it is nearly 60 years old now.)<br><br>
Also, at the end of this, a self-promo: Check out my <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/stevenescribnerauthor">author website</a>. You'll find links to all my books there, including the "Tond" novels and a book derived from this very blog.
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-20563299430098171012022-10-29T09:39:00.000-07:002022-10-29T09:39:44.149-07:00Ten More Albums: Silk Road Journeys and Social MusicThese are reviews I posted on the website of the local public library.<br><br>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcveHFQ6Xpo">Hans Abrahamsen: Let Me Tell You</a></b><br>(Barbara Hannigan, soprano;
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Andris Nelsons, conductor)<br>
Shimmering, silvery tones from the half-light of dreams: this is opera of the imagination.<br><br>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VN9TBfWAEo">John Luther Adams: Become Desert</a></b><br>(Seattle Symphony; Ludovic Morlot, conductor)<br>
This sequel to the Pulitzer-winning "Become Ocean" is the essence of symphonic ambience; with complicated (written) delay effects and extended techniques on the instruments, much of it sounds more electronic than orchestral. At any rate, it's gorgeous, and despite its title that suggests drying up or becoming a wasteland, it's also positive and triumphant. Worth as many listens as you can find time for.<br><br>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaXdIlPHxdw&list=PL0ILEW7Puee13a-h3lyZOXu51qbslMCrj">Jon Batiste: Social Music</a></b><br>
A fun album of virtuoso performances of original jazz compositions and some standards (including the Star-Spangled Banner!) in a number of styles (New Orleans, ragtime, Gospel, blues-jazz, free jazz, tango-infused Latin jazz, swing, Rhythm and Blues, 70's fusion, and a fusion of stride piano and Franz Liszt at the end), brought to you by the band (and its leader) from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. There are hints of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Hiromi, and the blues number is loud and forceful enough to remind me of Led Zeppelin despite its completely different instrumentation. But, despite the catalogue of different styles, it all holds together.<br><br>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6RwWaAzJIY&list=PLGw3c2Msfab0uz8Y7tdFADAaKAuYKy08M">Ella (Fitzgerald) at Zardi’s</a></b><br>
There must be some criminal conspiracy that kept these incredible recordings hidden away in the vault. These performances (by arguably the greatest jazz vocalist of the twentieth century) sizzle, and showcase Ms. Fitzgerald's smooth voice and skill at improvising. "Bernie's Tune" is the pure essence of vocal improvisation; her scat singing is both tightly disciplined and out of control ecstatic.<br><br>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIR4VAeBpv0">Heinz Holliger and György Kurtág: Zweigesprache</a></b><br>
The solo oboe (with occasional other instruments) presents a strange, stark, and beguiling sound-world, light-years removed from the more familiar chamber music sound of the string quartet or violin and piano. Although all "contemporary", the pieces vary from strident or mysterious atonality to lilting folk tunes. The artistry is, of course, spectacular.<br><br>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw_n8rISi1c">I’m with Her: See You Around</a> </b><br>(Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan, Sara Watkins)<br>
The recording is beautiful and the performances are top-notch, as is to be expected from the line-up of this band. However, there isn't much variety in the "sound" of the band. The harmony singing is overused and sometimes a little insistent, reminding me at times of those 1970's rock records where every member of the band played during every second of every song (I'm looking at you, Boston). That said, there's quite a lot of variety between the songs themselves; instrumentation changes subtly, there are unexpected chord progressions ("See You Around" cycles between three keys, all in major but giving the effect of minor; "Ryland" is almost chromatic). Though obviously bluegrass, hints of other genres occasionally surface: more than once I'm reminded of vintage jazz/swing and the Andrews Sisters. The lyrics are deep expressions of the human experience, related metaphorically from everyday occurrences and little "slices of life", though few of them are particularly memorable. Supergroup, yes, but I think I prefer the individual members as solo artists: this is certainly not bad, but at the same time it could be better.<br><br>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntTXi3TLuSE">Isata Kenneh-Mason: Romance</a></b><br>
These are great, nuanced performances of works by the great composer Clara Schumann. As often with music from the early Romantic period (i.e. Mendelssohn, Schubert, and Clara's husband Robert Schumann), these are friendly on the surface but full of complex compositional techniques that can be analyzed for hours. Not that it matters; listening is probably enough and this is a gorgeous recording.<br><br>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClPa7yar8j8&list=OLAK5uy_lW7MV4Xe-Pg1uTGpeJ0XB65eOwoi8fxqM">The Knights: The Ground Beneath our Feet</a></b><br>
This is one of those "new school" classical records that takes a clue from the pop world: the musicians form a "band" that produces "albums". This is a live recording that makes a beautiful and eclectic sonic experience, though there is a little trouble with volume consistency. There are two pieces that are familiar from the classical repertoire, from the 18th and 20th centuries respectively (Bach and Stravinsky), and three new pieces. The Bach C-minor Concerto (for oboe, violin and ensemble) sounds a little lackluster, though the Stravinsky "Dumbarton Oaks" concerto, which is made of jazzy syncopated riffs off of a style that would otherwise be close to Bach, is performed with such enthusiasm that I found myself dancing. The two new pieces frame these familiar works: Reich's "Duet" is a dreamy introduction, while the Concerto for Santur, Violin and Orchestra (co-composed by Siamak Aghaei and The Knights' Collin Jacobsen) is a larger work that sometimes uses unexpected sounds (such as what appears to be strumming, guitar-style, on the santur — a kind of hammered dulcimer). The last track is something completely unexpected: the song "Fade Away" is treated to a tour of worldwide musical styles. This will either be a plus or a minus depending on the listener. Each listener will probably bring away something different from this entire CD as well.<br><br>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpkv8UQCj_g&list=PLWlUUT3f92csgSi3JVtg638LERor5IVQ4">Radiohead: A Moon-Shaped Pool</a></b><br>
This is a little different from some of the others by Radiohead that I've heard. This is Indie-Rock at its most dreamlike. Etherial and hypnotically ambient, with lush orchestrations beneath (it begins with a 'cello solo), this appears to be a meeting between Radiohead and Sigur Rós. It's also a blending of expectations: some of the string arrangements use note-bending and even microtones, the way a guitar solo might. Interesting and mysteriously beautiful.<br><br>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdGLjHk56jI">Silk Road Journeys—When Strangers Meet</a></b><br>(Silk Road Ensemble, led by Yo-Yo Ma)<br>
Epic music from the vastness of an ancient continental landmass. Though most of the music is "fusion" to some degree, there is a general movement of east to west (with a couple of pieces from the far northwest added for variety).S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-77694215717929951632022-10-22T15:08:00.007-07:002022-10-24T19:00:34.813-07:00Stockhausen's Piano Pieces Seen from Within, but First: A Little Discussion on SerialismThere was a discussion about serialism on Facebook last week; I found it interesting and asked the participants if I could post it on this blog. They all said yes, so I’ll post it below (names changed except for “me”). It was inspired by a cartoon (by Kim Krans) of a rabbit undergoing various musical effects. And, in turn, it (the discussion) inspired me to take a look at a set of prose-poems that I had written some years ago; I had originally intended to do one of these for each of all of the Stockhausen piano pieces but the longer later ones didn’t seem to work as well in linguistic form.<br>
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<br>
ME: (Incidentally, "dissonance", as depicted there, is actually "serialism".)<br>
LF: "Serialism?" I always thought of "serial" music as just being any music considered in terms of temporal order, not ever a style or movement or any other kind of ism.<br>
ME: I meant the style like Boulez, early Stockhausen, etc., where pitches, durations, volume, timbre, etc., are all "serialized" or treated as blocks seperate from others, and subject to mathematical permutations. Like the rabbit parts in the picture.<br>
LF: It seems a shame to waste such a useful word on a mere style name.<br>
BH: Babbitt beat Boulez and Stockhausen to it, by several years, and saw things through to deeper depths. Odd how Americans are still conditioned to defer to Europeans in matters of “classical” music.<br>
LF: But (per the rumors) Boulez and Stockhausen had CIA money behind them to combat what the USSR was spending on culture-propaganda.<br>
ME: At last! A conspiracy theory that makes sense!<br>
BH: A world in which countries’ spy agencies focused on covertly promoting new music would be a better world than this one.<br>
ME: Concerning Babbitt: Boulez and Stockhausen were the first that came to mind; maybe because they have better-known pieces, to me, anyway.<br>
BH: That’s my point. You’re hardly unusual there. The derivative Europeans get better PR than the American originator.<br>
BH: Concerning the conspiracy theory: it reminds me of the Thai government quietly subsidizing Thai restaurants. Competing via deliciousness, not bombs.<br>
LF: The "Babbitt" strand of American serialism is really a different animal than anything I have heard coming out of Europe, in that it is far more interested in the exploring the ramifications of the "math" involved. <br>
ME: I have a similar take on it. It seems more "intellectual" and less "emotional"; that's neither a negative nor a positive statement.
...Then again, it that's true, then Elliott Carter's serial compositions are European...?!<br>
LF: Elliott Carter is a whole other thingy than either of them.<br>
BH: I’ve never thought of Boulez as emotional. Nor really Stockhausen, unless “space alien” is an emotion. I hear far more emotion in Philomel, and more wit in many other Babbitt pieces, than I hear in most of the European strand.… <br>
ME: Stockhausen could very well be a space alien... lol<br>
ME: Stockhausen's Piano Pieces IX and X are clearly emotional, at least to me.<br>
BH: Well, the thesis of The Composer as Specialist is that “advanced” composers are engaged in cutting-edge research. Babbitt saw himself very much heading a musical vanguard. A difference is that he sought financial support from university… <br>
ME: This "serial" discussion is getting interesting. Do any of you mind if I post it on my blog about music?<br>
BH and LF: I’m OK with you including this in your blog, I suppose, if it is clear that my comment about CIA funding is rumor only.<br>
ME: IF I'd known this discussion was going to take place, I would have labelled the bunny in the cartoon a "Babbitt Rabbitt".<br><br>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf1tEwA4pXw"><b>Listen: Stockhausen's Piano Pieces I - IV</b></a>
<br><br>
<b>Stockhausen's PIano Pieces I - IV: From the Inside</b>
<br><br>
I<br>
Soft, loud, upward cascade of splintersounds, impressions come into focus. Hazes, blue-green, red cuts into opacity, shatters clearness.<br>
I emerge into consciousness. I remember little from that time before times. Maybe there was something blue. Maybe it was yellow-orange. Was it shapeless? Or did it have a form, coalesced from the void, or from other forms? Maybe there was a bridge. Or a tree or a stone. Or was it a tunnel, or it was a floor, upside-down and sideways.<br>
Sounds. Dark resonances. Bright bells peal. Gongs. Clusters of clangs and clip-clops, shadows of echoes.<br>
Lights. Flickers. All colors. Turn off and on, bright, dim, inverted noises, vibrations are sounds are frequencies of hue. I hear and see only a little. Senses are not differentiated. I know nothing yet. I wait.
<br><br>
II<br>
Learning. Hesitant. Reverberations come together. Jangles. One note here, two there.<br>
One of those notes is me. Maybe I am a high C-sharp, brilliant and shining against the others. Or I am a low E-flat, dark and shadowy, deep in the dreamworld of protosound. It does not matter now, which note I am. Just know that I am one of the notes in these pieces.<br>
The sounds are random. Or not random. These pieces are complex, mathematical beyond the perceptions of the ear. It is for that reason that I am learning. Comprehension grows as clang-clusters disentangle.<br>
<br>
III<br>
I become aware of other notes in a zigzag stream. I join them stepping upwards, sideways, turned around, downwards, louder, quieter. Then I retrace my steps.<br>
<br>
IV<br>
Remembrances. Hesitant. Resonances grow apart. Jingling. Two tones here, one there.<br>
Others of those notes are not me, but I don’t know them yet. Maybe one is a high E-flat, glittering and glaring against the others. Or it is a low C-sharp, but bright and luminous, shallow in the waking world of aftersound. It does not matter now, what notes they are.<br>
The sounds are not random, or they are random. These pieces are complicated, algebraic or geometrical beyond the sensing of the ear. It is for that reason that I am still learning. Understanding grows as cluster-clangs entangle.<br>
<br>
<b>Some business: </b><br><br>Check out this blog's sister, <a href="https://bookwordsblog.blogspot.com/2022/10/">The BookWords Blogg</a>. It's about books (i.e. book reviews) and about words. Or is that obvious?
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-73257882653874734152022-10-16T13:25:00.002-07:002022-10-31T22:52:39.172-07:00Ten more albums: Wind, Beauty, and Blues in a Kaleidoscope SuperiorWell, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve posted anything here, and circumstances are still such that I can’t really go out an hear live music, let alone review it. So here are ten more albums I’ve heard in the last couple of weeks.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVs51qFxRZ8"><b>Count Basie: Good Morning Blues</b><br /> </a>
Ancestral to a lot of today’s music (both “classical” and “popular”), and extremely creative. The title track features piano and trumpet solos that stretch the expressiveness of the instruments. The curators of this two-record (vinyl) set also set it up in a way seldom seen in anthologies of short pieces: the album as a whole has a “shape”. The songs are not only arranged chronologically (though partially), but: side one has big band numbers, side two has piano with bass and drums, side three starts to bring in other instruments in small combos, and side four (strangely labelled “Record Two Side Two”, a different system than the other three) begins with small combos but gradually brings back the big band. The last two pieces are for a very big (and loud) orchestra; a grand finale. It’s as if the Count himself planned this out as a multi-movement evening-long work, which he may have. Throughout, nearly everything is based on the familiar blues riffs, but everything keeps going in unexpected and often beautiful ways.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3apkywzYf0"><b>Miles Davis: Pangaea</b><br /></a>
Miles Davis and other jazz greats created this electric band that is a rarity: a jam band that doesn’t meander. Or maybe it meanders in the best possible way. The two 45-minute pieces are partially composed and probably conducted; pauses and shifts are coordinated and each improvised solo knows exactly when to stop. The result is a journey through a multifaceted soundscape (it’s fitting that the two tracks and the album are named after landscapes): driving rock-funk leads to magical skeins of African balafon; a flute floats over a web of hushed percussion and evolves into metal guitar. Listen several times: at first it’s like an adventure without a compass; by the second or third you’ll have an overall map but the moment-by-moment details are still surprising.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1fkT-xmaAY&list=PLetv3SCC-r3ZldnobkcWf8HrxEuTepgQV"><b>Toumani Diabate: Mande Variations</b><br /></a>
The delicate sounds of the kora: auditory dewdrops on an early morning spiderweb. If one listens closely, there are two koras and two styles of music: one, traditional pieces with long non-strophic melodies over ostinato accompaniments; two, freeform neo-impressionist improvisations played on a metal-stringed kora that resonates like a Celtic harp. Both are delicate, transparent, and beautiful.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_-zgrSzTBo&list=PLdNRg9NspQMgNgEwW2QwS6FvcismBuQHe"><b>Earthsuit: Kaleidoscope Superior</b><br /></a>
This little-known album of (Christian) reggae-rock (from 2000) is worth a revisit: it’s more than the boy band that it appears. Lyrics are often obscure but full of references; rhythms are off-meters as often as not (linking this to older “prog rock”); chord structures are derived from jazz standards. Snippets of Steve Reich minimalism complete the stylistic fusion. Somehow it all holds together and has a recognizable “sound”: a kaleidoscope superior with all the same hues.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpT8x5r93yo">Ensemble Organum (conducted by Marcel Pérés): Carmina Burana (The Passion Play)</a></b><br />
The Carmina Burana manuscript doesn’t consist entirely of bawdy drinking songs; this “Gregorian” retelling of the crucifixion of Jesus is also there (though one bawdy song does manage to appear, as sung by Mary Magdalene pre-conversion). As always, Ensemble Organum’s interpretation is likely to be controversial: there is of course no particular evidence exactly when Gregorian chant evolved into the way it sounds presently, and no particular evidence how it sounded before then — so thirteenth-century chant (which was already a thousand-year tradition by that time) is open to interpretation. Here it’s given an “Eastern Orthodox” makeover with what’s been termed “Middle Easter warbling”: improvisational melismas overlaying the melodies and syllables of the chant. Recorded in a cathedral, a cavernous resonant space and the “authentic” location for this music, it results in lovely and evocative (and sometimes quite forceful!) echoes from a bygone century. This is especially true in the rare passages where the single melodic lines merge into harmony. The “storyline” cuts off before the Resurrection, emphasizing the sacrifice, leading into the possibility of later music in the same manner.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQLtRgMvMlg">Morton Feldman: Why Patterns? Crippled Symmetry (Eberhard Blum, Nils Vigeland and Jan Williams)</a></b><br />
Tiny gestures expand into giant canvasses of sound. Resonances emerge from, rail against, contain, and return to silence. Rhythms overlay in complex patterns. Overall, very quiet — yet very loud in context. This atonal minimalist music creates its own atmosphere and its own aesthetic. At the end, all reduces to a single note, lingering in a light-filled void, trailing into nothing and everything.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60xGK3uZ7tA">Haydn: Prussian Quartets (Tokyo Quartet)</a></b><br />
At first listening: merely charming. The second or third time through: there’s extreme expression and complexity lurking beneath that “simple” exterior. The more you listen, the more you hear; the more you hear, the more you get drawn in. Two of my favorites are the very first track in the set (the first movement of Quartet no. 36), with its unexpected syncopations, and the very last track in the set (the fourth movement of Quartet no. 41); that quick repeated note on one of the violins anchors the piece through a series of episodes (some say it imitates the calling of a frog; I’m more inclined to hear it as a birdcall mixed with the buzzing of bees). Elsewhere there are charming melodies (often only a single, unfolding melody containing its own key-changes; a variation on the usually bi-melodic sonata form) and delicate nuances, played perfectly.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEGHBZAao_A">Photon Swim Break: Hazard II: Wind</a></b><br />
Not particularly “hazardous”, this is dark ambient music derived from field recordings and phonography. The opening is particularly striking, where wave and wind sounds are processed to release their overtones (I am Not Sitting in a Room; Release the Kraken!) in a gradual accumulation of resonance.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnl_1lkV7WA&list=PLiN-7mukU_RHPtcp78gDpiuMDSIl3bENw&index=2">Ryuichi Sakamoto: Beauty</a></b><br />
There are plenty of examples of mixing (American or British Isles) folk music with rock and pop; here is another possibility. Japanese min’yo (a traditional style closely related to taiko drumming) mixes just as well with “pop” as other folk musics. Always surprising and often beautiful, and a proof (if you need another) that heterophony combines with chord-changes without a problem. The shamisen seems, here, to have been created to be a background rhythm instrument under keyboards and vocals. (There are also a couple of Afropop-fusion tracks in the middle, for which I have the same comments minus the shamisen.) Those positive statements aside, though, several of the songs have inane, pointless lyrics; and the “Chinese” version of Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” (played on the er-hu) sounds forced, particularly since they didn’t bother to re-tune the two instruments to match.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVZk-JlM1hk">Word of Mouth Chorus: Rivers of Delight</a></b><br />
One of only a handful of professional recordings of the American tradition of shape-note hymn singing, a loud, enthusiastic style of church music not particularly related to the more familiar Gospel music. The chorus sounds a little too polished at times (this is, in its original form, rough music), but delicate (!) beauty is often the result. The occasional solo passages are particularly exquisite.
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-54044229090903297192020-09-01T16:54:00.000-07:002020-09-01T16:54:05.669-07:00Reviews of Two Books on Music: "Music After the Fall" by Tim Rutherford-Johnson, and "From a Broken Bottle Traces of Perfume Still Emanate" by Nathaniel MackeyI found these two books in the public library and had a lot of time to read them during the coronavirus pandemic. They are both on the topic of experimental music, though experimental in different ways, and the books themselves are quite different. (I also left both of these reviews on the library website.)
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<b>"Music After the Fall" by Tim Rutherford-Johnson</b>
There has been a change in the zeitgeist of popular music recently. When I was in high school in the 1970’s any music older than the Beatles was taboo (and any newer music that wasn’t rock was equally taboo). All that has changed. With the advent of hip-hop and its sampling and use of the turntable as an instrument, older music is available (and often re-purposed), and kids today are as likely to listen to Led Zeppelin and even Glen Miller as they are to Drake. (My parents’ or grandparents’ music – unthinkable to my generation!) What Mr. Rutherford-Johnson has done in this book is chronicle that same change of culture in the (previously academic) world of contemporary classical music since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Once secluded in the proverbial ivory tower with mostly atonal compositions that could be understood on their own (as music) but seldom were given a chance to be so, “modern” classical has entered (or perhaps infiltrated) the commercial music scene. The borders are porous now. What began with various forms of “tonal” minimalism and ECM’s groundbreaking Arvo Pärt recordings in the 1980’s has continued to the present. The author presents all of the music’s multiple facets (and there are many!) without any preconceptions about what is “commercial” or “academic”. Likewise, he withholds judgement about the integrity of such a blurring (given the hostility of the classical establishment to “pop” music through much of the 20th century). All major movements and trends are covered, including some that were probably invented by the author to classify or at least investigate works that previously seemed orphaned in their own world. Included are Steve Reich’s “Different Trains”, George Rochberg’s Third String Quartet (one of my favorites!), Turnage’s operas, the Wandelweiser Collective (new to me but I’m finding it fascinating), Luigi Nono’s “La Lontonana…” (another one of my favorites), Pamela Z’s “Gaijin”, Ali-Zadeh’s “Mugam Sayagi”, Merzbow, crossovers with electronica, ultra-long pieces like “Longplayer”, “classical” deconstructions of other material such as Isabel Mundry’s “Dufay Bearbeitungen” and Michael Finnissy’s “English Country Tunes”, experimental pieces with videos (music/cinema mashups?) and too many more to list here. The playlist at the end is long enough to keep one listening for months, and (since I haven’t heard ¾ of this material) I’m going to be doing just that.
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<b>"From a Broken Bottle Traces of Perfume Still Emanate" by Nathaniel Mackey</b>
This collection of fictional letters forms not so much a novel as a vast discussion on the subtleties and usage of language. Concepts are bandied about, words (and even characters' names) become puns (i.e. Penguin, a character, becomes Pen, then Penny, then E Po Pen, then King Pen, with lengthy discussions on the ramifications of each). Likewise, the characters themselves morph and mutate into new forms. Penguin and Penny are originally different people; the narrator "N." may also be Jared Bottle (the "broken bottle" of the title), who may also be Djbot Baghostus, who may also be (again) E Po Pen. All of this is tied together by the occasional third-person narration in the "Creaking of the Word" sections. Ostensibly the "story", what there is of it, is about musicians playing in a free-jazz band, the sessions of which cause surrealism (or at least "magic realism") to break into reality; but the more one reads, the more one realizes that this "story" may all be fragments of a dream (and a dream about language as much as about music). The surrealism may be the setting. As if to emphasize this, two characters remain in the dreams of the others -- at the same time. Perhaps the author is saying that reality and dream-states are indistinguishable while someone is experiencing them. At any rate, it's fascinating stuff; and Mr. Mackey's knowledge of jazz (and other music) is encyclopedic. Not an easy read by any means, but fun to explore.S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-31088974472421017452020-08-24T14:00:00.004-07:002020-08-26T08:51:00.175-07:00Review of the Album "Air Drop" by Darryl BloodThis dropped into my inbox on day, and I decided to give it a listen. The title
“Air Drop” conjures images of supplies descending by parachute, or propaganda
leaflets scattered from a helicopter during wartime. This music has slight
references to both (some pieces could be the gratefulness for food and equipment
dropped into a remote location; others could be the flapping of papers in the
wind, against a background of danger). Or it could be that the music has
“dropped” through the air onto your computer or device (as it did with mine). The image of birds sitting on a wire suggests another, ickier image — but this is not reflected in the music.
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There’s a lot of Pink Floyd, a lot of Brian Eno, and a lot of John Cage in this
beautifully-produced suite of ambient keyboard pieces. That is not to say that
it’s entirely derivative of other artists and composers (it’s not), but that
inspiration comes from many sources which are amalgamated into a new whole. All
in all, it’s quite beautiful.
The first three tracks lay down the trajectory (or drop?) of the album. “Abernathy” begins with what could be the start of Philip
Glass minimalism, but is then overlaid with a melody in what sounds like the
Japanese pentatonic scale (in a different key so it’s actually not pentatonic)
and the result is somehow reminiscent of the keyboard work in the “Dark Side of
the Moon” album. The first “Air Drop” tune (#2; they’re out of order) is a
prepared piano interlude that at first sounds microtonal; ambient drones sneak
in underneath. The third, “Ardentia”, is straight from Eno’s “Ambient” series,
though the melody slowly threads itself through what could be chord changes for
a jazz standard. Again, very pretty, if in a slightly bittersweet mood.
After these first three, the styles mix and merge. Scattered drumming splatters itself
Jackson Pollock style across the prepared piano of the second “Air Drop” (#4),
then settles into a steady, slow rock beat underlying the synthesizers in
“Novella”. The third “Air Drop” (#5) features a very interesting compositional
technique, sometimes heard in the Javanese gamelan: the steady pulse is
relegated to the higher notes, while the lower pitches mark off time as deep
gong-strokes. The relationship of “beat” to “chords” is inverted. (Miles Davis
used the same technique in a slow bebop number, “Nefertiti”, though with a very
different end result – it was laid back and infinitely “cool”, whereas Mr.
Blood’s piece seems to be a series of nervous glances at a relentlessly ticking
clock.) “Voyeur” is another ambient synth piece; then in the last “Air Drop”
(#1) the synth and the prepared piano have become one: we’re not sure which
we’re listening to at any given moment. Finally, “Stille” (which could mean
either “Silent” in German or “Quietly” in Danish) resolves everything with a set
of majestic chords that seem to sound from a great distance.
The last “Air Drop” piece (#3) is not on the album. I’ll resist the pun about the piece being
dropped and assume instead that it did not fit into the overall shape of the
album. If the present pieces are any indication of what it’s like, I’d like to
hear it by itself sometime.
In general what we hear plays on the aspect of “air”: much of the music floats, is blown by wind, or becomes wind itself. In
the end, it disappears from the air altogether, slowly departing into infinite
space. We listeners are left earthbound, of course, but we are glad to have
heard it.
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-54455403081445185412020-07-28T15:19:00.001-07:002020-07-28T15:19:54.340-07:00CD Review: Ball of Wax volume 60 (60 x 60 = 60)I received this CD compilation in the mail after contributing a song (the way music has to be heard now, during the covid pandemic). I popped it in the CD player. More than once. Good stuff! One could describe it as a journey through a wide landscape of music, all in tiny steps (60 one-minute songs; no cut-offs or shortened versions), or perhaps it’s a huge chandelier made of tiny, perfectly-cut gems. Whatever. Just listen to it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEacN-7yuoNH0hPjxH94L9DBuh8edm0-OWUGqqp4q0fttcp1T3-r3_okiVOHFRIQogagCxYbto5WmTbeNXzVgEzsCuTOYpBpco-EjdStQ-rh7C7WkVMb1bHc-4_OnN1b9Py9TVynjl74/s1600/Ball+of+Wax+60.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEacN-7yuoNH0hPjxH94L9DBuh8edm0-OWUGqqp4q0fttcp1T3-r3_okiVOHFRIQogagCxYbto5WmTbeNXzVgEzsCuTOYpBpco-EjdStQ-rh7C7WkVMb1bHc-4_OnN1b9Py9TVynjl74/s200/Ball+of+Wax+60.jpg" width="157" height="200" data-original-width="156" data-original-height="199" /></a><br />
https://ballofwax.org/<br />
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There’s too much here to do much more than list a few things that particularly caught my interest, so here goes. It begins with scattered voices over ambient-rock chords (“Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski” by Hart Slights) and a Beatles-ish song (“Rmembering Six” by the Ex-Optimists). These two form a perfect intro for almost any indie rock album. From there, it proceeds into widely varying territory. My own piece (“Fragments / Figments”) is something of an outlier, a “contemporary classical” piece of musique-concrète (while a lot of the others are various types of homemade indie-rock); but also there is a minimalist ode to Philip Glass (which does not sound like Philip Glass!) (“The Glass Cowell” by Tom Dwyer), a mysterious electronica soundtrack (“Warren Quarentino” by the Great Unwashed Luminaries – great band name!) followed by Biblical law handed down through foggy ambience (“The Lighthouse” by Red Weather Tigers). Doom metal makes an appearance (“Theme to Winterrose” by Hauras), followed immediately by a (Beatle-ish, again) happy pop tune (“Timothy” by Jose Bold) and several other 1960’s sound pallets. Then something that could be either Pink Floyd or Radiohead (!), “Turnstyle” by Greenhorn) and something else that could be Jethro Tull or Simon and Garfunkel (!!), “What we don’t know” by Bluehorn (green, blue, are they the same artist?). Phoebe Tsang uses a violin in a “Cat Remix” that really sounds like a cat. There are some beautiful, quiet ballads (including “No Matter How Long” by Levi Fuller). As hinted by the several pairs of tunes mentioned above, part of the genius of this compilation is the curating. Here’s another example: children singing with an old upright piano (“untitled” by ‘lectrified spit) is immediately followed by a memories of a school bell (“Gengen” by Small Life Form). Slightly later, these kids grow up (a little) and go through their teenage rebellious years with some 80’s punk (by Vic Bondi, Sonic Graffiti, and others). Then there are expletive-laden samples that become beats (‘ohshtmthrfkrwefkdnw” by The Pica Beats) and a horror soundtrack (“hearbleeps” by riceburger). There’s a classic villain song from a twisted musical (“The House is on Fire” by The Axis of Descent et al.) and classic soulful vocals (“The Slide Show” by Sam Russell) and even a subdued free-jazz number (“Too Smart by a Quarter” by The Vardaman Ensemble). All in all it’s a wild collection, a journey through many small towns that somehow are all part of the same vast empire. It’s worth hearing many times, and savoring. I know I’ll be listening several times more, and enjoying the journey.S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-25570921360244971752020-05-18T15:17:00.002-07:002020-05-21T17:31:28.405-07:00Ten More Albums (Jazz; Also Beatles, Battles, and Two Guys Named Chris)Continuing the mini-reviews of ten albums from my collections of CDs, cassettes and vinyl albums during the corona virus lockdown. There was an unusual amount of jazz and improvised music this time, but I didn't plan that: Coltrane, Corea, and Coleman all begin with C. (Also, in the rest of the B's: Chris Brown, Chris Burke, Beatles, Battles. Anyone for "Fox in Sox" and the Tweetle Beetles?) As always, comments and questions are welcome.<br />
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<a href="https://artifactrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/duets-art-1016-1996">Duets (Chris Brown et al.)</a><br />
Here electro-acoustic source material makes a leap from prerecorded musique-concrète to improvisations on electric instruments. By turns mysterious, strident, sci-fi-ish, ethereal, danceable (for the very nimble) and dark, this provides resonances quite unknown until this album came out. <br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Evening_with_Herbie_Hancock_%26_Chick_Corea:_In_Concert">An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea In Concert</a><br />
These two still do things on pianos that can’t be done on pianos. And, unlike several other musicians I can name whose technique is impeccable, the result is more than just a lot of fast notes. I especially like how the “riffs” bounce from one player to the other, both in standards and in improvisations, and the occasional use of extended techniques on the instrument.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Jazz:_A_Collective_Improvisation">Free Jazz (Ornette Coleman)</a><br />
The father of a sub-genre, not entirely free improvisation. At times the music coalesces into obvious themes; at other everyone stops and starts at the same time. The bass solo and the series of drum solos are interesting in themselves. Whatever – it’s still fascinating: a lot of noise and a lot of music at the same time, full of colors, always changing, always the same, turning upon itself like a jazz homage to giant gothic stained-glass windows.<br />
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<a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15469-gloss-drop/">Gloss Drop (Battles)</a><br />
Hocketting is a sort of metrical ping-pong game used in Balinese gamelan, the Medieval European "Ars Nova", certain genres of African music, and experimental pieces by Jo Kondo and others. Here, it makes a rare appearance in indie rock (along with, on other albums, a track or two by Dirty Projectors) and electronica. The result is a hyperactive, experimental, rhythmically precise chaos, and it's a lot of fun. It's also exhausting. The rhythms and the melodies seem to be one in the same, and both jump from instrument to instrument (and sometimes to vocals) and side to side and back to front. It's impossible to describe; one has to hear it, and then hear it again, to make sure that what you heard was really what was there. And please, hear it with the volume up.<br />
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<a href="http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/001_avant_burke.html">Idioglossia (Chris Burke)</a><br />
1989 post-punk beat-driven electronica with samples and wry commentary on culture, TV, and politics. “Get ready to give in to evil! Sounds neat! Extremely attracted to – evil!” Little did we know that this satire (probably on heavy metal music) would actually describe how American society would go in another quarter century. Also one of Max Ernst’s well-known supposed hallucinations, here rendered as a Devo-esque (or Warhol-esque?) glorification of style over substance: “The hat makes the man, a man made of Hat, replace the dinosaur…”<br />
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<a href="https://www.npr.org/2000/10/23/148148986/a-love-supreme">A Love Supreme (John Coltrane)</a><br />
This 1964 masterpiece is one of the classic jazz albums. It’s also a fine introduction to Coltrane’s work, situated as it is between his “standard” style and his more interesting (and therefore less popular) experimental period. “Heads” and solos flow into one another freely in a jazz stream-of-consciousness; in fact, many of the jazz “solos” are more like classical “development sections”, where Trane takes fragments from the main theme and repeats them in various keys (that may or may not be related to the accompaniment). Then there are those timbral innovations, such as the chanting of “a love supreme” in multiple overdubs, and the timpani solo by the drummer, Elvin Jones. The whole album is a sound experience that is still as fresh now as when it was recorded.<br />
<a href="https://www.moderecords.com/catalog/044cage.html"><br />
The Number Pieces I (John Cage)</a><br />
Music from the intense edge of silence; some of it is even more intense than silence and yet silence is a major part of it. The piece with rainsticks is perhaps the most beautifully held-back aleatory music ever conceived. <br />
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<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Hariprasad-Chaurasia-The-Most-Celebrated-Flutist-Of-India-Raga-Mian-Ki-Malhar/master/1433053">Raga Mian Ki Malhar (Hariprasad Chaurasia)</a><br />
The light and easy sound of the last third of this flute and drum music fools the listener. Like Mozart or Chopin, it’s only simple on the surface. The extended introduction provides clues: the flute (here and there sounding very close to the Japanese shakuhachi) enumerates the notes of the raga slowly, one at a time, gradually increasing in complexity (but seemingly decreasing in volume) until all possibilities are exhausted. Only then does the tabla appear, in a second “movement”. For the listener unfamiliar with Indian classical music, this would be a good (and beautiful!) introduction. (When I published this, "tabla" had been changed to "table". Bleepin' spell-check.)<br />
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<a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/right-of-violet-mw0000728972">Right of Violet (Alex Cline, Jeff Gauthier, G. E. Stinson)</a><br />
Free-improv jazz on electric instruments becomes a rock-based symphony. The entire album strikes me as being slightly too long, but the string of “compositions” has an interesting shape centering on the gorgeous “Sophia” for electric violin (with multiple delays) and gamelan gongs. “Metal” music preceded this, having built up slowly ex nihilo and then scattering into fossilized fragments; “Sophia” itself (herself?) then trails off in a similar manner, but the beauty remains even as the metal rebuilds itself and then subsides a second time. A hint of Vaughan-Williams lingers as the music concludes. <br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles_(album)">The White Album (Beatles)</a><br />
Probably doesn't need an introduction. With this, mainstream pop stared across the abyss into experimental music (there’s even a tape collage!) but never quite made the leap. Maybe that doesn’t matter: some of this is a little dated now (and there’s a lot of awful baggage) but there’s still great melodic songwriting and some interesting ideas that pop artists are still coming to terms with. Worth several listens, even if only because (for better or worse) it’s part of our history.<br />
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So that's it for the music, for now. For another type of discussion altogether, check out the <a href="https://bookwordsblog.blogspot.com/">new sister blog</a> of this one (it's about books, words, and random stuff about linguistics) and my <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y8o5vn6s">new website</a> about my books (yes, there's a book of this blog!).S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-18383006502391736142020-05-11T15:01:00.000-07:002020-05-11T15:01:26.207-07:00Ten More AlbumsContinuing the mini-reviews of ten albums from my collections of CDs, cassettes and vinyl albums. One needs something to do during the orona virus lockdown. As always, comments are welcome, and of course I'll post other topics about music (and art) as they come up.<br />
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<a href="https://juneappalrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/banish-misfortune">Banish Misfortune (Malcolm Dalglish and Grey Larsen)</a><br />
A classic of hammer dulcimer recordings, this collection of folk songs reflects a tenderness and directness of expression often buried under layers of erudition in other genres – yet it is no less complex or effective. As always, a pleasure to listen.<br />
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<a href="http://www.newalbion.com/blog/-batak-music-from-north-sumatra">Batak of North Sumatra</a><br />
Earworms lurk just beneath the surface in this collection of aggressive traditional Indonesian music that has nothing to do with the more familiar gamelan. The melody is as often carried by percussion as by the vocals and the omnipresent double reeds. This stuff rocked for centuries before the invention of electric instruments.<br />
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<a href="https://bostoncamerata.org/programs/carminaburana.html">Carmina Burana (The Boston Camerata conducted by Joel Cohen)</a><br />
Carl Orff fans: this ain’t that. These are songs from the original manuscript, in the Medieval tunes that have been used since the 1960’s (the manuscript itself has very little actual musical notation). These performances use innovations like rainsticks or the re-use of the “Dies Irae” melody – so these are not “authentic” versions – however, Medieval musicians would probably have innovated with what was at hand. These were bawdy drinking songs, after all…<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd1xESSjJWI">Field Recordings (Bang on a Can All-Stars)</a><br />
Exploring the noisy demilitarized zone between “new music” and indie-rock. Individual pieces vary from catchy minimalism to guitar-heavy drone metal to happy/comical circus music, almost all based on field recordings of some type. A musical experience, to be sure.<br />
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<a href="https://newbraxtonhouse.bandcamp.com/album/four-compositions-quartet-1995">Four Compositions (Quartet) 1995 (Anthony Braxton)</a><br />
One would expect this manic perpetual-motion machine to wind down at some point, but it keeps morphing and mutating, sprouting variations on its single running line of notes. It is both exhilarating and maddening music – and needs to be heard at least once to either relax you or put you farther over the edge.<br />
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<a href="https://sequentia.org/recordings/recording22.html">Ordo Virtutum (Hildegard von Bingen, played by Sequentia)</a><br />
This may be the recording that brought Hildegard’s music back into the spotlight after almost a millennium, yet this is a flawed record. The performances are pretty but often seem hesitant, there is at least one easily-audible flubbed tape-splice, and the celestial chorus of the finale is lackluster. The music of this proto-opera itself, though, is fascinating: melodies proceed in directions quite unlike any others (and also quite unlike the Gregorian chant upon which they are based). The instrumental parts provide drones and heterophonic accompaniments that would grow centuries later into the many types of harmony that we know today.<br />
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<a href="http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=588053">Piano Concertos (Béla Bartók, played by András Schiff and the Budapest Festival Orchestra conducted by Iván Fischer)</a><br />
A grand explosion of rhythm from the first attack of modernism; Bartók is saying that the piano is definitely a percussion instrument, not the modified harp that the Romantic composers had made it. Concerto #1 is intense, dissonant and modernly “barbaric” in the manner of Stravinsky; #2 is an exciting ride; and #3 is unexpectedly lyrical and expressive – yet taken together, they almost form one large piece.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXSIOhjmdds&list=PLD0NG_MBtzeHL6mUZO041ajAtp7l8uIiR&index=2">String Quartets Op. 18 #4, Op. 74 ‘Harp’, and Op. 130-133 (Beethoven, played by the Elias String Quartet)</a><br />
What more can I say? Nearly flawless performances of some of the most profound music ever written. The “Harp” Quartet seems to have that instrument present; but it is not these “special effects” that fascinate us. It is the sheer range of expression. The slow movements are as serene as a starry night in paradise; the Grosse Fuge (Op. 133) rages against the existential abyss as effectively as much more obviously dissonant modernist music.<br />
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<a href="https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7928781--boulez-sur-incises-messagesquisse-and-anthemes-2">Sur Incises, Messagesquisse, Anthèmes 2 (Pierre Boulez)</a> <br />
The grand scintillating apotheosis of all that is post-serialist complexity. It curls around the listener like a diamond rainbow of notes, always changing, yet with no safe places. The three pieces (for 3 pianos, 3 harps, and 3 percussionists; for 7 cellos; for violin with electronics) provide the maximum differences in timbre.<br />
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<a href="https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/Welladjusted.asp">Well-Adjusted (Beanbag)</a><br />
Grunge rock at its loudest, full of fuzz guitars, fearsome (sometimes metal or rap) vocals, and an occasional microtone. A look at the lyrics shows that this is a socially-aware Christian band full of criticism of the “American dream” and the resulting suffering in other parts of the world: that uncompromising message is very effective when conveyed with this music. Musical innovations include changes of tempi against steady drumming and strident quarter-tones in feedback. The only cover tune is “Army of Me” (originally by Björk), here given a heavy bass-and-drums treatment that really conjures images of invading armies.S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-89663200428817460812020-05-04T11:54:00.001-07:002020-05-04T11:54:53.796-07:00Ten More AlbumsContinuing the mini-reviews of ten albums from my collections of CDs, cassettes and vinyl albums. One needs something to do during the orona virus lockdown. As always, comments are welcome, and of course I'll post other topics about music (and art) as they come up.<br />
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<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Steve-Barsotti-Along-These-Lines/release/6578781">Along These Lines (Steve Barsotti)</a><br />
Musique-Concrete along several lines: microsounds and granular synthesis, ambient soundscapes of field recordings, and a culmination in a distorto-Merzbow noise-blast. At the North Seattle Listening Club (2013), the latter piece led to a discussion about how music of this type is put together compositionally, given its obvious (intentional) lack of melody, harmony, or rhythm. My own take on this is that density can be the prime mover for this kind of piece; another club member argued (based on a previously heard, unidentified piece) for the importance of timbre.<br />
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<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Abed-Azri%C3%A9-Aromates/release/2571313">Aromates (Abed Azrié)</a><br />
The throaty vocals (sung in Arabic) sometimes seem harsh in contrast to the understated accompaniment of qanun (zither), nay (flute), ambient synthesizers and whispered rhythms on percussion. A closer listen reveals that that may be the point: a listener more familiar with the genre would probably know that the words are the most important part: it’s poetry, after all, and this recording is (no matter how different an aesthetic experience) more akin to rap than to the ambient music that it seems to be at first. Listening to the accompaniment is a pleasant experience: it winds around itself in heterophonic textures, complementing the up-front vocals, and is scented with occasional quarter-tones that do not create dissonance in this context. The total experience of this is both easy and difficult at first, and it’s quite unlike anything else.<br />
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<a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-b-52s-the-b-52s/">The B-52’s</a><br />
In which rock music (or 80’s “new wave”) sits back, drinks a beer, and has a good long laugh at itself. Why do we always take music so !@#&!! seriously?! As always, “Planet Claire” and “Rock Lobster” are hilarious, and I still don’t know what to say about that intentionally bad rendition of the pop standard “Downtown”… Pop meets dada. Some wild vocal pyrotechnics too.<br />
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<a href="http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=148545">Brandenburg Concertos (J. S. Bach, played by Musica Amphion conducted by Pieter-Jan Beldar)</a><br />
There are several reasons that these 18th-century works are still considered some of the greatest masterworks of music: dizzying complexity, aesthetic balance and harmony, mathematical perfection, the sheer enthusiastic beauty of it all. Each piece is different, adding variety; yet each is similar, adding continuity if they’re all played together. (I don’t know if anyone has ever commented on the overarching formal structure that appears when they’re all played in order: reduction of instruments from large to small ensemble to strings alone, then repeat beginning with a different ensemble; the two pieces for strings alone begin with the same theme.) Some listeners have commented that this music can be exhausting because there’s no “punctuation” – true, each unfolds in a relentless stream of notes, but to me at least it’s that bubbling perpetual motion that forms much of the joy in these pieces. Played on 18th-century instruments, these sparkle in the way they would have to Mr. Bach and his audience.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cloudsandclocks.net/CD_reviews/bakerquartet_lwif_E.html">Look What I Found (Tom Baker Quartet)</a><br />
Compositions and improvisations (is there always a difference?); jazz from the shadows of classical music, understated, sharply delineated, mysterious, impressionist, anti-ambient. Many moments jump-cut to others, leaving the piece to unfold in fragments – which always connect up at the end, and the extreme ranges and timbres of the instruments are explored. The closer you listen, the more you understand.<br />
<a href="http://guylivingston.com/the-lost-sonatas-of-george-antheil/"><br />
The Lost Sonatas (George Antheil, performed by Guy Livingston)</a><br />
Back then, the earlier sonatas were the most shocking modernism; nihilist punk-rock for the dada age. The later sonatas (numbers 4 and 5) were tamer and more classical, as if backing up and apologizing for the earlier indiscretion. Listening now: there’s not that much difference. They’re all rhythmically interesting, often lyrical, often catchy, sometimes dissonant but not in a surprising way. Hints of Gershwin and Prokofiev drift in and out with boogie-woogie. And, after all, it’s just piano music. Not that that’s a bad thing: Sonata no. 5 in particular is an epic masterpiece that should be admitted to the canon of great piano works.<br />
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<a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/mister-heartbreak-mw0000189067">Mister Heartbreak (Laurie Anderson)</a><br />
Pop music that isn’t pop music. Absurdist tragicomic poetry. Beautiful voice, but often without melody. We still don’t know quite what this is all about, forty years later, and that’s still the fun of it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/on-the-banks-of-helicon-early-music-of-scotland-mw0000282190">On the Banks of Helicon: Early Music of Scotland (Baltimore Consort)</a><br />
Exploring the intersection between folk music and the nascent European “classical” tradition. Catchy dance rhythms, achingly beautiful pentatonic melodies, and an occasional raucous bagpipe all bespeak of centuries of musical custom; contrapuntal details and refined vocals indicate a more academic approach; and intimate performances bring to mind chamber music from later centuries. Some of the musical numbers are reminiscent of the songs in Shakespeare’s plays, in their Elizabethan settings. This is a gorgeous recording, to be savored more than once.<br />
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<a href="https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-score/Content?oid=438087">Soliloquy (Phillip Arnautoff)</a><br />
An extended solo for harmonic canon: the grand uber-zither of Harry Partch invention. Here it produces a meditation of tones, played in folk-like melodies and sweeping glissandi, never quite resolving into the familiar major or minor scales but always lingering somewhere near. Seemingly both intimate and infinite. Quite beautiful.<br />
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<a href="http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/May14/Aho_sy4_BISCD1066.htm">Symphony no. 4 / Chinese Songs (Kalevi Aho, performed by Tiina Vahevaara, soprano, and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä)</a><br />
The Symphony: Sardonic dark carnival meets tragedy, in the manner of Shostakovich; with brooding strings, a hilariously sinister tuba solo in the sherzo, and subtle counterpoint and interplay of rhythms throughout.<br />
The Songs: Atmospheric neo-impressionism, subtler (and more effective) than standard cutesy <i>chinoiserie</i>. Some of these appear to begin as folk songs, but then the melodies wander into unexpected directions. The whole piece stands in lovely contrast to the much darker Symphony.<br />
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So that's it for the music, for now. For another type of discussion altogether, check out the <a href="https://bookwordsblog.blogspot.com/">new sister blog</a> of this one (it's about books, words, and random stuff about linguistics) and my <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y8o5vn6s">new website</a> about my books (yes, there's a book of this blog!).<br />
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-48603736372408531582020-05-01T08:23:00.000-07:002020-05-19T07:31:20.108-07:00Ten AlbumsWell, I've decided to unshelf and dust off this blog during the corona virus lockdown, though with somewhat of a different focus. Obviously I'm not going to be attending many concerts to review: but while I'm stuck at home I have time to go through my entire collection of CD's, cassettes, and vinyl albums and give them all a fresh listen. I'm going to give mini-reviews for ten each time I post something here. As always, comments are welcome, and of course I'll post other topics about music (and art) as they come up.<br />
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<a href="https://www.soundohm.com/product/as-is">As Is (Christine Abdelnour, Bonnie Jones, Andrea Neumann)</a><br />
Shadows and hints from the border between silence, music, and noise. Once can almost grasp the first piece as a musical composition, but later even the form of the sounds is subverted into the ether. Ambience and cacophony are freely mixed, and in the end we wonder if there is a difference.<br />
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<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Aster-Aweke-Aster/release/2935324">Aster (Aster Aweke)</a><br />
The band is 1960’s R&B with a lot of brass – but those vocals (sung in Amharic) are something else entirely. Ms. Aweke’s singing has all of the melodic “turns” and expressivity of that style – but the quality is different in an indefinable way. There are also those two pieces of “chamber music” (songs accompanied by a single instrument): both of these are completely unexpected as she winds through improvisations on what are more akin to ragas (or “the blues”) than to “songs” or “musical numbers”. Another thing: it would appear that listeners to “popular” music in some countries have longer attention spans than in the US.<br />
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<a href="https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/lexical-music">Lexical Music (Charles Amirkhanian)</a><br />
The choice is yours: rhythm rendered as nonsense or nonsense rendered as rhythm. Either way it’s both hilarious and profoundly serious at the same time.<br />
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<a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/amiot-messe-des-jsuites-de-pkin-mw0001941449">Messe des Jesuites de Pekin (Joseph-Marie Amiot, performed by XVIII-21, Ensemble Meihua Fleur de Prunus, Choeur du Centre Catholique Chinois de Paris, and Musique des Lumières) </a><br />
Beautiful resonances mark this 18th-century fusion, though fusion is never actually achieved. The two styles (Chinese and European) stand out in sharp contrast to one another; they alternate but never intertwine. Both are rendered beautifully and with nuanced singing and playing (the music for communion is particularly striking, with its apparently anguished outcries resolving into peace) but in the end this seems to be a patchwork. One wonders if that would still be the case if the records of this rare music were more complete.<br />
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<a href="https://www.ecmrecords.com/catalogue/143038750820/nice-guys-art-ensemble-of-chicago">Nice Guys (Art Ensemble of Chicago)</a><br />
A tour of “free” jazz through roots reggae turning impressionist, atonal walking blues, mad klaxons, an alien gongscape, African drumming, hints of “mainstream” jazz, pointillism over silence, something approaching rock and roll, and finally, an ecstatic trumpet and sax kaleidoscope. Fun!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sequencia-Susan-Alexjander/dp/B00028ATVK">Sequencia (Susan Alexjander)</a><br />
Vibrations of a hypothetical DNA molecule suspended in space, rendered as pretty music with shimmering microtones and fragments of many styles. The tuning is derived from the structure of the molecule itself, though this is not audible in the listening; the sound of this occupies the mostly blank space between free jazz and ambient music. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/01f6CGFAqdaHBOtLi1bI35">Set of Five (Abel Steinberg Winant Trio)</a><br />
Violin, piano and percussion: beautiful echoes from the beginning or our era, and from the middle of all eras.<br />
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<a href="http://johnlutheradams.net/strange-and-sacred-noise/">Strange and Sacred Noise (John Luther Adams)</a><br />
Vast sound booms out into the still Arctic air; a thunderously subtle instability of rhythm in a steady state of timbre. The sounds of nature expressed as abstract volumes.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/to-venus-and-back-103797/">To Venus and Back (Tori Amos)</a><br />
None of these numerous songs are particularly interesting from a compositional viewpoint (though they’re not really uninteresting either) and the lyrics intentionally aren’t clearly audible – so at first it appears that there’s not that much to be said about this album. However, her voice is versatile and often beautiful, the band makes some interesting walls of sound on the second (live) CD, and some of the piano parts are oddly reminiscent of Hovhaness’ jhala-inspired piano stylings. Those things alone make it worth a listen.<br />
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<a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/wings-over-water-mw0000653753">Wings over Water (Stefan Micus)</a> <br />
A souvenir from the 1980’s when “New Age Music” was something other than just generic prettiness. Tuned flower pots create a gamelan of the imagination; zithers and the sarangi (the latter played as a percussion instrument!) form resonant accompaniments to the filigrees and arabesques of the Egyptian flute, and the voice – singing in an unknown language that “has no known meaning, therefore…” Beautiful stuff, and to me at least it’s still the same after many years.<br />
<br />
So that's it for the music, for now. For another type of discussion altogether, check out the <a href="https://bookwordsblog.blogspot.com/">new sister blog</a> of this one (it's about books, words, and random stuff about linguistics) and my <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y8o5vn6s">new website</a> about my books (yes, there's a book of this blog!).S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-79348433922052851292017-05-03T20:29:00.000-07:002017-05-03T20:37:49.447-07:00Concert (and CD) Review: "An ear alone is not a being" - Bonnie Whiting plays John Cage, 4/29/2017"Bonnie Whiting, head of the UW's Percussion Studies program, performs music from her newly released Mode Records debut, 51'15.657" for a speaking percussionist, by composer John Cage. ...(This is her) realization of a solo simultaneous performance of John Cage's 45' for a speaker and 27'10.554" for a percussionist. These are vintage pieces, music from the mid-50's and part of a series of timed works that Cage enjoyed mixing together and referred to in notes and letters as "the ten thousand things." -- <a href="https://music.washington.edu/events/2017-04-29/faculty-performance-bonnie-whiting-percussion">from the University of Washington School of Music website<br />
</a><br />
<br />
Ms. Whiting played three pieces.<br />
<br />
<b>A Flower</b><br />
Quietly the music begins. Tapping on the closed piano – using it as a percussion instrument – reminds us that this music is “experimental”, but what we’re hearing is indigenous music from another culture. Wordless chanting suggests a lullaby, fading into silence. Near the end, the voice becomes muddied with a couple of “special effects”; thinner, spectral – but this is merely to remind us that it is music from somewhere else. It is quite beautiful.<br />
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<b>51'15.657”<br />
</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimObzcTGkemSjXX3sG9z5J_rOCMqTK_ulkSgjoonFmNGpQU9v-8cI_t7SBhquBVLBZlkbgFzbBSb0mj8EUDjgGzjNmfeTg_605BHLJ52tpIAMqsvvLNb-AoRbTl9c43CrSHDWH7kBZL6U/s1600/Bonnie+Whiting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimObzcTGkemSjXX3sG9z5J_rOCMqTK_ulkSgjoonFmNGpQU9v-8cI_t7SBhquBVLBZlkbgFzbBSb0mj8EUDjgGzjNmfeTg_605BHLJ52tpIAMqsvvLNb-AoRbTl9c43CrSHDWH7kBZL6U/s200/Bonnie+Whiting.jpg" width="200" height="112" /></a></div>Chatty voice and a loud drumroll startled us into awareness that the music is going in a different direction now, and announced what is by far the longest piece on the concert: “51'15.657" (Realization Of 45' For A Speaker & 27'10.554" For A Percussionist)”. This is actually two of Cage’s pieces performed at the same time. Playing two (more or less unrelated) pieces at the same time is, of course, a feat of technical virtuosity for a single performer; but that is not why we are listening. Bonnie gave a short speech before playing, reminding us that both pieces were drawn from random matrices of possibilities: the speaking part was written (about several topics) and then cut up and pasted together in a new configuration; the percussion part was drawn from imperfections in the paper which Cage was using to compose. There is also leeway as to which percussion instruments are played. Bonnie’s “realization” of the work used a rack of suspended pot lids (Harry Partch, revisited), a gong, two drums, a kalimba, bamboo wind chimes, several noisemakers including a turkey call, and brief (less than a second) samples activated with a foot pedal. The result is a collage of sound. Ricochet-clusters of clangs and bongs bounce around ambiguous words: fragments of observations about silence, sound, composition, Zen, the music of Bach and Debussy, and personal anecdotes. There are momentary breaks in the commentary for throat-clearing (she mentioned beforehand that she actually had a cold, so the audience could guess which throat-clearings were in the piece and which weren't), drinking from a water bottle, striking a match (which failed to flame up) and brushing her hair. The manner of composing and playing, of course, prevents anything continuous or “logical” from emerging; but that of course is the point. Letting go of expectations, we listen in expectation of any sound. Though sometimes strident, sometimes even comical, the overall effect is that of tranquility. Thus it is not all that different from the quiet “indigenous” music at the beginning.<br />
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<b>The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs<br />
</b>The concert concluded with another melodic miniature for singing voice and closed piano (a memorable recorded version of this piece is by Joey Ramone). Here, the harmonic language is rarified to the point of near nonexistence: the voice sings only three notes, variously rhythmed. Cage did a miraculous job of pulling an earworm from these three notes, however; one goes away humming the tune. “Cagean” ambiguity is found in the piano-tapping part and the words: the former suggests but never quite establishes a meter, and the latter are derived from James Joyce’s great experiment in letters, the stream of (un)consciousness novel “Finnegans Wake”. It is one of the most mellifluous passages in the book, describing the character Issy in botanical terms (“wildwoods eyes and primarose hair, ...in mauves of moss and dahne dews / how all so still she lay 'neath of the white thorn / child of tree / like some lost happy leaf”) – but again, the readers are never sure if Issy and her two siblings actually “exist” or are merely fragments of the sleeping narrator’s psyche, and in this passage, Issy may actually be dead. Thus, although the music seems straightforward enough, there is still Cage’s aesthetic of holding back and waiting to experience anything.<br />
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<b>The CD</b><br />
After the concert, I bought one of the CDs (it’s also going to be available on blue-ray) and had Ms. Whiting autograph it after seeking a pen for several minutes.<br />
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There are two more pieces on the CD. The first is “Music For Two (By One) [Realization Of Music For...]”, another mashup of a speaking piece and a percussion piece; this continues the soundscape of 51'15.657” but uses some different percussion and links the shorter melodic pieces with fragments of singing. The second is “Connecting Egypt To Madison Through Columbus Ohio, Cage, And The History Of The American Labor Movement (Incorporating Music For Marcel Duchamp & Variations 2)”, a third mix, performed by Allen Otte. Here, the two worlds are mixed even more as gamelan-like “prepared piano” undulates under Mr. Otte’s political speeches. The result, however, as often in Cage’s work, is (non-)chaos which leads to extreme refinement to tranquility.<br />
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-73404555110371054652017-03-07T12:51:00.001-08:002017-03-07T19:45:45.440-08:00Concert Review: Seattle Composers Salon, 3/3/2017"<i>The Seattle Composers’ Salon fosters the development, performance and appreciation of new music by regional composers and performers. At bi-monthly, informal presentations, the Salon features finished works, previews, and works in progress. Composers, performers, and audience members gather in a casual setting that allows for experimentation and discussion. Everyone is welcome!</i>" from the <a href="http://www.composersalon.com/">Seattle Composers Salon website</a><br />
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<b>Sheila Bristow: Two Songs</b> <br />
Mystical lyrics, translated from Medieval texts by Sheila herself – she commented that it was good to be able to take the same meanings but tweak the rhymes to work in a song setting. The music was beautiful, deliberately simplified (melodies over ostinati, though both were often elaborated upon to flow with the text), modal (I recognized one of the modes from Hildegard’s chants – H. was the author of the first text) and very classical (in a Hovhaness mood) with soprano, ‘cello, and piano. A contemplative introduction to the evening’s concert.<br />
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<b>S. Eric Scribner: Tree and Stone, performed with The Sherványa Nocturnal Music</b><br />
Carol Levin, Keith and Karen Eisenbreys, and I performed two of my aleatory pieces at the same time. Or rather, we played one while the audience played the other. “Tree and Stone” (the audience piece) was the “artificial remix” of the piece that we played last summer at Volunteer Park; shaking pieces of partially shredded paper substituted for shaking tree branches, and knocking on the chairs substituted for hitting stones together. The result “sounded more treelike than the original” according to one participant. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tond-Book-One-Tlaen-Ras-Erk%C3%A9ltis/dp/1520157576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488944654&sr=8-1&keywords=tond+book+one">The other piece goes with my novel “Tond”</a>, and is a form of indigenous classical music of the (imaginary) Sherványa civilization. Bug guitar (“baby kora”) and detuned ukulele formed a microtonal background for quiet modal shifting of melodic fragments. There will be a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/122059031589454/">much longer version of this piece played (at the same venue) next September</a>, hopefully corresponding to the release of Book Three of Tond (in which a performance of this music is part of the plot).<br />
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<b>Ivan Arteaga’s band ComManD: Thaumaturgy</b><br />
Interactive digital music at its finest. Sax, percussion, and a dancer mixed with the electronics in a collaborative way – the dancer, for example, had sensors on her wrists and ankles that transformed the sounds as she moved, so the music was composed <i>by</i> the dance as much as <i>for</i> it. There were two sections; the first omitted the sax and the second (mostly) omitted the percussion, but they worked together to form a twelve-minute whole. Ivan seemed to be the spokesperson, and commented at length about the use of electronics and how the software was written by the performers. ( “At length”, is not a negative comment here; it was fascinating, if arcane, and the audience members kept asking more questions.) I didn’t get the names of the other performers, but would like to hear (and see) all of them again.<br />
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<b>Blake Degraw: Electronic Quartet for Humans</b><br />
Extreme saxophony often abruptly cut short. A quartet of saxes, arrayed around the room, wailed and screamed in perfect synchrony, starting and stopping instantaneously or in layers. The “electronic” part was actually audio cues in headphones that the performers wore; but the effect of the music was that of a highly amplified electronic quartet: one sound, for example, would begin at point A and then travel around the room, processed into other sounds. “Interactive” in the way that Ivan’s piece was, and an interesting reversal – in the past, electronic sounds have been used to imitate (imperfectly) acoustic instruments. Here is the reverse, and it’s fascinating.<br />
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-10290280751163750092017-03-02T20:12:00.000-08:002017-03-03T05:36:22.225-08:00"Magical (Sur)realism" and Music<i>This is a discussion I started on social media with the intent of putting it in this blog. As in previous such discussions, the initials are changed except for mine.<br />
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</i><br />
1<br />
<br />
Me: After reading “100 Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Marquez and “Grimus” by Salman Rushdie (as well my friend Karen Eisenbrey’s “The Gospel According to Saint Rage”, which has traces of the same genre), this question occurred to me: <b>To what extent is “magic realism” in fiction the same as / similar to / different from surrealism in art?</b> (Never mind their different origins.) <b>Does either have any kind of counterpart in music?</b> (Don't count song lyrics and 1970's rock album covers.) What do you think?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_JIDbg50UHo9wms7QxZufMcJxgl3Ad_WVNZJgWhwHs7ytJ99cMshSqV41SC4XVnzuztPfQk_ctxU89mGH7UETyw6imlGH_xP_dAdZP1y4ZXQgLA89vHn0IiJJdZI1Ad-hVE1DDhQ2vk/s1600/Max+Ernst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_JIDbg50UHo9wms7QxZufMcJxgl3Ad_WVNZJgWhwHs7ytJ99cMshSqV41SC4XVnzuztPfQk_ctxU89mGH7UETyw6imlGH_xP_dAdZP1y4ZXQgLA89vHn0IiJJdZI1Ad-hVE1DDhQ2vk/s200/Max+Ernst.jpg" width="200" height="159" /></a></div>RQ: I think of magic realism as "surrealism lite" - that isn't to disparage it, just to acknowledge that for some readers (and film viewers) full on surrealism is a bit too much to stay with, but a little dab can spice things up a bit for those who are less inclined toward hard-core experimentalism but appreciate something that challenges "reality". And although Breton and other vintage surrealists allegedly had a disdain for music, there are free improvisers who have made surrealism the basis of their practice for decades - check out the music of LaDonna Smith, Davey Williams, and Hal Rammel for starters. <br />
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<a href="http://www.furious.com/perfect/ladonnasmith.html">LoDonna Smith on her music</a>: <i>in the early days, we tried real hard not to be influenced by anyone, but to go into that trans: trance...transport...transportation... trans... transcend... transcendence... transcendprovisation... that comes from transfiguration... from tranced out... psychic automatism...! (whew)<br />
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We tried to steer clear of anything that sounded "like" anything else and sometimes engage in just raw energies leading the body into making all this noise but with a "listening ear to shape it" like free composition so when you'd hear a rhythmic set up, you'd solo on it, or set something up and watch Davey do guitar theater with it, or duel it out in flights of fury, or float slowly… or make imaginary landscapes – all of these were areas, not idioms...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvR60aIkGIxZ_21usSGnlGqE646kp9dhWvkMNvj9vuIeJtdS1hokgYdTY3DFHWwfe1h-ChCAm17vQ2jQCZ1tQhEXzmU82sA30no3DUV77j5epD3u1miSVpqzvd2ipwvf-E2vjYIb8pGg/s1600/halrammel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvR60aIkGIxZ_21usSGnlGqE646kp9dhWvkMNvj9vuIeJtdS1hokgYdTY3DFHWwfe1h-ChCAm17vQ2jQCZ1tQhEXzmU82sA30no3DUV77j5epD3u1miSVpqzvd2ipwvf-E2vjYIb8pGg/s200/halrammel2.jpg" width="200" height="169" /></a></div></i><a href="http://www.sweetpeareview.com/sweets10.html">Hal Rammel</a>: <i>My parents were both artists, …so I grew up in a house where making things and exploring new ideas were everyday activities. I decided in my teens that I wanted to pursue a similar course, and started drawing and making collages. This was all of a piece with reading, listening to Jazz, watching movies… I had been exposed to modern art throughout my childhood, so the historical continuity, the groundwork, was firmly at hand. Abstract and surrealist painting and imagery fascinated me, so in my reading I doggedly pursued the art, poetry, and theater of the early Twentieth Century. I knew there were new directions to take those ideas in new times—this was the early 1960's—and I still feel that way.<br />
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</i>2<br />
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IR: I agree with RQ’s analysis. True surrealism in books/movies has a decidedly different flavor than magical realism. See The Milagro Beanfield War or Like Water For Chocolate for an example of what I consider magical realism, and perhaps The Life of Pi or Alice In Wonderland for surrealism.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaEKqs5FvShYtTgYMW3W1rDkVxyqR8gBmfZTchD5TfVt9ecIQfL6XMuYlKJefYR979Y-Ja8pIWP7dXcCJ6Gmt0rXUDWuPnqe9hrKbCBsWKsjWqBsZzQOiUVuKFmXRDqOXMV3Igce0xHE/s1600/Alice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaEKqs5FvShYtTgYMW3W1rDkVxyqR8gBmfZTchD5TfVt9ecIQfL6XMuYlKJefYR979Y-Ja8pIWP7dXcCJ6Gmt0rXUDWuPnqe9hrKbCBsWKsjWqBsZzQOiUVuKFmXRDqOXMV3Igce0xHE/s200/Alice.jpg" width="200" height="153" /></a></div>Me: I see the original Alice books as quite satirical, on both politics and the formal logic on which politics is supposedly based. Thus they represent a third genre which may be linked to the other two. Movies inspired by those books, however, go in as many directions as there are directors who have made them.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EvfhzzY3I6xOey-JuAWbvqkCgQqz-KN74NlJ6h5_EQTGWYkKGEmAQkCyj2j_3ppqVHS4vyy26vLXcXK_OC5J9JfVUJ9iORMy80EKfEu8vMzw61CEuLUv7X2sjJj-nbJP7TK0VtRGvGE/s1600/Cocteau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EvfhzzY3I6xOey-JuAWbvqkCgQqz-KN74NlJ6h5_EQTGWYkKGEmAQkCyj2j_3ppqVHS4vyy26vLXcXK_OC5J9JfVUJ9iORMy80EKfEu8vMzw61CEuLUv7X2sjJj-nbJP7TK0VtRGvGE/s200/Cocteau.jpg" width="200" height="132" /></a></div>RQ: There are of course the "classics" of Surrealist cinema from the 20s and 30s, like Buñuel/Dali, Cocteau, Man Ray, Cornell, etc. Some recent films that I think qualify and recommend are the films of the Brothers Quay (their animations, but especially their narrative films with actors, like Piano Tuner of Earthquakes and Institute Benjamenta) Jodorowsky, some of David Lynch's work, and Holy Motors, which I saw recently and loved.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPq3YWJCVSTOWlwIldxqZXdvWKgc2ZfM-etUC3WlNizXNOYKF5YwxFmSX9UuVxHI3gUPq3FGycFcmulSvhFZjYFjeykIH5a3-MuYuBtJ3YTE7pcpw174p3E90kUMWVwYfDvckFnFK29AQ/s1600/Miro+the-smile-of-the-flamboyant-wings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPq3YWJCVSTOWlwIldxqZXdvWKgc2ZfM-etUC3WlNizXNOYKF5YwxFmSX9UuVxHI3gUPq3FGycFcmulSvhFZjYFjeykIH5a3-MuYuBtJ3YTE7pcpw174p3E90kUMWVwYfDvckFnFK29AQ/s200/Miro+the-smile-of-the-flamboyant-wings.jpg" width="200" height="150" /></a></div>Me: The different flavor is often brought up. Surrealism supposedly has a definite edge of disquiet, as in the art of De Chririco, Max Ernst, Dali, and more recently, Geiger. Though the latter two are more or less commercial brands, the "disquiet" is still there. Magic Realism seems more wondrous and, well, magical. However, Miro is often considered surrealist, and I would say his work is often humorous and whimsical rather than disquieting.<br />
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<br />
3<br />
<br />
Me: Concerning the disquiet, C. S. Lewis wrote the following in his sci-fi novel “That Hideous Strength”: <br />
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<i>“[Mark] got up and began to walk about. He had a look at the pictures. Some of them belonged to a school of art with which he was already familiar. There was a portrait of a young woman who held her mouth wide open to reveal the fact that the inside of it was thickly overgrown with hair. It was very skillfully painted in the photographic manner so that you could almost feel that hair… There was a giant mantis playing a fiddle while being eaten by another mantis, and a man with corkscrews instead of arms bathing in a flat, sadly coloured sea beneath a summer sunset. But most of the pictures were not of this kind. At first, most of them seemed rather ordinary, though Mark was a little surprised at the predominance of scriptural themes. It was only it the second or third glance that one discovered certain unaccountable details — something odd about the positions of the figures’ feet or the arrangement of their fingers or the grouping. …Why were there so many beetles under the table in the Last Supper? What was the curious trick of lighting that made each picture look like something seen in delirium? When once these questions had been raised the apparent ordinariness of the pictures became their supreme menace… Long ago Mark had read somewhere of “things of that extreme evil which seem innocent to the unintitiate,” and had wondered what sort of things they might be. Now he felt he knew.”<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxl1T2aLrsT88CwGrk_7VVSg8Ve6u-mHOpY1tX2ZZY_N7xZdY4JXEIRpFti3tO5NIw5XZJS5HO4vgboz_4IJy-7uKvv78Bw2AbNoG49soP7OOEvVjzc7gRH8oLcii24YM4Qmumx8Pzsc/s1600/Eraserheard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxl1T2aLrsT88CwGrk_7VVSg8Ve6u-mHOpY1tX2ZZY_N7xZdY4JXEIRpFti3tO5NIw5XZJS5HO4vgboz_4IJy-7uKvv78Bw2AbNoG49soP7OOEvVjzc7gRH8oLcii24YM4Qmumx8Pzsc/s200/Eraserheard.jpg" width="200" height="113" /></a></div>Me: Lewis was stating that surrealism, in representing the unquiet of the subconscious, taps into something truly sinister that we have bottled up, and thus it (surrealism) forms a sort of bridge to the demonic. The subconscious, as explored by Freud and then overlaid with Christian morality, becomes a frightening repository of evil.<br />
<br />
Madeleine L’Engle expresses an opposing view of this same disquiet. I am unable to find the exact quote, but I remember her stating that the subconscious has become nasty <i>because</i> we have bottled it up. It should be the creative urge, but has turned into something quite different. This idea, subconscious=creative, minus any “nasty” aspect is, of course, what the original surrealist artists meant by liberating the subconscious to achieve higher states of creativity. (It should be pointed out that Madeleine L’Engle practiced the same religion as Lewis: a form of Christianity quite different from, and in many ways opposed to, our more familiar American fundamentalism. Their differing views on the same topic point to variety of thought within a larger system.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5a7ej2O69hmpH1z-LL5gdIM1PusWX6ihhS00_sYZQBOg28Hm3_I2ZK1f0bJQV-n4hAbBLP7O6ktiDOMJwIylLcyFAS-pAop9K2wyI0ZHuhjOfCdj9Ieyf5gMyi8IZT-ymYTjQCNIAL8/s1600/Madlax_%2528character%2529_240_53686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5a7ej2O69hmpH1z-LL5gdIM1PusWX6ihhS00_sYZQBOg28Hm3_I2ZK1f0bJQV-n4hAbBLP7O6ktiDOMJwIylLcyFAS-pAop9K2wyI0ZHuhjOfCdj9Ieyf5gMyi8IZT-ymYTjQCNIAL8/s200/Madlax_%2528character%2529_240_53686.jpg" width="200" height="150" /></a></div>A parallel theme comes up in the anime “Madlax”, where the antagonist learns how to unleash everyone’s subconscious desires – leading to a bacchanalian and ultimately bloody apocalypse. This antagonist, though, believes that he is a savior, and is doing this in order to liberate everyone from societal demands, and at the same time fulfil their wishes. (A digression: “Madlax” also uses what I call the “split soul” idea, an apparently uniquely Japanese plot element also seen in at least one novel by Haruki Murakami: a single soul is divided and shared among two or more characters. I am not sure if this would qualify as either a surrealist or magical realist idea, or something else altogether.)<br />
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4<br />
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Me: “Magical Realism” does not have that disquietude. In “100 Years of Solitude” – the man who is always attended by a flock of yellow butterflies; the woman who is taken up into heaven because she is too beautiful and too wise for the earth: both of these seem miraculous rather than sinister. Also, they are narrated as if they were common events, not something dredged up from an ominous dream.<br />
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JD: I write Realistic Magicalism.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NMhUeqEiD_twUQ6a1dSx7eIga9t3x0PgvjTB_3qAcSxCdnl586ekXR096kVX5jXr73gDuJdHrs5bf8XOOf2nlHa9y_NPbdAg_ksQdTKn57cyJEZw5ljO7ML6aSXDmsmaO87nEgzLBKE/s1600/beasts-southern-review-art0-gqgi9noi-1beasts-of-the-southern-wild-6-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NMhUeqEiD_twUQ6a1dSx7eIga9t3x0PgvjTB_3qAcSxCdnl586ekXR096kVX5jXr73gDuJdHrs5bf8XOOf2nlHa9y_NPbdAg_ksQdTKn57cyJEZw5ljO7ML6aSXDmsmaO87nEgzLBKE/s200/beasts-southern-review-art0-gqgi9noi-1beasts-of-the-southern-wild-6-jpg.jpg" width="200" height="113" /></a></div>LD: The closest thing to what I would want magical realism to be, in film, is "Beasts of the Southern Wild".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzmp2Y8POYrf1qpDSTxcqxqVi19YJvXgdD_OBZwuUdT5J6u_Oa3t9BYTwUxr_BPBk_aFETPN4xjZ7qM_NxIBh4o3g9UmwHhZ2UWgg26C273vmua0SdFwhyphenhyphenpUP25Msvall1PTLWU_yPZk/s1600/st+rage-sample-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzmp2Y8POYrf1qpDSTxcqxqVi19YJvXgdD_OBZwuUdT5J6u_Oa3t9BYTwUxr_BPBk_aFETPN4xjZ7qM_NxIBh4o3g9UmwHhZ2UWgg26C273vmua0SdFwhyphenhyphenpUP25Msvall1PTLWU_yPZk/s200/st+rage-sample-002.jpg" width="200" height="133" /></a></div>MJ: I've always had the feeling (and you'd have to ask the writers to confirm if it's the case) that magical realism consists in authors narrating "magical" things that had actually happened to them or their community. The magical quality ensues when many of these actual narrated occurrences are stitched together, in effect concentrating the magic. This kind of thing crops up in my songwriting: after a night dancing in a mosh pit at the Highline I noticed that I had sustained a tear-shaped bruise over my heart thanks to somebody nailing me in the chest with an elbow at some point. Hence the song, “Tear-Shaped Bruise.” Surrealism is so hard to define, because it has to do with different kinds of things: narrating or painting dream images, "found" materials, experimental procedures such as chance-games or "exquisite corpse." An actual example of a surrealist technique is Karen's employment of "St Rage" in her book, after she noticed the lighted STORAGE sign with the O light out (ST RAGE).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qDbCgxrMKNRApu2TWUMzE8axBt4UFKBAnVdYdzMOLJdW1u-LAG3G9TmLcVVr4_nFZasUmCDwTMxtIBgqtzY6HgS-OSs8BFltB9CSW_vf_tQGwedffiWAyPeuqa5tw5DUeDkPIBSVQbM/s1600/John-Cage-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qDbCgxrMKNRApu2TWUMzE8axBt4UFKBAnVdYdzMOLJdW1u-LAG3G9TmLcVVr4_nFZasUmCDwTMxtIBgqtzY6HgS-OSs8BFltB9CSW_vf_tQGwedffiWAyPeuqa5tw5DUeDkPIBSVQbM/s200/John-Cage-5.jpg" width="200" height="155" /></a></div>Me: So essentially you’re saying that chance occurrences can be seen as “magical” and play a part in one’s personal narrative. Discussion of chance occurrences in art of course lead to the music of John Cage and followers, where events made to happen at random often do not in fact sound random. So by that definition, and not one involving the subconscious, we have arrived at a surrealistic music. <br />
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And by the way, we’ve probably all experienced “magical” (or “glitch in the matrix”) events. I’ve had a couple myself that were a little on the weird side.<br />
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-67421751102847058972017-02-12T11:07:00.000-08:002017-02-15T19:15:00.054-08:00Mini Reviews: Four Recordings from SIMFI picked up these four recordings featuring Seattle-area (and other) artists during the “merch-mart” last weekend at the Seattle Improvised Music Festival.<br />
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<b>Seattle Phonographers Union: Building 27 WNP-5</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFEb-ZDKhN5uHkd2WOnKc18k_PtUtFt0Dt5Qn4TTYU_j7TgQjvUMkb9UWrOvxi7sduusVbWyPMdVCK8n_AigZmf5c3VofnXYK0mEiqyoxqfZ9B1MoXu4LZF53rCaqQRCxDuCqdP5Fo8g/s1600/spu-lp-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFEb-ZDKhN5uHkd2WOnKc18k_PtUtFt0Dt5Qn4TTYU_j7TgQjvUMkb9UWrOvxi7sduusVbWyPMdVCK8n_AigZmf5c3VofnXYK0mEiqyoxqfZ9B1MoXu4LZF53rCaqQRCxDuCqdP5Fo8g/s200/spu-lp-cover.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></div>The Seattle Phonographers Union improvises ambient music entirely with unprocessed field recordings. On this vinyl album, they join the ranks of Stuart Dempster and Pauline Oliveros (“Deep Listening”), Etsuko Ichikawa (“Echo at Satsop”), and Paul Horn (the seminal “Inside the Taj Mahal”) exploring the acoustics of “natural” (i.e. not electronic) echo chambers with striking beauty and subtlety.<br />
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There are two long tracks. The first was recorded in “Building 27”, a decommissioned aircraft hangar, the other in WNP-5, an unfinished (and unused) nuclear cooling tower (the same place where Ms. Ichikawa made her recording). Both produce massive, though slightly different, echoes. The pieces themselves feature ocean sounds, birdsong, hollow didgeridoo effects, machine noises, crows and human speech transformed into huge walls of sound (a startling, even frightening, effect).<br />
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My major question is the choice to release this on vinyl. Vinyl reproduction of sound is premium, particularly for the deepest bass notes; but due to the nature of this music, any surface pops or clicks stand out sharply and distractingly. Other than that, I would recommend this album to anyone interested in stretching the boundaries of what music can be, and to anyone interested in fascinating excursions into pure sound.<br />
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<b>Lori Goldston (cello), Konako Pooknyw (drums), Karl Blau (bass) and Dave Abramson (percussion): Talking Helps</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTqV2vI-diQr4cBIZt7StEZ26-93p-bW0lBDIsnqNWDIzBDumSgPgVH3vKv5NYQSXvZx0uUoBSBmnsLqE2vLtYHC_L5Zz6Gc-Qi_yjaOIrRgquC5TkExr5NooawD_WhXmfhe5EcSuyTA/s1600/Lori-Goldston_7inch-single-Talking-helps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTqV2vI-diQr4cBIZt7StEZ26-93p-bW0lBDIsnqNWDIzBDumSgPgVH3vKv5NYQSXvZx0uUoBSBmnsLqE2vLtYHC_L5Zz6Gc-Qi_yjaOIrRgquC5TkExr5NooawD_WhXmfhe5EcSuyTA/s200/Lori-Goldston_7inch-single-Talking-helps.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></div>A 7” single that includes two untitled tracks (and no “A” or “B” side), this is an exploration of slow, improvised rock. One of these is melodic, the other more of a wall of sound in which Lori’s electric cello recalls Hendrix’s guitar but with dark "heavy metal” deep bass distortion. The other instruments are understated; the percussion, as opposed to the drums, is barely audible. Both tracks (or sides) are short ("pop" length, under four minutes) and I’d like to hear more.<br />
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<b>C. Spencer Yeh (violin) and Paul Flaherty (sax), with Greg Kelley (trumpet): New York Nuts and Boston Baked Beans</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEger_T9N_KFKnb9VLPHVWSwwi3ks7ZriagFaDcvWpYdyKKt_MK_oSESIvRfPdWniKDrIpyfk4h8KXYdSPWPIGNoR5kUHV56yqJWIHxIkM5V6gTGuE2wvyhXy5ITKIK0ILhYoWORs-iTYhI/s1600/Spencer+Yeh+etc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEger_T9N_KFKnb9VLPHVWSwwi3ks7ZriagFaDcvWpYdyKKt_MK_oSESIvRfPdWniKDrIpyfk4h8KXYdSPWPIGNoR5kUHV56yqJWIHxIkM5V6gTGuE2wvyhXy5ITKIK0ILhYoWORs-iTYhI/s200/Spencer+Yeh+etc.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></div>Any record of free improvisation featuring a saxophone is expected to have at least one wild rip-snortin’ screech-and-honk fracas. It’s almost a stereotype of the genre, and it’s somewhat ironic that a style that is supposed to supersede all styles has produced this recognizable style. And, guess what, this entire album is one giant shrieking, snarling, squealing, squawking, caterwauling commotion. But as you listen, you realize that this is not by any means a bad thing. Within that rather narrow confine, the artists produce a surprising amount of variety. There are deep drones. There are vocal sounds against silence, then against a harmonica. There are impossibly dense clouds of noise. There are snippets of jazz standards and pop tunes. There are scintillating high violin tremolos, some possibly played in the manner of the Chinese <i>pipa</i>. There are unexpected hints of the blues. There are shimmering microtones. There are are the two women on the front of the CD (and one on the CD itself) who apparently don’t exist, unless they are C. Spencer and Paul in drag (there are drawings of three men in circus costumes on the back cover; they are not the musicians who are playing either.) Unexpected, unexplained, and yet somehow exactly expected. Fun.<br />
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<b>Masashi Harada Condanction Ensemble: Enterprising Mass of Cilia<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTZ-Rm-E3iorWF6UBzrXqoYpBr7AlC0w9rC7yKsCzVgMaWb0Y5dfIST1bgRSfnf58-qDO3-i7lyoNSY_ifMivy3WwviJyw7oPlTtvR8GtikTCnRi0bjcSOI9UTPjkM8GP_q4s8mWAcw0/s1600/Masashi+Harada+cilia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTZ-Rm-E3iorWF6UBzrXqoYpBr7AlC0w9rC7yKsCzVgMaWb0Y5dfIST1bgRSfnf58-qDO3-i7lyoNSY_ifMivy3WwviJyw7oPlTtvR8GtikTCnRi0bjcSOI9UTPjkM8GP_q4s8mWAcw0/s200/Masashi+Harada+cilia.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></div>Conducted large-ensemble improvisation has been around since Bernstein led the NY Phil for a set on the 1965 LP “Music of Our Time” (and again in 1972 for “Pluto, the Unpredictable” on a Young Persons’ Concert TV show). This Masashi Harada CD continues the tradition, though the ensemble is decidedly non-classical. Basically the CD is an exploration of instrumental textures, ranging from nearly silent skitterings to massive waves of chaos. Any performer is permitted to, at any time, break with what is being conducted and interpose their “own” material; this results in some startling juxtapositions (for example, a series of repeated notes that begin on a violin but take over more instruments and soon declare war against the atonal jumbles that are still occurring). Most of the CD is a lot of fun, though I would have preferred to have a few more solo passages here and there, or a break from the emphasis on texture to include something more “compositional” or even melodic – this <i>is</i> possible to do when improvising.<br />
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-64716798981871528612017-02-06T12:35:00.001-08:002017-02-15T06:11:18.430-08:00 Third Day of the Seattle Improvised Music Festival 2/4/2016<b>The Workshop</b><br />
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"<i>Improvising Together: A Listening and Playing Workshop for Dancers and Musicians led by dancer Sheri Cohen and musician David Knott. We’ll use listening practices and interactive scores to illuminate the material shared between musicians and dancers and make our improvisations clearer and richer.</i>" from the <a href="http://www.waywardmusic.org/">Wayward Music Seattle Website</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZKMUym7hJQuvpp2H-X4F3lebDWOb48EnK38S99UKw-b_xolNqy07XJ4CFBAkkNwUvJyr1Xf13IOVPeUsqTSxQICylTOj7dJVqMwdnN0RiU1-xCva6LoLX1dwUdY6Q8p5cbyIRO69xig/s1600/Sheri+Cohen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZKMUym7hJQuvpp2H-X4F3lebDWOb48EnK38S99UKw-b_xolNqy07XJ4CFBAkkNwUvJyr1Xf13IOVPeUsqTSxQICylTOj7dJVqMwdnN0RiU1-xCva6LoLX1dwUdY6Q8p5cbyIRO69xig/s200/Sheri+Cohen.jpg" width="200" height="132" /></a></div>The “scores” were verbal instructions, ranging from simple yoga-ish awareness exercises (“…now listen to the sounds furthest from you…”) through small ensemble pieces to two long full-ensemble free jams. Once of the more interesting sets was for small ensembles: “five people participate: each make one gesture – sound or movement – and pass it to the person across from you; then, at some point, all agree (without saying so) to let the score ‘decay’ and all do what you think needs to be done at that moment.” There was some discussion whether this was to let the score “decay” or to make it “ripen”. I would argue for the latter.<br />
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<b>Commentary heard during the workshop (not exact quotes!):<br />
</b><br />
“This is the first workshop of this type where I’ve seen babies allowed. It gives it a whole different, and beautiful, atmosphere. (That particular little one there) is really getting involved, though he’s getting a really distorted picture of what it is to be a grown-up.”<br />
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“Lots of little stories emerged (during the group improvisation). I liked the part where one dancer on the floor grabbed the left foot of another dancer on the floor, and held on. It was like a struggle.”<br />
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“I found that, with the music, I could listen to what was happening and then I had three choices: play something similar, play something different, or play nothing.”<br />
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“There’s a concept in Tibetan Buddhism that expands on those ideas: after observing what is happening, one has the choice to do the same, do something different, do nothing, do something supportive, or do something destructive.”<br />
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“...At a certain point, the piece didn’t need me. So I withdrew. Then I was thinking about going back in, but was hesitant – am I really needed at this point? – but then one of the musicians came up behind me with some loud, strident notes and then I knew that it was time to start again.”<br />
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“There was a long point in the middle where the music all came together. It was serene and beautiful. It was in B-flat for quite a while.”<br />
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“It was in B-flat and nice and pretty and new-agey, so I decided to kick it up a notch and add some dissonance.”<br />
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“For the record, I never played in B-flat.”<br />
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“What does all this discussion of B-flat mean to the dancers? There’s nothing in the repertoire of dance movements that corresponds to something like B-flat, just as there’s nothing in the world of music that corresponds to this.” (moves arm)<br />
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“I beg to disagree. There are languages that both dancers and musicians share. If I were to play this,” (plays a swinging jazz riff) “the dancers would dance in a certain way.” (They did).<br />
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“One of the interesting things about a workshop for improvised dance and music together is that it gives permission: I’m seeing musicians do things with movement, and dancers making sounds.”<br />
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“Improvisations involving more than one person grow more complex as one learns. For example, two dancers may improvise in unison by both doing the same movement,” (sitting, two dancers move feet in the same way) “but then make gestures that are related but not the same.” (The same two move their feet in slightly different ways).<br />
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“Some things were going on that only one or two people could see. I liked it when I saw you, dancing by yourself, over there by the ramp.”<br />
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“There is a continuum between improvising and composing. I have a long piece that I’ve been working on for years, playing individual notes on the piano for long stretches of time. Sometimes it seems like it’s completely composed, since I’ve put severe limitations on what I can actually play. Other times, it’s completely improvised second by second.”<br />
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"There was a little tension - a thickened plot - made by the fact that there were three pianists and only one piano."<br />
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“Dancers and musicians have something like a clock in their head. There are twenty minutes left; I think we’ll all know exactly when that twenty minutes is done.”<br />
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<b>The Concert</b><br />
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<b>Evan Woodle (drums) & Mike Gamble (electric guitar; Portland)</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqx4k04coFgnH6KGDduechTXr7R5Jc_Q9xYhemwL6NOMtSsaxpqaMJhkJO3G25kpnAXFjxqu1vkn5hKyNzgVV1RBGtICLmNt5rRZRhUJd2HDU63kZkGGbi2YrPWS_GfoJEN5vxe6xhjQ/s1600/Mike+Gamble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqx4k04coFgnH6KGDduechTXr7R5Jc_Q9xYhemwL6NOMtSsaxpqaMJhkJO3G25kpnAXFjxqu1vkn5hKyNzgVV1RBGtICLmNt5rRZRhUJd2HDU63kZkGGbi2YrPWS_GfoJEN5vxe6xhjQ/s200/Mike+Gamble.jpg" width="200" height="150" /></a></div>Modal/atmospheric sounds on guitar; athletic playing twisting knobs on amplifiers and signal processors as much as on the guitar itself; delicately clink-chiming cymbals and metallic percussion with occasional more forceful drum rumbles. <br />
<b>Favorite moment: </b>sudden quiet. Evan played miscellaneous metal pieces that are sitting on a towel (a subtle clatter); build-up with guitar gradually fading back in.<br />
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<b>Steve Barsotti (home-mades/field recordings), James Falzone (clarinet), Arrington de Dionyso (woodwinds)<br />
</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeRAQ4yZjGIfXcTk6XVCEORoGefY1SxmLv1e8Erde7p-DdxtHlZd4o9G5Ps0J7M89tYUGV_0nN6uADzQhi-1WlDWsGhUKYrjjJgac48ZZnbaPHSwOe0N5KNF_ab0YN1Sb1fkhrCBxO4U/s1600/arringtondedionysopressphoto-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeRAQ4yZjGIfXcTk6XVCEORoGefY1SxmLv1e8Erde7p-DdxtHlZd4o9G5Ps0J7M89tYUGV_0nN6uADzQhi-1WlDWsGhUKYrjjJgac48ZZnbaPHSwOe0N5KNF_ab0YN1Sb1fkhrCBxO4U/s200/arringtondedionysopressphoto-1.jpg" width="200" height="133" /></a></div>A much longer set beginning with raucous screech-honks, settling into extended developmental arcs of sound. James’ clarinet sometimes suggested klezmer, providing a momentary resolve to the harmonic language. <br />
<b>Favorite moment: </b>theatricality. Twice during the performance, Arrington picked up a homemade instrument made from plumbing (a single mouthpiece but two sounding pipes; something of a mutant, bagless bagpipe) and then proceeded to NOT play it. Suspense – we all wanted to hear it – in this case, suspense with no payoff. A dream deferred is a dream lost – a tragedy of denied expectation played out on stage.<br />
<br />
<b>Heather Bentley (viola/violin), Catherine Lee (oboe; Portland), Lisa Cay Miller (piano; Vancouver BC), Bonnie Whiting (percussion)</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtLvz_dXke_rHrZbt4iGsLzNHoWx57XkEpy2VJP9N-EHmjm29_tcDqLx7iBfd93FlAZHksgGGiQVM75Cizbvj2uPc_nigTg6M5DitC9HG9zMFZbIUYuRsnNSZ4aLEKmJhwaF-B3Ej_hg/s1600/Bonnie+Whiting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtLvz_dXke_rHrZbt4iGsLzNHoWx57XkEpy2VJP9N-EHmjm29_tcDqLx7iBfd93FlAZHksgGGiQVM75Cizbvj2uPc_nigTg6M5DitC9HG9zMFZbIUYuRsnNSZ4aLEKmJhwaF-B3Ej_hg/s200/Bonnie+Whiting.jpg" width="200" height="150" /></a></div>My favorite set of the evening because of the piano, percussion, and extreme contrasts. Fast, clattery ricochets of small gongs and metal shards accompanied longer melodies and drones from the string and wind instruments, and there was a bizarre high-pitched screech sliding upwards from the inside of the piano. I asked Lisa later how she’d done it – apparently the clear part of a cassette tape case can be dragged across the middle piano strings to set them vibrating lengthwise in the manner of Ellen Fullman’s Long String Instrument. <br />
<b>Favorite moment: </b>simplicity. The piece came to a false end, and all the effects were left behind. Lisa started playing lush post-impressionist chords, while Heather played a viola melody that slowly simplified itself until there were just three notes left.<br />
<br />
<b>Douglas Ewart (woodwinds; Minneapolis) w/ Steve Barsotti (home-mades/field recordings), Heather Bentley (viola/violin), Lori Goldston (cello)<br />
</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpxDZ-oNkSr7grgzWx5675X08rr7QVtKhZTDBlKT2DvL247R92_apzGoX0meL_N4Ww4NA_Df5QXxgwUrA7lWWSGKWsCCrMQOg3-MaGh4eNH_237c5HBEsGtWvmXolkdzrRKkBH1D_tvs/s1600/lori_earth11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpxDZ-oNkSr7grgzWx5675X08rr7QVtKhZTDBlKT2DvL247R92_apzGoX0meL_N4Ww4NA_Df5QXxgwUrA7lWWSGKWsCCrMQOg3-MaGh4eNH_237c5HBEsGtWvmXolkdzrRKkBH1D_tvs/s200/lori_earth11.jpg" width="200" height="120" /></a></div>Several distinct movements, fading into one another. Douglas played drones and slow melodies on home-made wind instruments (including a slide didgeridoo or “slydgeridoo” as I called it), interacting with Steve’s percussive and electric-bass-ish electronics and more drones from Heather and Lori. Faster melodies emerged from this. Lisa appeared on the stage from out of the audience, and tossed a stainless-steel bowl into the piano. Chaos. Then Quieter. Then Douglas made a sudden transition to racous music again by blowing a claxon on the soprano sax. Full-on decibel-stretching screech-honk AEC madness; Lori’s and Heather’s quieter instruments were effectively drowned out but continued to provide background texturing. Gradual fade-out, but this stereotypical ending was not to be: Douglas brought back the loudness, but this time with a lyrical subtone and a recitation of a poem about John Coltrane. Steve’s electronics ended. <br />
<b>Favorite moment:</b> all of it.<br />
><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6zqxlBYj60ISH-ocKiIebPYGxGd59HNZJZhCaJPW4R_v0DerdMByUKA-P35ilKQQ2NO4JCKw3Ot3krMZNfCCe5IZVR3rijcDJ5HFDsdmi9pzLY4Zh-Dvtts3UCZF4n3-VrrHGagJXMY/s1600/Douglas-Ewart-%252B-Inventions-screenshot-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6zqxlBYj60ISH-ocKiIebPYGxGd59HNZJZhCaJPW4R_v0DerdMByUKA-P35ilKQQ2NO4JCKw3Ot3krMZNfCCe5IZVR3rijcDJ5HFDsdmi9pzLY4Zh-Dvtts3UCZF4n3-VrrHGagJXMY/s200/Douglas-Ewart-%252B-Inventions-screenshot-1.jpg" width="200" height="113" /></a></div>At the end, Douglas unexpectedly released two “percussion instruments” that had been sitting on the table next to his home-made winds. They were actually tops that spun around on the floor with a quiet rumble, gradually slowing and growing louder. One fell (I thought it would trip the other, though it didn't), then the other fell, and the hall became silent. Then raucous applause. “There was no other way to end this festival” was a motto that appeared at that point, passed from person to person. Maybe a tradition has started and similar tops will announce the end of next year’s as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>A Final Note</b><br />
<br />
To the guy at the "merch mart" who bought two of my CD's and then disappeared while I was getting your change, contact me. I owe you six bucks.S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-53410425797924505172017-01-22T20:49:00.000-08:002017-02-07T16:03:24.511-08:00Concert Review in Poetry, Art, and an "Optigon": Seattle Phonographers Union 1-19-20171.<br />
Lights dim, sounds dim<br />
Songle distantce foghorn<br />
Emergence of electronic dronenotes, not electronic, microtones shift inside grains of watersound<br />
Yellowhite trumpet<br />
Chimes begin, bigbells, churchbells, splintersounds of smallbells in wind<br />
Then LOUD horn in fog, trombone’s dark grey didgeridoo<br />
Answered by aviary, left side<br />
Answered by people speaking, right side<br />
Answered by clangclunks, middle side<br />
Answered by didgeridrone fade, no side<br />
Answered by high halfstep semichord, upward<br />
Trum(crows)pet horns drumming toward chaos, downward<br />
Blue French horn mourns end of ambience<br />
<br />
2.<br />
Waves filter through cement pipes<br />
Nocturne - cricketsong<br />
Cold shootingstars in darkness<br />
<br />
Now sounds get strange:<br />
Trombone belches, French horn farts, trumpet squeeeeeeeels<br />
<br />
Eww! Ewww! Ewwww! cries a strange bird<br />
(While they sing in church)<br />
Waves cresssssst, trumpet says Oooooowup!<br />
<br />
3.<br />
Quieter gray water<br />
River of yellow bells<br />
Tributary of tawny trumpet-tones<br />
Volume increases, violence begins<br />
Car horns blare red<br />
Answered by bass bells<br />
Answered by wailing French horn<br />
Answered by an announcement: crackling voice, language unclear<br />
Lake of allcolored bellsound<br />
All sounds dwindle except one ghostly whooshwail complicated hum<br />
<br />
Jet passes by overhead<br />
Thundroar in night sky<br />
Adds silence as music ends.<br />
<br />
"<i>Seattle Phonographers Union – a collective of artists improvising with unprocessed field recordings – perform one of their infrequent “ambient” sets, with group members dispersed around the space and playing through an array of individual sound systems. Even more unusual, tonight they break one of their own rules and are joined by instrumentalists Greg Kelley (trumpet) and Tom Varner (French horn).</i>" From the <a href="http://www.seapho.org/">Seattle Phonographers Union Website</a>.<br />
<br />
This is my visual impression of the concert. Each line is one note or sound.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRsdCaQ7Fz4qMAvnl2ZCj6LOlATKN8C2Zh_spZiIrT8lJiOHFDdVWT1pvdPbMeYzQVp4ZYeupMw9uBqVCjG0BkbkiPBJNAUqnGDii4Tp0TgL4uFW3YmehCZtJlfZHwUHsQ25Zd_t2w1o/s1600/Seattle+Phonog+Union+1-19-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRsdCaQ7Fz4qMAvnl2ZCj6LOlATKN8C2Zh_spZiIrT8lJiOHFDdVWT1pvdPbMeYzQVp4ZYeupMw9uBqVCjG0BkbkiPBJNAUqnGDii4Tp0TgL4uFW3YmehCZtJlfZHwUHsQ25Zd_t2w1o/s640/Seattle+Phonog+Union+1-19-17.jpg" width="640" height="205" /></a></div><br />
Often during the Phonog Union concerts, several false endings make it obvious that the music is improvised. This concert, a longer set (and with added soloists) seemed to be a single extended composition in three movements. The brass players added another dimension that bound the various sounds together in a musical whole. (This was neither better nor worse than the more obviously unplanned performances, merely a different experience for the listener.)<br />
<br />
Now - I mentioned a trombone. This was actually an incident so bizarre that it spawned a neologism. Here's what I wrote about it on a social media site:<br />
<br />
New word:<br />
<br />
<b>Optigon</b> (n. variant of "optigone"; portmanteau of "optical" and "gone", perhaps influenced by "octagon" and similar words): Something which you see or observe, but when you look it up later or go to show someone else, is no longer there. A type of optical illusion. For example, "The trombone player at the Seattle Phonographers' Union concert last Thursday was not actually there; he was only an optigon created by the lighting and acoustics in the room."<br />
<br />
No, I can't explain it. The concert of sounds was beautiful, however, and I recommend that anyone around the Seattle area go hear their next one, phantom brass players or not. S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-6757849892138205992016-12-13T10:36:00.000-08:002016-12-18T20:37:48.838-08:00A seasonal Digression: “Experimental” Christmas MusicThis is an expanded version of something I posted (on my previous music blog) in 2010.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QgLsO_VeNXIf77U_xzlstpNN74y1Jv61t1tUoS0901ZDI1nMfkc2eCmbWmHM2BzBm3KZD-M4NZ8kQruZhUe5BWMNMXUu1DAbOo5CUaMLctE-MRglGljH9W6lGh0cD_MbbDwos6S8K8g/s1600/Messiaen+-+aimard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QgLsO_VeNXIf77U_xzlstpNN74y1Jv61t1tUoS0901ZDI1nMfkc2eCmbWmHM2BzBm3KZD-M4NZ8kQruZhUe5BWMNMXUu1DAbOo5CUaMLctE-MRglGljH9W6lGh0cD_MbbDwos6S8K8g/s200/Messiaen+-+aimard.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></div>First: Messiaen's “20 Aspects of the Baby Jesus”; this is indeed “different” from the standard piano playing of Christmas standards (i.e. in hotel lobbies during this season). I’d like to hear this instead, sometime! There also exists a “Little Suite for Christmas” by George Crumb, in the same vein, but darker and using a number of Crumb’s inside-piano techniques (I’ll concede that Christmas music probably shouldn’t be dark). It has a rendition of the “Coventry Carol” in the middle, mostly monophonic and plucked.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKa68dTdMTZ2e9scU0n8IyUytY7Q8KLiqEgVTV1pheqyRWNQARMUxDVfdTxYbMn0uoOgx10xfBy9wPhcXKMYVMO0bagL9GSUsY5J1pDr5VQ_07xx1WWe2F4SWqoeZnI6VM7AvYwLee0kE/s1600/D+Fanshawe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKa68dTdMTZ2e9scU0n8IyUytY7Q8KLiqEgVTV1pheqyRWNQARMUxDVfdTxYbMn0uoOgx10xfBy9wPhcXKMYVMO0bagL9GSUsY5J1pDr5VQ_07xx1WWe2F4SWqoeZnI6VM7AvYwLee0kE/s200/D+Fanshawe.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></div>Another one is the interlude, “For the Birth of Christ”, from the African Sanctus by David Fanshawe. Predating music with digital samples, this uses Fanshawe’s own recordings of traditional African music but is mostly a large “classical” work for chorus, piano, and rock band. Some of it sounds oddly dated now (like a 1960’s rock opera that never quite got going) but this interlude is worth listening to. Both relaxing and tense, the piano adds an atonal accompaniment to a love song from Sudan. In the original vinyl release, the love song was panned too far to one direction and the piano too far to the other, and they switched sides in the middle (an unnecessary and unnerving special effect); but that was fixed on the CD reissue.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCEAeOmuV5e-K4P9mkO7lMlK2bOtj4QuAHShi0xom2jLoOh6K7KnLEnPphnXyPMy1GGRcsUakJuAVBPiKKEZDjsWtYumqky1Kuseke9hT8KZFrhCtqgfdrVADCVMiYudK2lcKUHWxuUk/s1600/Rreimy+higher+rez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCEAeOmuV5e-K4P9mkO7lMlK2bOtj4QuAHShi0xom2jLoOh6K7KnLEnPphnXyPMy1GGRcsUakJuAVBPiKKEZDjsWtYumqky1Kuseke9hT8KZFrhCtqgfdrVADCVMiYudK2lcKUHWxuUk/s200/Rreimy+higher+rez.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></div>Some “pop” oddities: There’s a full-orchestral Christmas tune by Japanese folk-pop-rocker Reimy (on her self-titled album from 1990; her barely-controlled childlike voice stands out in stark, weird contrast to that grand accompaniment), and Bob Dylan did a Christmas CD.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnKxdlzvDvyBFpezhcENormhaFxC6gaV-hozEuI1ef9d28F4Wm1_pwFhYN8hYLfxN7NNbkP78uxfrOFk40CqmqdBmBMGEiyqzAD3ph1hEImv6dxCis6IE5rM-4pknqlMQZcfvBHKo8Kw/s1600/B+Dylan_Xmas2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnKxdlzvDvyBFpezhcENormhaFxC6gaV-hozEuI1ef9d28F4Wm1_pwFhYN8hYLfxN7NNbkP78uxfrOFk40CqmqdBmBMGEiyqzAD3ph1hEImv6dxCis6IE5rM-4pknqlMQZcfvBHKo8Kw/s200/B+Dylan_Xmas2.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></div>I checked out the latter from the library, asking the question: What happens when everybody’s favorite non-singer and arguably the last of the beatnik poets decides to take on Christmas carols? Answer: not much. It just sounds like anybody’s cantankerous but loveable great-granddad wheezing Christmas songs in a karaoke bar. Charming in its way, but definitely not classic Dylan. (Maybe he meant it to be ironic; but ironically, the irony is lost.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnjL6PJ1F0IQtSvbF-JutZ6hci9ZWwYyv9O-TOCG34LQpqDTZYBQf1XkeYehGvadEoA2H-uxbLYW5-zX-mziZ4sVLfLEH9Ha_Wt-BcGCMHK1mqfvxrGg-rspFTihrf74gm2ycd-Xq6sU/s1600/N+Mullen+Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnjL6PJ1F0IQtSvbF-JutZ6hci9ZWwYyv9O-TOCG34LQpqDTZYBQf1XkeYehGvadEoA2H-uxbLYW5-zX-mziZ4sVLfLEH9Ha_Wt-BcGCMHK1mqfvxrGg-rspFTihrf74gm2ycd-Xq6sU/s200/N+Mullen+Christmas.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></div>Another "pop" suggestion is not really all that "alternative" or experimental in any way, though it may be off of some people's radar. Nicole C. Mullen, Gospel and CCM singer with an amazing voice (in complete contrast to Reimy's and Dylan's quasi-singing) has a CD called "Christmas in Black and White". This puts the political counterpoint back in the Christmas message, and is more relevant in today's "trumped" world than it was when it came out in 2002.<br />
<br />
Last, and probably least, there's my own piece "Angelconcert" on my CD "PianoSphere" (my name is listed as S. Eric Scribner, if you want to look it up).S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-86066304056606710212016-12-07T17:12:00.000-08:002017-02-07T05:22:20.982-08:00The Worst Music, Revisited<i>I thought I’d revisit an old meme (now gone) that’s been annoying me for years. Though I’m glad that it’s gone, my question is really how it got started in the first place. I started a Facebook discussion about it. Not huge numbers of people wrote back (several just “liked” the postings), but those that did had some interesting insights. The names (and initials) have been changed except for my own.<br />
<br />
</i><br />
Me: Here's an open question about music. I might include the answers in a blog (but I won't post any names).<br />
<br />
Middle school and high school kids today no longer mistake classical music for "elevator music" or muzak. But back in the 1970's, as a classical music listener (and a teenager), I ran into that misconception all the time. Here's the question, or series of questions: How did that misunderstanding get started? Did you think it was true (if you were a kid then)? When did you realize it wasn't true? How or why? Why do you think it isn't a "thing" anymore? Are there actually any similarities between those two genres? (I consider them to be complete opposites.)<br />
<br />
I have some theories. I'll post them as this discussion gets going.<br />
<br />
BX: Classical more often than not tends to be several minutes if not nearly an hour or so long. Most "pop" music is typically 2.5-7min and that's for the shortest to longest, again..typically. Elevator music to me has always clipped the crescendos and other climaxes...or whatever. I presumed this to allow for the only rise and fall to be left at the physical approach. As if the music were the only bearings one could grasp, in case they feared lifts. Nothing too one way or the other, yet better than Muzak. I honestly can't readily point out Muzak, it's not "music." Whatever that’s supposed to mean. Lol<br />
<br />
Me: "Elevator music" and Muzak (same thing - "Muzak" is a brand name) do clip all the climaxes, etc. They're purposely banal, because their purpose is to be ignored. The individual "cuts" are about three minutes long, because they're based on the same music as other "pop". At least that's what I think; like everybody else, I mostly ignore them.<br />
<br />
TQ: I blame Mantovani and stuff like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToXREBs22bryGaY4hh7FoeibeqSW7OzAQOf6kNzctbFGXICrfKWpv1xMpWNlqb4ktC6LoEPrvk2MV1SbARFKJ3aOwRp9EDDC4OGWPEW7RgopXRiEDH4-3J23_8Y-RiwMcRwULAstdk0I/s1600/muzak+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToXREBs22bryGaY4hh7FoeibeqSW7OzAQOf6kNzctbFGXICrfKWpv1xMpWNlqb4ktC6LoEPrvk2MV1SbARFKJ3aOwRp9EDDC4OGWPEW7RgopXRiEDH4-3J23_8Y-RiwMcRwULAstdk0I/s200/muzak+2.jpg" width="200" height="150" /></a></div>(Classic 1970s commercial for the mail-order album "120 Music Masterpieces" featuring actor John Williams. This one aired on WTBS on July 12, 1980 but dates back to 1970 or 71. - YouTube commentary.)<br />
<br />
Me: Makes sense (that was one of my theories, that attempts to "popularize" orchestral music actually had a completely different effect). He pronounced title of the Borodin piece "Polyvetzian" Dances!? At least the orchestral bits still have a little dynamic range, even though they're chopped up.<br />
<br />
TQ: There was this pretty entrenched middlebrow/suburban aesthetic that managed to smooth all the edges off of classical music - 101 Strings, Kostelanetz, etc. Mantovani: "Perhaps 25% of the people like the classics and about 25% like the Beatles. I aim to please the 50% in the middle." Bingo.<br />
<br />
SN: I was not exposed to much classical music growing up, except for what was used occasionally in pop culture and TV commercials. And I didn't pay much attention to elevator music, unless it was a tune I happened to recognized (which wasn't often).<br />
<br />
OJ: As far as I can hear, most ambient music these days consists of playlists of pop songs. In really mellow environments you hear New Agey or instrumental folky stuff. And in other places you'll actually hear bona fide classical playlists. I very very rarely hear the old school string orchestra Muzak, and when I do it really jumps out at me--feels like time travel. So I think that's your answer: ambient music used to be orchestral, hence easily mistaken for orchestral classical music, but now you rarely hear that kind of muzak.<br />
<br />
Me: One of my theories was that the older muzak used string sections, but then, so did a lot of top 40 (Heart "Dreamboat Annie"), jazz, and even the dance craze of the time: disco. And to me, “ambient” doesn’t mean “background music” but refers to a specific genre of semi-experimental electronica: Brian Eno, et al. Maybe I’m being too rigid there, because the word “ambient” of course means part of the background.<br />
<br />
TQ: Ballard Goodwill has the best Muzak - last time I was there I heard the Jam, Buzzcocks, XTC, Lene Lovich, Dave Edmunds, Costello; in past I've heard the Slits, Banshees, Kate Bush, etc.<br />
<br />
OJ: Even Fred Meyer in Lake City makes me do a double take with some frequency: Ramones, Replacements, Costello et al.<br />
<br />
BJ: Music is a type of thought. Some thoughts are subtle and complicated, and are meant to be paid attention to. Some thoughts are not, or do not reward close attention.<br />
<br />
BD: I lived in Florida as a child, in a small town, so elevators did not exist for me. I always associated classical with orchestras back then. In today's world, kids SEE classical musicians daily in YouTube along with the genre title. The internet has clarified much past musical genre confusion in general through sight.....not sound. A label in today’s world carries more distinction.<br />
<br />
Me: About "seeing" classical musicians: I have a DVD of videos of Xenakis chamber music. I've occasionally shown it in a class where I'm teaching. The pieces for string quartet "look like" classical, so kids have actually asked me if they're by Beethoven or Mozart. But there's a piece for piano and trombones, and here they (the kids) don't know what to make of it, despite the fact that much of this piece "sounds" more "classical" that the string quartets.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiif2HMpBvj59zyt_9jeiKchSMPrqNEEjJtHkhRcSLFNeajjghwui7CgJFtYDtm9KK4m5BCrCJRUS7tkraepUpr2seAvgyQpx1ecCD3mPSzWWCO3C-ZmImT19k2dhgC0IyEFPmgJXxZJz0/s1600/USSR+record+label.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiif2HMpBvj59zyt_9jeiKchSMPrqNEEjJtHkhRcSLFNeajjghwui7CgJFtYDtm9KK4m5BCrCJRUS7tkraepUpr2seAvgyQpx1ecCD3mPSzWWCO3C-ZmImT19k2dhgC0IyEFPmgJXxZJz0/s200/USSR+record+label.JPG" width="200" height="124" /></a></div>QB: Myself I am grateful that I was forbidden access to mainstream culture, and so among my childhood favorites was Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, and remains so to this day (how we managed to have records, not to mention the means to listen to them, amazes me even now). I remember how my father explained to me that this work concerned itself with death, he having barely survived tuberculosis and blacklisted along with my mother as a communist, though they were to find that their beliefs and aspirations were the sort of thing that were sure to deliver you post-haste to the Gulags or even a bullet in the back of the neck in the "worker's fatherland". My response to the closing pages of the sixth movement (Der Abschied) was that if this is death (I must have been somewhere in the neighborhood of five or six years old) I was more than ready for the quiet ecstasy of that moment in the music when all desire and torment is resolved into bliss. And thus I was immunized from the start against all forms of mass culture, from "The 60's" to post-modernism, never mind Muzak and am eternally grateful (I have always thought that it would be interesting to sabotage elevator music systems and let fly with the opening of the Mahler 8th, good for the souls of those aboard).<br />
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Me: I often sabotage background music in a class by playing something that actually "works" as (pseudo)Muzak - baroque and jazz work well - and then slipping in some Messiaen or George Crumb.<br />
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WM: I had parents who actively listened to classical music and disdained "easy listening" muzak. So I was taught never to confuse the genres.<br />
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Me: Me too, and it never even crossed my mind that someone might consider them similar, which is why I was so surprised and insulted when other kids at my school insisted that "bay-TOE-vin" (that's how they said it) was "that annoying and depressing music on KSEA" (an easy-listening station). I thought that one or two kids were kidding, until a whole 7th-grade class threatened to "pound that 'elevator-Mozart' out of me". (A similar phrase had been used against me in 5th grade for telling another student to stop insulting a film about avant-garde music that a guest music teacher had shown.) I actually did almost get beat up once for playing a piece in the style of Stravinsky at a school talent show, though in that case it was because the bullies said that I had embarrassed them by “just pounding on the piano” and that I “needed to be punched once for every note in the song”.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNT1Zgxav2BJlFkjVfnvKdBsURP4Khn3iRn0yRjgNR5CMRVNIgr6orK1oj2cCXUQqUn8XO9uwaBwKx7KqzrzwW5W-vKA1ZduIAGL78jTdSITN7hVfGBdBIFXuuYXrHzn_GgANSmjeYOc/s1600/Charlie+Brown.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNT1Zgxav2BJlFkjVfnvKdBsURP4Khn3iRn0yRjgNR5CMRVNIgr6orK1oj2cCXUQqUn8XO9uwaBwKx7KqzrzwW5W-vKA1ZduIAGL78jTdSITN7hVfGBdBIFXuuYXrHzn_GgANSmjeYOc/s200/Charlie+Brown.png" width="144" height="200" /></a></div>WM: Good grief!<br />
S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-15751285847735939512015-10-18T11:06:00.000-07:002016-04-10T11:18:49.022-07:00Album Reviews, Old and New: ELP, Seawind, Steven Michael Miller, and Yoko KannoThese four reviews were originally published on <a href="http://www.sitdownlistenup.com/">Sit Down Listen Up.com</a>, in slightly different versions.<br />
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<b>Emerson, Lake, and Palmer: Do the "Works" Still Work?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DgSlnI2F1gPSDHNuiW5zKoAD0f8U85BFPDq0_PMp4Htw9ana9CcQQPoHxr5_wYWnDF8RVSYX81K4yyfmqAIskGAxwp4FooG3uRym8n-ttqnEtr-_oB5Vfxodldosv5mpSTNXo0VpCds/s1600/ELP_Works_Volume_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DgSlnI2F1gPSDHNuiW5zKoAD0f8U85BFPDq0_PMp4Htw9ana9CcQQPoHxr5_wYWnDF8RVSYX81K4yyfmqAIskGAxwp4FooG3uRym8n-ttqnEtr-_oB5Vfxodldosv5mpSTNXo0VpCds/s320/ELP_Works_Volume_1.jpg" /></a></div>This was in my vinyl collection, and after digging it out of storage, I promptly ignored it for several months. Back in the early 1980’s, I’d rocked out to it. But now, all I could remember about it was huge, blown-up ostentation, grand sonic spectacle based on… not very much. Not that the concept was bad, of course: a solo project by each of Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, and Carl Palmer, then the three of them together for a finale. But, “crossover” has never worked for me (though that may be a relic of being a kid who listened to classical in an era when the “hip” kids subscribed to the meme that classical and Muzak were synonymous); so I was bothered by the idea of a major rock album being backed-up by a large (and sometimes seemingly unrehearsed) symphony orchestra. Then I listened to Symphonic Zeppelin again, and thought, well, a rock orchestra works well there, so maybe I could give this ELP LP another try.<br />
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Side One presents Keith Emerson’s “Piano Concerto no. 1”. Very classical concept, including the three movements. But, as a classical composition, it is deeply flawed. (Two obvious examples: in the first movement, the atonal intro and the jazzy cadenza have nothing to do either with each other or the rest of the piece; and the development section doesn’t really go anywhere, it just presents a second theme and then noodles around with its rhythms.) Yet I sat there listening to every detail, transfixed. Why? Answer: it isn’t classical at all, and I subconsciously wasn’t listening to it as classical. It’s an extended piece of progressive rock. Its interest and excitement are not derived from the composer’s personal rendering of classical formal structure, but from interplays of odd meters, alternation of solos and ensemble playing, and a building-up of high-energy riffs. The fact that only the keyboard remains unaltered (and the guitar, bass, and drums have been replaced by an orchestra) doesn’t really change anything: under that symphonic exterior, this is something that Tull, Yes, Floyd, Rush, or Kansas could have done during their most “prog” periods. And yes, it’s a lot of fun.<br />
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Not so with Side Two, five songs by Greg Lake. These are mostly forgettable power-ballads, with a voice like Neil Diamond over-singing, awful lyrics with forced rhymes, and runaway overdubbing. One song is recorded at about half the volume of the others, though it’s supposed to be a louder, rock number. Another features harmonica and elevator-guitar amplified above a string section, for an unnatural, forced sound. Despite all that, it’s not a total wasteland. “Lend Your Love to Me Tonight” has some interesting key-changes. “C’est La Vie” uses some memorable French folk instrumentation. Both are minor earworms; just ignore the words. “Closer to Believing” provides the “slow movement” for the entire double album, with shimmering strings that sometimes venture into atonality and even suggested mircotonality, and a contrapuntal passage near the end that is “classical” in the way that Emerson’s “Concerto” was not. The lyrics, to this song at least, aren’t all that bad either.<br />
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There are three actual classical “works” included in the Works. The first of these has a heavy metal title, and begins side three, Carl Palmer’s solo project: Sergei Prokofiev’s “The Enemy God Dances with the Black Spirits” from the “Scythian Suite”. This “barbaric” music (under the heavy influence of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”) is more or less played straight, though the addition of Palmer’s continuous, flailing drum soloing turns it into a hectic, scary big band number (with strings). The rest of the side consists of more instrumentals, some great, some forgettable, all but one with manic drumming. There are two named after cities: “L.A. Nights” is a run-of-the-mill rocker with guitar solos, while “New Orleans” is an amazing bit of funk featuring wah-wahs. “Bach Two-Part Invention in D-minor” is the second classical piece; in this arrangement of the keyboard piece, Palmer plays mallets instruments rather than drums – but the string section is off-key and ruins the whole mood. “Food for Your Soul” isn’t really, though it includes an actual drum solo (no other instruments) and a nod to Ian Anderson’s flute. Finally, “Tank” is an arrangement of an instrumental from ELP’s first album. Oddly, Emerson’s keyboard improvisations in the middle section are transcribed note for note for violins, and again, they play off-key. Ugh! They should have left it alone – and, in the third section, they do – the three of them play what sounds like the original (with a slightly different keyboard solo) and add blasting brass chords behind them. Exciting, but in the end it’s merely an arrangement of the first version. And for some reason, it leaves out the drum solo.<br />
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Side 4 begins with the last of the three actual “classical” pieces, and the one that is the most transformed: Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”. Very symphonic at first (though with some added – and unnecessary – reverb), but ELP’s masterstroke was to turn this into a rockin’ blues number. The blues-rock emerges slowly, but eventually the Copland comes to an end and we’re left with a keyboard solo over a driving beat, sounding like nothing so much as an electric organ version of Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks”. The music adds more and more blue notes, finally going completely, gloriously, insanely, Hendrix-y, atonal. Riffs from the Copland reemerge, and then the Fanfare is back, though the beat (and electric organ) are still there. The two styles duke it out until the end. This is my favorite part of the Works, though I don’t know if it’s worth buying the whole double album for this one track.<br />
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The last and longest song is “Pirates”, which attempts to be a grand finale by summing up all that’s come before. There are long orchestral passages (careful listeners will notice fragments from Emerson’s “Concerto”), synthesizer solos, sea chanties, Renaissance music, and odd meters, all leading to a rockin’ climax. Lake’s overwrought vocals finally find vindication as the thoroughly unsavory character of the pirate captain, though perhaps more suitable for the Broadway stage than a rock album.<br />
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So in the end, do these Works still work? Yes. No. Pick and choose between them: some are brilliant, some are fossils from an age of forced gigantism, most are in between. The concept and the orchestrations are interesting at times, banal at others, and the whole album has a consistent problem with volume balance. Now that I’ve listened to it again a couple of times, I’ve enjoyed it – but I might be embarrassed to recommend it heartily to others. On the other hand, it is a lot of fun, and maybe that’s all it needs to be.<br />
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<b>A (Not So) Hidden Message from Funky Winds from the Sea<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVGu7waCGKdPTnbNHlRyEZT5n4bS1aWsr0f6rayckw2y2-hpnvFpN1519e_a6ylbxdv1KCo8CVCIPE51XlEY9tQR4KHxv_pEyoTj9E7Pc8sN6xjxZTssECZ67w_mP57U4DUoFMGnj7PU/s1600/Seawind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVGu7waCGKdPTnbNHlRyEZT5n4bS1aWsr0f6rayckw2y2-hpnvFpN1519e_a6ylbxdv1KCo8CVCIPE51XlEY9tQR4KHxv_pEyoTj9E7Pc8sN6xjxZTssECZ67w_mP57U4DUoFMGnj7PU/s320/Seawind.jpg" /></a></div>I first came across this record in college: Seawind, the album, by Seawind, the band. My friend introduced me to it. Though not one of those all-time masterpiece records, it is still unfortunate that it subsequently has been lost to time and obscurity. This is a cool 1970’/80’s funky music, akin to Earth Wind and Fire, with intricate rhythmic interplay and smokin’ horn solos.<br />
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The first track, “We Got a Way” starts up the funk immediately, though perhaps a little dated because of the “disco” beat. Like most album openers, this is intended as a hook, and thus (as if often the case) it’s catchy but less interesting than what follows.<br />
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In “You Gotta Be Willin’ to Loose (Part II)”, Pauline Wilson shows her vocal pyrotechnics in a (far too short) series of one-note glottal sound effects mixed with the words; the effect is almost pre-rap. I’ve also heard the same sound in Afropop, such as Toure Kunda Live. There’s no “Part I” to this song on the record, though it does sound slightly unfinished (or rather, un-begun) and may actually be a “jamming” coda to one that was not included.<br />
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The next two songs introduce the “theme” and message of the album (which, once one realizes it, was already present in the first two songs anyway). This is actually “Christian music”. It is not an example of bait-and-switch, though – the band was not trying to draw in unsuspecting listeners with “groovy” music and then hit them with an unexpected "religious" message. They were trying to do the exact opposite – put the musicianship back into the such music, where it had sorely been missed.<br />
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I had previously thought that no genre of music was so dull, so mind-numbingly banal, so badly written and performed (and consequently so ineffective at communicating its own message) as 1970’s/80’s “Contemporary Christian Music”. I once proclaimed to an acquaintance (and a big fan of the music) that it was neither contemporary, nor Christian, nor music; and I refused to listen to it <i>because</i> I am a Christian. Since then, of course, “Christian music” itself has improved to the levels of composition and musicianship of “regular” – whatever that means – mainstream pop and rock; but Seawind is both and an album and a band from back then in the dark ages.<br />
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To be fair, there were of course, even then, a few other bright lights among the many feeble flickers in the genre. John Michael Talbot, at least in his early albums such as "Come to the Quiet", was playing a kind of Renaissance-influenced folk music that was both interesting and magical. With his brother, Terry Talbot, he also recorded at least one interesting acoustic “prog” rock album, "The Painter", though it was a little heavy on the falsetto. Resurrection Band’s "Colors" was blistering hard rock / early metal; it sounded mostly like AC/DC with an occasional odd meter. Phil Keaggy was a master guitarist comparable to Dire Straights’ Mark Knopfler (though his lyrics tended to be as awkward as those of Little River Band). Kerry Livgren (of the band Kansas) made one good prog-rock album ("Seeds of Change") and one good R&B/rock album ("Timeline") before the record producers apparently told him to get more commercial. <br />
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…And then there was this record. Its Christian message was there, but never (unlike a lot of others in the same genre) “tacked on” to the music. The music and the lyrics, and therefore the message – no song with lyrics can avoid having a message – were melded into a seamless whole.<br />
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…End of disclaimer, and back to the songs. The third, “He Loves You” is a little more subdued that the previous two. The funk gives way to a gentler, slightly Brazilian feel, while Ms. Wilson shows the soulful side of her singing. There are moments where she sounds like Nina Simone.<br />
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“The Devil is a Liar” is a sermon to avoid worldly delights (which will leave you empty). Musically it is a combination of the styles of the previous two songs, with both a funky and lyrical side.<br />
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In “Love Song / Seawind”, the album takes a turn and things start to get really interesting. Unfortunately it begins with the unpromising vocals of Bud Nuanez over acoustic guitar – he attempts to sound like Jim Croce but doesn’t really. Then “Seawind” (the song) fades in, and we’re in a different world. Soprano sax, played by Kim Hutchcroft, over open fourths and fifths on acoustic guitar, recalls nothing so much as Paul Winter’s “Icarus”. Later there are hints of prog-rock synthesizers and off-beat drum accents. Fade out. With this, side A ends refreshed.<br />
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“Make Up Your Mind” is a throwback to Side A. The funk is back in force, now with Maynard Ferguson-style trumpet on top. The song suffers from disco vocal interjections (“get down!”) and thus, as sometimes happens, sounded “groovy” at the time it was recorded, but now, forty years on, just elicits a snicker.<br />
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The remainder of Side B is two long songs, both instrumental. “Praise (Part I)” (there’s that “part of a song” thing again) begins with blues piano and a sax tune, leading through several jazzy solos. There is a brief spate of scat singing (Ms. Wilson again), and the trumpet parts recall Miles Davis’ later work, such as "Tutu".<br />
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Then comes the epic. “Roadways (Parts I and II)” (finally, a song with both parts!) drops all pretense of being a “popular” number and is instead a full-fledged jazz composition. Enigmantic, slightly rock-ish sax and drums begin, leading to quietly dissonant electric piano chords, played by Larry Williams. An angular melody on the soprano sax winds along, sometimes doubled by flute. The soprano sax solos, with some “extended” techniques. Gradual crescendo, and a brief encounter with Chick Corea’s “The Brain” before repetitive-minimalist synthesizer begins the second part. There is a loud but measured full-ensemble outburst, then the music relaxes and the melody of the first part returns, now on trumpet doubled by electric organ. Soprano sax ends, with tranquil rhythms underneath.<br />
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If all of this analysis sounds dry, the music is most assuredly not. It’s not really a masterpiece, though it’s certainly a surprise for anyone who thinks that music from its time and genre had to be insipid and clichéd. It’s also a good addition to anyone’s collection of funk and even jazz from the same period.<br />
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<b>Steven Michael Miller Between Noise and Silence</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGe0m6dX-mC-b-egtWr3Q_ZpyBfNwYuRTNimoNszeSCQp15FWQhCp2FLwOlkEJ0UQ0NbNJKUk2_Z_uFny9xFKT6I96srMsIlKGi_YWSkNYxs35mwh7SzM6ECXVwz8GcnJYiCPLt6LU2M/s1600/Steven+Michael+Miller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGe0m6dX-mC-b-egtWr3Q_ZpyBfNwYuRTNimoNszeSCQp15FWQhCp2FLwOlkEJ0UQ0NbNJKUk2_Z_uFny9xFKT6I96srMsIlKGi_YWSkNYxs35mwh7SzM6ECXVwz8GcnJYiCPLt6LU2M/s320/Steven+Michael+Miller.jpg" /></a></div>I ran across this memorial retrospective set of CDs at a concert of artists who’d worked with Steven Michael Miller. Since I had not heard of Mr. Miller at the time, I asked about the music. In the ensuing conversation, I was convinced to buy the CD set. I wasn’t disappointed.<br />
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There are eight CDs in this set, titled "Between Noise and Silence". The first CD is a collection of pieces called “Subterranea.” These are all very much twigs on the same branch. Majestic synthesizer chords and drones mingle with atmospheric, heavily echoed samples of various “outside” sounds: wind in trees, rivers, animals, traffic. Occasionally there is a serpentine melody on the Balinese flute. Overall these pieces remind me of nothing so much as the ambient music of Brian Eno (such as "On Land" or Side A of "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks"). Perhaps there is also a little Ingram Marshall, who, it turns out, worked with Miller.<br />
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CDs 2 and 3 are a collection of improvisations, mostly collaborative. These are more avant-garde in style than the music on CD 1. In a way, though, they continue the same aesthetic. They are mostly hazy, half-audible extemporizations in space-time, with a lot of (real and suggested) silence. There are a few louder moments, such as in "Duo I" with David Dunn (electronics) and "Duet 2" with Steve Peters (electronics and field recordings); but generally these walk a tightrope between ambience and experimentalism. It is a world previously navigated by Cage and Feldman (though in a very different style).<br />
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CD 4 is a single long work, the installation titled “Glass Piece,” the audio part of an installation dedicated to Annea Lockwood (legendary electro-acoustic composer). This piece is the sounds of glass, certainly; to me it is the reverberations of great crystalline gongs and bells, each as large as a house, tapped and rubbed very gently.<br />
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CD 5 is a set of pieces with a much harder aesthetic, also purely electronic. “Slow Fire” is edge-of-your-seat tension created from samples of Ligeti’s string quartets and piano music, greatly slowed and amplified. At first listen, this is a drone piece – tones seem locked in hypersleep, barely moving – but careful listening reveals complicated interactions (as in both Ligeti and in drone music). “Three Pieces for Chris Mann” is its antithesis: musique concrète sounds come and go so quickly as to be unidentifiable. “In the Absence of the Sacred” is another high-tension study in found sound; here is some of the same prerecorded material as on CD 1 but treated as a harrowing lament for lost cultures.<br />
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One of the most fascinating pieces on the set is the short “Pulse Canon.” Tiny blips gather in an accelerating, cosmic polyrhythm, and become a relentless storm. More description would ruin the idea. It’s easy to hear what’s going on, but it has to be heard to be heard...<br />
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“The Flow of Time” is somewhat more ambient, but on this recording it seems to be merely a prelude to the next piece. “Pohon Bergunga” is from the sound-world of Xenakis’ “Voyage absolu des Unari vers Andromede” (on "Perspectives of New Music" vol. 28): a mad, wobbly cluster of siren-like computer-generated fractal glissandi that sometimes slow down to reveal that they are made of other (faster) glissandi, which in turn are made of still faster glissandi. “Twin Canon” is essentially the same piece made from stable drones rather than unstable slides. Overtones fade in to reveal that they are made of still higher, more microtonal, overtones, which in turn… Both pieces are fascinating as concepts, but to me at least, they are (like that one Xenakis piece) so mechanical and high-tension that they are nearly unlistenable.<br />
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CD 6, probably my favorite in the set, presents some pieces that are midway between the ambience of CD 1 and the nail-biting of CD 5. They may be quite different to different listeners. “Recirculations” seems at first merely a reiteration of “Twin Canon” – but one is struck immediately by its slower (!), more laid-back mood and straining to produce consonant harmonies from its dense microtonal overtones. (I have used similar resonances as the idée-fixe “mystic chord” in my day-long “StormSound Cycle” – in my case, they were made from partials from the deep bass sound, under the white noise, of waves crashing against a shore.) Eventually the sound collapses into a world of giant gongs heard from somewhere far away in an endless dimly-lit hallway, then builds back up to its opening material. “Points of Origin” is a piece of <i>musique concrète </i>in the style of Annea Lockwood (to whom it was dedicated); sounds are combined in interesting ways and unexpected juxtapositions, but are not processed. “Recirculations II” is a fantasy of CG reverberations that sometimes seem oddly akin to human speech, though altered and scattered into sonic nebulae that are somehow both ecstatic and sinister. Lastly, “Motors” is a drone piece made from unaltered recordings of electric, well, motors. This would seem to be completely non-musical (or even anti-musical) material, yet Miller manages to draw out a rich array of harmonies and microtones. This is a fascinating composition made from the most unpromising of material.<br />
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Taken all together, these form either a single day-long “album” with each separate CD a lengthy “song,” or a set of regular-length albums. In either case, the various pieces seem to comment on and extend each other. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts, as it should be in any great album.<br />
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There are two more discs in the set. One is a DVD of videos featuring Miller’s music, and the other is a collection of pieces by other composers, in tribute to Miller (which forms an “album” in its own right). I will review one or both of those at a future date.<br />
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<b>Yoko Kanno: A Shape-Changing Ghost (in the Shell)</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAaB4ZNyMfG9Orsb4GWgU3d3qrjgEZaoWA7N9Ty2DQVcVKQGwkQPxauLbOJwZ-F7_ppDL6njWzD2AWmIR2dF5w0RvBVHi_6muMig1txQ1ov9sEWKcq01ib4Baaue-smcqW7jP_tX9i6U/s1600/Ghost+in+the+Shell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAaB4ZNyMfG9Orsb4GWgU3d3qrjgEZaoWA7N9Ty2DQVcVKQGwkQPxauLbOJwZ-F7_ppDL6njWzD2AWmIR2dF5w0RvBVHi_6muMig1txQ1ov9sEWKcq01ib4Baaue-smcqW7jP_tX9i6U/s320/Ghost+in+the+Shell.jpg" /></a></div>I found this CD in the same case as the DVD of the TV show. I’d checked it out from the library. I didn’t like the show that much, but the CD was a bonus, and later I got my own copy. Most of the music was composed by Yoko Kanno, with whom I was familiar from the soundtrack to Cowboy Bebop. She is a well-known film composer in Japan.<br />
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A note before I continue: the title of the album (and the show) is Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Although this some of the quasi-English that’s popular in Japan (i.e. “Walkman” and “Pokari Sweat”), it isn’t nonsense. Meaning can be teased out of those two brand names by someone familiar with Japanese: a Walkman is probably something that goes with you while you walk, and “Pokari Sweat” is roughly like “Sweatbuster”. Likewise, "Ghost in the Shell" is probably better translated as “Spirit inside the Shell (of the Machine)”, and refers to the possibility of artificial intelligence being smart and complex enough to have a soul. (This is a cyberpunk world of artificial hackers and martial-arts wielding cyborgs.) “Stand Alone” refers to several episodes of the show that stand by themselves, not related to a larger story arc in the series. “Complex” is COM-plex, the noun form; an amalgamation of such “stand alone” episodes.<br />
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Back to the CD. An interesting thing about Ms. Kanno’s music is that we aren’t quite sure what we are listening to. It shapeshifts continuously. It’s mainstream “popular” music, certainly, but it defies all attempts to stick it in one of those boxes that the music industry provides for us. On the surface it’s mostly electronica, though more haunting in mood (however, hardcore Aphex Twin and Moby fans may dispute that it’s really “electronica”, and since when did electronica acquire <i>that</i> style of singing?) It’s reminiscent of 80’s post-punk bands like the Cocteau Twins and the Eurhythmics, but “world music” fans will notice a definite Balkan flavor. Some tracks are pure hard rock, others are funk, some are J-Pop (but with those strange vocals again); some are hybrids. Part of this ambiguity is created by the fact that, though Ms. Kanno composed most of the music, it’s being played by more than one “band”. There are different instruments and different singers – and sometimes the individual musicians move from one band to another. And yet somehow it all ties together. Ms. Kanno has a distinctive style which manifests itself mostly in a couple of unusual compositional techniques that affect how the music flows in time (more on those later) – and the overall shape of the album is that of a single, large-scale composition.<br />
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The lyrics, where they appear, are sung in amalgams of English, Japanese, and Russian.<br />
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The first track, “Run Rabbit Junk” (one of those quasi-English titles again, though I can’t explain this one) is played by Hideyuki Takahashi, and gets the music off to a loud punk/metal start with a driving beat. About halfway through, the listener is treated to one of Ms. Kanno’s compositional techniques: everything suddenly seems to stop but the rhythm and momentum are still there subliminally, and (after a few dreamlike seconds) they burst into the foreground again. Following this, the vocalists exclaim their ownership of a number of three-letter cyberpunk abbreviations – though I don’t know where this leads in the show.<br />
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ヤキトリ (“Yakitori”) is mostly 70’s – 80’s guitar solos. At times it sounds like the solo at the end of Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son”, with its stumbling off-meters; other times it reminds one of Van Halen, with lots of notes that don’t really coalesce; mostly it could be music for a monster truck rally. Fun, but grating after a while, and too over the top for my taste. (Yakitori is, of course, Japanese chicken kabobs.)<br />
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Ms. Kanno’s signature style begins with スタミナ・ローズ (“Stamina Rose”), though not very promisingly at first. Technobeat-driven synthesized African marimbas underscore Balkan harmonies sung by Ms. Kanno herself (under the name of Gabriela Robin).<br />
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“Surf” continues in somewhat the same mood, though relaxed and with a flute. Another of Mr. Kanno’s compositional techniques is in evidence: this is a slower piece, definitely, but there’s still that nervously quick (though understated) electronica beat underneath. It’s as if there are two pieces running along at the same time, diametrically opposed yet producing a harmonious whole.<br />
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“Where does this ocean go?” almost continues the same song, though now with heartfelt vocals by Ilaria Graziano. The lyrics, a little “slice of life” in English, seem a tad awkward at times (particularly the line about the man with a head like a melon), though the song expresses the classic longing for adventure. Björk’s “Hyperballad” has a similar tune (as noted on several websites), though Ms. Kanno’s piece isn’t really a cover and is more appealing musically.<br />
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“Train Search” is another guitar solo like “Yakitori”, though shorter and more composed. It is obviously background music to an action scene and doesn’t really do anything for the album. To me, it actually interrupts the flow of the music – and when I put this album on a playlist, I moved it next to “Yakitori”.<br />
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シベリアン・ドール・ハウス (“Siberian Dollhouse”) is a mysterious slow movement, at first with blues riffs on guitar, then with Ms. “Robin’s” half-audible vocals under dark synth ambience, and finally with a rising horror-glissando (leading unexpectedly to a major chord) and recalling The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life”.<br />
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“Velveteen” picks up where “Siberian Dollhouse” left off, though relaxed. The rising horror has become a mere police siren. The beat starts up, and the rest of it is essentially a “pop” number – though in a minor key and with samples of traditional pow-wow songs under the instrumental parts.<br />
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“Lithium Flower” returns to the rock world, and brings back the male vocals, this time by Scott Matthew. This could have been a hit by any 70’s or 80’s rock group; English lyrics about an idealized woman are sung in a slightly gravelly voice over modal guitar cycles. Retro. Reminds me of early Foreigner.<br />
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“Home Stay” is an instrumental that is again retro – this time it’s classic funk. There is a trick in the bass line: it is actually one beat longer than the rest of the tune, so that every time it returns it’s on a different accent. I notice things like that.<br />
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“Inner Universe” is something of a recap of what has gone before. Electronica again, very fast beat under rather slow music again, Balkan voices again, with tight harmony. Again, as in the opening number, everything stops (but doesn’t) and then it builds back up. Several repeats of the refrain are harmonized differently, building to an ecstatic climax. It’s beautiful to hear, but if this is electronica, it’s from another world.<br />
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“Fish – Silent Cruise” is the longest song (except for “Yakitori”), and the climax of the album. Basically it’s all one long crescendo, accumulating from quiet, reflective wordless singing to techo/symphonic overload. Again, slow music with a fast beat. Some of the ambience is created by a real symphony orchestra, not synthesizers.<br />
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“Some Other Time” is a slow bubblegum pop number, here a bright-colored relaxation after the tension of “Fish – Silent Cruise”.<br />
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“Beauty is Within You” follows, and forget it. There isn’t much beauty within this overdone pop ballad, which, interestingly, wasn’t composed by Ms. Kanno...<br />
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“We’re the Great” is a very slow number for guitars and male vocals; it serves as an introduction to the final piece, モノクローム (“Monochrome”). This is something both truly unusual and completely familiar at the same time: electronica/pop over random synthesizer beeps. Though completely different stylistically, this is somewhat akin to some of the experiments by Pink Floyd (remember the random synth notes in “On the Run” on Dark Side of the Moon?). It brings the CD to a refreshed conclusion.<br />
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There are two more cuts, brief excerpts from loud, up-tempo songs found in the series (and on later volumes of a CD set). Those are better in their full versions, so I won’t talk about them here. I removed them on my iTunes playlist.<br />
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In the end, this is just a soundtrack album – but it’s more than that. The songs are (mostly) interesting, and there is a wide variety of moods, tempi, and instrumentation. They tie together, in large part because of that recurrent “slow music over a fast beat” and because of related modes and harmonies. Ms. Kanno was composing individual “pop” numbers in various styles, but with an ear to how they would sound together (both on the CD and as a soundworld for the show). The result is well worth a listen or two, especially without the <i>anime</i> to which they belong.<br />
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S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8973529748249710513.post-81830375785684317672015-10-07T19:08:00.000-07:002015-10-23T14:00:24.471-07:00Just for Fun: Renamed InstrumentsA friend sent me some of these, and I made up some more. My apologies to anyone who plays any of these instruments; actually I like all of them.<br />
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The "catpipe" and "duckpipe" were of course used as such by Sergei Prokofiev, and the bassoon could also sound like (with a nod to C. S. Lewis) a "toadpipe". ...And, come to think of it, there are a couple of other types of Twang Tables: the koto and its relatives come to mind.S. E. Scribnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00037230081979565542noreply@blogger.com0