VOTD 9/28/2024

Creation Is Crucifixion: Antenna Builder | The Soldering Iron Gives Us Control (Robotic Empire)  

Record two: Live in Geneva, Switzerland May 28, 2000

Purchased through mail order

How do you react to a recording or performance in which the intention of the artists is to be unlistenable? "Good job"? "Sorry, but I totally listened to this"?

Last week I got to hang with Adam MacGregor. I will admit to being flattered by Adam in the past, who cites me as an inspiration for his more extreme musical aspirations. It's not that this recording suggests any direct influence, but that seeing Water Shed 5tet in the 90s gave him the confidence to follow his unusual musical interests.

I'm happy he would tell me so. But as with students I've taught in class who have gone on to success, I do not wish to take credit in any way. It is their work, maybe I helped push it along the way a little.

I know that in writing that, I might be slightly hypocritical and self-referential. Okay, I'll give myself a little credit.

Whatever else Creation Is Crucifixion was (an Adam project from this era), they were a tight unit. They absolutely charge through everything. The language in general is hard-hitting thrash metal with a kind of mathy-quality of fast changes, sudden tempo alterations, intense exchanges of ideas. They sound like they spent months out in a shed in the woods doing nothing by practicing, smoking, drinking Cokes and eating ramen noodles. (I know that's not actually true.) Nothing sits in your head as being catchy, nor is it meant to. They hit you hard, and by the time you feel it, they're on to the next idea. 

I think I've always been to some extent attracted to the extremes in music. Test the limits of expression. How far can you take things? Longer, shorter, quieter, louder, harder, softer, etc etc? Then reflect on those extremes or limits and learn from them.

The band is simultaneously a scalpel and a bludgeon. Cutting sharp, while at the same time knocking you over the head. I'm feeling pulverized at times. What was it like to see this band at its best? Probably overwhelming at times by the sheer density and intensity of it all. 

Permit me to share a song title or two: "School Steals the Capacity for Autonomous Action AKA Micro-Consuming Machines" or "The Allegory of the Algorithm (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mimesis)". I don't understand how they remember the titles, let alone all of the music. But I do get a sense of humor from the titles not necessarily obvious from the songs. ("Songs" being loosely defined in this case.) Or anger? Both I imagine. 

And as if they didn't want to frustrate you enough, there are times when someone (possibly Adam) speaks quietly in a near-monotone for several minutes between songs, longer than some of the pieces themselves. No musician credits are provided. Based on looking over discogs.com, this was their practice. An anonymous collective, perhaps. No faces, no names, all confrontation.

And wouldn't you know it? The final track ends on a lock groove. It sounded like they stuck to a groove more than usual. 

VOTD 9/27/2024

 Roberto Opalio: Chants From Isolated Ghosts (Opax)

Purchased used at Jerry's Records

I posted yesterday that I wanted to find something in my collection so obscure, I didn't remember it myself. I do remember buying this, a few years ago, but knew nothing about the artist or his group My Cat Is An Alien. Good band name.

Why would I buy this without tracking through it first? Probably the comment written by the Jerry's staff on the plastic outer sleeve: "Rare noise - lathe cut - clear vinyl - edition of 50". 

Yup. I know they don't sell things like this to only me, but definitely I could have been one of the customers in mind when that was written.

I will look over anything at Jerry's that looks like something's been done by hand. Hell, I put out a small edition LP myself, 300 pressed, 269 publicly available copies (the highest prime number under 300), and I affixed a label to every copy, and did collage art for all public copies. 

So yes, I got hooked in. I don't recall how much I paid but it couldn't have been that much. The cover image is printed on translucent stock, with some custom scribbling in silver pen over the front image. The information indicated this is copy #42 of 50. So exclusive! (There have been several CD editions of this recording, so I should feel too special about myself.) 

The notes read, "Recorded at home Nov. 2004 no overdubs" (his emphasis). Maybe so, but it sounds as though some tape is playing in the background, or the rhythmic humming of a machine of some sort. There's distorted banging on a glockenspiel maybe? Distant-sounding quietly sung vocals, and some sort of open guitar tuning banged out. At least that's what I'm guessing. That's side one.

Side two...more of the same sound sources, more droney electronics.

I don't know, the further I continue with this narrative, the less point it seems to write about this. Not as eerily insane as Jandek, not a particularly interesting improvisor. But hey, only 50 copies!

VOTD 9/26/2024 #2

 Stock, Hausen, and Walkman: Stock, Hausen, and Walkman Present Organ Transplants Vol. 1 (Hot Air)

Purchased used at Jerry's Records

I'm looking back on the narrative of this blog post, and maybe it's too much, too self-important, too over-sharing, but I'm doing it anyway. 

My wife's out for the evening, and I thought I'd put on something else and write. There's probably work I should be doing. There IS work I should be doing. But here I am.

Sometimes I'll put something on when she's out in which I don't have to explain myself. Harsh power electronics for example. I mean, I can put those things on, but it's easier not to have to explain myself. 

I was digging through my collection after listening to the Solaris soundtrack, hoping to find something so obscure I had forgotten I had a copy myself. (I thought of the "Theory of Obscurity" as I thumbed through my LPs and noticed my copy of The Residents' Not Available.)

I came across this record and it doesn't qualify, as I referenced it to a student just today. But I thought, yeah that's what I'll put on. I will mention that student in due time. 

So let me back up: when I accepted my job at Carnegie Mellon, the wisest piece of observation I was given was: "Remember, difference between a high school student and a college student is three months."

And that's fine for first year students. ("First year student" is the recent CMU substitute for "freshman", and I prefer it.) What sometimes surprises me is music composition students, juniors (sophomore-junior-senior is still used) who know nothing of the 20th/21st century avant-garde. Graduate students, even. My litmus test of composition majors is often: do you know who Harry Partch or Conlon Nancarrow is? I get a few more hits on the latter, but the only students who know the former have generally studied some place other than CMU. Which I think is ridiculous. 

Forgive a small autobiographical story, which I have surely shared on my blog before. The early recordings of Frank Zappa were every important to me, and he was always going on about Edgard Varése. So, as a college freshman (ahem, excuse me, first year student) I walked to the library and asked them to put on a Varése album. I hadn't heard anything quite like it, but I fundamentally got it. Sound composition, sounds over melody. 

In my students' defense, they are barraged with information in a way I was not. To criticize my students, especially the composition majors: show some intellectual curiosity for fuck's sake. I don't remember ever being taught about Messiaen in my college music history courses (a travesty), but his name came up with reference to Boulez, Stockhausen, Xenakis, and others, so yes I was going to check into him. Some (some) of these student composers know Stockhausen's name, but have never listened to a single work. Really? I insist they listen to "Gesang der Jünglinge" if nobody else will. 

A topic of discussion in my class today was, can you find more modern examples of French musique concrète (sampled sounds) or German elektronische musik (all-synthesized sound world). We had a really nice discussion, ranging from Pink Floyd's "Money" (musique concrète)  "Gangnam Style" (a purely elektronische musik sound world outside the vocals). I cited the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" for its use of a tape loop for the drums. 

Before the end of class, there had been an example I had posted prior to class: John Oswald/Plunderphonic's "Net", a take on Metallica. Plunderphonics, as a category, music made of mostly or entirely of sampled sounds from our media landscape. I told Nick, the student I alluded to before, that there was a Plunderphonics group named Stock, Hausen, and Walkman, which gave him a good laugh. 

Nick Fagnilli is a returning student earning is master's in education. I recommend looking up his Facebook page, where regularly posts his "Doom Scrolls", miniature works for piano. 

I bought this record blind from Jerry's, used. I knew from the appearance it was weird enough for my tastes without knowing exactly what it might be. Hamster eating a strawberry on the back cover. "ADD" mastering, which generally meant "analog-digital-digital" but here means, well, the medical version. Even the UPC code is slanted and unreadable, so I knew I had something

Is it entirely sampled material? Maybe. The general material is clearing easy-listening style organ albums. There are some cartoon FX. There's some noise and screaming at the end.

In the case of John Oswald's Plunderphonics, he is generally making a musical or even political point by sampling the materials and reassembling them. In the case of Nurse With Wound's Sylvie and Babs Hi Fi Companion, the point is Surrealism, Dadaism, and absurdism. Reassemble the materials, yes, both to make a point but also to scramble your brain. 

S,H,&W unquestionable comes closer to the latter over the former. At times it's actually catchy, but there's always an underpinning of weirdness, of, "what will come next?"

To quote my friend Victor Grauer, how do you legislate sound? That will be a topic for next week's classes. 

VOTD 9/26/2024

 Eduard Artmiev: Solaris OST (Superior Viaduct)

I think I bought this used at Mind Cure Records

I went through a soundtrack-buying jag a few years back, and continue to look for interesting examples. Buying as many as I did, well, they're not all winners. Labels like Mondo/Death Waltz and Waxworks have made available obscure or even otherwise unavailable works, and usually packaged beautifully. The problem is, they're often pretty expensive too. 

It's not that I can't afford it, but even I hesitate to spend $30 (and often far more) for a beautifully packaged piece of vinyl that I'll spin once or twice. As such, I've tried to edit myself a bit, be more particular, choose composers or films that interest me, or if something just strikes me as being especially interesting. 

But then second market vinyl, used, sweetens the deal. And even so I try to be particular, not spend the money just because I have it in hand.

It's fortunate this turned up used. I don't know if this is the case here, but Mike at Mind Cure would sometimes open a new LP he'd bought, put it on in the store so he could listen to it, then would knock a few bucks off the price and sell it as used. I know he did this for the Dawn of Midi album, he told me so. And he got a sale out of me too. Still, not the best business model. 

It was fortunate in this case. I might have noticed this album anyway. If I had noticed the credit on the back: " Music and noise recorded on the photoelectron synthesizer ANS", I might have snagged it anyway (depending on the price).

Solaris for me is unique: I've seen the original film, read the novel on which it's based, bought and listened to the original soundtrack album, and watched the Soderbergh remake. I suppose if I was to complete the set, I should see if the remake soundtrack is available. 

The premise is tantalizing, in part it can only exist in a sci-fi world. There's a distant planet, Solaris, which has been determined to be one giant living organism, a planet-sized brain. When an investigator travels to the planet due to problems, he wakes up next to his dead wife. Clearly Solaris is responsible; but what does the wife simulacrum think?

I will apologize in that in some version it's possible it was a divorced wife and not one who committed suicide, I am blanking on some details. 

But what a concept to explore! It's deeply disturbing.

Andrei Takovsky's original film moves slowly. Very slowly. There's been a descriptor "Slow Films"? Tarkovsky defines the term in many ways. I find it fascinating why some films move very slowly and iIfind them fascinating, and others move faster and I couldn't be more bored. I find myself involved in the empty spaces in conversation in Jim Jarmusch's best films, for example. I didn't care so much for Tarkvosky's Stalker, despite it being lauded by many film fans. But I was on board for this one, maybe because the tenseness of the very situation kept me engaged. 

After seeing the film, I read the book. I preferred the film. The author, Stanislaw Lem, I'm told did not like the film at all. But then, how often does the author like the film adaption? (JG Ballard thought Cronenberg's adaption of Crash was more extreme than his book! And I don't think he meant it as a put-down.) I found Lem's narrative got too bogged down in trying to create (pseudo-)scientific explanations for how this being could occur. I'm not interested in that, to be honest. I wanted to see the exploration of the psychic trauma that would occur under those circumstances. 

The music. There's an organ theme opening, not at all this obscure electronic instrument noted on the cover. It's a lovely, slow theme, sounding like Bach (if not the genuine article). This is then followed by the sound of this ANS synth. It's analog, noisy, obscured, textural and ambient. All the things I'd expect from a period-synth playing to a disturbing sci-fi feature. 

I'm completely unfamiliar with the ANS, and I have a pretty reasonable base of knowledge on the topic of early electronic instruments. The 120years.net site (highly recommended!) has a page devoted to the instrument. It dates to 1957 and is indeed Russian, like Tarkovsky and Artemiev. I can't tell you what distinguishes it from other analog instruments of the time, but it does its job.

The organ theme resurfaces on the second side of the album, and there are a few moments of acoustical instruments and even someone singing "Oh, Susanna!" in Russian! I assume that's part of the narrative, I don't remember. the side is still dominated with the electronically generated sounds, which demonstrate timbral variety. 

Both sides are broken up into shorter "movements." The slowly progressing noisy ambient pieces could have gone on longer for me, but I assume it's either the cues as they fit with the timing of the film, or the limitations of LP sides, or both. 

I find noisy ambient, dark ambient, attractive. Sounds that aren't necessarily sweet, have a noise profile, yet aren't harsh and exist in a slowly-moving state. it's why I continue to listen to MB/Maurizio Bianchi, even if his methods are almost ridiculously primitive, and certain of his recordings abysmally bad.

Final note: I'm going to go out on a limb here. Steven Soderbergh was not asking for an easy route by remaking this film. I would have been shocked if it was successful. I liked the film, liked. There was an important plot point I didn't like at all. 

But I will say this: the very conclusion of the film was the best of the three, in my opinion. I'd bet some people would have an issue with that, but I'd defend that opinion. 

My Benny Golson experience

I read that Benny Golson died today. Benny will probably be best remembered for writing the tune "Killer Joe." He was a tenor saxophonist in the hard bop mode, having played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. 

My story:

It was early on in my time at CAPA High School, my second or third year there. We were still occupying the old Baxter High School in Homewood, and were going to the new facility downtown a year or two later.

Benny was appearing at the University of Pittsburgh Jazz Seminar that year. They would send one player every year in those days; some from other years included Larry Coryell, Abraham Leboriel (twice), Lew Soloff (the best of all of them), and British saxophonist Peter King, a real bebopper. 

Having a period free and due to unreasonable pressure on the part of a student saxophonist at the time, I was assigned one year to run a jazz quartet ensemble. I'm not mentioning a name because this student, who I think is a high school music teacher now, was to put it bluntly, an asshole.

We found out in advance that Benny Golson was coming to visit from the seminar. In the promotional material sent to us in advance, it was claimed that Benny was the "only living composer" to have written ten jazz standards. I thought, hold on there! Ten? There aren't ten that could possibly be considered standards. Three, four on the outside. Then I thought, what about Sonny Rollins? Wayne Shorter?

The saxophonist in the student quartet said, "I want to play 'Along Came Betty.'" If you don't know, that's a pretty difficult tune. I said, okay, I'll give you the chart for that, on the condition that you learn to play one of Benny's tunes by memory for him.

At the time I had a copy of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' Moanin' on CD, which I mistakenly lent to the drummer in that group. Mistakenly, because he never returned it, AND he said he already had a copy. Years later he was shot to death in Aces and Deuces Lounge in the Hill District. To be sardonic, I guess I'm not getting my copy back. 

There's a tune on that album by Benny: "Blues March." It didn't seem too difficult to transcribe. So we spent a class or two writing it down. I probably did at least half of the work to get it down, but the students did help and they learned to play it by memory.

When Benny came to CAPA, he sat and listened to the quartet play the tune we transcribed. He then talked about growing up in Philadelphia with John Coltrane. He and the quartet then played "Betty", commenting that I had given them the correct changes (thanks to John Wilson's student fake book). 

And...that was it. Frankly he was a bore and played very little. 

I was given tickets to the Jazz Seminar concert that night. They kicked into "Killer Joe" and my wife, having heard that song several hundred times on the radio and in concert, groaned in disbelief. "No, not that song!" I told her, "He wrote it. He has the right to play it." Nonetheless, the concert was pretty boring and we left mid-way through. 

I guess there's little point to this blog post other than to document my experience. But maybe also to say, don't be too much into yourself, and don't be boring. 

PS: I left out a detail from the CAPA afternoon. We were on the bottom floor, where the auditorium was. Some student, not for the first time, had urinated on a hot radiator downstairs. The entire bottom floor hallways absolutely reeked of urine. I had a suspicion who was responsible but nothing more. 

So please...don't be too much into yourself, don't be boring, and don't pee on hot radiators. That last piece of advice might be the best but most obvious.

Stream OTD 9/22/2024

 David Bowie: Station to Station (RCA)

Streamed over the Hoopla app. Get it! It's great!

I was never much of a Bowie guy. In high school I had my yard sale copy of Diamond Dogs based in large part to the single "Suffragette City" which is pretty catchy. But I largely didn't like the album.

Much later, he had a huge hit with Let's Dance, a MTV-era danceable record that cleaned up his image. He may have been slender and even a shade effeminate, but that bisexual stuff, no way. To me, he seemed like someone who was hopping on one trend after another with little originality.

I can't still consider myself a big fan, but my opinions have softened over the years. (Age? Am I right?) I checked out the CD box set from the library that included the original mix of this album, and a 2016 remastering. The latter version might not be perfect, but the mix is arguably superior. 

I still wasn't 100% sold, though I was warming up to it. I'll add my daughter is a huge Bowie fan. We bought her tickets for what turned out to be his final appearance in Pittsburgh. Later my wife said, why didn't we go too?

Two weeks ago I went to the dollar sale downstairs at Jerry's Records. One thing I spent one whole dollar on was a bootleg DVD of a practice session of this band on stage. I watched it before turning it over to my daughter.

Jerry's didn't have a used CD copy of this album There was a vinyl copy, but I didn't feel like paying $30. 

Impressions?

I like the melodica on "Station to Station" and "Golden Years", a sound later echoed on the first two Gang of Four records, which I really enjoy. 

The opening of the title track has some of the best several minutes on any Bowie record I imagine, and he doesn't sing on them. It's great even when he begins singing: "The return of the thin white duke, throwing darts in lovers' eyes". What does it mean? Is it a reference to his heavy cocaine habit at the time? I don't know, but it's a poetic line. But then the song keeps going and becomes a different song. Not into at first, but it builds well and okay, it's worth ten minutes. 

Because I can't speak with authority on Bowie records, I can't say it this is any more influenced by African-American funk and soul records than any other. But it's pretty obvious. "Golden Years" is straight up white soul. 

For all his emoting, "Word on a Wing" bores me. Sorry. Sappy, overplayed/oversung. 

"TVC15" however, is one of David's best moments to me. It starts modestly enough, with an "oh oh oh oh oh" blues voice that seems like old-school r'n'b.  Leading into the chorus, "Transition, transmission" is a great line. Then the chorus his hard. Almost frightening. "Oh my TVC-15!" Is it reference to the radio? I don't know. I could take the effort to look, but won't. 

That brings me back to "Stay." Clearly African-American influenced. In a different setting, different arrangement/singer/instrumentalists, wouldn't be too far out of place on a Funkadelic album. It rocks as hard as anything on this album. For as great as "TVC15" and "Golden Years" might be, this is the highlight of the album. It's played with verve by his backing band. 

While that song is the album's apex, "Wild is the Wind" is the closer. I was surprised to find that Dmitri Tiomkin is credited as that composer. I Dmitri as a film composer, one of the many composers to work with Hitchcock (Dial "M" for Murder). I'm finding it was a song written for the film of the same title, and recorded by Nina Simone years before this album. So once again I'll assume it's the influence of African-American musicians that places this song on this record. 

VOTD 9/21/2024

 John Coltrane: Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album (Impulse)

Don't remember where I bought this, possibly at The Attic used

Do I listen to something from my collection just to write about it? Maybe, sometimes. Based on my previous posting, where I listed all of the artists I've written about here, there are some significant names missing. It's not that I haven't listened to them in the past two or three years, only that I didn't write something.

A few names: Charles Mingus (probably most significantly), Duke Ellington, György Ligeti, John Coltrane, among others. 

Who is the greatest saxophonist of all time? It's a flawed question by its very nature. Greatest? This isn't baseball, and even then there can be factors. Shohei Ohtani just set a major record for baseball, 50/50 (fifty home runs, fifty stolen bases). He alone has achieved this. But can this be considered fair, considering the current use of the designated hitter, not having to play a fielding position? 

Don't get me wrong, he's amazing. But it's not fair to compare him to, say, Barry Bonds in 1991. Bonds (pre-juicing) fielded and hit, risked getting hit by pitches and probably did now and then. 

None of this has to do with playing the saxophone or composing. The larger point being, even in circumstances of cold and hard stats, not everything is so easily defined. 

But few, if any, saxophonists were in Coltrane's league. John Gilmore comes to mind. Gilmore said he sounded like Trane before Trane did, and he's not wrong.

John Coltrane does stand apart in general as a musical figure, a saxophonist of staggering ability, while at the same time composing most of his repertoire.

What of this session? It's not the only relatively recent Coltrane discovery, but the last(?) full studio unreleased album?

It's very good but admittedly very similar to other early-to-mid era Impulse sessions for Trane. Pre-Ascension, pre-Pharoah, Alice. 

Over its four sides, there are some familiar titles: "Nature Boy", "Vilia" (a favorite of mine), "Impressions", "One Up, One Down". More significant are untitled originals, which was only given some sort of index number "Untitled original 11383" for example). These lean heavily into minor blues. 

Worth a listen? Hell yes it is. Essential? Hmm...that would mean putting it nearly at the same level as with A Love Supreme, Coltrane, Ballads, John Coltrane and Duke Ellington, and I just can't do that. It is absolutely worthy of your time, but my suspicion is that if arrangements had been made to release this during his life, much of the material would have been cut.

While there are many LPs of outtake material (i.e Ornette Coleman's Art of the Improvisors and Twins) they wouldn't know the CD format to come in the future and how many unreleased tracks would see public consideration.

All I can say is that I am grateful some of my outtakes are not available.  Yeesh, I feel unsatisfied with enough of my recordings I have seen released. 

Coltrane, even the outtakes, is always worth the time. 

Taking stock and 7" roundup

I was counting through all of my blog postings, that is since I wrote about every disc in the 32-CD brick of Messiaen recordings from DG, all the Morricone vinyl I wrote about since his death, and a few of the discs in the Pierre Henry set I started but never finished. 

Here goes: A Certain Ratio, Michael Abels, Louis Andriessen, George Antheil, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Jean Barraqué(2), William Basinski (3), Bobby Beausoleil, Niels Viggo Bentzon, Alban Berg, Harry Bertoia, Beyoncé, Maurizio Bianchi/MB(4), Ran Blake, A. Blonksteiner, Boredoms, Henry Brant, Anthony Braxton, Thomas Brinkmann, John Cage, Can, John Carpenter, Frederick Chopin, Chris & Cosey, John Corigliano, Cut hands, Peter Maxwell Davies, Betty Davis, Miles Davis, Dawn of Midi, Joe Delia, Aaron Dilloway, Thomas Dimuzio, Roberto Donati, John Duncan, Anton Dvorák, Charles Eakin, John Eaton, Richard Einhorn, Emerson Lake and Palmer (2), Etron Fou Leloublan, Faust, Morton Feldman (2), Forbidden Overture!, Hardy Fox, James Francis (Lackey), Robert Fripp (2), Fuzzhead, Don Carlo Gesualdo, Jimmy Giuffre, Gnaw Their Tongues, Goblin, Godflesh, Karel Goeyvaerts, The Golden Palominos, Billy Graham, Beppe Grifeo, Henry Grimes Trio, Guitar Roberts, Herbie Hancock, Jonathan Harvey, Franz Joseph Haydn, Gerry Hemingway Quintet, Pierre Henry, Han Werner Henze, Hieroglyphic Being, Arthur Honegger, Jon the Postman’s Puerile, Kansas, Khanate, King Crimson, Spider John Koerner with Willie and the Bumblebees, Jo Kondo, Rold Kühn, Kay Lawrence, Henry Lazarof, Led Zeppelin (2), Edvard Lieber, Mike Mantler, Frank Martin (2), Miya Masaoka/Tom Nunn/Gino Robair, Mayhem, The Medieval Jazz Quartet, Mere Phantoms, Olivier Messiaen (4), Microwaves, Minutemen, Thelonious Monk, Rudy Ray Moore, Ennio Morricone (3), Mourner, Fred Myrow/Malcome Seagrave, Neu!, Bruno Nicolai, Friedrich Nietzsche, Nisi Quieris, Nurse With Wound (2), Orchid Spangiafora, Leo Ornstein, Tony Oxley, Kryzysztof Penderecki (2) The Penn Shambles, Pharmakon, the Pyramids, Radiohead, Steve Reich, Aribert Reimann, The Residents (2), Marc Ribot, The Ridiculous Trio, George Russell, Erik Satie, Arnold Schoenberg (2), Alexander Scriaban, Sonny Sharrock, Wayne Shorter, Alden Shuman, Claudio Simonetti, Sinoia Caves, Snakefinger, Spine Scavenger, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Stormy Six, Igor Stravinsky, Sun Ra(4), Toru Takemitsu, Talking Heads, Tape Loop Orchestra, Cecil Taylor, Simeon Ten Holt, Throbbing Gristle, Thumbscrew, Andrea True Connection, Eduard Tubin, Twilight Sleep, Werkbund, Wolf Eyes, Stevie Wonder, Iannis Xenakis, Thom Yorke, Neil Young, Frank Zappa (4), Bernd Alois Zimmermann (3) 

Collections: The Chevrolet Experience, Gunner Berg/Finn Høffding/Tage Nielsen/Jørgen Bentzon: various works (Odeon); Tallin 67 (Melodya); Herbie Hancock, The Yardbirds (Blow U OST), Musique Concrète (Candide), Ecstatic Music of the Jemaa El Fna (Sublime Frequencies), Robert Floyd: Plays New Music by Hans Werner Henze - Larry Austin (Advance Recordings); Haydn, etc: Musical Clocks (Candide); American Wind Symphony: Bicentennial Odyssey Vol. 2 (AWS); American Composers Orchestra with Dennis Russell Davies: Cage/Wuorinen; (CRI); Paul Zukofsky/Gilbert Kalish: Music for a 20th Century Violinist (Desto); The ESP Sampler (ESP); VA: The Rough Guide to Psychedelic Bollywood (Rough Guide) disc one; SF特撮映画音楽全集 14 (特撮スペクタクルの世界2) (Starchild); SF特撮映画音楽全集 4 (Starchild); Zappa: Original Soundtrack Album (Zappa Records); Jacob Druckman: Animus II/Nicolas Roussakis: Night Speech, Sonata for Harpsicord (CRI) 

 I don't remember some of these. Generally it's the more neo-classical modern composers I don't especially remember, such as Frank Martin, Eduard Tubin, or Neils Viggo Bentzen. I thought I'd plow through a few 7" singles and EPs I own, significantly adding to the number of artists listed above. 

 #1: Kaffe Matthews: This Many Planes 7" EP (SSS) 

 Kaffe was brought to CMU last year by Freida Abtan. It was a loud, noisy event, neither of which I have a problem with Manny Theiner was there, still selling a few copies of this EP, despite its release in 1998. Kaffe expressed tremendous gratitude for Manny, saying how the release of that record opened many doors for her. This was (somehow) performed on violin, but I can't imagine how. It's layered and noisy, and nothing in it suggests violin at all. She now uses laptop and iPad. She said something about how the record was performed on violin, but she doesn't do that any more. I had her autograph my copy. she wrote, "Hey Ben- Many thanks for listening! Kaffe." Indeed. 

 #2 Jerry King: Auctioneer (Third Man) 

 Half the reason I bought this was the concentric grooves on side two. Pretty sure I bought this at Mind Cure Records. Plus, you know, a 7" 33rpm of an auctioneer is odd enough I'll buy in. First side is about not only the musicality of his auction calls, but slows down and explains how he fills the time. By the way....if you ever release an EP, don't make one side 33.3 RPM and the other 45. Nobody wants that.

#3 Black Bear Combo: Big Life/Dangerhouse (self released)

Here we go, my friends from Chicago, again with Rob Pleshar. They were floating the idea of how to record this band, and I was pretty adamant in my opinion: don't close mic anything, get a general room sound, and let the band blow as they blow. I don't know if it meant anything. 

Two original works here from this mutant Balkan dance band. I know something about that topic. Saxophone squeaks intact. (I'm one to speak.) "Big Life" in 9 (2+2+2+3) goes by quickly. More, please! "Dangerhouse", after a slow intro, is in the more standard 7 (2+2+3). 

I guess saxophonist and (I suppose) bandleader Doug Abram wanted to release a 7". Rob said, why? So we can sit on them? For as much as I like this little slice of vinyl, it does seem like it's not the right format for then.

#4: MX-80 Sound: Big Hits (Hard Pop From the Hoosiers) (Gulcher Records)

I have sometimes thought that DEVO only existed due to the fact that they were in Akron, Ohio and that being nearer to one of the major musical metropolitan areas like San Francisco, NYC, Chicago, would have radically altered what they were. 

So what do we make of of this strange band from Indiana? They've clearly ingested the full Beefheart program, to speak nothing of whatever was happening in Detroit at the time.

Seven songs on this one. Maybe not the best format for this group, a 7" 33.3 RPM record, but it all fits in. Longest song is 3:10, and it's a full minute longer than any other.

The lineup is guitar (the star, Bruce Anderson), voice & alto sax, bass, and two drummers. I can't say what it was like to see them in their heyday, maybe it was an impressive assault on the senses. By the time their first Ralph Records LP came out (their second album overall, the first released on Island Records[?????]) they had pared down to a single drummer. I don't feel like we missed anything.

All songs are co-credited to Anderson/(Rich) Stim, the band's vocalist. Rich doesn't make much of an attempt to actually sing. Sometimes it's great, sometimes not so much. 

Not only was MX-80 the closest thing to punk that Ralph approached, they were the closest to a traditional rock band generally. The single "Someday You'll Be King" is one of the great punk rock singles ever released, even if it could be described in those terms. 

I'll have to do another 7" roundup soon. 

VOTD 9/15/2024

Sun Ra & His Arkestra: Live at Montreux (Inner City)

Bought from Chris Koenigsberg before he left Pittsburgh to attend graduate school at Mills College

Convergences.

Do you remember not just the song or recording, but the setting of when you heard an important recording to you? I'm sure that's true. 

Circa 1982-3. I'm lying tired on my girlfriend's apartment floor (we're now married for nearly forty years). I had on WYEP, the WYEP that some people will remember from back in the day. Not the Adult Alternative playlist-based garbage they play now, but each person on air played what was passionate to them. 

Peter Fadde was on the air. Peter had great taste in jazz, playing excellent-quality straight forward recordings, but also something like the Anthony Braxton/Joseph Jarman duet LP. 

And this. He announced that this was Sun Ra and his Arkestra playing "Take the A Train." I knew a little about Sun Ra, and not necessarily favorable: I saw him play on Saturday Night Live in the 70s, in a highly condensed performance. I've seen it since, and it's not especially good. 

But this time....his solo piano rings out. Sunny was always a bit of clunky pianist, but this was as good a performance I've heard from him. Fluid, interesting. He sets up "A Train", and wow. It's scorchingly fast. So fast that not everyone in the band can keep up. Sloppy? Maybe. Intriguing, exciting? Hell yeah. The band and bandleader are pushing themselves. I was, to use a cliche, blown away.

It's the third side of this double LP.

My old friend, percussionist and synthesist Gino Robair, recalled a similar story. In his case, he was on his college radio show, came across the same version, and being amazed when he played it on air. As he put it, "it was '1234 GO' and they were off!" Great minds, etc. 

I am currently in rehearsals playing the big band music fo Sam Rivers. Sam's archive (extensive) was donated to the University of Pittsburgh collection, which was a large factor that led to that ensemble. There are guest soloists and conductors rehearsing the band, the first of which came today: trombonist Craig Harris. Craig, on one of his first professional gigs, was the sole trombonist in this group. 

I often site this as my favorite Sun Ra album. Maybe it is, I have so many it's difficult to choose. But it's more indicative of his overall output than any other single release I know. Some (relatively) straight forward jazz, some space chants, a few Ra favorites ("El is the Sound of Joy", "Lights on a Satellite"), lots of improvisation, and a Moog/organ solo on side one abrasive enough to put most industrial noise records to shame. 

I told Craig what an important record this was to me, but of course he didn't remember it specifically. We talked a little about Marshall Allen, who turned 100 a few months ago. He said he was close to Marshall, staying with him when initially joining the Arkestra. He said his nickname for Marshall was Deputy, as in Deputy Marshall. 

I saw Marshall and the current Arkestra play at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, OR the summer before last. The show was great, certainly the best I've seen the Arkestra since Sun Ra's death, and even possibly before. I've just read that the group will be returning this November for three consecutive nights. The timing isn't good for me, but I haven't 100% ruled out traveling to see them. 

And to top it all off, my acquaintance Chris Hemingway played with the Arkestra last time, and is likely to be with them this time.

When I saw the Arkestra in Portland in 2022, I was looking at the second alto player and thought, is that Chris Hemingway? Chris comes from Pittsburgh (a Duquesne grad I think), and had sat in Thoth Trio just four weeks earlier. I kept looking, "Is that Chris?" then he played a solo and I said, "THAT'S CHRIS."

The ensemble left the hall chanting and playing along the aisle. Chris was no more than three feet away from me. I pulled my facemask back and said aloud, "CHRIS HEMINGWAY." No reaction. 

Later I looked him up on Facebook to see that he had been gigging with the Arkestra. I DMed him to say, "I think I just saw you play at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland." He responded: "That WAS you!" Yeah, no kidding. I guess he couldn't handle someone he knew from Pittsburgh being in that venue.

Here I am, having talked to Craig Harris about this album, talking about Marshall Allen, knowing a current member of the ensemble. Six degrees of...? Not even. But I guess that's our world. Thoth Trio opened for Marshall Allen and Henry Grimes years ago, and I had a short interaction with Marshall, friendly I'm happy to say. 

Convergences. 

The record rocks, by the way. Sun Ra's boldest and most original works might have been in the 1960s, but my favorites are from the 1970s. This is on the latter end of his most creative period, in my opinion. 

I think the complete concert of this album is now posted to Youtube as videos. The venue seems smaller than I imagined. This band sounds huge. 

So I don't know, in this age where you can find pretty much anything on Youtube or some other streaming site, this is one to check out. Buy a physical copy given the opportunity.

VOTD 9/12/2024

 Frank Zappa: London Symphony Orchestra Vol. 1 (Barking Pumpkin)

This was a dupe copy sent to WRCT that I claimed on its original release

I've just read Moon Unit Zappa's memoir, Earth to Moon. I'm not a fast reader, but I checked it out on Sunday and finished it on Wednesday, to give you an idea of how fast a read it is.

The book is presented as a series of vignettes from Moon's life, either essential events (the birth of each of her younger siblings, the death of her father, the harrowing and long hospitalization of her daughter) or "slices of life" from her overall life's story (her mother Gail taking her to a psychic/reader as a young child and being told she was a "star child"). If what you're looking for is a narrative of the Zappa household timeline, you get pieces of it but not a through-line. Each chapter paints a picture of her mindset at the time, which in part was based on her parents giving her a beautifully bound journal every Christmas. 

Takeaways? 1. Gail and Frank probably should have never had children. I know that's cruel to say, and without them we wouldn't have Moon or Dweezil (or Ahmet or Diva, for whom I have less respect). In The Real Frank Zappa Book, there's a picture of Frank reading the constitution to his assembled children. He liked to project the image of being the family man, head of the household. Truth is, he spent very little time with any of them. That, I guess, was Gail's job. Frank was a largely absent father who would routinely house groupies in the family home, and Gail was a frustrated but devoted housewife. Moon, outside of the book, described her mother as her "first bully." That comes through. Yet through it all, she describes her father as her favorite person in the world. 

2. There's a lot of talk these days of "nepo babies", the children of famous people launched into careers based on the family name and connections. To read Moon's account of things, her early acting career was based more on being the voice on "Valley Girl." The song wouldn't have launched as it did without her dad's name attached, but it was her val voice that carried it. This might have caused some tensions down the line with Gail and possibly even Frank, their biggest money earner being a novelty song. The earnings bought Moon a house, which she later agreed to sign over to Gail to assist with the family debt. It got messy.

3. There's a lot of unloading on Moon's part, especially later in the book. She's earned the right to do so. Outside of Zappa fandom, the book might not be of much interest. Even within, I know there's some blowback about writing essentially a self-therapy book. Through it all, she's a survivor of an extraordinarily unhealthy family situation. Respect. Part of me wishes I could be Moon's friend. 

4. Gail is quoted multiple times in the narrative: "Earth to Moon, the world does not revolve around you." Sometimes, any child needs to be told this. Yet, maybe sometimes a child deserves to know that the world does indeed revolve around them. 

The record.

There's passing reference to this session in Moon's book, how cool it was that he could hire a symphony orchestra just so he could hear his orchestral music played.

The truth is probably more complicated. Yes, some of Frank's through-composed music is at times impossibly difficult to play. But wouldn't putting the Zappa name on an orchestral program bring people out? The opening work on this LP, "Sad Jane", sounds like a thoroughly playable post-Debussy tone poem. I haven't gone to see the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in many years, mostly because they largely don't play music that interests me. If I knew Frank's name was on the program, even for an under-five minute piece, I might want to come out for that.

Listening to LP, I have a thought in the back of my mind constantly: "If this wasn't Frank Zappa, would you enjoy it?" 

By and large, I think the answer is yes. I enjoy that he puts some much needed humor and even absurdity into the "new music" world: "Mo N' Herb's Vacation" for example, which is also a ridiculously difficult-sounding clarinet concerto more-or-less. 

I don't like the production on this LP, and I blame Frank in this case. I know enough about this session to know he placed PZM mics on the floor all around the orchestra. Bad idea. Let the orchestra be the orchestra, and close-mic the soloists when necessary. Maybe part of the sound I don't like it relatively early digital recording, transferred to analog LP medium. There are times on his so-called rock albums, the later ones, where I definitely don't like the sound even if it was state of the art at the time. But then, I can't say I'm completely enthusiastic about any albums of his after One Size Fits All from 1975, not even ten years after Freak Out! and with many albums ahead of him. 

I previously listened to Frank's The Yellow Shark, a CD of performances by Ensemble Modern. Tom Waits described it as his favorite Zappa album. It's thorny in general.

I believe Frank liked to project an image of being the divinely-inspired (though atheist) genius. I've learned that his music has serious theoretical underpinnings, even if those theories were never written down. I would have enjoyed reading his music theory ideas, though I guess it was never in his nature to create a book about such things. 

CDOTD 9/11/2024

 Hieroglyphic Being: The Red Notes (Soul Jazz)

Borrowed from the library

Hello, dear reader. 

Yes, here I am bobbing my head above ground like a game of Whack-A-Mole, appearing once in a while to write my little missives for 3-9 readers.

When I started writing to this blog regularly, it was mostly for two purposes: to make useful purpose of the rather large collection of CDs and LPs I have amassed, and for the discipline of writing regularly for its own sake. 

In the time since, I've gone back and forth as to whether this serves any real purpose otherwise. I will see an item on Facebook or Reddit and start to type a response, and sometimes I stop myself to say, "Nobody cares. Nobody cares about your opinion, and you're just adding to the immensely vast digital garbage heap."

Okay, that's a little harsh. But it's also largely true. 

So again without oversharing, I'm considering what my life is going to look like in the next several years. I've been teaching at Carnegie Mellon since 2005, always part time without the possibility of advancing to even partial full-time (there is a distinction). I'm considering my options, how long I want to stay at it. In many respects it's a great job, but I'm also tired of it. While I've made changes to the syllabi over the years, I'm still teaching the same three courses I taught nineteen years ago. Even at least one family member has asked me, "How long are you going to do that job?"

One of the things I fear for myself is staying disciplined. If I should leave the job, I know I need to develop other routines that take the place of having a regular job. That could mean writing regularly to my blog, regardless of whether it amounts to anything or not.

That's partially where my head's at. 

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As I have in the past, I will extoll the virtues of having a good public library system. I've recently checked out DVD documentaries about David Lynch (The Art Life, worth seeing particularly if you're a fan), Stan Brackage (haven't gotten to it yet), the Criterion DVD of the crazy Japanese movie House (mostly to watch the extras). A book of 500 covers to 7" singles, of which I own about five or six. I've also just read Moon Unit Zappa's Earth to Moon, and I might post some thoughts on it in a future posting. 

This CD stood out, how could I not check it out? Egyptian-style graphics, the name Hieroglyphic Being, first song title: "Youth Brainwashing and the Extremist Cults." Maybe not too subtle, but I'm on board. And I know the label a bit, Soul Jazz, mostly for its collections: New York Noise: Dance Music from the New York Underground 1977-1982; Punk 45: I'm a Mess!; Freedom Rhythm and Sound; and especially Can You Dig It? The Music and Politics of Black Action Films 1968-75. The latter, a two-CD set, has received a lot of play in this house and especially in the car.

And what of this? How can it not evoke Sun Ra? And I suppose it does while being very little like his work. The album is entirely instrumental, and relies pretty heavily on looped materials. There's a long list of instruments. Organic flutes, piano, guitar, alto sax, Hammond organ, Linn Drum, Korg Triton, etc etc. I believe in documentation, but sometimes maybe I don't need that many details. 

I don't know. There's an obsessiveness to this I like and appreciate. Every track builds up loops and is very busy, active, jittery even. But never builds in emotional intensity. Somehow, even with all of the current technology available, it sounds lo-fi in a way. 

I find one way of looking at music, that a high calling is to make music for yourself. If you don't like what anyone is doing, or feel you have something original to contribute to the world, make it. Do it. 

Yet, that doesn't mean I have to like it. I don't hate this (faint praise indeed) but I don't hear a lot of variety to it either.

Ah well. At least I didn't spend money on it. Thanks, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh!