Sunday, December 23, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Classic dComposer - Tango Shmango
from 11/12/2007
our sources say that link is broken!
our sources say that link is broken!
the tango boring...
I attended a nice little performance last night at the Indianapolis Historical Society's Basile Theater. The Pro Arte ensemble, headed up by Dr. Stanley DeRusha performed with guest soloist Gabriela Diaz (see the misprinted poster here - scroll down).
The first half of the program consisted of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Overall, they did a very good job, and Ms. Diaz was especially good. There were some slight intonation problems with the violins, but at the moments when the ensemble seemed most engaged (third movement of summer and most of the winter movements), they were close to flawless. I thought the Basile theater was a nice choice of venue, too. The Four seasons are so often piped through speakers in shopping malls, or used to sell us diamonds and luxury cars, that to hear them in an intimate recital hall with a small ensemble was like sharing a secret with the performers and Vivaldi.
The second half of the program featured Piazzolla's Cuatro estaciones porteñas (known in English as the Four Seasons of Buenos Aires). Now, I don't know a lot about Piazzolla, and there isn't the cursory-search/almanac-type-blurb/info-o
But the real story here is not any of that. The real story is how boring Piazzolla's music is. I like tango, don't get me wrong. It can be very compelling, but these four pieces, and the two incidental tangos they performed before the four seasons, were so monochromatic and such a snooz that i wanted to slit my wrists. Fine musicians, painful program.
The first half of the program consisted of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Overall, they did a very good job, and Ms. Diaz was especially good. There were some slight intonation problems with the violins, but at the moments when the ensemble seemed most engaged (third movement of summer and most of the winter movements), they were close to flawless. I thought the Basile theater was a nice choice of venue, too. The Four seasons are so often piped through speakers in shopping malls, or used to sell us diamonds and luxury cars, that to hear them in an intimate recital hall with a small ensemble was like sharing a secret with the performers and Vivaldi.
The second half of the program featured Piazzolla's Cuatro estaciones porteñas (known in English as the Four Seasons of Buenos Aires). Now, I don't know a lot about Piazzolla, and there isn't the cursory-search/almanac-type-blurb/info-o
But the real story here is not any of that. The real story is how boring Piazzolla's music is. I like tango, don't get me wrong. It can be very compelling, but these four pieces, and the two incidental tangos they performed before the four seasons, were so monochromatic and such a snooz that i wanted to slit my wrists. Fine musicians, painful program.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Classic dComposer: hello darkness, my old friend... - January 2008
From Jan. 3rd, 2008:
hello darkness, my old friend...
mood: dorky
Rolling Stone sounds off on modern CD mastering techniques. I especially like the SXSW discussion panel they reference titled "Why Does Today's Music Sound Like Shit?" But actually, it seems my own loss of interest in commercial music and turn towards art music exactly coincides with the rise of hypercompression trends in recording. I blame Buch Vig. Ok buddy, you produced Nevermind, a seminal work and very important to me personally. Congratulations. now go home, retire, and stop ruining music.
Tags: cranky old man complaints
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Stars and Stripes For Ev Ver.
John J. Miller's Between the Covers at National Review Online has an interesting interview with John Philip Sousa IV. The great-grandson of the famous American composer was on to plug discuss his new book. John Philip Sousa's America: The Patriot's Life in Images and Words explores Sousa's legacy through archival photographs and his presence in contemporary media. Popular tastes have shifted over time, of course, but Sousa IV insists that Sousa was "the Rock star of his day."
The review in the Cleveland Plain Dealer shares images from the book and some annoying popup ads. The images are interesting, the ads annoying. But the interview with Sousa IV is very informative. Sousa IV boasts that the earlier Sousa visited 11, count 'em, 11 continents. Turns out musical talent doesn't run in the blood, as Sousa IV was unable to define what a 'march' is, beside it being popular during his granddad's life.
The book includes a 19-track cd with rare recordings of, among other things, Sousa himself conducting Stars and Stripes Forever (which I couldn't dig up posted any place). I'm almost glad I couldn't find it. Some searches for composers conducting their works only end in disappointment incarnate.
I'd much rather have awful video and decent sound. So in honor of tomorrow's Independence Day holiday, this wednesday, Wednesday, WEDNESDAY, put your hands together for the one - the only...
The review in the Cleveland Plain Dealer shares images from the book and some annoying popup ads. The images are interesting, the ads annoying. But the interview with Sousa IV is very informative. Sousa IV boasts that the earlier Sousa visited 11, count 'em, 11 continents. Turns out musical talent doesn't run in the blood, as Sousa IV was unable to define what a 'march' is, beside it being popular during his granddad's life.
The book includes a 19-track cd with rare recordings of, among other things, Sousa himself conducting Stars and Stripes Forever (which I couldn't dig up posted any place). I'm almost glad I couldn't find it. Some searches for composers conducting their works only end in disappointment incarnate.
I'd much rather have awful video and decent sound. So in honor of tomorrow's Independence Day holiday, this wednesday, Wednesday, WEDNESDAY, put your hands together for the one - the only...
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Long time, no type...
Apologies to my readers, for I have encountered some technological hurdles of late. Fear not, for I believe I have remedied most of them, and the remainder are slated for reclamation as soon as is possible.
While I've been away, I've found myself more and more obsessed with The Band. Here's a ditty, quite famous of theirs, that challenged my perspective on music, harmony, the civil war, and plaintive memorial. Here's to perseverance in the face of obstacles, and continuing to sing anyhow...
While I've been away, I've found myself more and more obsessed with The Band. Here's a ditty, quite famous of theirs, that challenged my perspective on music, harmony, the civil war, and plaintive memorial. Here's to perseverance in the face of obstacles, and continuing to sing anyhow...
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Nay, toe.
The scene was bizarre, with spectators and police far outnumbering the nascent occupation. That ratio has since flipped, but this was a quiet moment on a wonderfully warm and sunny spring day.
You can see a man playing guitar while seated in some sort of rolling PA system. Something between a rickshaw and a parade float. And this man was playing guitar and singing a folk song. His song was about the Exxon Valdez. Not exactly sure what that had to do with NATO, but it got me thinking about music in protest.
Here's one kraut's opinion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-njxKF8CkoU
The Valdez song was about as far from consumable or commoditized as music can be. So Adorno's barking up the wrong tree with this one.
Tom Morello, front-man emeritus of Rage Against the Machine, spoke at the inaugural rally on Friday May 18. Though Rage was always derisive of, well... the Machine, I'm pretty sure Adorno's critique perfectly applies to them. He even worked in a plug for his music in his speech:
"I'd like to make a suggestion to President Obama, if he doesn't have the courage to close Guantanamo Bay, how about he takes some of those Wall Street criminals? Throw them in there, lock the door, throw away the key and blast Rage Against the Machine 24 hours a day!"
Read more about Morello here: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tom-morello-gets-fired-up-at-chicago-nurses-rally-20120518#ixzz1vL9SXAOt
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Classic dComposer: Ani DiFranco in Indianapolis - September 2007
Welcome readers to the first instalment in our series: Classic dComposer. These are posts from dComposer's first home. Not every post was worth repeating, but full reviews, witty quips, and other items that catch my attention will be posted from time to time.
From September 17, 2007: Did they love you? They just love what I do, and nobody loves me the way that you do
Ani DiFranco
The Murat Centre, like so much of Indianapolis, is a hodgepodge with disparate items on top of each other. On their bill this fall is a smattering of uncommonly grouped names: Frank Caliendo, Megadeth, and the enchanting (and lez-bionic, even though she’s currently boning a man) Ani DiFranco.
DiFranco is iconic in the world of strong women folk singers, not only garnering musical success, but with business savvy as well (she opted to found her own, women owned and run record label rather than cater to watered down corporate tastes). Of course, she’s not filling stadiums or selling multi-platinum records with that kind of integrity. Judging from her energy and joy on stage, and the deafening and adoring ovations from the crowd, I’d bet she’s happy with that trade.
The show began with a set by Melissa Ferrick. Ferrick was a very good choice to warm up the crowd. Her style is similar to DiFranco's, but different enough that no ones ears were tired by the time the headliner took the stage. Ferrick was also a very gracious and grateful opening act, thanking Ani for the opportunity, and acknowledging that DiFranco was, in fact, who we were all there to see. Ferrick’s performance was short, only 6 or 7 songs, and somewhat uniform. She’s a gifted lyricist, using the English language as a percussion section in her one-woman band. Her subject matter was pretty uniform, though, which got old. How many ‘I miss you from the road’ songs can someone hear in one night? In all, though, her voice was gorgeous, her playing was proficient, and her honesty about her role as an opening act, and gratitude for it, allowed her to play that role perfectly.
I’ll be honest, as Ani DiFranco and her band took the stage, I was preparing myself for another 90 minutes of what I had just heard, perhaps with some more attitude. I am far from an Ani-connoisseur, and her music that I’m familiar with is good, but unvaried. My expectations were shattered in short order.
DiFranco offered an evening of music from every shelf in her musical bookcase. Her most recent release, Canon, is a best-of compilation, stretching back through all of her near 20-year career. And her show was a greatest hits show, which was just fine by her fans. It seemed that every song they began triggered a frantic scream of both recognition and approval from the 1,500 some people in attendance. A mark of honor, and something I was not expecting, is how DiFranco’s sound has drastically evolved over the years, but maintained a unique character. Some songs were sweet, some songs were raging, some songs were folksy, some jazz inspired, and some were flat out rock and roll.
The ensemble that took the stage was non traditional. A drummer; a second percussionist playing vibrophone, Indian tabla, and various electronic effects boxes; an upright bass player who wasn’t afraid to use his bow; and Ani herself playing various guitars in various tunings and configurations. The stand-out songs for this reviewer were two fairly political tunes (as if there’s an Ani DiFranco song that’s NOT political). First, an older song about post 9/11 reconstruction in New York city and the record industry. It was funky, with a quasi-spoken word/slam/rap verse. With the bass and Ani’s slapped-out guitar, this was practically a percussion ensemble piece, with a texture quite interesting and different from her other songs. The crowd absolutely loved this piece, practically interrupting it more than once with cheers (nay, screams) and applause. DiFranco who has probably played more live shows than a presidential candidate in Iowa or New Hampshire, was expert at incorporating these cheers, corralling them into the rhythmic and instrumental breaks, so that not a word or ounce of energy was lost.
The other most outstanding song on Sunday was one of the few new compositions DiFranco performed. As another testament to her evolution as a musician, this song was much more melodically focused. The vocal line was a step above all the other songs she played that night. I’d practically call it virtuosic, which is rare (to say the least) in folk music. As in almost all her music, this music featured lots of crunchy chromatic dissonances: minor seconds, tri-tones, augmented chords, et al. These dissonances, along with her unfolk instrumentation and solo breaks for the vibes, created an atmosphere bordering on experimental jazz at times. And like all good jazz, none of the dissonances were superfluous. Every one of them was generated by an independent, logical and well-written melodic line in her guitar part. As one listened closely to what she was making that instrument do, especially on the two or three songs she performed solo, one couldn’t help but understand that this performer was making some very challenging parts, with bass lines, chords and melodies, look so effortless, you could have mistaken her guitar for a natural-born appendage.
I liked Ani DiFranco before, in the way that I like video games. The few times I’ve played them, they’ve been fun. But I don’t champion them, I don’t own a video game console, and if they disappeared from the face of the earth, I’d be no worse for ware. After her performance Sunday night, I’m thinking of buying a Wii.
From September 17, 2007: Did they love you? They just love what I do, and nobody loves me the way that you do
Ani DiFranco
The Murat Centre, like so much of Indianapolis, is a hodgepodge with disparate items on top of each other. On their bill this fall is a smattering of uncommonly grouped names: Frank Caliendo, Megadeth, and the enchanting (and lez-bionic, even though she’s currently boning a man) Ani DiFranco.
DiFranco is iconic in the world of strong women folk singers, not only garnering musical success, but with business savvy as well (she opted to found her own, women owned and run record label rather than cater to watered down corporate tastes). Of course, she’s not filling stadiums or selling multi-platinum records with that kind of integrity. Judging from her energy and joy on stage, and the deafening and adoring ovations from the crowd, I’d bet she’s happy with that trade.
The show began with a set by Melissa Ferrick. Ferrick was a very good choice to warm up the crowd. Her style is similar to DiFranco's, but different enough that no ones ears were tired by the time the headliner took the stage. Ferrick was also a very gracious and grateful opening act, thanking Ani for the opportunity, and acknowledging that DiFranco was, in fact, who we were all there to see. Ferrick’s performance was short, only 6 or 7 songs, and somewhat uniform. She’s a gifted lyricist, using the English language as a percussion section in her one-woman band. Her subject matter was pretty uniform, though, which got old. How many ‘I miss you from the road’ songs can someone hear in one night? In all, though, her voice was gorgeous, her playing was proficient, and her honesty about her role as an opening act, and gratitude for it, allowed her to play that role perfectly.
I’ll be honest, as Ani DiFranco and her band took the stage, I was preparing myself for another 90 minutes of what I had just heard, perhaps with some more attitude. I am far from an Ani-connoisseur, and her music that I’m familiar with is good, but unvaried. My expectations were shattered in short order.
DiFranco offered an evening of music from every shelf in her musical bookcase. Her most recent release, Canon, is a best-of compilation, stretching back through all of her near 20-year career. And her show was a greatest hits show, which was just fine by her fans. It seemed that every song they began triggered a frantic scream of both recognition and approval from the 1,500 some people in attendance. A mark of honor, and something I was not expecting, is how DiFranco’s sound has drastically evolved over the years, but maintained a unique character. Some songs were sweet, some songs were raging, some songs were folksy, some jazz inspired, and some were flat out rock and roll.
The ensemble that took the stage was non traditional. A drummer; a second percussionist playing vibrophone, Indian tabla, and various electronic effects boxes; an upright bass player who wasn’t afraid to use his bow; and Ani herself playing various guitars in various tunings and configurations. The stand-out songs for this reviewer were two fairly political tunes (as if there’s an Ani DiFranco song that’s NOT political). First, an older song about post 9/11 reconstruction in New York city and the record industry. It was funky, with a quasi-spoken word/slam/rap verse. With the bass and Ani’s slapped-out guitar, this was practically a percussion ensemble piece, with a texture quite interesting and different from her other songs. The crowd absolutely loved this piece, practically interrupting it more than once with cheers (nay, screams) and applause. DiFranco who has probably played more live shows than a presidential candidate in Iowa or New Hampshire, was expert at incorporating these cheers, corralling them into the rhythmic and instrumental breaks, so that not a word or ounce of energy was lost.
The other most outstanding song on Sunday was one of the few new compositions DiFranco performed. As another testament to her evolution as a musician, this song was much more melodically focused. The vocal line was a step above all the other songs she played that night. I’d practically call it virtuosic, which is rare (to say the least) in folk music. As in almost all her music, this music featured lots of crunchy chromatic dissonances: minor seconds, tri-tones, augmented chords, et al. These dissonances, along with her unfolk instrumentation and solo breaks for the vibes, created an atmosphere bordering on experimental jazz at times. And like all good jazz, none of the dissonances were superfluous. Every one of them was generated by an independent, logical and well-written melodic line in her guitar part. As one listened closely to what she was making that instrument do, especially on the two or three songs she performed solo, one couldn’t help but understand that this performer was making some very challenging parts, with bass lines, chords and melodies, look so effortless, you could have mistaken her guitar for a natural-born appendage.
I liked Ani DiFranco before, in the way that I like video games. The few times I’ve played them, they’ve been fun. But I don’t champion them, I don’t own a video game console, and if they disappeared from the face of the earth, I’d be no worse for ware. After her performance Sunday night, I’m thinking of buying a Wii.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Post-Metallica Flamenco
Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican guitar duo who bring a heavy-metal virtuosity to an already highly virtuosic field. Faster, more flourish, more garishly complicated. Who knew two classical guitars could rock so hard? Here's their tune, Tamacun.
They're having other successes too; check out this interview on FUSE.tv. It's about their collaboration with Hans Zimmer (composer of myriad film scores from Kung Fu Panda to Inception) on the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film. With success, many changes have come their way. The duo took on a backing group to tour their latest album, Area 52, here's what Rodrigo had to say:
If you have to see it for yourself and can't make it 'til their next tour, here's the rest of their tour dates this year.
Oh, and I wasn't kidding about the Metallica connection!
They're having other successes too; check out this interview on FUSE.tv. It's about their collaboration with Hans Zimmer (composer of myriad film scores from Kung Fu Panda to Inception) on the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film. With success, many changes have come their way. The duo took on a backing group to tour their latest album, Area 52, here's what Rodrigo had to say:
[Working with backing musicians is] totally different. We share responsibilities now. In a way it's more relaxed for Gab and myself not to be under so much pressure. The most important part is that we introduce these amazing musicians to people. All of them have their own projects, and to introduce them to our crowd and know that they're enjoying it is important to us.If you were hoping to catch them live, you're a month too late in Chicago, but here's a round up of their April 12 show at the Chicago theater.
If you have to see it for yourself and can't make it 'til their next tour, here's the rest of their tour dates this year.
Oh, and I wasn't kidding about the Metallica connection!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Sebetha
A short post today on a sweet little project I've run accross called Sebetha. Chicago composer Gregg Medley is the idea man here. Sabetha's mission is to explore ambient music, and explore they do. Medley is joined by Adam Cohen-Leadholm (Bricklayers Foundation) to help shape Sebetha's sonic-scape. Here is one of the shorter pieces, Tandem:
Sebetha joins a long line of projects that play deeply with time, form, audience expectations, and aural journey. As with most performances, you won't really know until you see it. Check out Sebetha on March 19th at the Whistler.
Sebetha joins a long line of projects that play deeply with time, form, audience expectations, and aural journey. As with most performances, you won't really know until you see it. Check out Sebetha on March 19th at the Whistler.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
New Home!
Hello again! I've been off creating a masterpiece in identity-based performance art, and I have woefully neglected my blogger duties.
This post indicates dComposer's return to the blogosphere and rededication to the continued discussion of all things music, composition, performance and expression.
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