One of my treasured musical memories is of Steve Reich’s slowly developing, pulse-oriented Music for 18 Musicians, performed live outside in a suburban park on a summer night.
I’ve found that certain genres, styles, etc. are represented by a lot of junk, but it always seems possible that someone, somewhere has found a way to transcend the limitations of a given style. When I come across a masterly manifestation it’s a revelation.
At the risk of declaring myself culturally unregenerate, I'd rather get an unanesthetized root canal than listen to La-Mont(e) for any number of minutes no matter how his name is spelled.
As usual, I hesitate to reply because i know so little about this subject, but I am always grateful for a little slack from readers. I am not a jazzer but find this substack fascinating.
Seems to me that talent without technique, exuberance without discipline, form without substance, emanation "by the yard" without something interesting to say, is not worth a lot of time or comment.
The second part of the essay made me wonder if CDs are maybe the reason I don't "need" music the way I used to. They do sound flat, strangely undifferentiated, unlike the live performance and vinyl recordings I so much enjoyed when I was young. The thought of a technical way back to that energy, vitality, and earth-shake is exciting to me.
Digital recording does not have to become the dead end it has for so many people. I can play you a couple of cuts for instance from our last release at some point that I really believe show you can project that edge into a digital format.
As you expand your topic, maybe you could post some audio to illustrate? You seem to have found a digital way to that edge and it,s something I look forward to.
One of my treasured musical memories is of Steve Reich’s slowly developing, pulse-oriented Music for 18 Musicians, performed live outside in a suburban park on a summer night.
I’ve found that certain genres, styles, etc. are represented by a lot of junk, but it always seems possible that someone, somewhere has found a way to transcend the limitations of a given style. When I come across a masterly manifestation it’s a revelation.
I agree; I think it is because so many imitators take the shallowest aspects of certain innovative work and think that's enough .
At the risk of declaring myself culturally unregenerate, I'd rather get an unanesthetized root canal than listen to La-Mont(e) for any number of minutes no matter how his name is spelled.
As usual, I hesitate to reply because i know so little about this subject, but I am always grateful for a little slack from readers. I am not a jazzer but find this substack fascinating.
Seems to me that talent without technique, exuberance without discipline, form without substance, emanation "by the yard" without something interesting to say, is not worth a lot of time or comment.
The second part of the essay made me wonder if CDs are maybe the reason I don't "need" music the way I used to. They do sound flat, strangely undifferentiated, unlike the live performance and vinyl recordings I so much enjoyed when I was young. The thought of a technical way back to that energy, vitality, and earth-shake is exciting to me.
Digital recording does not have to become the dead end it has for so many people. I can play you a couple of cuts for instance from our last release at some point that I really believe show you can project that edge into a digital format.
As you expand your topic, maybe you could post some audio to illustrate? You seem to have found a digital way to that edge and it,s something I look forward to.
I just might.
It's La Monte Young, if you want to be taken seriously.
who said I want to be taken seriously?