For the last few years, I’ve found myself listening to Thai music around the New Year. I don’t know why and I just noticed it when was searching for something new to hear. I discovered Christopher Adler, who I intended to write about in this post. His music is influenced by American minimalism, which I … Continue reading Happy New Ears
I’ve been so busy I almost forgot to mention that the first wave of Ghoulanoids madness is available for pre-order! This has been a blast to work on and it was nice to be in contact with the inimitable Ballard Bros. again. (You can read more about their work in a previous post.) This is … Continue reading Ghoulanoids: Available for Pre-Order!
A highlight of my week was having Abraham Smith jump-start the visiting writers series I’m developing for my school. On the day he spoke his new book came out and we got to hear him read from his own work and from greats like Dylan Thomas. I hope my students enjoyed interacting with him as … Continue reading a new denomination ain’t a thing but a name
http://vimeo.com/channels/noisypeople An interesting documentary about the Bay Area free improv scene. I’ve been listening to recordings by the composers and improvisors of the Bay Area since the mid-90s. Every now and then I’ve been lucky enough to hear a few of these folks in person. Continue reading Noisy People
I’m just beginning to get into the music of Morton Feldman. His Rothko Chapel occupies a different space then I’m used to hearing in much 20th Century music. “Difficult” and “abrasive” are terms that more readily come to mind, but Rothko Chapel seems spare and, dare I say, beautiful—a word not traditionally used when describing … Continue reading Haunting the Chapel
“Saturn,” one of my favorite Sun Ra tunes, is also part of the amazing class of 1959 (on Jazz In Silhouette) which included recordings such as Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus, The Shape of Jazz to Come by Ornette Coleman, Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, and Giant Steps recorded in … Continue reading The Sound of Joy Is Enlightenment
Since 2012 began with the world’s end in mind, I thought I’d start 2013 with something else in mind. From Sir James George Frazer’s The Golden Bough: “In some parts of Breadalbane it was formerly the custom on New Year’s Day to take a dog to the door, give him a bit of bread, and … Continue reading Allow the soul time to return
Even though my “to-do” list grows by the minute, I needed to take some time to write and hopefully get back into a weekly rhythm. Summer has been busy, mainly music, music, music. I played on two very different recordings and will be excited to hear what happens with them. And, I had a little … Continue reading Summertime is past and gone
Stephen McClurg 