ftp.xmission.com/2014.06.ftp.xmission.com.tar/ftp.xmission.com/pub/lists/zorn-list/archive/v02.n967

Internet Message Format | 2000-06-18 | 21KB

From: [e-mail] (Zorn List Digest)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Zorn List Digest V2 #967
Reply-To: zorn-list
Sender: [e-mail]
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Precedence: bulk


Zorn List Digest         Monday, June 19 2000         Volume 02 : Number 967



In this issue:
-
       RE: Mimeo at Vandoeuvre Musique Action Festival
       Re: Mimeo at Vandoeuvre Musique Action Festival
       FW: Moondog scores request / and Modern String Quartet
       RE: Mimeo at Vandoeuvre Musique Action Festival
       Fred Frith: Technology Of Tears
       What's going on at RCA... (long)
       Re: syr4
       Re: any comments on Cage's ATLAS ECLIPTICALIS?
       Recording Zorn
       non-performance aspects of electronic music, Cage, Sonic Youth's Goodbye 20th Century

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 11:51:45 +0200 (CEST)
From: Oger <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: Mimeo at Vandoeuvre Musique Action Festival

>Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 12:30:46 -0600
>From: "Matthew W Wirzbicki  (S) " <[e-mail]>
>Subject: RE: Mimeo at Vandoeuvre Musique Action Festival
>
>Jacques Oger wrote concerning Zach Settel:
>
>>his live process
>>treatment seems old style.
>>But, nevertheless, in that festival, I liked the 1st piece played on the
>>bass, and the 2nd one on the voice.
>>Maybe because the complete lack of ego gave to this (their) performance
>>a kind of freedom which is, after all, not so frequent. That's why I liked
>>their show, for extra musical reasons, I agree, but sometimes human
>>factors
>>are important too.
>
>Lack of ego was extra-musical, "human" factor?  I'm confused.
>
>- -Matt Wirzbicki
>
>
>Jacques Oger
>


Very pleased that you can be confused  :-)


Yes I think that absence of ego is a human quality. Not necessary of course.

But above all,  a concert is made in front of people. And what people think
at that moment is another human factor.

Jacques Oger



- -

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 11:51:39 +0200 (CEST)
From: Oger <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Mimeo at Vandoeuvre Musique Action Festival

>
>Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 18:53:17 EDT
>From: [e-mail]
>Subject: Re: Mimeo at Vandoeuvre Musique Action Festival
>
>In a message dated 6/12/00 6:16:56 AM, [e-mail] writes:
>
><< one of my favorite group this
>year was: Maxwells Damon (Ulrich Phillipp, Uwe Buhrdorf, Ulrich Bottcher) >>
>
>I left the morning before this show, unfortunately. did they play acoustic
>instruments only, as listed in the program, or electronics also, as on their
>1996 record Nefastismaschine (Hybrid)?

Hi Jon,

It was definitely both : acoustic and electronics process. (written "mixte"
on the program).

Jacques Oger



- -

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 09:32:23 -0400
From: Rick Lopez <[e-mail]>
Subject: FW: Moondog scores request / and Modern String Quartet

Anyone have anything to offer here?:

>>>>>>>>
From: John Chacona <[e-mail]>
Subject: Moondog scores

Gentle readers,

Forgive the egregious cross-posting, which will be explained by the nature
of my inquiry.

I am making on behalf of a newbie friend who has not discovered mailing
lists.

He is forming a string quartet for a performance at an outdoor rock
festival in New York in August and wants to present one of Moondog's (Louis
Thomas Hardin) string quartets, preferably No. 2, "Synchrony."

He has not been able through his channels to locate a performing score and
would appreciate any pointers you might have about where one might be found.

His name is Louis Nicolia and he can be mailed at:

[e-mail]

Also, anybody having any knowledge of the arrangements of Miles Davis
material by the German Modern String Quartet should let Lou know, as well.

Thanking you in advance and apologizing once again for the cross-post, I am

JC
|John Chacona |
|[e-mail]|
<<<<<<<<


- --
Marilyn Crispell, Susie Ibarra, William Parker, Sam Rivers, Matthew Shipp,
David S. Ware, and Reggie Workman Discographies--Samuel Beckett
Eulogy--Baseball & the 10,000 Things--Time Stops--LOVETORN--HARD BOIL--etc.,
at: http://www.velocity.net/~bb10k

UPDATE January 10, 2000:
vids, a few CDs, baseball books, a few Cadence back issues, a few more
CDs...
***Very Various For Sale:
***http://www.velocity.net/~bb10k/4SALE.html


- -

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 12:58:13 -0600
From: "Matthew W Wirzbicki  (S) " <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: Mimeo at Vandoeuvre Musique Action Festival


Oger on Settel:
>>>That's why I
>>>liked
>>>their show, for extra musical reasons, I agree, but sometimes human
>>>factors
>>>are important too.
>>
>>
>>Lack of ego was extra-musical, "human" factor?  I'm confused.
>>
>
>Very pleased that you can be confused  :-)

ok...I'm happy that you're happy. (?)

>Yes I think that absence of ego is a human quality. Not necessary of
>course.

I'll agree that "human" factors are important but I don't think they're
extra-musical.  People don't make music in a a labratory (hopefully).  It
just sounded to me like the lack of ego was somehow apparent to you without
listening to the music.  -That it was "extra-musical."  The inverse of you
statement didn't really work and that's what confused me.  (ie.  If I like a
performance for intra-musical reasons then I may not neccessarily have
considered the "human factors")  I'd argue that they are one in the same.
Humans make music therefore music is human. I'm not saying that absence of
ego is not a human quality.  I'm saying that absence of ego may not be
extra-musical within the context of performance.

I'm pleased that you can be touched by Zach Settel's humanity.

>But above all,  a concert is made in front of people. And what people
>think
>at that moment is another human factor.

sure, but what they think is derived from what they hear.  - It is a factor
of the music.


Matt Wirzbicki

- -

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 21:28 +0000
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Fred Frith: Technology Of Tears

a question: any of you know Frith's "Technology Of Tears"? Opinions? What kind of music is it?
thanks and sorry if it was discussed earlier...
andras


- -

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 21:11:44 -0400
From: Steve Smith <[e-mail]>
Subject: What's going on at RCA... (long)

Hey there, all:

While this post might seem a bit self-serving, it's not meant to be.
Rather, I'm posting this as a followup to Kurt Gottschalk's posting a
few weeks back regarding the "corporate restructuring" at BMG and the
effect it's had on the classical department.  This article, from
Sonicnet, is the first to actually deal with the jazz end of things, and
while there are a few factual errors (for instance, "RCA/Victor" [sic]
was never a record company in and of itself, but rather a record label
name operated by the record company BMG Classics - in other words,
anytime the writer refers to these two companies, he's really only
referring to one company), it's essentially the way things are.

You'll notice I'm mentioned a couple of times in this article, but don't
worry.  I've already got another job.  Also, note that Dave Douglas, for
one, is able to find a silver lining in this dark cloud, which is to his
credit, I think.  But check out what Sam Rivers has to say, as well.
The man don't mince words...

Best,
Steve Smith
[e-mail]

Ravi Coltrane, Dave Douglas, Others In Limbo After BMG Shakeup

Jobs cut as RCA/Victor, BMG Classics fold into new company.

Contributing Editor Bob Margolis reports:

The recording deals of saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, trumpeter Dave
Douglas, pianist D.D. Jackson and other jazz artists may be in jeopardy
after a major reorganization at BMG Entertainment.

The change has already cost several employees their jobs and more
layoffs are to come.

"They are evil," veteran saxophonist Sam Rivers said of the people who
run major record companies. "Business people are interested in one
thing, the bottom line."

On May 26, RCA/Victor and BMG Classics =97 the labels that handled jazz =97
were dissolved and folded into the RCA Music Group, which also has
swallowed RCA and Windham Hill records.

According to Keith Estabrook, a spokesman for the German-owned BMG
(Bertelsmann Music Group) Entertainment Corporation, "The RCA Music
Group will be home to all of the music genres: rock and pop, world
music, jazz, traditional and nontraditional classical, Broadway and
soundtracks."

Major Changes

Although no one at BMG or RCA Music Group would talk about the fate of
the labels' jazz artists, some classical artists formerly attached to
BMG Classics have been terminated, flutist James Galway and
percussionist Evelyn Glennie among them.

Industry sources say as many as 100 employees, including staff at RCA
and new-age label Windham Hill, could lose their jobs in the
reorganization. Four senior staff members at BMG Classics-RCA/Victor
already have been fired: National Media Manager Steve Smith, Vice
President of Catalogue Development Bonnie Barrett, Vice President of A&R
for Jazz and World Music Steve Gates and Vice President of Marketing and
Advertising David Neidhardt.

A recent report in Billboard magazine said that former BMG Classics
General Manager David Eyer and Windham Hill President Steve Vining will
not stay with the new company.

The RCA Music Group will be under the direction of RCA Records'
President Robert Jamieson and General Manager Jack Rovner; the two did
not return sonicnet.com's phone calls.

In late March BMG Entertainment signaled its intentions in a memo from
its CEO, Strauss Zelnick, addressed to employees of BMG Classics and
Windham Hill. It said a review of "operating structures" was under way
and that the company's objective was "to create the most efficient and
effective business organization emphasizing the creative integrity of
the individual genres of music."

Legendary History

The demise of BMG Classics and RCA/Victor marks what may be the final
chapter in the long and impressive role that the RCA Company has played
in jazz history. On its own label and various imprints such as Bluebird,
the company has issued classic recordings by bandleader Duke Ellington,
trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, saxophonist Sonny Rollins and many other
legends of jazz.

Trumpeter Dave Douglas, who recently issued his major-label debut on
RCA, Soul on Soul, and has just finished recording his second, has mixed
feelings about the shakeup.

"I am just curious about this mysterious decision-making process that's
going on over there," he said. "People like Steve Smith and Bonnie,
Steve Gates and David, were all doing a really fine job and turning the
label around in a really positive way. But this may not be a bad thing
overall. Usually, improvised music like mine gets relegated to very
small labels with limited distribution, and subsequently gets
ghettoized. Hopefully, a big powerhouse label like RCA will take chances
with challenging music and put muscle behind it."

Also an RCA artist, Rivers, who just released Culmination, takes a
harsher view. The 76-year-old saxophonist is a veteran of several
labels, including Blue Note and Impulse in the '60s and '70s.

"What advantage did I get from being with a major label?" Rivers asked.
"They didn't put my records out as a double disc, which I wanted, and
they certainly didn't advertise my work either. Anytime I saw an
advertisement from RCA, it had a bunch of records on one page. That
doesn't help much, does it? The small independent labels are the ones
that really work with you and push your product. So, no, I am not
surprised at all by this action going on up there."

According to a source at RCA who requested anonymity, it is "too soon to
tell" who will handle jazz marketing, artist development and A&R for the
RCA Music Group. "Right now, we have no idea whatsoever about which
artists will be dropped and which ones will be kept on," the source
said.

Other jazz artists who may be affected by the reorganization at BMG are
trumpeter Tom Harrell, saxophonist Harry Allen, alto saxophonist Steve
Coleman and the vocal group New York Voices.


- -

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 22:31:15 -0400
From: "Peter Risser" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: syr4

So, was it Wolff who used to do the graph paper compositions?
I forget.

Peter


- -

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 22:28:21 -0400
From: "Peter Risser" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: any comments on Cage's ATLAS ECLIPTICALIS?

I used to play a side of this at a time, off an ... 8? album set.  Cage
placed star charts over score paper and made the music.  VERY sparse.  It
was always good to throw on behind a set of wacky noise collage, because all
the sudden an orchestra would jump out from behind the bushes, make a big
noise, and run off tittering like schoolchildren.  Quite nice.

Peter

>   Does anybody have comments on the following record:
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ----
>
> *** - ATLAS ECLIPTICALIS & WINTER MUSIC: John Cage
>
>   SEM Ensemble; David Tudor: piano; Petr Kotik: conductor.
>
>     2000 - Asphodel (USA), ??? (CD)
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ----




- -

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 00:18:19 -0400
From: Matt Teichman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Recording Zorn

Just for the record, does Zorn allow his concerts to be taped for personal
use (we already know MP3 distribution is a no-go)?  There's a nice juicy
Masada concert this Wednesday for which I was thinking I might haul along
my junky tape recorder...

- -

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 01:45:20 -0500
From: Herb Levy <[e-mail]>
Subject: non-performance aspects of electronic music, Cage, Sonic Youth's Goodbye 20th Century

Hi,

With my usual digest delay enhanced by unusual, but great, personal
circumstances (I just got married),I'm late weighing in on discussion
of whether a performance with nothing to look at (& often with no
music being created in real time before the audience) is a
performance at all.

I didn't read every digest super closely on this, so this may
havebeen mentioned, but there's more than a forty year "tradition" of
concerts of tape music.Most all of the classics of musique concrete
and Elektronische Musik made in the studios of New York, Paris and
Cologne during the late 1940s, 1950s and beyond were presented in
concerts long before they were released on LPs. Some of the most
important works went unrecorded until the advent of CDs, and only now
are most people able to hear the range of what was being created in
electronic studios around the world back in the day.

So the recent flap about concerts with "no performers" is old news.
Old school electronic music venues, both alternative spaces (like
Experimental Intermedia & Roulette in New York) and academic
situations (most colleges or universities with an electronic studio),
have been presenting works on tape since the old days.  The tape
starts, the piece plays, when the piece stops there's either an
awkward silence til folks are sure the piece is done, some
venue-specific convention informs the audience the piece is finished
(lights go up or down, etc), or the composer or other person who
knows the work begins to applaud to cue other listeners.

The first live idiomatically (I'm distinguishing avant garde work
from more traditionally romantic/instrumental works for theremin,
trautonium, ondes Martenot, etc) electronic pieces were similar:
Cage, Tudor, et al listening and twiddling knobs every once in awhile
and this performance style continued with folks in the 1980s who were
often simply dealing with a table of gear. Some folks were more
direct in their performance approach (composers like Alvin Lucier &
Alvin Curran who often mixed live performers with electronic sounds,
Julius' magnets & buzzers, Carl Stone's visible responses to his own
works, Nic Collins use of other instrumental performance cliches with
his trombone-propelled electronics, are some examples who come to
mind, but many others were still doing mystfyingly little to perform
their music.

Now that there are composers who perform in venues that more commonly
present pop music to audiences that if not any larger than that at
least include some folks who aren't used to earlier tape-music
conventions, the potential "problems" are more perhaps obvious. Body
English, looking like one is doing something, let alone looking like
you mean what you're playing all seem beside the point which, to my
mind anyway, should be how does each listener respond to what they've
heard.

On a related note, I'd like to give early warning for a Mappings show
in two weeks that features recordings by MIMEO and FennO'Berg, as
well as the earlier computer music bands The Hub and the League of
Automated Composers. This'll be online at
<http://www.antennaradio.com/avant/mappings/index.htm> beginning, I
think, June 26, after the current show.

The issues with the recent Petr Kotik led recordings of Atlas
Eclipticalis/Winter Music/103 are NOT simply that these pieces were
originally composed to be performed without a conductor, nor is this
the essence of the discussion on Silence. Rather the issue is the
role of a conductor in pieces like these. Atlas & Winter are often
performed together, almost always with a conductor who's function is
to track the time for scores in which performers must interpret a
line of events that are supposed to occur within a particular
timeframe. Most of the late number pieces by Cage (which includes
103) have not been performed with conductors of any kind rather by
groups of musicians performing independently, using stopwatches or
digital clocks.

In the liner notes to this disc Kotik is quoted describing a more
active, interpretive sense of how to direct the group rather than
simply keeping track of the time. While the specific quote cited
originally to the Cage-list was somewhat incendiary, in the context
of the complete liner notes what Kotik seems to be doing is not as a
far afield of the actual practice of Cage's late "time bracket"
pieces. Performers often make versions that include specific
preferred events and simultaneities that are possible, but not
required by the score. Probably the most extreme recorded instance of
this is the CD of two different versions of Thirteen on CPO in which
the ensemble chose to do one fairly sparse realization and one that's
more full.

As to Sonic Youth's Goodbye 20th Century, Jon Abbey is correct to
note that because of the participation of folks who either are the
composers or who've worked with them directly, the performances are
generally good. But for many of these pieces that doesn't mean that
this is the way they would sound in any correct version, since
they're as flexible as Zorn's game pieces: different ensembles, with
or without the composer's participation, could do the same works
correctly and the music would sound quite different.

That said, several of the pieces on the discs are performed a bit
oddly. Steve Reich's Pendulum Music sounds as if it were several
performances strung together, and at least one of the Cage number
pieces (Four6) is presented as two takes by different groups
overdubbed. James Tenney's Having Never Written a Note for Percussion
is also a kind of re-orchestration of this work for several musicians
performing in the spirit of the original solo work (which is a single
note marked with a slow crescendo & decrescendo).

Bests,

Herb
- --
Herb Levy
NEW MAILING ADDRESS:  P O Box 9369  Forth Wort, TX  76147
NEW PHONE: [phone]
same old e-mail: [e-mail]

- -

------------------------------

End of Zorn List Digest V2 #967
*******************************


 To unsubscribe from zorn-list-digest, send an email to
       "[e-mail]"
 with
       "unsubscribe zorn-list-digest"
 in the body of the message.

 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.

 A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to
 subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "zorn-list-digest"
 in the commands above with "zorn-list".

 Back issues are available for anonymous FTP from ftp.xmission.com, in
 pub/lists/zorn-list/archive.  These are organized by date.

 Problems? Email the list owner at [e-mail]