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Zorn List Digest         Monday, March 5 2001         Volume 03 : Number 317



In this issue:
-
       Zorn in Seattle
       Re: defective evan parker ecm
       Re: lowell davidson
       Vision Fest
       GOD (was: one more question about sprawl, ice, 16-17, god etc.)
       teaching john zorn
       Re: Barry Guy
       Re: well-informed, open-minded people
       dreyblatt on hat art
       Re: dreyblatt on hat art
       Dreyblatt on Canteloupe [was dreyblatt on hat art]
       Re: Vision Fest

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

Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 07:46:24 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Zorn in Seattle

A friend of mine from Seattle went to see Zorn a couple of weeks ago.  Here's
his review:



The concert featured Zorn's compositions performed by a variety of Seattle
chamber musicians. First up was a string quartet performance of "Cat O'Nine
Tails," sounding pretty similar to the way it does on the recent Zorn
release "Cartoon/S&M." With all the tempo and time and genre changes, it was
tremendously challenging to play and, as throughout the evening, perhaps the
most fascinating part was watching the musicians' intense concentration.

Next up was a piece called "Shibboleth," featuring violin, viola, piano,
clarinet, and percussion. The percussionist dominated the proceedings, not
because he overdid it but because the other players' parts were very quiet
and the percussionist was in constant motion behind his Art Ensemble of
Chicago-like setup, doing everything from crackling sticks to treading on
piles of leaves to dealing a deck of cards, not to mention the usual vibes
bass drum triangle snare and whatnot.

The first half concluded with piano, flute, clarinet, percussion and
harpsichord taking four tunes from the Masada songbook. Zorn conducted by
sitting in front of them in the lotus position, clad in fatigue pants,
T-shirt and prayer shawl, giving occasional hand signals and talking. The
pianist was most connected with Zorn, really grasping what he wanted. The
group never strayed into cacophony, but instead focused on teasing out the
beauty of the melodies. The third of the four numbers in this section was a
gorgeous solo on bass flute.

After intermission, another mixed ensemble, this time made up of violins,
viola, percussion, woodwinds and harpsichord, played "Music for Children."
It had fewer melodic fragments than "Cat O'Nine Tails," and again was
dominated by the percussionist's activities.

Then Zorn took the stage solo for about 20 minutes of free improvisation. I
can't tell you whether he played three pieces or whether he simply stopped
twice to replace broken reeds. I can only understand what he played as pure
sound experiments, full of squawking, squealing, screeching... The sounds he
can produce are amazing, but not very pleasant to listen to. I wonder if
there's an element of Artaud-like assault on the audience to see how much
painful squealing we'll endure before deciding that it's not worth sitting
through even if we did pay $24.

The evening closed with a clarinet quartet (including bass and soprano
clarinets) doing Zorn's orchestration of "Kol Nidre." Interesting, the
beautiful, ancient Hebraic melody was never articulated. Instead, the
opening notes were stretched out into whole and half notes repeated and
repeated, requiring again tremendous concentration and patience from the
musicians. It was a little disconcerting when the piece ended, since it
never reached the basic melody.

All in all, a fascinating evening.

________________________________________________
The dignity of art appears to the greatest advantage
perhaps in music, because that art contains no material
to be deducted. It is wholly form and intrinsic value,
and it elevates and ennobles everything which it expresses.

               --Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

- -

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

Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 08:57:12 -0500
From: Dave <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: defective evan parker ecm

At 12:30 PM 3/3/01 -0500, you wrote:
>A few months back I bought one of the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic
>Ensemble albums on ECM ("Drawn Inward" I think) only to find that the
>actual music on the disc was some Italian woman vocalist.  Both copies in
>the store were like that.  Did anybody else have this problem and has it
>been corrected?
>
>-
I had the same problem with the discs. It took me 45 minutes of arguing
with the manager of Best Buy to convince him It wasn't Evan Parker on the
disc. I wrote to ECM, but haven't hearback and don't know if it has been
corrected. I am afraid to buy it again.



- -

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

Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 09:13:04 -0500
From: michael j rosenstein <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: lowell davidson

Davidson died in the late 80s. (I forget exactly when.) He was a fantastic
player and a huge influence on many Boston players. During the 80s, he
would perform around Boston in ad hoc units with Joe Morris, Laurence
Cook and others. The concert Ken references with Joe Morris, Butch Morris,
Malcolm Goldstein, and Davidson (on percussion and aluminum bass!!!) was
incredible.

Michael Rosenstein
[e-mail]


>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2001 13:19:44 -0500 (EST)
> From: Ken Waxman <[e-mail]>
> Subject: Re: piano list/davidson
>
> Brian, et. al:
>
> Yes, Davidson died quite a few years ago,
> Apparently he suffered from a sort of mental illness
> at the end of his life.
>
> The ESP disk is very impressive. IMHO it sounds like a
> link between Herbie Nichols and Cecil Taylor.
>
> Other Davidson material exists, but none has been
> released commercially. After the ESP session he moved
> (back?) to Boston and played around there as both a
> pianist and a percussionist (!).
>
> Someone in Boston apparently has many tapes of
> Davidson playing piano in different contexts, but
> refuses to release them. I'm told he's waiting for a
> large $$ offer. (Delusions ran rampant).
>
> Joe Morris also has a tape of a concert he did with
> Davidson on percussion, Butch Morris on cornet,
> himself and I forget the fourth participant.
>
> He's been trying to get it released on CD for at least
> a decade.
>
> Ken Waxman







- -

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

Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 09:35:53 -0500
From: Perfect Sound Forever <[e-mail]>
Subject: Vision Fest

Pretty mixed feelings about the Vision Fest at the Knit.  It's still one of my favorite clubs in town but I know I'll
miss the open, homey vibe you got the youth center (last year, now sadly closed), the church basement (year before
that) and Angel O Center (year before that I believe).   I guess it's so hard to find a stable place for this.

Also, as we saw at the recent Mercury lounge show, asking an audience to stand through a six-hour show is pretty
difficult.  I hope/pray they put the seating in for this.  It'll be kind of weird to see Mike from Eremite setting up
shop in the front bar (I'm guessing that's where they'll do this for the CD sales).

Best,
Jason

P.S. David Toop also bemoans Virgin's lack for support for the excellent comps that he and other Wire writers were
putting together.
- --

Perfect Sound Forever
online music magazine
[e-mail]
http://www.furious.com/perfect



- -

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

Date:
From: [e-mail] (Patrick Carey)
Subject: GOD (was: one more question about sprawl, ice, 16-17, god etc.)

* "Daryl Loomis" <[e-mail]>:
>>In my opinion, all three of the God albums are incredible, but they
>>are impossible to find.  I heard them five years ago, but as soon as
>>I went to buy them, Big Cat had gone out of business, and I've been
>>searching ever since.  I'd like to know too.  I've never found them
>>used, I haven't met anyone that has them.  I have "Appeal to Human
>>Greed," which are remixes of "Anatomy of Addiction" by Laswell, JK
>>Broadrick, Kevin Shields and a couple others that I can't remember
>>now.  It's good, but it doesn't do the original line-up any justice
>>whatsoever.   Anyway, that's as much as I know, and I wish almost
>>every day that I had the albums.

* "Richard Gardner" <[e-mail]>:
>Infact I have four God albums including the remixes. There was also a very
>obscure album with approximately the same lineup (without Zorn) recorded
>live in the crypt of a church in London and released on a German label. The
>original studio album was called Possession. (I don't have the details here
>now because I'm at work)

* simon hopkins <[e-mail]>:
>That would be 'Loco' released on the label PDC, or
>Permir De Construir, I think. Sorry about the bad
>French. Which the label was, I think. French that is.
>Not 'bad'.

Right, not sure anyone following this thread caught it the first time,
but I mentioned this, and some other God odds'n'ends in my post a few
days ago:

"There are 5 God CDs out there, a 12", "Breach Birth" (Situation Two),
which is 3 very early tracks, and a split 7" (one of the tracks from
the 12") with Terminal Cheesecake (another defunct band who made
some brilliant albums).  The discs that I'm guessing Daryl didn't
include are their first CD, "Loco" (1991, PDCD - another dead label,
or at least all of their early records are long gone -> this one
features Prevost on percussion), and their 3rd, "Consumed" (1993,
Sentrax - a label that has gone in and out of existence), both of
which were live.  Have you tried Gemm, or Netsounds, or Ebay even?
I've seen all of the CDs used before at one time or another, but
they don't pop up all that often.  Just keep checking those out
of the way places ..."

PDCD is Permis De Construire Deutschland (the German arm of the
French label PDC) ... translates as "building permit" or some such.
The church was St. Mary's (how many of those are there in London?).

The lineup was as follows:

S. Blake - tenor sax
T. Hodgkinson - alto sax
K. Martin - tenor sax, vocals
L. Ciccotelli - drums
S. Kiehl - drums
E. Prevost - percussion
D. Cochrane - bass
G. Jeff - bass
J. Edwards - double bass
R. Smith - guitar

Hope this info is of use to someone ...


- -Patrick



- -

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

Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 07:32:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Scott Handley <[e-mail]>
Subject: teaching john zorn

Hi all,

I'm getting to this a bit late, but re: the teaching
of Zorn in a suggestive 15 minutes....it would seem
that this would be easier than with many other
composers, because one can focus on very short
compositions or segments of compositions, and make
sweeping points about his compositional style based on
the interstices, or rather the means for gluing
materials together.  Says I.  I guess if I were
doing---oh rue the day---I would focus on the use of
pastiche, genre, the role of composer/performer, the
interrogation of tradition (this could allow for 30
sec excursus on Masada, which is about what's
appropriate...please make a point of noting the idea
of the "working group", with requisite parallels to
Ellington "writing for the personalities" and Glass,
maybe); the independent label angle and the
championing of marginalized musics deserves a
mention...that has everything to do with music, esp.
music that increasingly uses improvisation and the
recording medium as a score.  Driving home the
Stravinsky and Ives and maybe Ellington
parallels/connections might be useful in terms of---I
hate to say it this way---nationalizing, or at least
nationally situating his work.  All right, enough.

- ----s

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail.
http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/

- -

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

Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 09:58:38 -0800 (PST)
From: Scott Handley <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Barry Guy

- --- [e-mail] wrote:
> I was at the soundcheck at Tonic for the Barry Guy
> gig this Tuesday.
>
> As soon as he got there he warmed-up with a solo
> bass composition by Xenakis.
> he told an amusing story about hoe Xenakis was sure
> the piece was 'physically
> unplayable' and, when Barry performed it solo in
> Paris a few years ago, the
> composer was amost moved to tears.

Sorry to get back to this so late, but this is a
wonderful story.  It would be exciting, for me, to
hear a full disc of Guy interpreting other
contemporary composers' works for the bass.  Does this
exist, and if not, why not?  I mean, it just seems
like there's a (potential) body of literature out
there that DESERVES to be pleasured by Guy's sick,
unnatural talents.

Speaking of which, what is Fernando Grillo's FLUVINE
album (Cramps, reissued by Ampersand) like?  I can't
tell from the description if it's straight-up improv,
or interpretations of others' comps.  His playing on
some Dumitrescu stuff I have is pretty remarkable.

Also, it seem that the list previously discussed solo
bass records.  If anyone knows off hand how long ago
this was, or if we did it at all, could you e.mail me
privately.  Otherwise, I suppose I'll have to
eventually just plunge into archives.

- ----s, spelunkin'


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail.
http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/

- -

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

Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 09:59:21 -0800
From: "Patrice L. Roussel" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: well-informed, open-minded people

On Sat, 03 Mar 2001 14:09:10 -0600  "Christina Carter" wrote:
>
> This concern with whether or not someone is a 'wanna be' seems to me to be
> counterproductive. I mean, how many people are into improvisation,
> adventurousness, music that takes as its premise a radical possiblity of
> chance and change? Categorizing these musicians/listeners into those that
> are authentic and those that are not? I respect someone that follows the
> voice that is leading them to expand their sounds/world/mind.

But I was talking about music in the traditional sense:

    - some people making sounds on a stage and making records
    - other people (hopefuly in larger quantity) listening to the first
      ones and buying their records

The first group might be convinced that the second group should stop any
activities to listen to what they are doing. The second are thriving among
zillions of distractions and artistic forms with a limited amount of money
and time.

You speak as if trying to be creative was equal to being creative! If it
were the case, yes, I would agree with your global statement. I simply
do not feel that attempting and reaching are the same. And since I have
only limited resources (time and money), and in the face of an saturated
record production in a very limited genre (with some many derivative
products without the urgency and imagination of the originators), I am
forced to make choices between what I feel worth my time, and what I feel
not worth it. I sometimes dare to share that under the form of opinions.
And I am not affraid of making mistakes in my judgement, knowing that
every artist really worth something will get his message through.

> are authentic and those that are not? I respect someone that follows the
> voice that is leading them to expand their sounds/world/mind.
        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I was not talking about group therapy.

    Patrice.


- -

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

Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 11:06:35 -0700
From: "Matthew W Wirzbicki  (S)" <[e-mail]>
Subject: dreyblatt on hat art

just saw this in the anomalous stock update:

>*       Arnold Dreyblatt and The Orchestra of Excited Strings
>          "Propellers in Love"    CD      $12.99  includes 15 minute
>  bonus track duet with Dreyblatt on electric, double-neck, lap
>  'Hawaiian' steel guitar and Paul Panhuysen on prepared electric bass
>  guitar. Hat Hut Records Ltd.    Switzerland     hat ART CD 6011

I bought a copy recently and I like it a whole bunch.  It's a bit more
delicate than animal magnetism and the rhythmic scheme seems a bit less
forceful and driving and the time signatures are a bit more convoluted.
Animal Magnetism is really at your neck i feel...but this one is a bit more
subtile (but you could have figured that out from the titles alone).  I feel
that there's also a bit more varied arc to the piece here than to animal
magnetism.  Track 3 of "propellers" is the highlight for me.

just thought I'd mention it since I haven't seen many copies of this
recording availible.  (was it out of print at one point? -- is it back in
now?)

Matt Wirzbicki


- -

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

Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 13:27:45 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: dreyblatt on hat art

In a message dated 3/5/01 1:07:54 PM, [e-mail] writes:

<< just thought I'd mention it since I haven't seen many copies of this
recording availible.  (was it out of print at one point? -- is it back in
now?) >>

yeah, this is my favorite Dreyblatt recording also. it was and is out of
print, but Hat Art was well enough distributed that there seem to be
occasional copies floating around still. if you think you might want this,
I'd snag it from Anomalous now.

Jon
www.erstwhilerecords.com

- -

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

Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 14:06:10 -0500
From: "Steve Smith" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Dreyblatt on Canteloupe [was dreyblatt on hat art]

There's a Dreyblatt track on the new Bang on a Can All-Stars disc 'Renegade
Heaven,' which gets released next Tuesday the 13th.  It's called
"Escalator," it originally dates from 1995, and it's about 11 minutes long.
The rest of the disc features works by Julia Wolfe ("Believing"), Michael
Gordon ("I Buried Paul"), Glenn Branca ("Movement Within")and David Lang
("Exquisite Corpses").  All of the tracks are pretty damned interesting,
especially if you're into the BoAC "totalist" aesthetic.  The Wolfe and
Gordon pieces both play off Beatles material in particularly interesting
ways, and the Branca is supposedly the first time one of his pieces has been
played on his own instruments by an ensemble other than his own.

The disc is on the new BoAC label Canteloupe.  It's already available online
at www.bangonacan.org.  The label plans to release six discs a year - next
month brings "The Passing Measures" by David Lang, a really long and
beautiful "ambient concerto" for Marty Ehrlich's bass clarinet.  In June
Evan Ziporyn releases a mixed recital called 'This Is Not a Clarinet.'
Later in the fall the label will release a BoAC version of 'In C,' a new
Arnold Dreyblatt disc featuring his latest Orchestra of Excited Strings
(most likely the version that recently played NYC, I guess) and a new Toby
Twining disc).

Steve Smith
[e-mail]
(obviously busy at work...)


- -

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

Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 14:29:34 -0500
From: "jeton ademaj" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Vision Fest

Hi All,

just another tidbit on Vision 6, to clarify:

"Jeton:

Dorf did not offer the space.  Arts for Art approached him understanding
that it would be mutually beneficial.  In general we feel that it is to all
the artists benefit that the Knitting Factory is supported by the arts
community.

And you can quote me on that!

- -Patricia Parker "

anyway, looking forward to a slammin' Festival ;)


>Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2001 20:51:48 -0500
>From: "Steve Smith" <[e-mail]>
>Subject: RE: Vision fest changes tune

>I don't doubt Patricia's intentions at all.  Nor do I question her
>independence or authority.  And yes, I've also heard murmurs that this
>Vision Fest will top everything that's come before it.

>All I really meant to call attention to was the savvy that led Michael
> >Dorf
>to turn a negative position - having no festival at all this year - into a
>positive one by offering to host the Vision Festival, which is clearly
>still
>on an upward growth curve but establishing itself quite credibly, as you've
>stated.  It helps Michael appear to not be out of the game altogether, and
>it puts him back into the position of renegade and underdog relative to
>George Wein's JVC behemoth - which for him is actually a position of
strength, it seems.

>And I suppose that the Knit offers marginally more space than Tonic would
>have, especially if they somehow make use of the Alterknit and Old Office
>spaces.  But I still think it's going to be overcrowded and uncomfortable.

>Hey, personal past baggage aside, I've said time and time again that I want
the Knit to survive, ultimately, as much for its iconic status in this field
>of music as anything else.  And this is an example of exactly how Dorf is
>likely to land on his feet yet again.  Really, it's extremely magnanimous
>of
William and Patricia to help him out like this.

Steve Smith
[e-mail]


_________________________________________________________________
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- -

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

End of Zorn List Digest V3 #317
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