ftp.xmission.com/2014.06.ftp.xmission.com.tar/ftp.xmission.com/pub/lists/zorn-list/archive/v03.n543

Internet Message Format | 2001-08-23 | 21KB

From: [e-mail] (Zorn List Digest)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Zorn List Digest V3 #543
Reply-To: zorn-list
Sender: [e-mail]
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Precedence: bulk


Zorn List Digest       Thursday, August 23 2001       Volume 03 : Number 543



In this issue:
-
       James Coleman: Theremin "Zuihitsu"
       Re: summer reading (Japanese authors)
       Re: You call this *summer* reading?
       Re: groundbreaking: the inverse
       Re: summer reading (Japanese authors)
       Re: James Coleman: Theremin "Zuihitsu"
       Re: mainstream jazz piano; Zorn in the 90's, etc.
       Bill Dixon (Re: groundbreaking: the inverse)
       Re: Bill Dixon (Re: groundbreaking: the inverse)
       hot thums o'riley
       Re: AMM & more (no Zorn)
       Tzadik's quality
       Jose Maceda
       Re: Jose Maceda
       Re: mainstream jazz piano; Zorn in the 90's, etc.
       RE: Off-topic metal post and Anthony Braxton info, all in one

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 12:15:03 -0400
From: Eric Ong <[e-mail]>
Subject: James Coleman: Theremin "Zuihitsu"

Hi,

This summer I've really been enjoying James Coleman's new disc on
Sedimental, which I noticed just popped up on Mr Abbey's distribution
list. I hope he (Coleman) doesn't cringe at the comparison, but at times
it reminds me of the Such double on Matchless - bowed percussion, an
Eastern tinge, quiet and beautiful sounding. I'm not very familiar with
music involving a theremin, but it's played very delicately on this
record with a less is more feel. I particularly liked the tracks with
Greg Kelley. Coleman and Kelley complement each other very well - they
should really put out a duo record sometime. Bhob Rhainey, Tatsuya
Nakatani, Vic Rawlings, and Liz Tonne also contribute. I should stop
here; go check out the better descriptions at FE and www.zuihitsu.net





- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 13:12:41 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: summer reading (Japanese authors)

Why and how is it that so many of you know so much about Japanese literature?
 Is there some direct connection between it and avant music?  I'm just
curious about this because I don't recognize most of the listed authors and
I'm wondering if there's a good author or book I should read to introduce me
to this obviously fertile genre.  (Should I even generalize as to call all
Japanese authors part of the same genre?)

Ignorant but hoping for enlightenment,
Tom

In a message dated 8/23/01 12:26:57 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [e-mail]
writes:

> There seems to be that some on this list are fans of Japanese literature.
>  May I suggest reading the works of Osamu Dazai.
>
>  He was a fascinating character and in image and lifestyle totally the
>  opposite of Yukio Mishima.  Dazai came from a well-connected political
>  family in Japan who went to an University in Tokyo and became totally
>  left-wing plus developed a taste for hard drugs, drinks, and geishas.   My
>  favorite book of Dazai's is his short story collection called 'Self
>  Portraits.'  The stories are great, plus there is commentary by its
>  translator and editor on what really took place in these stories.  His
>  novels are 'The Setting Sun' and 'No Longer Human.'  In his early years
>  Dazai attempted to commit suicide with his girlfriend at the time.  He
>  survived the suicide attempt, but unfortunately his girlfriend didn't.  In
>  1947, he committed suicide with another woman.  I believed both drowned in
a
>  river nearby Tokyo.
>
>  Mishima in his early career hated Dazai, because he thought of him weak.
At
>  a literary party that Mishima attended, he zeroed on to Dazai who was then
>  surrounded by his fellow writers - commented to Dazai 'that he didn't like
>  his work.'  To say this in such a circle was shocking.  But Dazai just
>  commented that 'for him to say that means that he really loves me.'
Mishima
>  was totally taken back by Dazai's comment.
>
>  Dazai's work is very witty and charming, but also has a taste of poison.
>
>
>  --
>  Tosh Berman
>  TamTam Books
>  http://www.tamtambooks.com


______________________________________________________________________
Phil Spector: "I've been listening to a lot of Andrew Lloyd Webber lately,
and enjoying it. Someday I hope to set his stuff to music."

- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 10:14:35 -0700
From: "Patrice L. Roussel" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: You call this *summer* reading?

On Wed, 22 Aug 2001 22:52:07 -0700  Jim Flannery wrote:
>
> J.-K. Huysmans, _Becalmed_
> The less-well-known saddle between the peaks of _Against Nature_ and _La-Bas_:
> bankrupt decadent, decaying chateau, simple yet larcenous peasants. Unceasing
> rain. Owls. What more could you ask?

Great and unexpected novel after A REBOURS (AGAINST NATURE). Zola and other
members of the naturalist movement almost felt that Huysmans was back home
with EN RADE (BECALMED). Did not happen. The gothic and mystic elements so
ubiquitous in LA-BAS can definitely find their roots in this novel. The
sophistication of Huysmans' writing is taking a slight break after A REBOURS,
but he cannot hide it (like in the description of the "decaying chateau").

    Patrice.

NP (loop): song "Polly Jean" live by Jean-Louis Murat (with excerpt of
reading of Genet's biography! which gives a creepy feeling to the whole
song, not so far from what you get reading EN RADE).

- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 10:24:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: Scott Handley <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: groundbreaking: the inverse

- --- Samuel Quentin <[e-mail]> wrote:
>   a lot of people seem to like Coltrane's hard bop
> period (as far as jazz
> radio stations and Ken Burn's types go)  but i think
> his stuff only got
> better as time went on and he headed more in the
> direction of a more ...

Skip Heller:
[brags about practice habits then says]
>Where do I fit in to
>your
>pinheaded stereotyping?

Jesus Christ, Skip.

- -----s


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger
http://phonecard.yahoo.com/

- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 10:38:16 -0700
From: Tosh <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: summer reading (Japanese authors)

A good introduction is John Lewell's 'Modern Japanese Novelists: A
Biographical Dictionary"  It is published by Kodansha.  The ISBN is
4-7700-1649-2.  The book is pricey at $50, but it gives out information on
the leading authors of the 20th Century as well as books that have been
translated into English.  If one can't afford one, a library should have a
copy in their collection.


- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 13:56:08 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: James Coleman: Theremin "Zuihitsu"

In a message dated 8/23/01 1:12:52 PM, [e-mail] writes:

<< This summer I've really been enjoying James Coleman's new disc on
Sedimental, which I noticed just popped up on Mr Abbey's distribution
list.  >>

agreed, this is a very good record, as I mentioned here once before.

just to clarify about my distribution list, it consists of maybe 20 or 25
titles I've traded with other labels for, often with overlapping musicians
from my Erstwhile catalog. I sell these titles considerably cheaper than
you'd find them anywhere else, usually $10 or $12. if you're interested in
being added to the list, send me a private e-mail.

Jon
www.erstwhilerecords.com

- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 18:04:27 +0000
From: "thomas chatterton" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: mainstream jazz piano; Zorn in the 90's, etc.

>From: "Matthew Mitchell" <[e-mail]>
>
>
>I of course didn't clarify and say LIVING american composer...
>
>Also, I was thinking more along the lines of notated music, the
>'contemporary classical' thing, whatever you want to call it...
>
>A couple more thoughts on this topic: are notated scores mandatory for
>recognition as a great composer? Does spontaneous composition
>(improvisation) not qualify? Does a living composer necessarily create
>living music? I can think of any number of 'composers' whose music I might
>not want to 'classify' as living, while the musicks of many physically
>deceased 'composers' still maintain their vitality. Isn't it time for Harry
>Partch to be recognised as one of the great American composers? And exactly
>what is the 'contemporary classical' thang? Does it include, for example,
>someone like Hespos who composes music that often sounds like 'free jazz'?



_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp


- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 11:05:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: Scott Handley <[e-mail]>
Subject: Bill Dixon (Re: groundbreaking: the inverse)

- --- [e-mail] wrote:
> two current examples are Bill Dixon and Keith Rowe.
> both of these guys are
> creating the best, most radical work of their
> careers right now.

Is Dixon working at all with larger-scale ensembles?
If so, will it be released?  The only remotely recent
stuff I can think of is his guest spot with Tony
Oxley's Celebration Orchestra, but those weren't his
own compositions.

- -----s

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger
http://phonecard.yahoo.com/

- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 14:17:40 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Bill Dixon (Re: groundbreaking: the inverse)

In a message dated 8/23/01 2:06:41 PM, [e-mail] writes:

<< Is Dixon working at all with larger-scale ensembles? >>

he led an orchestra in the Vision Festival recently, maybe in 2000.

<<If so, will it be released? >>

no idea, but he's notoriously tough to deal with, one reason that his
discography is so small.

Jon
www.erstwhilerecords.com

- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 20:35:45 +0200
From: Jerzy Matysiakiewicz <[e-mail]>
Subject: hot thums o'riley

    I've just got CD entitled Hot Thumbs O'Riley - Wicked Ivory.
Line-up is mainly Skandinavian /with Pekka Pohjola on bass/
Music is crazy mix of blues, comedy and psychedelia a la early Frank
Zappa.
Could someone give me more info about this group /?/


Jerzy


- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 15:25:23 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: AMM & more (no Zorn)

In a message dated 8/23/01 9:18:14 AM, [e-mail] writes:

<< I suppose my expectations were high due to their pre-release statements
that this was one of their best performances EVER!  This is a 35 year
history, and why they would select this one is a mystery to me.  It's not
bad, it's just not very exciting, especially after a five
year wait since their last release.  I suppose, too, that their three duo
projects with Evan Parker raised my hopes for their AMM project. >>

just chalk it up to a poor selection of material this time around and a silly
statement in the press release. AMM is definitely still firing on all
cylinders live.

<<As an aside, Prevost's Matchless is a classy label.  Very informative liner
notes, added new material, etc.  But I do miss that snappy artwork.  The new
stuff is pretty weak. >>

yeah, the cover to the new AMM CD is very weak, completely agreed. Rowe will
be painting the cover to their next record, the aforementioned performance
from Vand'ouevre this past May (which, as I said previously, is supposed to
be great. maybe if Jacques Oger is still lurking 'round these parts, he can
give us a report on the actual concert.)

also, if you're in need of a Rowe painting fix, check out the home page to my
web site, since he painted the cover for his upcoming duo CD with Toshi
Nakamura.

Jon
www.erstwhilerecords.com

- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 18:59:09 +0200
From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Efr=E9n_del_Valle?= <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tzadik's quality

Is nobody else amazed by the stuff which Zorn manages
> to get his hands on and release??
>

I am, and wait anxiously to every Tzadik release. Call me fanatic, but I
share Arthur's opinion that Tzadik is one of the best labels running. In
addition to the titles mentioned by Arthur, what about Susie Ibarra's
"Flower after Flower", all Leo Smith's releases, Ikue Mori's, Fred Frith's
"Clearing" and countless others? I really think that the list could go on
really long.

Greetings,

EfrΘn del Valle

n.p: David Krakauer "Klezmer, NY"


_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com


- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 22:41:34 +0200
From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Efr=E9n_del_Valle?= <[e-mail]>
Subject: Jose Maceda

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

- ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C12C24.C3572E80
Content-Type: text/plain;
    charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Has Jos=E9 Maceda's album for Tzadik already been released? Any comments =
on it?

Thanks in advance,

Efr=E9n del Valle

n.p: Fred Frith "pacifica" (Tzadik, of course...)

- ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C12C24.C3572E80
Content-Type: text/html;
    charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2919.6307" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Has Jos=E9 Maceda's album for Tzadik already been =
released? Any=20
comments on it?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Thanks in advance,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Efr=E9n del Valle</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>n.p: Fred Frith "pacifica" (Tzadik, of=20
course...)</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

- ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C12C24.C3572E80--


_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com


- -

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

Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 18:27:30 -0400
From: Brian Olewnick <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Jose Maceda

Efr=E9n del Valle wrote:
>=20
> Has Jos=E9 Maceda's album for Tzadik already been released? Any comment=
s
> on it?

Yep, it's out. Three tracks, one from the late 60's, one from 1985 and
one from 1999. The earliest piece, 'Pagsamba' is for 241 musicians,
largely chorus playing small hand instruments. It's a bit two fuzzy and
faux-Penderecki-ish for me, lots of chanting of Latin religious verses,
etc. 'Suling-Suling', performed by a Mills College ensemble led by Frith
is a more enjoyable piece for flutes and percussion, bubbling along
quite nicely in an Asian-inflected minimalist vein. The most recent
piece, "Colors Without Rhythm" is also the most effective, imo, scored
for orchestra heavily laden with percussion. Very dreamy and slightly
turbulent, not too far removed from Feldman's orchestral works, though
gentler.=20

Maceda's 84 years old now, still teaching at the University of the
Philippines. A friend there procured me a UP-produced disc with works by
Maceda and four other contemporary composers. A couple were ok, but
Maceda's (another performance of 'Colors Without Rhythm') was the cream.

Brian Olewnick

- -

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

Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 15:48:24 -0700
From: Skip Heller <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: mainstream jazz piano; Zorn in the 90's, etc.

>> From: "Matthew Mitchell" <[e-mail]>
>>
>>
>> I of course didn't clarify and say LIVING american composer...
>>
>> Also, I was thinking more along the lines of notated music, the
>> 'contemporary classical' thing, whatever you want to call it...
>>
>> A couple more thoughts on this topic: are notated scores mandatory for
>> recognition as a great composer?

I think notated score are at this point less of a requirement, judging from
how much of the more pre-planned music of this age is not notated with dots,
beams, and stems.

 Does spontaneous composition (improvisation) not qualify?

I think if, especially in a Zorn-type case, it qualifies if there's a
framework dictating the events.  Personally, I've always thought composition
is the act of organizing elements in advance.  If one of the elements in
question is improvising, why not? But improvising (in the purest sense) is
not the same as generating a composition.  I know that sounds tedious,
but...

 Does a living composer necessarily create  living music?

I think not, just by my recent experience writing for the new Flintstones
movie.  I was hired to write as much like Hoyt Curtin as possible, hopefully
close enough that nobody could tell which music was new and which was old.
I'd say I was writing in a non-living medium in that case, because Curtin so
totally defined his musical realm that, when he passed, the realm passed
with him.  My job was sort of like Robert Parker's when he finished Raymond
Chandler's POODLE SPRINGS manuscript.


 I can think of any number of 'composers' whose music I might
>> not want to 'classify' as living, while the musicks of many physically
>> deceased 'composers' still maintain their vitality. Isn't it time for Harry
>> Partch to be recognised as one of the great American composers?

He is in my house!

 And exactly  what is the 'contemporary classical' thang? Does it include,
for example,  someone like Hespos who composes music that often sounds like
'free jazz'?

Probably, in that some musicologist will come up with a list of schmeeze
that defines what the twentieth-century requirements for composition were.
Leonard Bernstein once said that 'modern music' (his quotes, not mine)
begins with TRISTAN & ISOLDE.  He caught a lot of flack from different guys
for that remark, but I think  I understood what he meant, which is that the
path of modern music starts with less concentration on a tonal center as a
way to deal with the music.  It's a good premise, but one that has been so
argued that I think we can say that terms like "modern music" or
"contemporary classical" are so hard to define accurately that one may as
well say "the American novel" or whatever.  And few people agree on what
makes a novel "American".

skip h


- -

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

Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 00:01:34 -0400
From: "Steve Smith" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: Off-topic metal post and Anthony Braxton info, all in one

William York scrawled in his own blood:

>Six Feet Under? Witchery? Dimmu Borgir? Are you going through and listening
>to everything on that giant "Metallinium" (sp) tour roster?

That's exactly what I'm doing.

>And did you PAY for all this?

Only as I was listening to it! (cue rim shot) Yes, I bought all of it with
real money - even the really bad stuff - out of morbid curiosity as much as
anything else.

>Hopefully you at least wound up w/ one of the Soilent Green CDs too...

Not yet, but looking forward to it - it's out in a few weeks.

Thanks for crossposting the funny review of the Braxton CD.  I still haven't
figured out just which "composition" is which, but then, I haven't gone back
to it since then, either.  Sadly, however, I have to admit that its baneful
memory gave me pause when I saw the new Braxton sextet disc of Andrew Hill
on the shelf today - and left it there, which is unusual for me.

Steve Smith
[e-mail]
NP - Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor, Kovacevich, BBC Sym/Davis (Philips)


- -

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

End of Zorn List Digest V3 #543
*******************************


 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]