CGYT on WHFR (8)

Last week's show was full of short songs, which is kinda taxing, since neither of my record players can cue. So this week I went with long songs. I hadn't exactly planned it to go that way, though. I was looking for something relaxing, and I was listening to 10,000 Maniacs (I know, but you really should hear their song "Tension") and thinking of the Julius Eastman compilation Unjust Malaise that I just bought. Somehow that lead me to start with Pauline Oliveros, except I didn't start with Pauline Oliveros:

CGYT on WHFR no. 8 (broadcast July 6th, 2008)

Megan Roberts, "I Could Sit Here All Day,"
     New Music For Electronic And Recorded Media
Pauline Oliveros, "I of IV,"
     New Sounds In Electronic Music
Michael Nyman, "1-100,"
     Decay Music
Bobby Naughton, "Ordette,"
     The Haunt

I'm posting this before the actual show airs; so here's a reminder: you can listen to it as it's broadcast on Washington Heights Free Radio by going to WHFR.org.

Unrelated: I was urged by a friend to try recording again. I think the last time I tried to record anything was last summer, when I recorded this heavily-Laurie-Spiegel-inspired thing. I recently got sheet music for a bunch of Wim Mertens stuff, so I thought I'd try my hand at something from him. What I'm aiming for is a version of the 5-piece "Struggle for Pleasure" on saxophone, organ, and melodica, with hand percussion (maybe). My organ skills are horrible though, so it's gonna be a while. Here is what I have so far, which sounds nothing like Mertens', nor anything like what I'm aiming for, but was fun to make.

Perfect Teeth 3.3.8

This Sunday I had my second DJ night at Favorit Bar. This one's a little shorter than last time, but has no repeats. And very little pop. I'm gettin' there.

Tape 1 Side A (62:00, 57 MB)

The Malinke, "Solo for the Seron,"
     Music and Dances of Occidental Africa
Don Cherry & Ed Blackwell, "Makondi," El Corazón
John Coltrane, "Vigil," Transition
Eric Dolphy, "The Baron," Out There
Sunny Murray, "An Even Break (Never Give a Sucker),"
     An Even Break (Never Give a Sucker)
Pharoah Sanders, "The Creator Has A Master Plan," Karma
Bohannon, "Save Their Souls," 7"
Miles Davis, "On The Corner," On The Corner
Albert Ayler, "Free At Last," 7"
Don Covay, "Boomerang," See-Saw
Bobby Doyle, "The Girl Done Got It Together,"
     Fluchtpunkt San Franzisko
Sonny Okosuns Ozziddi, "Mother & Child," Mother & Child


Tape 1 Side B (62:00, 57 MB)

Sonny Okosuns Ozziddi, "Mother & Child," Mother & Child
Hugh Masakela, "The Boy's Doin' It," The Boy's Doin' It
Osibisa, "The Dawn," Osibisa
Art Ensemble of Chicago, "Theme De Yoyo," Les Stances a Sophie
Do You Understand The Word, "Help," Endless Journey Phase 3
Bo Hansson, "Black Riders,"
     Music Inspired By Lord Of The Rings
The Deep Freeze Mice, "No. 9," Obscure Independent Classics Vol. 1
The Chrysanthemums, "The Cheeping of the Robot Bees,"
     Little Flecks of Foam Around Barking
Jowe Head, "Cake Shop Girl," 7"
Beat Happening, "Cast A Shadow (live)," Diamonds and Porcupines
The Raincoats, ""No Side To Fall In," The Raincoats
Elton Motello, "Jet Boy Jet Girl," Victim of Time
Yen Artists, "God Be With Us Till We Meet Again," Yen Memorial
Acryl baby, "Iris Underground,"
     Obscure Independent Hits Vol. 4 (Special Japanese Edition)
John Carpenter, "The End (Remix)," 12"
Glenn Branca, "Lesson No. 1," Lesson No. 1


Tape 2 Side A (60:17, 55 MB)

Glenn Branca, "Lesson No. 1," Lesson No. 1
Rhys Chatham, "For Brass," Factor X
Mars, "Helen Fordsdale," No New York
Carsick Cars, "Rock'n'Roll Hero," 7"
Los Fabulosos 3 Paraguayos, "Atardecer," Volume 5
Os Teleco Teco, "Regina,"
     Toute L'Amerique Latine: chants et danses
Os Teleco Teco, "Peixe Vivo,"
     Toute L'Amerique Latine: chants et danses
Folk Musicians, "A las orillas del Titicaca," Los Incas!
Los Parra De Chillan, "Cachumbo,"
     Toute L'Amerique Latine: chants et danses
Folk Musicians, "Danza," Musical Atlas: Mexico
Baoule, "Duet for Flutes," Music and Dances of Occidental Africa
Laurie Spiegel, "Drums," The Capriccio Series Of New American Music
Mike Oldfield, "Blood Sucking," The Killing Fields
Philip Glass, "Vessels," Koyaanisqatsi
Megan Roberts, "I Could Sit Here All Day,"
     New Music For Electronic And Recorded Media
Petula Clark, "Downtown," Petula Clark

While listening to the tapes on headphones in order to write down the tracks played, a few things occur to me:
—The low-end sax sounds on "Boomerang" are great. I love that sound of what seems to be multiple baritone saxophones (maybe tenors) that shows up in a lot of 60s soul/rnb, like on the Supremes stuff.
—Eric Dolphy was using strings in a really interesting way a good 5 years before Albert Ayler or Ornette Coleman was.
—It's impossible not to tap your foot rapidly while listening to Help's "Do You Understand The Word." It's down to the four on the floor beat, and the fact that the bass line is syynched to it almost unflinchingly.

Twelve Sine Tone Generators and a Bizarre Delay Technique

Nummer drei: the DHFI's Hörtest- und Meßplatte

This probably should have been the first record I posted, since it measures the quality of the stereo system used to transfer everything else. The DHFI is the Deutsche High-Fidelity Institut. This is one of those records one is supposed to use to test out and calibrate his hifi setup. I've been wanting one of these records for a long while—because I imagined the sounds and the instructional narration would be awesome. They are. Especially so in German.

You can hear that my system is not very good with very low and very high frequencies. My speakers were even less capable than everything else, as there are tones that were recorded by the computer that didn't make it out the speakers. I also discovered that there's an approximately 1 to 2 dB discrepancy between my left and right channels (haven't pinpointed the source yet, but I have managed to compensate for it). Neato, right?

Forgetting it's a calibration record, one can imagine it's a Richard Maxfield or Pauline Oliveros composition. It lacks the artful structuring (the actual hand of the composer or performer) of minimalist electronic composition; but that's precisely what allows it to be more minimalist than minimalism—there's no worry about putting in too much structure, when the structure is dictated by the purpose. 'Course, it's probably bullshit to analyze the artistic value of a test-record.

Perfect Teeth 22.1.8

It's been quite a while since I posted to this blag. In my defense, I'll say that I had to write a masters thesis (it's done) and had other things on my plate. It's not that I didn't have the time to spend on it. I did. But that if I spent the time on it, I would have felt guilty for not spending the time on my thesis.

However, that is done. My New Year's resolution (aside from not burning my mouth) is to update this blog more often. Not only with the long entries I've put up so far, but also with short entries.

Here's the first short one:

I DJed for the first time in a while this last Tuesday at a bar in Munich. When selecting the records I was gonna bring with me, I used the guiding principle No Pop. I did bring some pop though. Mostly new stuff (and some old post-punk). Animal Collective, Panda Bear, No Age, and Black Dice, certainly; each of which I played twice—something I try never to do when playing records for other people. Otherwise, all I brought was jazz, some minimalism, some kraut, and a few ethnomusicology field recording records.

I taped the evening and transfered the cassettes to mp3s. Four sides. Approximately 3 1/2 hours of music.

Tape 1 Side A (61:22, 56 MB)

Frank Hannaway & Michael Barclay, "untitled," At Home!
Laurie Spiegel, "Patchwork," The Expanding Universe
Quando Quango, "Love Tempo (Mix)," Love Tempo 12"
The Flying Lizards, "Move On Up," Move On Up 7"
Maximum Joy, "Building A Bridge," Green & White 7"
Ludus, "Mother's Hour," Patient 7"
New Age Steppers, "My Love," My Love 7"
Rahsaan Roland Kirk, "Volunteered Slavery," The Atlantic Years
The Apollo Stars, "We're Moving In," Power Of Source
Anthony Braxton, "Comp. 40 M," Five Pieces 1975
Oliver Lake, "Africa," Ntu: The Point from Which Freedom Begins
Archie Shepp / Bill Dixon, "Peace," Peace


Tape 1 Side B (61:25, 56 MB)

Archie Shepp / Bill Dixon, "Peace," Peace
Ornette Coleman, "School Work," Broken Shadows
Elvin Jones & Jimmy Garrison Sextet, "Aboriginee Dance in Scotland,"
     Illumination
Les Percussions Africaines, "Rhythme Douda," Par Guem
Steve Reich, "Part II," Tehilim
Group 180, "Etude For Three Mirrors," Group 180
Laurie Spiegel, "Appalachian Grove I,"
     New Music For Electronic And Recorded Media
Black Dice, "Drool," Roll Up / Drool 12"
Animal Collective, "Chores," Strawberry Jam
No Age, "Everybody's Down," Get Hurt 12"
Panda Bear, "Good Girl + Carrots," Person Pitch
Tussle, "Eye Contact (Version)," 12"
Animal Collective, "Peacebone," Strawberry Jam


Tape 2 Side A (61:32, 56 MB)

biting tongues, "R.R.O.R.," Don't Heal
Manicured Noise, "Free Time," Free Time 7"
Blurt, "The Ruminant Plinth," Blurt
Fela, "Zombie," Zombie
Mulatu Astatke, "Emnete," 10"
Longfellow Martin Magarula, "The Freedom of Africa," Uhuru Wa Afrika
The Apollo Stars, "The Power of Source," Power Of Source
Pharoah Sanders, "Japan," Tauhid
Floh de Cologne, "Arbeit Macht Freitag + Wenn Springer Mal Rülpst,"
     Fließbandbabys Beat-Show
Birth Control, "Gamma Ray (Part II)," Gamma Ray 7"
Can, "Father Cannot Yell," Monster Movie
Blackbirds, "Golden Sun," No Destination
Kyu Sakamoto, "Sukiyaki," Sukiyaki 7"
A Certain Ratio, "Do The Du," Do The Du 7"
Rocketship, "Get On The Floor (And Move It),"
     Get On The Floor (And Move It) 7"
Ad Infinitum, "Telstar," Telstar 7"
Minnipops, "Island," Secret Story / Island 7"


Tape 2 Side B (33:19, 31 MB)

Laurie Anderson, "O Superman," O Superman 7"
Philip Glass, "Music With Changing Parts," Music With Changing Parts
Black Dice, "Roll Up," Roll Up / Drool 12"
The Good Good, "Tremblina + We Go," Split 12"
A Certain Ratio, "Knife Slits Water," Knife Slits Water 7"
Richard Maxfield, "Night Music," New Sounds In Electronic Music
Panda Bear, "Take Pills," Person Pitch
Animal Collective, "Derek," Strawberry Jam
No Age, "Every Artist Needs A Tragedy," 7"

The tempo is fast. The length is determined by the player.

I've been rereading Keith Potter's Four Musical Minimalists—about La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. The first time around I only read the sections on Young and Riley. While they both have written good and interesting music, I'm not that familiar with their works and have been disappointed by maybe half of what I've heard. Reading a couple hundred somewhat-dense pages about something I wasn't that interested in led me to stop halfway through. I picked it up again recently, started this time with the chapter on Reich, and found the book to be much better than I had remembered.

Minimalism is so often summed up as being Young, Riley, Reich, and Glass. In that order. Potter emphasizes the order: Young composed Trio for Strings (1958), kicking it all off. Riley was out on the west coast, drew from Young's long drawn out slow processes, and wrote pieces like In C (1964). Reich lived down the street from Riley out in SF, helped to organize the first performance of In C, performing in the group (along with two Mills classmates who go on to be in the Grateful Dead. wha?). Reich then wrote pieces like Piano Phase (1967). Reich moved to NYC. Glass moved to NYC. The two met, shared ideas, and formed an ensemble together. Glass then composed pieces like Music in 12 Parts (1971).

Potter is really into that. Surprisingly so, given the statements of the composers (Both Reich and Glass wrote books about their own music). Reich claims to have not heard any of Young's pieces before composing much of his taped phasing pieces. His ideas on phasing are way more important in the development of his music up to 1971/2 then what he may have taken from his interactions with Riley. He also says he can't remember whether he saw any of Young's scores when he was a student.

Glass says he never heard any of Young's music until he moved to NYC in the late 1960s. And what he did see, though impressing him a lot, was a piece from Young's Composition 1960 series which was more performance art than music. (The piece in particular was #7, "Draw a Straight Line and Follow It," which on that evening was Riley swinging a pendulum, waiting for it to stop and then drawing a line in chalk on the floor. It lasted over three hours.) He, like many, didn't hear Riley's In C until it came out on record in 1968. Glass had also already composed very simple minimalist pieces while he was living in Paris in the mid 60s. Pieces like his work for the staging of Becket's play Play, which was just a simple two note pattern played by soprano saxophone accompanied by a taped recording of the same. And when he returned to NYC he composed pieces like Strung Out (1967) probably before getting to know Reich. He also says that when they shared an ensemble, pieces were always finished before they were practiced, and idea swapping was not very important.

Of course, artists always want to take all the credit for innovations. Just look at Young and his assertions that the free improvised one-note drone pieces performed by a group of composers including himself, Tony Conrad, Angus Maclise and John Cale are entirely his intellectual property. Concerning true innovation in music, I tend to take the "it's in the air" view. It was just the time for these developments in music. While I do think these composers were all influenced by each other (once a community started to develop), I don't know if I'm so ready to believe all the connections Potter makes. He also leaves out so any composers. Focusing on those 4 ignores the large community of minimalist composers that existed.

Originally I thought I'd write about Reich and Glass in parallel installments in order to keep my entries shorter. I chose those two because I know almost all their works from the beginnings of their careers up to well beyond when they become established; because I know their biographies well; because they were the first two minimalist composers I listened to; and because I believe they are two of the most important (and best) composers of the 20th century. (They are also the two most famous late 20th century composers, aside from soundtrack composers like John Williams.) Maybe, though, I'll just write shorter entries on the pieces I'm listening to at the moment and the new ones I'm discovering as I do more reading into the history of Minimalism, Post-Minimalism, Totalism and Maximalism. I worry that doing that will cause this blag to become like the first one I wrote for, i.e. full of highly colloquial entries with not much compositional forethought (read: lots of "awesome"). Hopefully that won't happen.

In the last post, I wrote that one of the reasons I liked free jazz was because it involved a community similar to that of punk. The Minimalist community also has much in common with the punk community. Most people with the power to release records didn't "get" the new emerging style, and it was often a hard fight to get music out on record. David Behrman curated (and produced) a seminal series of releases for Columbia Records, Music of Our Time, which included Riley's In C, Reich's Come Out, the works of other great composers just getting recognized at that time (e.g. Oliveros, Maxfield, Ichiyanagi) and the works of some older more established composers (e.g. Cage, Feldman).

(One of the best records I ever jacked from my dad's collection turns out to be part of Behrman's series. It's a M.O.O.T. promotional 7" aimed at fans of psychedelic/outside rock. It juxtaposes excerpts from big hit psychedelic tunes with excerpts from Come Out, some Stockhausen, some Babbitt, and others. It has a great announcer talking between the excerpts about the exciting new times in music. I used to play bits of it all the time for transitions on my radio show and mixtapes.)

But that's the only effort by a large label that I know of. A lot of musicians pressed records themselves, like Glass did for his own Chatham Square label.

More importantly, shows ("performances," but c'mon that's such a pretentious term) were so often presented in people's apartments or in small art galleries. However, avant-garde academic music lacked the anti-establishment beliefs of both free jazz and punk, and composers took any chance they could to perform in established venues (a lot seem to happen in the Guggenheim and the Whitney, as well as at BAM) or get grants. But then, the free-jazzers and punks didn't turn down the big-time when it came knocking.

Here is a partial list of composers I've been listening to lately or reading about: Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Anthony Moore, Gavin Bryars, Wim Mertens, Phil Niblock, Michael Nyman, Charlemagne Palestine, Harold Budd, Richard Maxfield, John Adams, Philip Corner, John White, Rhys Chatham, Glenn Branca, Arnold Dreyblatt, Jon Gibson, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros, Tom Johnson (also a good critic), Barbara Benary, William Duckworth, Ingram Marshall, Julius Eastmann. I'll hopefully tackle short posts on individual works or short time periods in the careers of these people.

If anyone has recommendations of more people for me to add to my list, please let me know—it's not that easy to find information on this movement in music yet. I've only found a handful of books that focus on it (Mertens and Niblock both wrote books in the 70s which look good, though I haven't read them yet); but that are some websites focused on small groups of composers or substyles, and most active composers maintain somewhat helpful websites (Niblock and Bryars come to mind right away).

Because I enjoy quoting, I leave you with the only light/humorous statement in Potter's book (though it could just be he's a dick): "Glass does not give a fully composed score [to 1+1, *(1968)]; instead, he offers just two basic 'rythmic units' (sic; like many musicians, Glass seemingly cannot spell 'rhythm') . . . ."