I sat at an undergraduate composers concert last night. There were a handful of my current Freshmen students up there on the stage, playing new music by their classmates. And then there were the “seasoned” Seniors playing music by their classmates. The freshmen were squeaky clean, young and perky, and a little geeky. The seniors […]
If you’ve never seen Dr. Seuss’s “The 5000 Fingers of Dr T” you have an amazing treat waiting for you. It’s a movie you can see over and over and still be amazed at how bizarre it is. That being said, the movie is amazing art. The sets, costumes, music, and the story are all […]
Christian Marclay is a remarkable sound artist who has a passion for unloved sounds (watch video). He used scratching LPs as sound makers before Hip hop was a gleam in Grand Wizard Theodore’s eye. This YouTube video gives an excellent overview of Marclay’s talent and is worth watching, regardless of your musical tastes.
Christian Marclay is […]
For many of us as we get older, the urge to “just stay IN tonight” is great. Cocooning, nesting, quiet time, family time, home projects, watching movies, romance, and catching up on our non-work related projects keeps us happily home. The decision to go OUT is one that we gird our loins for–gather our energy, […]
This just in from the brilliant Robert, at flight404 ALL MANNER OF DISTRACTIONS, a fascinating interplay between matter, magneticism, and sound. Here is a description of the process, and here is part two.
Magnetic Sphere (audio by Karri O.) from flight404
Here’s a song that I knew and sung as a little boy. But this is a jazzed up version from Perry Como’s 1958 TV show that just might be categorized as post-modern.
Catch a falling star an’ put it in your pocket,
Never let it fade away!
Catch a falling star an’ put it in your pocket,
Save it […]
Today, POSSUM DEATH SPREE was released by AtomFilms.com. Atom Films is an internet movie company that is a showcase for young filmmakers. They commissioned Gareth Smith, Michael Horowitz, and Ari Sachter-Zeltzer to make a pilot film in consideration of making a series. They made POSSUM DEATH SPREE and asked me to do the music for […]
I’ve had this tune in my head for months and it won’t go away, so I’m giving in to my inner nudging and posting one of the many performances on YouTube. There is one recorded in 2005 in a concert for Queen Elizabeth where Shirley’s voice in past its prime but she has golden go-go […]
I posted a video of a live performance of Rufus Wainwright’s new single, “Going to a town” a couple of weeks ago. Here is a YouTube copy of the Dreamworks official video. Robert Zimmerman has an analysis of this song on his blog, re: harmonized which you should check out.
On Monday night I emailed my class alerting them that we would be having an improvisation session in the morning. They were instructed to bring little percussion instruments (nothing pitched), and if they didn’t have one, they were to make one. The students showed up the next morning with a whole array of instruments, ranging […]
Sven Geier, Ph.D., whom I met randomly by choosing an image he made for my “Remembering Things” post from the other day, and asking his permission, has proved to be a wise man on top of an artist and scientist. Regarding memory he had this to offer:
“I tend to tell people that I have perfect […]
THREE ARIAS FOR CELLO AND PIANO
1. Cl’Airea (for Paul Reale and Claire Rydell)
2. Mount Shasta (For Mark Carlson and Charlie Swigart)
3. In Paris (for John Hall)
Ronald Leonard, cello
Antoinette Perry, piano
David Cloud, recording engineer
Schoenberg Auditorium
[Photo: © 2005 Roger Bourland “J 196″]
I had the privilege of meeting Janis in the mid-90s and sang (sic) an arrangement of one of her songs (”When Angels Fly”) for a women’s fund raiser that featured her. I had GMCLA backing me up with oohs and ahs. The power of this song impressed me in the 60s and still does.
SOCIETY’S […]
Here is a minimalist synthesizer ensemble called Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Co. I never knew these guys but my teacher always talked about Mother Mallard and Dave Borden. Here is a terrific old demo from them with a little bit of talking and some halfway decent visuals. Judging by the hair I’m thinking 1970-something. These […]
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