rogerbourland.com

Shumei Taiko Ensemble

Japanese Drums from kedarvideo on Vimeo.

Privacy

Friends have asked why I am so comfortable sharing my thoughts, fantasies, and life on a blog. I assure them and you that you don’t get them all, although it would be a more popular blog if I did.

It is probably related to my desire to teach, more specifically, to share what I have learned and have found interesting or helpful. It is probably related to my desire to write music and share it with those who are interested in hearing it. Growing up as a budding artist can be difficult. I hope that young people, my students and readers alike, can glean something from my posts.

This blog is still in the top 50 classical blogs (see Steve’s biannual update on his blog) so people are reading it.

I’m a bird. I’m a cricket. I’m a cicada.

…

[Image © 2005 Tarmle]

Mike’s home

Michael William Lafferty died this month after a long struggle with various life threatening illnesses. I photographed his marvelous apartment before it was taken down. You’ll see a special person reflected in the things he’s collected. The music is from the FOUR LAST SONGS of Richard Strauss sung by Jessye Norman.

Bowl night

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Howard got a choice box at the Bowl last night and invited Del, Larry and me to join him. We zipped into valet parking, dropped off the car and walked in, and afterwards walked to get our car and exited quickly. That by itself made the concert a thrill. The LA Phil sounded great. The Hollywood Bowl sounded great, but then we had some of the best seats in the house. We heard a set of Bartok Romanian Dances which I loved but the audience couldn’t keep the applause going for the conductor to get off the stage; the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (3 callbacks for the soloist and conductor); and the Dvorak 7th Symphony — the latter sounding more like Sibelius to me these days. Impression: flashy concerti work well at the Bowl. Big wet pieces like the Dvorak also make for enjoyable Bowl meditations. Sit back, relax, think about stuff, listen to the beautiful sounds, the sky, the smell, your friends, and the helicopters.

There were 7 flyovers by helicopters or small airplanes last night. What’s the deal? I thought that was illegal. But Howard said that he likes to go to the Bowl for that reason. He LIKES the ambient sounds. The sneezes, the flyovers (not so much), and especially the crickets.

Taking time for a funeral

Our old friend Mike died last Monday. Angus, his former partner of many years, came down to help out and spent the week with us. Having guests always throws business as usual out the door, but it was a pleasure spending time with him. A requiem mass was held at the Gnostic church where Mike was a priest. Although a 2 and a half hour service is too long for my tastes, we all survived and were touched after all the liturgy was over when the bishop sat down and gave his homily confessing what a great friend, colleague and priest Mike had been. We were all relieved that Mike was finally released form his pain and cancer.

One of Mike’s hobbies was making necklaces, a hobby Daniel and I picked up for a while, back when we both had more free time. We loved looking at all the people at the mass who were wearing Mike’s necklaces.

A small reception was held at his apartment after the service. I took photos of his place which I hope to post here this week. It is an amazing place and Howard, the executor of Mike’s estate, has decided to let it just stay there for the rest of the month. We all wished it could just turn into a museum but know that that is not going to happen. Most of the stuff will be dispersed to his close friends, family and his church.

After I got home, I decided to pay attention to my animals who needed exercise. So I threw the ball for the dogs, and then brought my parrots inside for their workout. I get them on my finger and then we run around the house so that can “fly” with their clipped wings and still get a work out. In the process of doing that, I jammed my big toe into the door jam on the floor and ripped my toe nail, causing unbelievable pain. Hoping it might go away, I sat moaning in the kitchen, when Daniel and Angus came out hearing my strange sounds. Having no pain meds, they went back to Mike’s knowing that he had a cabinet full of it. They returned with a tablet of Oxycontin (sp?) which did the trick within 15 minutes. As the night went on, I felt more and more nauseous, and went to bed. In the morning I threw up and was sick for most of the day. I was told that this medication is hot on the black market. Ugh! Why would anyone want to feel like that?

I realized, during my own little ordeal, how debilitating pain can be. Even though pain can come from one little part of the body (e.g., the toe or a tooth), your entire body and psyche are in pain. Mike had Delauded (sp?) administered to him by a little machine around his neck, and was living on Oxydingdong. Ugh, he must have been in unfathomable pain.

I’m thankful today to be over the pain, and the horrible side effects of the pain medication. Next time, I’ll reach for an ibuprophen and call it a day.

Homer in Cyberspace: Finding Poppa

Tellemachus and Penelope
–
In this scene, Telemachus, “Telly” is at his computer desperately trying to find his father, Odysseus (”O”).

MP3: Play audio file (finding_poppa.mp3)

“Finding Poppa”
–

Athena appears on one of his screens who, masquerading as a cyber-hooker on hotgodesses.com only to offer tips on where his father might be. Telly promises her to stay off the porn sites and stay true to his mission in “Poppa, my Poppa.”

MP3: Play audio file (poppa-my-poppa.mp3)

“Poppa, my Poppa”
–

Music: Roger Bourland
Lyrics: Dan Kelleher
Tenor: Tony Silva
from HOMER IN CYBERSPACE
© 2008 by Roger Bourland, Mel Shapiro and Daniel Keleher

Friends IV

B (see “Friends III“) died this week. H was named the executor of his estate and he has done an excellent job. I only overheard part of the phone calls he made and received and see what an incredible effort and a labor of love it has been. B was H’s sponsor in AA and was a great friend. H was there for B every single day to the end. We should all be so lucky to have an H in our life, whether as a partner or a friend.

H had to deny a group of metaphysical colleagues wanting to do some special blessings on the body, but the mortuary had its limits and H supported them. (I was imagining a replay of Gram Parsons’s famous body kidnapping episode after his death, but no, only a blessing was wished for.)

I photographed his amazing apartment and will go back again this morning to pick up a few more. N flew in from Mexico and she has been staying at B’s.

When H offered for me to come over and take some things, I was hesitant and insisted that he, N, and G all go through first. I loathe the feeding frenzy that is human and animal nature over the property of a recently departed one. I discussed it with Daniel and we both are happy to have just a few things that, when we look at them we say “That’s B!”

B’s nickname was The Red Lion, and he was fortunate to be able to live in the most gorgeous West Hollywood apartment whose front window has a Red Lion in it.

Bon voyage, Lion rouge!

John Coltrane: My Favorite Things (1961)

––
“My Favorite Things” by Rodgers and Hammerstein

John Coltrane – soprano sax, tenor sax
Eric Dolphy – flute, alto sax
McCoy Tyner – piano
Reggie Workman – bass
Elvin Jones – drums

1961 in Baden-Baden Germany

Ennio Morricone: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

The most stunning film I’ve seen in a long time is Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West.” Ennio Morricone provides mystic cowboy music for the score with haunting, unforgettable leitmotivs. Every shot in the film is one I would be proud to blow up and hang on my wall. Every shot has a fantastic sense of perspective, texture, and clutter. Yes, clutter. He jams stuff into every shot. It is really western baroque in its attention to detail — detail made up of little things, and shapes. The textures are breathtaking. Pause any frame in the film and you’ll see what I mean. (The representation on YouTube is a lower resolution than what you will see on the DVD.)

Many composers in the 20th century were driven to explore alternative sound sources. “Musique concrete” was such a music put together from bits and pieces of sounds: sounds made by familiar and ambiguous sources. The sound is then manipulated and can be played backwards or sped up or slowed down. This is all common practice nowadays, but then it was done by cutting up and splicing pieces of audio tape. French composers, Pierre Henry, and Pierre Schaeffer were the pioneers in this field. Here is Schaeffer’s first work in this genre, “Etude aux chemins de fer” (1948).

In “Once Upon a Time in the West” Ennio Morricone uses musique concrete to provide a chillingly original and effective film score.

Sounds are collected and looped In the opening scene, we hear a drip, and then something that is probably a bird. An unusual bird. But then it changes. We don’t find out what actually is making the sound until 5 minutes into the movie. (It is a squeaky windmill.) This use of sonic found objects from the scene of the shoot is an organic approach and highly effective. There are no pitches or melodies or harmonics in the opening of the film. (Morricone evidently wrote some but it was discarded.) We hear water dripping, insect buzzing, train sounds, bells, a mysterious choral chant, escaping steam, along with the mysterious bird call that opens and closes this amazing scene.

And then the first “music” enters — it is the harmonica leitmotiv.

We don’t find out what it means until the end of the film, and I won’t tell you, but this little tune is used continually throughout the film. The main orchestrational palette in the film is the harmonica, the solo banjo, and strings.

There is a love making scene that is accompanied by a solo viola that is not to be missed.

Morricone was Leone’s composer of choice. Contrary to tradition, Leone asked Morricone to compose the music FIRST, so that all the actors could get the feeling of the movie and reflect it in their work.

His controlled sense of patience in pacing is palpable. Everything unfolds and flows slowly. The music and sonic creatures drift in the air. No scherzo, no danse macabre, no moto perpetuo. It just hangs in the air, like gunsmoke in a bright New Mexican sky.

The Pipkins: Gimme Dat Ding (1970)