Most musical genres I know are ones I discovered in the classroom. Flamenco is not one of them. Today, when my friend played the Gipsy Kings' Mosaique on his homemade turntable, I recalled aspects of the music that I learned while attending a flamenco show in Seville, Spain nine years ago. Then, I counted along… Continue reading Return to Flamenco
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Goodbye, Living Room
My first visit to The Living Room was because Eric DeArmon was the bookkeeper at the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. He came to the office periodically to manage QuickBooks while I compiled press kits and researched opera instrumentations. As a fellow musician, he invited me to The Living Room to hear his band, The… Continue reading Goodbye, Living Room
Spark Finder
I memorized Matisyahu's album Light. I contemplated why someone would want to "Escape" the triumvirate of "the Bible, blood libels, and false idols." I covered "I Will Be Light" at an open mic and at a church event. I had my students analyze the sounds in the introduction to "Motivate" and build their own sampled… Continue reading Spark Finder
Forbes-Time
A few blocks south of Carl Fischer's clock, Forbes' distant sound cut to thistles shimmering on a hillside afternoon hike. For a moment I walked in two places, two times: University of Edinburgh, 1998 Cooper Square, 2012. *** I paid a 50-cent fare to rest in Rosenthal's presence as bagpipe drones and trills echoed off… Continue reading Forbes-Time
Oases of Bed-Stuy
A year ago, I wrote about deserts of Bed-Stuy as I considered moving to Brooklyn. Since living here, I have made a few discoveries: NYC Green Carts are near bus and subway stops I frequent. I enjoy improvising with, eating, and sharing produce from a CSA. Fresh herbs from volunteering at the Revolutionary Era Garden… Continue reading Oases of Bed-Stuy
Multimedia Meditation
David Irving Weiner and I did not set out to make a spiritual piece for the Westchester Square Arts Festival although the venue was the sanctuary St. Peter's Episcopal Church. The 30-foot-high supports for the dome above the nave compelled us more than the golden altarpiece and inscribed marble floors. We hung the central sculptural… Continue reading Multimedia Meditation
Savage Spectators, Killing Machines, and Other Atrocities
"What did you think of the movie?" my roommates asked as we rode the subway home from seeing The Hunger Games. "I thought it was very dark. I'll probably blog about it," I answered. I had not read the books, but from my roommates, I knew that the story involved children fighting and that the cast… Continue reading Savage Spectators, Killing Machines, and Other Atrocities
Lost in Space-Time
On Wednesday night, I donated some of my hearing to Mario Diaz de Leon and Jeremiah Cymerman in a concert curated by Tim Byrnes at Vaudeville Park. Yes, it was detrimentally loud in some sections, but I consciously decided to stay in their dimension-bending soundscape. From the timbral variety of their soundcheck, I could tell… Continue reading Lost in Space-Time
Stirred by Spoken, not Sung
I would not call the event on February 2nd at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Manhattan an open rehearsal. There were no live instruments except an autobiographic violin solo, a sample melody on the piano, and a speaking part played by the composer. It was more of a conversation, an extension of a conversation… Continue reading Stirred by Spoken, not Sung
Crossovers and Departures
If I do not get to see The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess on Broadway, I will not be completely disappointed, thanks to John Schaefer. Today, I heard him live for the second time at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space. (The first time was at the 30th anniversary celebration of New Sounds.) In this afternoon's… Continue reading Crossovers and Departures
Ars Arvole 