I have been listening to a lot of new records I bought/picked up for free from the library (legally in case you were wondering).  Most recently…

• Montreux by Joe Pass. I don’t think you can really go wrong with a Joe Pass record (at least any that I have heard).
• Young Americans by David Bowie. This is when Bowie shifted his sound to a more “R&B” influence.  There are a couple good tunes but overall kind of a downer.
• Duet by Gary Burton and Chick Corea. They are great at playing their instruments but they release some of the corniest music I have ever heard.
• Axis by Paul Bley. I found this by pure luck AND it was still sealed. This solo piano album has only four tunes on it and there are some reallllly great moments. I wish I would have known about this album sooner.
• I have also been listening to music released by New World Records who’s misson is to “record the music of American composers that would not otherwise be represented in the catalogues of the commercial recording companies.” They also release a ton of really interesting folk music. They just taught me about “mouth music” yesterday… unbelievable. (I like the guy at 1:19)
• Lastly, I have been listening to Decapitated’s new album Carnival is Forever and their most recent previous release Organic Hallucinosis, both of which are pretty amazing.

I really should add something about Feist’s new album. She is releasing teasers. Yep.

I figured I would also add something really cool that I found.

The cockpit.

In other news I’m getting a lesson with Marilyn Shrude on Monday so I am preparing a score for that.  I’m really looking forward to it but I don’t know what to expect at all.

Last, but not least, I have found the Herman Mann cover to top them all.  I’ve never listened to any of his records but if I only had time to listen to one, this would be it. (Also, BGSU Music Library owns not 1, not 2, but 3 copies of this record).

• Got to see The Big Lebowski in a movie theater.
• Witnessed the the largest urban bat colony in North America (1.5 million bats) fly from under a bridge and down a river.
• Walked down 6th street to watch some of the live bands. It was a Tuesday night and every other bar had a live show. Pretty impressive. It was also the first time I saw flamenco guitarist in action.
• San Antonio/The Alamo/The River Walk
• Went to a Kerbey Lane Cafe where I got this! It was literally the best panini I have ever tasted. (I don’t think the picture does it any justice).

Musically speaking, I am practicing guitar, THAT’S RIGHT, guitar. Blaine “Mr. Potato had a red beard?” Faherty, Jeff “Vulgar Display of Flour” Laser and I are getting set to record some new metal tunes. We came out with an album last summer but decided that it was too soft so we are giving it a second chance. Goal of the record: make ears bleed.

I also just rehearsed ‘Songs for Lorca’ at the end of last week. It’s shaping up and getting performed at the Olmsted Festival of the Arts on August 14th. I will maybe post some clips of the piece later this week.

In other news I have decided to start a new thing where I post interesting items that I find in the BG library. Kind of like Awful Library Books but mostly about music. So, the first library find is a copy of Christmas on Death Row. I don’t know about everyone else but this is definitely on my wish list for this Christmas. With hits like ‘Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto‘, ‘ Party 4 Da Homies’, and classics like ‘Frosty the Snowman’ how can one go wrong?

Turning off your brain when listening to music.  Ann Powers chimes in.  I think this also brings up the question about how Kitsch relates to art.  Something I have been thinking about a lot lately.  Any thoughts?

I actually heard a recording of Hall Overton’s 2nd Symphony played by the Louisville Orchestra and didn’t know it.  They have a new documentary coming out that looks pretty awesome.

Ethan Iverson interviews Lee Konitz.  I would love to hear Konitz scat like he plays.

JACK Quartet killing it, as always.  The Second String Quartet by Ligeti is probably the best string quartet ever written.  Challengers?

?uestlove getting into some French music.

All of Bach’s organ music for free. No jokes.

I also found out Bach wrote a Coffee Cantata that features libretto by Henrici.  I already thought that Bach was the greatest musician and composer to ever live but now he is off the charts.  My favorite lyric is ”If I can’t drink my cup of coffee three times daily, then in my torment I will shrivel up like a piece of roasted goat.”  Not sure how accurate that translation is but it is funny either way.

Things I have listened to lately are Decapitated – Winds of Creation, All of the Art of the Trio Volumes by Brad Mehldau, Chris Thile & Michael Daves – Sleep With One Eye Open, Tristan Murail – Le Lac, Car Bomb – Centralia, Ligeti’s String Quartets, Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments, Gil Evans’ albums with Miles, a lot of Feldman, some Scelsi, Hersch, and a lot of early Bowie.

I just finished my first year at BG and I have learned so much it is unbelievable.  I finished 3 pieces in total.  An art song based on Lorca text for Soprano and Double Bass, my first piece with improvisation for 5 performers and metronomes (see below), and an Orchestra piece.  For the summer my plans are to focus on writing a piece for solo alto saxophone for Noa Even and I’m also toying with the idea of writing another Big Band chart.

Other than that I recently got a part-time job in the music library.  It’s quiet, relaxing, and I get to shelve great music all day… I’m just soaking it in.  It’s awesome.

I also acquired an organ not too long ago for zero dollars.  I can teach all of you how to do it too.
Step 1) Know someone with an organ that they want to get rid of.
Step 2) Help them take it to your place.
Step 3) Play the organ.
It has almost no C#’s that work but other than that it is great.

Last bit of news about me, Four Songs for Lorca has been accepted in the Olmsted Festival for the Arts in August.  It is at the Frostville Museum and features “arts and crafts, musical performances, student art displays, hands on music demonstrations, and more.”  It sounds like a really cool festival all in all.

Tell me what you have been listening too.  Anything interesting?
While you are at it submit a 2010-11 must have album for Dan’s contest.

Other pieces I have been listening to are Ligeti’s Hamburg Concerto, Schnittke’s Mo-zart à-la Haydn and Piano Sonata No. 2, Booker Little’s album Out Front, and Mario Davidovsky’s Festino.  I could write a whole entry on just one of these works (maybe I will in the future) but unfortunately I am too busy right now to go that in-depth.  Is anyone else stumbling on great music?

Also, Dan is writing cello pieces that are about sleeping in.  That is my kind of music.

Bill Holman Q & A.

Everyone has been talking about this Babbitt documentary and for good reason.

Led Bib came out with a new album.  Was anyone going to tell me?  It sounds sweet.  I hope it’s as good as Sizewell Tea and Sensible Shoes.

Also, Happy Birthday Sérgio Mendes.

Next, I saw Rzewski’s “The People United Will Never Be Defeated” played by a BG piano professor, Thomas Rosenkranz.  This man can play the piano.  The concert consisted of more than just the Rzewski, (although I would have been completely satisfied if that was the only thing I heard) the first half Rosenkranz premiered two new works (one by a doctoral student and one by a professor) and played a Missy Mazzoli piece.  They all included electronics, some were live and interactive while others were backing tracks.  These pieces were all great but were overshadowed by the Rzewski.  It is 36 variations on a Chilean song by Sergio Ortega and is a tribute to the Chilean people and their struggle against a repressive regime in the 70′s.  Rosenkranz played a recording of Sergio Ortega singing it (with what sounds like 500 people behind him) before starting the hour long piece. He also took the option to add in an improvised section at the end and absolutely nailed it.  His improvisation sounded like a neo-baroque variation that Rzewski never thought of.  The piece was amazing to see live and it really gives the Goldberg and Diabelli Variations a run for their money.

This is a great interview with Babbitt when he was 90. (just click on ‘hear the interview and performance’)

Keith Jarrett walks off stage when someone coughs.  I will see that as a legitimate excuse to be angry and stop playing a show when he stops groaning during his solos.

Dan gives all of us more reading material.

Also, exercise can be fun . . . if is on a piano.