The Musical Video

Unfortunately, MTV popularized the music video. 


It is unfortunate not because music videos are bad, but because the music videos on MTV are bad. Music videos, I think, are actually very good. The music video is a fantastic medium, and I think it should be more highly academically regarded--but it's not, because of the likes of MTV.


The music video is a wonderful medium. In combining music with moving images, a new meaning and purpose is conveyed by both the music and the video; there is a synergistic, new piece of art that means more than either could mean separately. We, automatically it seems, impart meaning and connection between the music and video, and this effect is particularly powerful when the artist takes care to reinforce the connection. In a way, the well-done music video is more than the music or the video could ever be.


Additionally, and practically, it makes both aspects more interesting. Video is captivating, and can really make an audience member listen closely to a piece of music that maybe they would have otherwise overlooked. 


In other words, music videos are awesome! To prove the point, here are two videos by the DJ group NASA.


N.A.S.A. "The People Tree" (feat. David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift Of Gab, & Z-Trip)
and


N.A.S.A. "Money" (feat. David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge, & Z-Trip)

The Casual Musician

A casual dude

I think that playing music is for everybody. It is something that (and don't berate me for absolutist statements; you know what I'm trying to say) is always good.


Music is both highly rewarding and interactive, and in this way is much more like a sport than an art like drawing. Now, don't get me wrong; drawing is very interactive. When you make a drawing, you're using technical expertise and creative mojo to create a finished work, just like in music. But, because music is performed, it is much more mentally athletic than drawing (usually, I mean). 


And it involves practical discipline, which I think is very good for people. It does not demand the overbearing, rigidity of martial arts or military service, but instead requires the subtle poise and artifice of a craftsman.


Most people I know have played music, usually when they were younger, for some extended period in their lives. I think that, and, of course, this is only if it appeals to them, everyone should foster their musicality.


And, it's fun.

Musical social networking

I recently got an account over at SoundCloud, and I think it's absolutely brilliant. 

Essentially, the website is a social network for musicians, DJs, producers, and the like, that encourages sharing of music. But it doesn't look like Facebook: instead of profile pages containing  images and wall posts, profile pages instead contain streaming audio and diagrams of waveforms. SoundCloud lets all users upload, for free, their music. It has a commenting and rating system, similar to many other social networks, except that comments are attached to specific points in an audio clip. SoundCloud, in other words, revolves around the music (and is much more like Flickr or Vimeo than Facebook).


Right now, it's primarily used for electronic music. The company is from Berlin, and it is quite popular in Europe; a majority of the users are European. 


What a great idea. This website is a hundred times more productive than Facebook--that is to say, because of its existence, art is created and shared, people are enlightened to new music and therefore grow musically. The internet is finally, after a good 10 years or so of stumbling through (various degrees of) useless novelty, is beginning to actually bring people together in positive ways. 


And it's great for self promotion, too. You should probably check out mine.

Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band at the Bagdad, Portland, OR 11/6/10

Drummer Brian Blade was in top form on Saturday night, his unique flourishes and pointed accents filling the Bagdad Theater with excitement. Full of vigor, and his usual ecstatic and colorful flashes, he performed to a sold-out crowd as a benefit for the Portland Rescue Mission, which supports the homeless

The Bagdad is an impressive venue and was ideal for the music: comfy seats with personal rectangular tables for drinks and food, and a relaxing atmosphere.

The Darrel Grant trio, with Darrel Grant on piano, Cameron Morgan on guitar, and vocalist Maureen Ferry, began the night. The trio’s gospel-influenced sound was pleasant, but didn’t really hold my attention. The trio played nearly exclusively ballads and slow gospel grooves that lacked excitement and oomph.

When Brian did come on, after around an hour of Darrel, it was all the sweeter. The Fellowship Band currently consists of Myron Walden, alto sax, Melvin Butler, tenor saxophone, Chris Thomas, bass, John Cowherd, piano, and Jeff Parker on guitar, though it has gone through several arrangements since its founding in 1998.

The band was tight on Saturday, and played quite well, but as expected the focus was on Brian. The Fellowship’s tunes are modern jazz pieces—there wasn’t a single straight swinging groove all night—and combine influences from jazz’s many distinct historic periods. Brian’s true art and skill is in his capacity to rhythmically synthesize these disparate elements into a unified sound.

The music clearly has a very strong conceptual basis; each tune is well arranged with rich harmonies and clear peaks of emotion. It was pleasant and surprising to hear the alto saxophonist switching for several tunes to the bass clarinet, as the tenor sax player switched to a soprano sax, for a nice effect.

His punchy playing and knack for beautifully accenting melodies stole the show, without a doubt. The horns could be a little cheesy and lacking in sincerity at times, but Brian made up for it.

Just feel the vibes, man

“Heady” people piss me off. Let me be clear who I’m talking about: the hedonistic, party-loving, weekend eco-warrior who gets into spirituality, man, and is really excited about Jack Kerouac’s On the Road (or some other stupid book I also don’t care about). These people are selfish, but, and this is the horrible part, their worldview tells them that they are not selfish. They seek to, just like the close-minded religious fanatics they so-often bad mouth, spread their hippie dippy eco-centric beliefs all over.

These people most probably go to Evergreen College, or Naropa University; some of them even go to Lewis & Clark, you might be surprised to learn. They hide among the regular hedonists, waiting to strike, malevolent. They’re full of great ideas and stupid self-imposed nick names: I can’t imagine many things more pretentious than introducing yourself as “Bonsai.”

Now: I love the environment, I love great literature, and I think Jack Kerouac is and should be respected as one of America’s finest authors of the 20th century. But when you begin to preach to me about freedom, Buddhism, and the Way as if you’re God’s own son come to enlighten the ignorant masses, I get annoyed.

Let me tell you a story. In the summer of 2009, my girlfriend at the time convinced me to go to a gathering of the aforementioned people as a function of what was called Portland City Repair. She told me there was free food, so I brought my roommate. We were instantly bored, and left soon after eating our dinner of (you guessed it!) quinoa and kale. We went home, an started a great party at my house—we were playing music, socializing, drinking, and having a generally merry time. My girlfriend came back from the event with two hippie drifters in tow.

The party winded down, and we were all hanging out, and my roommate puts on “Cookin’”, an album by Miles Davis. Now, this freaking twerp, he gets all excited, swiftly turns off the music, and demands that we all join him in Hare Krishna chants, or some similar bullshit. When we protested that we were enjoying the music, he said that the chanting was something we all could participate in, and was spiritual and uplifting.

How messed up is that? My roommate had quick enough wit to point out that the Miles Davis experience is a hell of a lot more spiritual than anything a nineteen year old fool was about to impose upon a group of drunken, unsuspecting college students. But it is the hypocrisy of this boy’s statements that really drive me off the wall.

I’d like to think that I am actually pro-freedom, etc., and as such am completely against imposing social events such as chanting. He wanted us to be free, feel the vibes, groove with the moment, and a million other clichés, and by asking us to join in his psychotic, pseudo-religious cultist practices, all he did was point himself out as the biggest egoist in the room.

Concept, concept, concept

Conception is a fundamentally crucial aspect of musical composition. Good ideas are the fundamental components of sound music. 

When good ideas seize serendipitous moments, I think truly amazing things can happen. In the process of creating "2,000,001: A Space Opera" for Music & Language class with Nora Beck, I received a humorous email from my librettist (the dude who writes the lyrics). 


I thought it was funny. The text is below.

 Hey, what is up homies? I hope you gangsters are staying out of trouble tonight, but still keeping it real. I am trying to hook it up sick with the librettos and shit and I somehow, someway can't remember all of the characters. I know that ethan is mr roboto, emma is chuck(the bad boyfriend), jackie is ms humana, but the last mofo I cant remember. If one of you could help a brotha out big ups to yourself and let me know by tonight so i can wrap this mutha up and youse wise guys can kill the music. Mad respect playas. Peace.

P.S. This isn't how I normally write emails, but I'm trying to get the creative juices flowing like steroids in the MLB.
P.P.S. Also attached is the first love scene libretto and beginning of the party scene, let me know if I need to make any changes.

So, I was reading this email aloud to my roommate, who thought it would be funnier if a computer read it. It was. Why not have some relaxing jazz in the background too? And how about some relaxing, nature noises--say, the sweet songs of the common loon?


What I present to you now is art. I particularly like the way the computer reads the text. Check out how it says "Peace," "MLB," and "changes." Classic stuff. 


Enjoy.