odd things to make sounds

Stephanie, my friend from GA, sent me this link to an online gallery of odd, ethnic (what exactly is that word supposed to imply when it comes to musical implements?), and outrageous custom built instruments from tinkerers, artisans, and sound obsessed folk from around the world. These instruments range from the creative alteration of traditional instruments to completely new creations inspired by the sonic potential of chance, math, physics, and the elements. There seems to be an even spread between electronic instruments and acoustic instruments. Each article has pictures, a brief description, and most contain sound or video samples. Some of the instruments I've heard of before but many are new to me. Its odd that I haven't been aware of this site before. I have a great deal left to explore here but so far favorites include the sea organ, the symphonic house, and the celestial harp (which incidentally sounds very similar to a processed auto harp I used in a composition a year or so ago). A quick note on this page's structure: clicking on the gallery button in the upper right hand corner reveals a much larger list than on the front page which is simply a recently added list. Something about the page design made me overlook this at first.

Odd Music

30th Century Man

I was hanging out with friends the other night and discussing Scott Walker and the sadly non-US released documentary "30th Century Man" that many of us have been eagerly awaiting. I should say, if it has been released or screened in the US, I'm unaware of it. The film was completed over a year ago now and has been screened in the UK and Germany. I'm not sure if there is a licensing issue, a lack of a market, or some other complication but I know many people who are urning to see this. If you don't know, Scott Walker was a 60's teen idol and member of The Walker Brothers whose most prominent hit "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" topped the UK charts. Its reported that at this point in 1966, their popularity exceeded The Beatles in the UK and Europe. The Walker Brothers quickly disbanded and Scott went on to make a number of solo albums drawing material and influence from composer Jacques Brel, a French Kurt Weill type figure who wrote show tune type songs on similarly Brechtian themes. This lip synced video for Walker's version of the Brel song "Jackie" is one of my favorites. As his success as a solo musician began to grow, Walker suddenly bowed out of the public spotlight, opting for a more normal existence away from entertainment industry.

Since then, he has sporadically released albums of an increasingly experimental nature including the highly acclaimed 2006 release "The Drift." Low on standard song structure and high on compositional and sonic variance, "The Drift" employs all manner of creating sound: from microphones placed in giant pine boxes which are then struck with various objects to the punching of sides of beef. The first video below is the official UK trail for "30th Century Man" and the video after it contains scenes including interviews and in the studio footage from the recording of "The Drift." If anyone has any info on the availability of the film please let me know.

David Byrne- perspective on the record industry

This article comes to us from Wire.com by way of electronic musician RJ Valeo's most excellent transelectronic blog. David Byrne should need no introduction so I'll skip the long version of the bio. What might not be general knowledge is that Mr. Byrne once ran a record label called Luaka Bop that has released and re-released many pleasurable albums including works by Brazilian artists Os Mutantes and Tom Ze. His combined experience as label owner, professional musician, and artistic Renaissance man gives him a valuable perspective on the present and future state of the recording arts. The article is from a while ago (well, December of last year anyways) but it does an excellent job of discussing the record industry from and artists perspective including the advantages and disadvantages of operating in different ways. A completely worthwhile read!

Adrian Legg

I was watching videos of pedal steel players the other day and stumbled upon this most interesting guitarist who has developed a style of playing six string guitar that mimics some of the the sounds and patterns typically associated with the pedal steel. Adrian Legg is a british finger style guitarist who began his career in the early 70's. His use of arpeggios is straight out of a classical guitarist book of tricks but the combination of altered tunings, sting bends and Keith banjo tuner bends gives the effect of a pedal steel. Keith banjo tuners (named for their inventor, bluegrass banjo player Bill Keith) have set screws allowing the user to define a set top and bottom pitch allowing for quick accurate bends. Its a trick many of the burning bluegrass players have employed but more and more guitarist are modifying their instruments with them (notably Clarence White who has them on the top and bottom strings of his telecaster). In the case of Adrian Legg, the guitar is a 12 string Ovation that has the headstock filled and then re-drilled for the banjo tuners. The extra space on the headstock allows for access to the larger banjo tuners and the wider string spacing is preferable for finger style. I'm going to modify an old Yamaha 12 string I have lying around as soon as I get a moment. Enjoy! (note, there is a second performance on this video by Brad Jones. I have no idea who he is and while the playing is good its really not that interesting... but perhaps you will like it. The Adrian Legg section ends at 2:39.

an update on last post...

The instrument that Brozman is playing in the video is referred to as the chaturangui. It is an Indian adaptation of the acoustic slide guitar that blends the sounds of Rudra Veena, Sarode, Sitar and Violin. Brozman's chaturangui has 22 strings but it seems that different luthiers make them in the range of 21 to 24 strings. Here is a link to one manufacturer of Hindustani slide guitars.

Bob Brozman plays Indian slide blues

I was preparing a blog post about slide guitar and as I was deciding what to include I came across this video of a performance by master musician and ethnomusicologist Bob Brozman and got really excited about it. Really Really excited about it !I believe this may be the 22 string instrument (some of them sympathetic strings) he acquired from Calcutta. This is one of pieces that on the one hand truly inspires you to play and on the other hand makes you think: "wow, am I ever going to be able to write anything this beautiful?"

the sounds down below....

Here's a quick one before I head out. My co-worker Creed sent me this link to recordings of the different sounds oceanic fish make. Now, like most people, years of seeing underwater documentaries has left me with the impression that the seas are primarily silent excepting whales, dolphins and the occasional island of trash gliding against a barrier reef. Turns out its bull. Diver's oxygen tanks and sealed goggle cameras mask the the veritable symphony of sound that exists down below. Here's a link to the sounds that fish make. The accompanying article in the NYTimes is rather interesting and has a nice little Rhode Island shout out. Turns out, when it comes to cataloging fish sounds.... We're Number 1! We're Number 1!

The most definitive tome on fish sounds was published in 1973 by the auspiciously named Marie Poland Fish and William H. Mowbray. Working at the Narragansett Marine Laboratory at the University of Rhode Island, they were granted access to Navy audio recordings made to detect enemy submarines. Because noisy underwater life kept interfering with the military’s objectives, the authors were asked to tease out the biologic from the manmade. The resulting work, “Sounds of Western North Atlantic Fishes: A Reference File of Underwater Biologic Sounds,” identifies the vocalizations of over 150 fish.

the act of doing in the moment

So I was trying to write a bit about the phrase "It is what it is" which seems omnipresent in speech patterns of late but I pulled the post. It was just too gnarled and convoluted. I'll get back to it at some point but for now, enjoy ubu.com's archiving of "On the Edge" an astounding 4 part 1992 British TV series on the art of musical improvisation across the world. The world might be a very different place if all our television programs were so clear, articulate, entertaining, and pointed. The fact that it is written and narrated by free improvising pioneer Derek Bailey doesn't hurt. The documentary travels across cultures and musical genres giving a well rounded sense of improvisation as an act intrinsic to the way humans make music. Much of the footage in this is not available elsewhere and at no point does the topic grow stale. Really, it is worth two hours of your time whether you are a musician or not! FYI, the four episodes appear in two parts on the page.

Our Robotic Future

Culled from the prestigious local net rag , an article from Reuters about our impeding replacement by robotic workers

Pata Pata

Recently, a part of my listening interest has gravitated towards African music and intersections between traditional African music and European music. There is something sublime about the natural ease and communicative power of African musics. The confluence of western and African music is some of the richest material, full of familiar forms rendered with a tradition of pulse and vocalization that is honest, compelling, and communal in its nature.

Amongst the most famous African musicians to an international audience is Miriam Makeba, a grammy winning South African artist whose international career was spearhead by none other than Harry Belefonte (note: gathering restraint from inexplicable desire to sing The Banana Boat Song). Aside from her career as a popular singer, Miriam Makeba was an energetic activist and her 1963 testimony before the United Nations Committee on Apartheid led to a ban on the sale of her records in South Africa and exile from the country. In 1968 she married Stokely Carmichael, a prominent leader of the Black Panther movement and more controversy ensued. Below are two excellent videos of her performing in 1966 with a backing band hailing from various parts of the world. Most of the concert is available on youtube. Scrolling through the backlog on What’s in My Ipod (one of my favorite music blogs) will also turn up a link to download a mp3 version of an excellent “best of” collection of Miriam Makeba and the Skylarks. Enjoy!

So a blog it is....

It begins. Over the years I've had many half baked attempts at keeping a blog which have all failed for a variety of reasons... NOT THIS TIME I SAY!. One reason for doing this is to share some things I find magical in the world with others. Also, I think it will help centralize some of my thoughts, ideas, and the things that are influencing them. I have a recent interest in cataloging such things and perhaps that interest will prove lasting. Hopefully this will cover a lot of areas: music, writing, film, pictures (I just got a new digital camera), personal reviews, events in my own life. I'm trying to keep it from being solely a music blog but because of who I am, I'm sure it will lean that way to a certain degree. Hopefully it will prove an entertaining and/or enlightening diversion. Leave some comments and let me know. FYI, the title of the blog comes from a 2005 interview with Nels Cline.

Ribot Telecaster