Introspection, retrospection and his musical heroes
598292
Dominated by tasteful horn and string arrangements, this appealing album was Morrison's first great achievement of the 1990s. It has now been enhanced by the addition of a second version of the title track and So Quiet in Here. Van as Fan comes to the fore on the great 9 minute track In The Days Before Rock n Roll, an intelligent & absorbing reflection on his musical heroes.

There is plenty of modal & tempo variation. The tuneful Real Real Gone is catchy & rhythmic, the tender gospel song See Me Through is a stirring highlight whilst the exuberant Youth Of a 1000 Summers, a serenade to the "sweet bird of youth" is another true gem.

The music is accessible and melodious with definite pop appeal. Morrison pays tribute to his influences, many of which were American&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/soul-singers/dp/1904915108/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">soul singers</a>. Enlightenment is a soothing & introspective album where tasteful excursions into jazzy realms add a special touch.
3093935
Between Wyomings is Ken Mansfield's memoir of his life and times in the music industry and his reflections of God based upon those experiences. Mansfield is a former record executive and producer who has worked with some of the largest names in the music world, most notably The Beatles. Mansfield set out on a year-long road trip with his wife to revisit the places of his past and, in some ways, bring closure to the storylines that those places represented. In Between Wyomings, Mansfield swings like a pendulum between recounting the stories of his past and giving an almost stream of conscious play-by-play of his thoughts with God.

Between Wyomings is at its best when Mansfield is telling stores and anecdotes from his past, discussing bands that he helped form and artists that he produced. It is interesting to read the reflections of a now devoted Christian on the excesses of his past. And even though Mansfield drops names, he never does it to simply drop names; all of his stories serve a purpose, even if that's just to gain insight into his life that was and how it has affected his life that is.

However, when the pendulum swings to the other end, to the somewhat rambling interactions with God, Between Wyomings loses some steam. There are not a lot of these sections in the book, most of them appear in the first half, but when they came, I would find myself wishing Mansfield would get back to the stories. As a journey of self discovery, though, I can see how these sections are vital and important to his process. Mansfield needed to wrestle with some rambling thoughts in order to arrive at his goal of a more complete, more whole person.

Midway through the book, the stories and the ramblings begin to meet in the middle as they both gain more purpose: the stories cease to be simple anecdotes and become life altering events while the ramblings gain more focus and begin to highlight ways we can practically connect with God. That may be the greatest treasure of Between Wyomings, the journey in which we participate with Mansfield. He is honest and opens himself to his audience, not holding back his failures or his successes. And, in the end, we learn with Mansfield what it means to be a whole person, where our past, our present and our God help pave the way for our future.
630779
Playing Time - 78:07 -- Simply, a ballad is a narrative poem put to music and meant to be sung. The themes most often found in American ballads are romantic, nostalgic or sentimental in some respect. Sean Wilentz and Greil Marcus served as editors for this collection of historic and contemporary ballads. Some like "Ommie Wise," "Frankie" and "The Coo Coo Bird" were recorded in the 1920s, while tracks 4, 7 and 20 are previously unreleased songs just recorded in 2004.

Sean Wilentz, a history professor at Princeton University, also serves as historian-in-residence at Bob Dylan's official website. Greil Marcus was an Old Dominion Fellow at Princeton in 2002, and he now lives in Berkeley, Ca. Both realized the importance of the ballad in America's history, and they identified a need to capture (in a book and CD) a representation of this important musical art form.

In the accompanying book, Sean Wilentz and Greil Marcus have assembled an impressive group of writers and artists to assist them. Some include Paul Muldoon, Stanley Crouch, R. Crumb, Jon Langford, John Rockwell, Luc Sante, Joyce Carol Oates, and Dave Marsh. Many other novelists, essayists, performers, and critics also helped. They analyze and delve into the transcendent beauty and lasting power of the ballad. In the book (with its 25 illustrations), the collaborators provide a scholarly overview of America's most imaginative and expressive form.

The CD that accompanies the book has many popular ballads such as "Barbara Allen" and "The Wreck of the Old 97." Even more contemporary ballads from Bob Dylan, Marty Robbins, Dolly Parton, Randy Newman and Bruce Springsteen are also included. The jump from a 1927 recording of "Ommie Wise" at track 3 to the Anna Domino's 2004 rendition of "Little Maggie" at track 4 shows an interesting juxtaposition of the traditional vs. the contemporary.

The book presents a variety of art and commentary about stories and storytellers balladry  We can learn a lot about the history of our country and our America beliefs from studying about love, death, family, faith and liberty in these poetic songs. But where are all the train-themed and western ballads that we love so well? My hat's off to these musicologists who present an historical overview of a significant part of our nation's musical heritage. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)
3262763
We are allowed to view the dark side of Billy Joel in THE STRANGER.  In just one song, we are shown the soft interior of Bill's complex personality.  If you are reading this review, brace yourself for subversive and astonishing new ideas and theories about Billy Joel.
This review analyzes only one song, "The stranger", the title song of his 1976 album.  This one song is the greatest and most intriguing of all Billy Joel songs.  Joel rivals James Joyce as a master of putting into words the complex human desires of the brain.
"The Stranger" describes how all humans have a secret side of themselves that they keep hidden from the public but bring out in private to sexually gratify themselves.  These "secret faces" represent the embarrassing fetishes that people have, often sexual, that they perform in private and hide from everyone, even their lovers.  Some people, such as those guilty of indecent exposure, show their face in public, but the majority of the population keeps their face hidden in private.  When Billy Joel refers to "going south", he means revealing the secret face, or the stranger.
Then Bill discusses how people sometimes show their secret face to their lovers, but often times, the lovers reject the secret faces and fetishes of their partners.  When the urge of the Stranger, to commit the forbidden acts comes out, it is impossible to supress.  He says that though people try to supress the Stranger, they will "give into their desires when the stranger comes along."
Any of you out there who is reading this is thinking about their own fetish in their life, and is relating intensly in their head, whatever their "secret face" is.  There are many faces, some satin, steel, silk, or leather.  "The Stranger" is written in the stream of consciousness, a style pioneered by Joyce when he wrote "ULYSSES".  Perhaps unwittingly, Joel used many of Joyce's styles of writing in this particular song.  Joel is writing about his own stranger in his own life, whatever his own bizarre secret face is.  Thus the song is an emotional outpouring of his own emotion.  The style, beat, and lyrics of the song burst with Bill's cooped up anger and frustrated sexual energy.  This is why the song is a masterpiece, a musical classic.  It reaches into the deepest, darkest depths of Billy Joel's soul, as well as that of all mankind.
One of the great things about the Stranger is its usage of symbolism and bold lyrics.  It is up to the individual listener to interpret "The Stranger" more deeply, and search for its own meaning in relevance to themselves.  Most people upon hearing the song either hate it or love it.  It is classic Billy Joel, Billy Joel goes to the dark side...
3893451
To paraphrase Frank Zappa-writing about this collection of music is like trying to listen to architecture.  What more can be said about a consummate musician playing at the top of his game?  It's quite simply a stunning overview of Allman's work from his early days to near the end of his life.  Duane Allman is certainly one of the best guitar players-not only in the blues/rock/soul/r&b genres (also including his sometimes Coltrane like solos), but one of the best to ever pick up the instrument.  How could he play with such sensitivity-his solos full of feeling-and yet sometimes raw and smokin' hot?

Will there be some quibbling as to what's included and what should have been included?  Probably.  And that's okay, because his playing was so good that a lot of his equally fine music just wouldn't fit unless this collection was expanded to several more discs, and this is a retrospective of Allman's work.  But there's so much to enjoy here-even the familiar tunes seem to have added weight-because the music was judiciously chosen.  Hearing all this music in one place makes it even plainer that Allman was a one-of-a-kind-player.  I still remember hearing the ABB in their "Live Fillmore" period several times. And even towards the end of a tour, when the band was tired, Duane Allman would always rise to the occasion.  Those concerts are towards the top of my list of the best shows from the late 60's/early 70's.

The packaging is very nice.  Inside the substantial long box is a faux gold velvet lining, and two strings that are underneath the discs, which help get them out of the box.  Each disc is inside a soft paper envelope, with the tracks listed on the back.  The booklet (a bit shorter than the outer box) has an essay about Allman and the music included here. There's also an essay by Allman's daughter about her feelings for her father ("I am always searching for a song, a photograph, a moment saved in someone's memory to bring my father into sharper focus."), and gives this set a close personal feel.  The many photographs (b&w and color) are also well thought out.  Also included is a chronological track listing that has session details-most notably who played on what.

There's something for just about everybody here.  I say just about everybody because deep fans/collectors will certainly have most of this music.  But again, to hear Duane Allman's guitar (lead/slide/acoustic/electric/dobro) in the various contexts included in this set, makes for a powerful yet sensitive, exciting yet sometimes subtle, listening experience.  To fully hear and enjoy this collection, you'll need to listen to it a couple of times through-and just let the music run through your head.  Bouncing from the ABB to Ronnie Hawkins, to Lulu, and then Johnny Jenkins and John Hammond, not to mention the great Doris Duke, is touching on several genres of music in a relatively short time.  Likewise from Sam Samudio to Ronnie Hawkins (again), to Delaney and Bonnie & Friends, to the ABB, to the Grateful Dead-and then back to the ABB, to Herbie Mann-is quite a musical journey.  One last thing.  Why aren't the albums by Cowboy in print?  Their Capricorn Records albums need a good dusting off and given the "deluxe" treatment-remastering, period studio and live tracks-the whole works.  I still have the original vinyl albums and every time I hear them I wonder when they will be reissued.

I hope the fact that this is a "limited edition of 10,000" will allow all the people who want this set to purchase it.  On the underside of the box is that box's number of 10,000.  I thought long and hard about purchasing this collection because of the price.  But in the end art is priceless.  And Allman's playing is truly an art.
1670623
Concerned Retrospection

This is a unique collection of Dr. King's most penetrating insights. It tracks his moral progression and intellectual maturity from when he was mostly concerned about the injustices in the South, to larger and deeper concerns about racism and poverty in America more generally, and in the world at large. It is well known that towards the end of his life he had also embraced the peace movement and became a force for ending the Vietnam War. In this collection one will also see how his views on the war had begun to coalesce and gel with his other humanitarian concerns. Dr. King was no lightweight. He drank deep and kept his moral compass on alert at all times.

Reading Mrs Coretta Scott King's excellent introduction and summary of the major events in Dr. King's life, which itself encompasses the whole of the Civil Rights era, brought back uncertain memories and raised new questions about the goals and tactics of the Civil Rights movement of the past era, including the non-violent aspects of it. In my family only my Grandmother, Mrs. Lula Brown, and I participated in the sit-ins at the local Pine Bluff, Arkansas Woolworth's Lunch Counter. The non-violent movement was coordinated through St. James AME Methodist Church, which was about 8-10 blocks from downtown. Each day, the cowardly "good old boys" knowing that they could throw acid from the backs of their pickups with impunity never failed to show up from the countryside to do so.  That is until, violating the non-violent protocol I had been so carefully taught, I snatched one of them off the bed of the truck and began to plummet him. He was terrified, as well he should have been. At great embarrassment, I was kicked out of the non-violent movement.

But the point of this story is that neither my Grandmother nor I ever ate at the Woolworth's lunch counter once it was "integrated." And that is the nature of my concerned retrospection: All the symbolism aside, why, when discrimination in jobs, education, etc. were so much more important, were we getting acid throw in our faces to eat at a place from which, none of us would elect to eat in any case? Even 50 years later, the utter narrowness of the goals we had set for ourselves in the sit-in movement still seems to betray a serious commitment (beyond symbolism) to what our collective community needs really were.  This mismatch between means and ends has bothered me ever since being kicked out of the movement.

One can argue that sit-ins were the straw that broke the back of segregation. But was it? Arguably, the forces of resistance simply move the front lines back a few yards and turned their resistance in to a much more serious political movement.  The "old Southern Dixicrats" are now called "conservative Republicans." In the mean time Dr. King has been assassinated and we are left singing his praises with no programs, no movement, put plenty of lunch counters to eat at.

Three Stars.
1158610
Too much of the vision of Old Time Music, Black or white, is a misimpression set by the old veterans of the 1920s and 1930s music who were brought back to public attention in the late 1950s and 1960s as sixty, seventy, and even eighty-year olds.  The idea of an old time musician was of a wizened old white man, playing music sometimes masterfully, sometimes in manner that reflected their age and distance from playing in a living tradition.  In those years young old time musicians (remembering myself as a teenager now) affected the manners of the ancient, in an attempt to be "old timey." Sometimes, as I remember us back in the day, one would be afraid if we late teens on the band stand would keel over and die.

  The Dock Boggs, Tom Ashleys, Roscoe Holcombs, and Maybelle Carters of the 1960s were paying music they played when they were hot young people, playing for other young people, playing music of the kind that wild folk who got in trouble, got wild, and played music for people to dance, party, and seek affection to.

My own generation is now reaching the age of the old performers we rediscovered in the 1960s.  That and miseducation make too many of our performances even senile, museum piece replications with an educational purpose, rather than good music.

Such is not the case here.  You may find this the kind of music to be played to wake the dead or even enliven old farts like me
.
The Carolina Chocolate drops reverse this trend. It's a good point and word for the wise that the drops indicate each one's age in the liner notes. It is not that they are African Americans playing string band music, but it is that their approach is of young people, thorough musicians, but young people playing this music the way it was intended to be played, as exciting, not always perfect, music to evoke fun, dancing, impure thoughts, and throwing your body and soul into joy.

The band's strength is the great fiddling of Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson.  Of course, that fiddling works best with the expert support from the guitar, banjo (tenor, five, and six-string),jug, drum, and general exhortation of musical savant and songster Dom Flemmons. Anyone interested in good old time rhythm banjo and guitar (the most neglected thing in the world of old time music) needs to study this CD.

  The music isn't always over technical or overly masterful, but it is much more musical, dancing, bouncing, swinging and fun then a lot of recordings I have of more skilled fiddlers.  It is really real. It makes even senile seat addicts like me know one is isn't alive if one does not dance and dance to music like this.

This is why I like the band pieces on this CD much better than the solo pieces, because I think they have a loseness and joy which a number of bands that have been together longer don't keep or find difficulty in achieving.  Lets hope that they don't lose this as they become more practiced.

My personal favorites are the pieces that seem to be influenced by their collaboration with African American Heritage fiddler Joe Thompson of Mebane North Carolina.  These include Dona Got a Ramblin Mind, Ol Corn Likker, Black Annie, Georgie Buck, and Black Eyed Daisy.  I also am fond of their version of Sourwood Mountain, since that song has been done to death as a public school and camp song and by folkies who know nothing about old time music.  They infuse the song with a lot of fun excitement and danciability that makes it a lot of fun.

If you can't get enough from the clips here, they are played regularly on the Old Time Music radio program on live 365 Internet radio.  Listening to that will get you to buy this CD.

However, anyone with ears should buy this CD.  If you don't have the money, get a job.  If you cannot get that job, you may have to steal one, because you need it.
1357775
Although this space is mainly dedicated to reviewing political books and commenting on past and current political issues literary output is hardly the only form of political creation. Occasionally in the history of the American and international left musicians, artists and playwrights have given voice or provided visual reminders to the face of political struggle. With that thought in mind, every once in a while I have used this space to review those kinds of political expression.

This review was originally used to describe several of Woody Guthrie's recordings. This review takes an end around look at some previously unknown, if not hidden work from the 1940 and 1950s that were not songs, but poems, reflections, and "speak-outs" that came to mind when he had his lucid moments. And best of all, best of all for those, like me, who worry about the future of folk as the generation of '68 dwindles these works are recreated here and put to music (including producer Rob Wasserman's fatalistic bass, yes, bass work.

My musical tastes were formed, as were many of those of the generation of 1968, by Rock & Roll music exemplified by The Rolling Stones and Beatles and by the blues revival, both Delta and Chicago style. However, those forms as much as they gave pleasure were only marginally political at best. In short, these were entertainers performing material that spoke to us. In the most general sense that is all one should expect of a performer. Thus, for the most part that music need not be reviewed here. Those who thought that a new musical sensibility laid the foundations for a cultural or political revolution have long ago been proven wrong.

That said, in the early 1960's there nevertheless was another form of musical sensibility that was directly tied to radical political expression- the folk revival. This entailed a search for roots and relevancy in musical expression. While not all forms of folk music lent themselves to radical politics it is hard to see the 1960's cultural rebellion without giving a nod to such figures as Dave Van Ronk, the early Bob Dylan, Utah Phillips, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and others. Whatever entertainment value these performers provided they also spoke to and prodded our political development. They did have a message and an agenda and we responded as such. That these musicians' respective agendas proved inadequate and/or short-lived does not negate their affect on the times.

As I have noted in my review of Dave Van Ronk's work when I first heard folk music in my youth I felt unsure about whether I liked it or not. As least against my strong feelings about The Rolling Stones and my favorite blues artist such as Howlin' Wolf and Elmore James. Then on some late night radio folk show here in Boston I heard Dave Van Ronk singing "Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies" and that was it. From that time to the present folk music has been a staple of my musical tastes. From there I expanded my play list of folk artists with a political message.

Although I had probably heard Woody's "This Land is Your Land" at some earlier point I actually learned about his music second hand from early Bob Dylan covers of his work. While his influence has had its ebbs and flows since that time each succeeding generation of folk singers still seems to be drawn to his simple, honest tunes about the outlaws, outcasts and the forgotten people that made this country, for good or evil, what it is today. Since Woody did not have a particularly good voice nor was he an exceptional guitar player the message delivered by his songs is his real legacy.

And now we have a second legacy for the ages from the hard American populist. Stick outs here include Lou Reed (yes, that Lou Reed from the Velvet Underground) on The Debt I Owe., Voice by Ani DiFranco, I Heard A  Man Talking by the late Studs Terkel and  Jackson Browne on You Know The Night. All backed up exquisitely by Brother Wasserman. A tip of the hat to Woody and Rob.
1402178
Music appreciation is a very personal thing, and I can only express my own view, which others may disagree. The first thing is that I found Mr Watson's voice to be so beautiful. The timbre is exceptional indeed. I also found his singing to be so charming and communicative.  I often found the performance here exciting and full of joy.  I believe I listened with an open mind and these are merely my personal observations.  Everyone has their own tastes as far as music is concerned and I respect everyone's views, if with an open mind.
2765760
I read this book on a recent vacation and was kicking myself for not bringing Django Reinhardt CD's with me to listen to while I read.  I have been an admirer of Django's music for some time but was unaware of just how much influence his music had on artists of his time.  There are three reasons why I liked this book.  One, to understand Django's personality the author tells us a little of the history and culture of the gypsies.  Two, the backdrop of Django's life story is the Paris music scene during the 1920s, through the Nazi occupation of WWII, and the birth of bebop in the late 40s and early 50s.  And three, the amazing life story of what may be the greatest guitarist ever born.  All three of these aspect of the book are brought together to create an outstanding biography of Django Reinhardt.  But be warned that reading about this incredible talent may cause an insatiable desire to listen to his music.
4233417
Everyone loves lists -- the best of, worst of, what's hot, what's not.  We love to argue with the picks, think of what we would have added or deleted.  Now Paul Williams has produced the ultimate thought-provoking list:  The 20th Century Greatest Hits,  a collection of forty essays comprising a unique "top 40" list of art worth remembering.
First things first.  Paul Williams? you ask.  No, not the chubby blonde-haired songster of the 70's, but Paul S. Williams who in 1966 at age 17 founded  Crawdaddy!  the first American rock magazine - precursor to Rolling Stone.  He's been referred to as "legendary rock historian,"  "one of America's foremost writers of rock" and "our best rock journalist" by critics and musicians alike.
Williams is a prolific writer of "observation" books (some forty books in all, most available here on Amazon.com) that include insightful reviews of important musical artists that have influenced us over the past 30 years.  He has written extensively about Bob Dylan  (three books in print, with a fourth in the works.)  He's also written about Neil Young and Brian Wilson and is the author of the best selling underground classic Das Energi.  He's a keen observer; a mirror trying to reflect with crystal clarity what he hears and feels about not only music, but artistic events and those who create them.
"Great art, then, is not some objective phenomenon;  it is an essentially subjective, and often profoundly spiritual, personal experience on the part of a person or many persons reading a book, listening to a recording, looking at a painting,  watching a play or film..."
Williams has a way of touching your soul through his unique writing style and he's out done himself with this latest observation book.  "It's a tease actually," he affirms because it's not a top 40 music review.  It's a play on his own Rock and Roll: the 100 Best Singles,  published in 1993.  Only this book, The 20th Century Greatest Hits,  is not limited to rock or even music.  It's any work of art that he deemed memorable enough to make his "top 40" list of the century.  He includes literature, music recordings, paintings and performing artists.  In the book, he asks and answers the question "What is a unit of art?"
 "...there are great artists whose works are performances before a live audience.  I am a passionate appreciator of this type of art and have written a series of books about Bob Dylan as a performing artist in which I argue for the recognition of live performances, recorded or unrecorded, as works of art that can add up to a great  and memorable body of work just as surely as artworks that endure as physical objects."
An odd mishmash of  "art", you might think, when you first glance at The List and find Eleanor Roosevelt's Universal Declaration of Human Rights next to Winnie-the-Pooh and later followed by a concert performance of Umm Kulthum.  Not to worry,  once you read Williams' tantalizing and convincing arguments for their inclusion,  you'll be thankful you found this gem.
The List also includes songs by the Beatles and Billie Holiday;  works of Picasso and Matisse;  books by Philip K Dick, Jack Kerouac and James Joyce;  short stories of Borges and Sturgeon;  a translation of The I-Ching;  movies, poems, live performances and so much more.
"That's a primary purpose of the book is to talk about and to stimulate people to think about what art is and what that means to us personally," Williams says about his unusual selections.  All I can say is, he's successful. He makes you want to run out and  read, see or hear all of his choices.  To me, that's a Real Hit!  This collection deserves 5 stars for originality and expanding our view of what constitutes  The 20th Century Greatest Hits.
2327778
I have was drawn into the musical world of Tommy Bolin over 40 years ago as a young musician and immediately  was struck the truly unique "voice" this young guitarist possessed. Greg Prado, the author, has compiled a vast amount of material in the form of interviews with musicians, family, business associates and friends which encompassed some 50 individuals. Prato has these interviews and comments compartmentalized into the various periods of Tommy Bolin's musicial time lines. The author lets the interviews tell the story and lets the life of this fine  guitarist unfold without commentary or personal opinion.

Of note are the comments of his closest friends and musicians he respected such as Glenn Hughes ( Deep Purple bassist) whom shared Tommy's dangerous and fatal dance with drug addiction, Jan Hammer ( Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck) with his insight into the making of Billy Cobham's monumental Spectrum recording sessions and the painting of the musicians life in the heady days the 1970's. Greg Prato spins a web of life on the road with all the dangers of sex, drugs and rock and roll as told by the many musicians, Tommy's family (brother Johnnie Bolin ) and friends. While one might have expected a bit of analysis of his music and observations and commentary, the format the author has elected, works. You get none of the guessing of his untimely death in Florida in December of 1976, he lets the interviews speak for themselves.

This books puts much of his reasonably large output of material into historical context - rather startling when one realizes that the primary recorded output only covered 1969 to 1976. In only 8 years he moved from Zephyr to James Gang ( replacing Joe Walsh and Domenic Troiano) Deep Purple ( filling Ritchie Blackmore's very large shoes ) holding his own with Billy Cobham and Jan Hammer and putting out two solo recordings. His influence has reverberated for decades as a pivotal innovator as rock/jazz fusion was emerging in the 1970's. The link of Tommy Bolin spectacular guitar work on Billy Cobham's Specturm and a later release of Jeff Beck's Blow by Blow cannot be underestimated. Prato does not draw this conclusion, the musicians he interviewed do. The period in New York City is illuminating. Bolin and others were in uncharted experimentation period with rock musicians looking to the elements of jazz for more freedom for self expression.

Tommy's homage to Jimi Hendrix on hearing of his death is particularly poignant. Hendrix's impact on Bolin's style and creativity was unmistakable. Fate took the upper hand just as he was entering into the leadership role of his new solo material in late 1976. We can only wonder what might have been.

Bravo to Greg Prado.
100989
As the many references to Plato's world of Forms in this collection of essays suggest some of the ancient philosophers intuited fundamental truths about the nature of reality that seemed to be refuted by classical materialism but that now seem not so naive in the light of relativity and quantum mechanics.  Ask yourself: does a melody "exist".  What is it? is it its representation in musical notation?  Is it contained in the guitar string? Obviously it is a pattern -- information; a specific combination of pitch and rhythm.  I would argue that a given sequence of notes is actually, on its own, not a melody.  It is just a collection of notes.  It is not melody until it is perceived by a mind with the capacity to appreciate it as such.  So, again, what exactly "is" melody?  In what way can it be said to exist?  this book examines such problems through the intersection of information theory and physics, biology and theology. An interesting and enjoyable read
1642894
I enjoyed reading these backgrounds on songs that have impacted lives and the energies behind them. The memories shared by the writers outlining the muse behind their words and melodies was very enjoyable.
2767754
Art songs and song cycles have a long tradition, a marriage between poets and composers where each piece is a mini-tone poem for accompanying piano or chamber ensemble. Each musical era has its contributions: impressionistic, romantic, grim post-war modern. Composer Robert Paterson offers a post-modern selection of poetry and well-crafted scores that cover many musical styles to emphasize the humorous and touching texts and moods. This album is excellent in conception and performance, one that would make a fine gift for friends. It begins with the absurdist CAPTCHA, which is the acronym for Completely Automated Public Turin Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart, a computer program that presents randomly selected words, phrases, and partial text that in combination is gibberish. Paterson carefully selected such non-sequitor for a five section cycle in which the music alone makes dramatic sense even though the text is ridiculous and disconnected, very Dadaistic. Jesse Blumberg, baritone, and pianist Blair McMillen present utterly convincing performances that turn the conflict of meanings into smiles and chuckles. Winter Songs, the next grouping, is more traditional in approach with a selection of contemporary poems with various impressions of a truly winter (not Californian) season. Wallace Stevens, A. R. Ammons, Richard Wilbur, Robert Creely, and my favorite Billy Collins offer atmospheres and emotions; Paterson's wide spectrum of musical hues presented by the American Modern Ensemble of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion bring David Neal's bass-baritone vocals into sharp focus. Next, humor returns with Ron Singer's satirical poetry on eating and Paterson's witty music, including upper and downward flows in mimic of gastroesophageal reflux and piglike sounds. The first poem, My Body, a Temple, includes Tibetan bowl gongs, Hindustani phrases, and false flute overtones; and the Dietary Moralist has a folksy feeling via the plucking of strings and off-pitch back-up vocals. Robert Gardner is baritone. The ubiquitous telephone message recording device is the vehicle for Thursday and the characters who leave their news and requests. Soprano Nancy Allen Lundy relays the messages, and Bridget Meeds and Kenny Berkowitz are the authors here and also of the following work. The final cycle takes us to the ballpark with Dimitri Pittas, tenor, and McMillen again at the piano. The mind of a baseball player and his impressions of the sport are conveyed before, during, and after the game. I laughed. Kudos to all involved in this project.
4133319
Mark draws on the five (maybe six) senses in his lyrics - we get color, texture, flavor - like the salty taste of tears, for example as an appetizer for certain memories - and scent and sound.  "History" is a kaleidoscope and potpourri of sensations - of dreams (there's the sixth) and other things that linger in the memory.
Having been privileged to enjoy Mark's songs on occasion for thirty or forty years, we are delighted now to be able to play and share them at the touch of a button.
I am reminded of people I know in these stories and scenarios.  Furthermore, Mark delivers his thoughtful lyricism in a clear voice that is matched by a tasty blend of accompaniments by other brilliant musicians (Phil Gross, Dennis Caplinger, et al). Now that I think of it, this platter would go well with a really good bottle of a favorite vintage (my place or yours?)
P.S.  More songs, Mark, more songs!  My Android is half empty...!
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Steuermann was a profound musician, teacher, composer, and thinker, who died in 1964.  This book is thoughtfully edited (disclaimer, my teacher  - one of his students - was the editor) and full of his fascinating thoughts and insights about performing, interpretation, the role of the listener, and the direction of 20th century music, particularly, atonal and 12-tone composition.  Steuermann had a close association with Schoenberg and Webern, and took part in the first public performance of Pierrot Lunaire. His discussions of Schoenberg, the man, his music, and his influence, are noteworthy for any serious musician. As the editor notes, this is not always easy reading - Steuermann's writing was dense and often frustratingly less than clear. But the effort it takes to read this book is rewarded by its profundity.