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| Bickleton, WA |
"Most Western literature on the origin of butō, emphasizes ad nauseum that this particular Japanese dance practice arose from the ashes of the Second World War and its horrors. It has been said that effacement of the dancer's body -- a thematic idea of butō, which is often referred to as the dance of darkness -- and the transformation of the body both relate to Himikata's and Ohno's personal experiences of (and disdain for) the war. I disagree. Putting war in the foreground as a theoretical skeleton seems trite and reductive. Butō is more directly concerned with the experience of life, with realism (the philosophical interpretation of objective reality), with attentive observation of events, rather than representation and imitation (as in Western theatre, with its danced and acted masquerades): butō training asks dancers to be, not to act, to transform themselves, not to portray."
Sascia Pellegrini, from The Amplification of Sense
Texts
Recorded
June 15, 2025
Under a Blue Jungle Moon - Billie Holiday [from Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia]
songwriters of this era took care
with how their tunes worked their way through the changes
they were a part of the music
not simply along for the ride
An Interview with Adam Tendler on Hawaii Public Radio - Adam Tendler [from John Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano]
a view of Cage
from outside the church:
another crazy artist type
they're so wacky
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| Bickleton, WA |
a carefully threaded line
allows a range of motions
to be played
in its close regard
torch singers' melodic pole dance
Winkin' Blinkin' and Nod - The Brothers Four [from The Brothers Four Cross-Country Concert]
complete with unnecessary key to the allegory
Let There Be More Light - Pink Floyd [from A Saucerful of Secrets]
malleable stereo location
used as a signifier of structure location
(an established groove is sidelined
we'll be moving on now)
Penetration - The Stooges [from Raw Power]
locker room
underbreath
brag talk
more about guy-ness status
among guys
than about any actual sex
Darkness on the Edge of Town - Bruce Springsteen [from Darkness on the Edge of Town]
the need to feel like a hero
and its frustration
a weary groove
at the end of its chain
Brandenburg Suite: Polacca and Trio - The Canadian Brass [from High, Bright, Light and Clear]
sumptuous entertainment of a prior age
so quaint
June 16, 2025
Banned Rehearsal 135 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Anna K, Aaron Keyt, Neal Kosály-Meyer [April 2, 1988]
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| Bickleton, WA |
wanders
within a different definitive space feel
a vibe
within a vibe
(the vibes give)
aural auras
from Telepaths 17
back when I was mixing them
with modified doohickeys
in real time
using magnetic media
pipe organ and whir tubes
lazy after lunch nap drift
depiction
expression
to create a likeness
to create an image
difference?
likeness
is external to the music
image
is direct
immediate
Aaronsbundler de profundis
magic stirs
settles back
the vibes
still give
one
within
an other
then
the other
within
the one
La valse a mille temps - King's Singers [from Chansons d'amour]
light amusement
Glory to God (050510B) - Keith Eisenbrey - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey [recorded at Jack Straw Cultural Center, Seattle, May 10, 2005]
weave of strands
New Killer Star - David Bowie [from Reality]
lines follow upon the downbeat
the sidewalks and trees
June 17, 2025
Banned Rehearsal 739 - Isaac E, Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Neal Kosály-Meyer [May 19, 2008]
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| Bickleton, WA |
which is all we have
the art
is in not taking over
allowing all to color effectively
bandwagon boarding
an attractive nuisance
(none evident here)
(here
we are coloring)
best
if there is nothing available
to sync with
(all float!)
we are calm
rain drops on a puddle
Richmond - Learning Team [from Aporia Coda]
fade-in backdrop
the stage shifts
in anticipation
of a change
in poetic stance
Second Thoughts (Aa-Ff) - Keith Eisenbrey - Keith Eisenbrey [recorded live at The Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, Seattle, March 28, 2018]
what is the point
of the ascetic face of this?
to make plain
what the thought of it is
without the distractions
of transcendence or voluptuosity
to shine
a clarifying light
the juncture of wood grain, blue paint, and funky lights - Leanna Keith [from Three Vignettes]
feral (under cover)
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| Bickleton, WA |
pointed dissonance
charges
that register
with a history
beneath the mask
of the poet's voice
Der Engel sprach zu dem Hirten, SWV 395 - Heinrich Schütz - Capella Augustana
across the land
the same words are spoken
the words
connect the lands
and lift the voices
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod, BuxWV 198 - Dieterich Buxtehude - Simone Stella
the parts
hold eye contact
with each other
at all times
Deuxieme Ordre (re), La Terpsicore - François Couperin - Kenneth Gilbert
the hands
teach each other
and learn together
Was mir behagt, ist nur die munte Jagd, BWV 208 - Johann Sebastian Bach - Gächinger Kantorei, Helmut Rilling
a concerto
for horns and reeds and strings
(so that you'll remember to pay the fellows)
the clockwork of this
pulls one inside
he could play this game all night
everybody loves a happy couple
the sounds of strings
across an open soundbox
yowza!
where'd the choir come from?
one suspects
the music
is far better
than the text deserved
party dances
party toasts
happy scenes
with wine pairings
our hero
bedecked in acclaim
a glut in the earbrain
of voice leadings
in their dance clothes
Sonata in A Major, Kk. 279 - Domenico Scarlatti - Pieter-Jan Belder
figures as seen from many angles
or
it could be like this
or
the figure
sees you
from many angles
Symphony in G minor, K. 550 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Hans Graf
1
this recording seems bloodless
afeared of being anachronistically Romantic
forgot the Sturm und Drang
2
works better here
among the civilized
3
the law
is laid down
and stamped in triplicate
4
back office intrigue
and excitement
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| Bickleton, WA |
sun worship
which gives us light and warmth
but
which
itself
requires a deeper magic
encompassing
also
us
Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 28 #15 - Frédéric Chopin - Garrick Ohlsson
reluctant to depart
from homely comforts
dread thoughts
just beyond the walls
Album für die Jugend: Stückchen, Op. 68 #5 - Robert Schumann - Eric Le Sage
steady through the phrase ends
the oddity that enlivens
Prelude in E Major, Op. 33 #1 - Alexander Scriabin - Dmitri Alexeev
in the key of nymphs delighted
If I Can't Have The Sweetie - Paul Whiteman [from That Devilin' Tune]
intro measures to the stanza proper
a stage trick
playing with the percussion kitchen
of the vaudeville circuit
Can't Help Lovin' That Man - Helen Morgan [from Really The Blues]
this song shows up in another Allen Lowe Anthology
it came up quite recently
quite the vibrato
Orange Blossom Special - Roy Hall and His Blue Ridge Entertainers [form Turn Me Loose White Man]
quick bow work
with banter
train in the title
confirmed
the rhythm that transformed the West
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| Bickleton, WA |
Sonata No. 2 for Piano, Concord, Mass. (1943): Emerson (partial) - Charles Ives - Charles Ives [from Charles Ives Plays Charles Ives]
clash of jumbled parts
heaving themselves together
Sonatas and Interludes: Sonata III - John Cage - Boris Berman
ends and means
the piece
is lovely
executed
upon exact guidelines
Little Old Car - Peggy Lee [from Sea Shells]
a truly strange little song
novelty number
with high creepy quotient
Come And See About Me - Chris Kenner [from Land of 1000 Dances]
rhythm of the vocal
designed to isolate "me"
Tell Mama - Etta James [from Tell Mama]
you'll be better off
with me
anyway
Cut My Hair - The Who [from Quadrophenia]
di-affectual
a sincere faced affect
and a snarl faced affect
mods and rockers
Thirteen Emily Dickinson Songs: What If I Shall Not Want - George Perle - Bethany Beardslee, Morey Ritt
lines ascend queryingly
unresolvably
Here I Am On A Surfboard - The PKs [from Live in The Living Room]
one might say
that the doing of this
is a ritualized enactment
that
the sound result
isn't as crucial
as playing the part
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| Bickleton, WA |
an epistle
read over several times
message on a loop
Wolfgang Blumel, Austria [from The World Sings Goodnight]
sung near a whisper
Haunted Castle - The Kingsmen [from The Very Best of The Kingsmen]
stanzaic structure
laid bare
no pesky lyrics
to get in the way
Preludes 17-24 - Lockrem Johnson - Keith Eisenbrey [recorded live at University Temple United Methodist Church, Seattle, June 21, 2003]
17
the tempo shifts work quite well
with the dynamics
18
an edict
and its horrible execution
19
all about
how its tempos negotiate its meters
20
at a brave clip
bravely done
21
a bit too heavy
to negotiate the corners
22
ferocious
but witty
23
played
as a grand gesture
24
love the roar of that D
at the bottom of those fat chords
Pretty Hurts - Beyoncé [from I Am...Sasha Fierce]
in the manner
of a confession
and witness
for empowerment
encouragement
Banned Rehearsal 843 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Neal Kosály-Meyer [September 2, 2013]
out on the porch
a frog a guitar and a toy piano
with traffic and neighborhood
the frog has picked up a bug guitar
reflexive woodshedding
what does it do to us
now that we have learned it?
smash it
build another
scratch the surface
of an indecipherable groove
the texture of grooveness
a dramatic moment
the washboard presides
worry that tune
like an old bone
something big is bounced
Hit The Wall - Steve Layton [from Proxima Estación]
relentless training
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| Bickleton, WA |
dramatis personae
a loose fist of notes
metadiatonic
a new note
is a note
about its prior notes
strands of notes
about their prior notes
got together
like yarn art
and displayed on walls
music
for presentation in public life
-:-
music
for private study
music
to take in while seated
-:-
music
to ponder afoot
following sonorities
into the branches
cattail puppets
Cruel Woman - Hitch's Happy Harmonists [from That Devilin' Tune]
play so the joint jumps
a practiced routine
I'd Rather Be Dead and Buried In My Grave - Bessie Smith [from Empty Bed Blues]
tempo de raunch
You Must Be Born Again - Rev. Benny Campbell [from Goodbye, Babylon]
singing flat foot floogie
with the floo floo floo
as
the very type of damnable sin
Sil Vous Plais - Miles Davis Nonet [from That Devilin' Tune]
city life
buzzing about the lights
The Genius After Hours - Ray Charles, Milt Jackson [from Soul Brothers]
quivers between notes
as we are passed through both at once
(I'm Afraid) The Masquerade is Over - Stevie Wonder [from Recorded Live - The 12 Year Old Genius]
the technical execution
is wholly remarkable
not so sure about the song
as a performance
too much showy
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison [from Astral Weeks]
to be born again
on the rolling road
composes around the words
like cushions
way up in heaven
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| Bickleton, WA |
Bring On The Luce (Freda People) - John Lennon [from Mind Games]
sloganizing
to cash in
on the rabble rousing hustle
Balm in Gilead - Nina Simone [from Baltimore]
a well built melody
made of notes
arranged
to individuate their ordering
within the process
of hearing them
go by
October Love Song (short vocal) - Chris & Cosey [from October (Love Song)]
it is presented
as a manufactured object
as being
the point
of being presented
at all
these are my parts
I am them
Banned Telepath 19 Bickleton - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Bill Meyer, Marilyn Meyer [April 3, 1988]
we are playing cribbage
or
our elders are
muggins are mentioned
cards slap
we discuss assorted games
with cards
I Doubt It
Scruples
Spite and Malice
Gin Rummy
little slams
grand slams
rubbers
tricks
spades
hearts
chess in disarray
knight moves
you're learning fast
oh two for six eight
let's see
making tea
chess as a bonding event
all this deference going on
tea and chess and cribbage
which involves
keeping score
I describe
a pin of pawns
and bishops
and queens
lots of numbers
chess and cribbage
it's a race
I'm decidedly in need of moving
a spot for my knight
I may regret
ever giving K good advice
but
I will not stoop
to giving bad advice
17 big ones
actual 3D chess
a playing geometry of 8X8X8
still just 32 pieces?
same moves
but in both dimensions
are diagonal Ls
a thing?
shuffle meter
back when I had the blue-light tape recorder
lead on MacDuff
cribbage
is an enforced ritual negotiation
chess
an experienced episode
of concentration
procedure or puzzle
what would the most optimal defensive opening position be
if
each side must match
or not
check,
by the way
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| Bickleton, WA |
judgement is absolutely required
for there to be a music to attend
but
judgement of worth
is always a comment
about the judge
the sin of Pride
what's wrong
with admiring ones mirror
on occasion
a danger
in admiring ones own humility
utterly the wrong question
pretty much always anyway
Glory to God (050510C) - Keith Eisenbrey - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey [recorded at Jack Straw Cultural Center, Seattle, May 10, 2025]
an incomplete attempt
my fingers faulted
Days of Wine and Roses - Glenn Tate [from Days of Wine and Roses]
a song sung
as moods are sung
in classy mood bars
over classy mood drinks
and classy mood glances
Zither Film 16 - Keith Eisenbrey [May 27, 2008]
duration of sound signal
duration of repetition cycle
duration
of on
to off
duration
of on
to next on
disparately phased cycles
confound sequence
by expanding the possible modalities of reference
shuffle generated stochastic image
texture of debris scatter
on what would be a graph on paper
Floor Underneath Us - Mikey & Matty [from Harbor Island]
finding the shiny
where the shiny finds
are found
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| Bickleton, WA |
if a voice in poyphony
is personified
as a human utterance
then
there are modes of theater
concerning the number of characters in action at any time
comments from off stage
to be used with discretion
II: Atrium - Steve Peters [from Chamber Music]
pulsed pass through
hailing protocols among pulses
pulse texture scan
pulse contained in camera
In Session at The Tintinabulary
June 15, 2025
Conway - Keith Eisenbrey
June 16, 2025
Banned Rehearsal 1127 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Steve Kennedy, Neal Kosály-Meyer
Postscripts
Drops
Keith Eisenbrey 25: Figure Studies 2009-2010
These begin a series of solo piano improvisations I indulged in for several years. The first was made on December 7, 2009, and the second on January 11, 2010.
recordings of my compositions (and more!) can be found at keitheisenbrey.bandcamp.com - free to download or stream
