Preface
Jasper Mountain Reserve
"Physiognomically regarded, the Sperm Whale is an anomalous creature. He has no proper nose. And since the nose is the central and most conspicuous of the features; and since it perhaps most modifies and finally controls their combined expression; hence it would seem that its entire absence, as an external appendage, must very largely affect the countenance of the whale. For as in landscape gardening, a spire, cupola, monument, or tower of some sort, is deemed almost indispensable to the completion of the scene; so no face can be physiognomically in keeping without the elevated openwork belfry of the nose. Dash the nose from Phidias's marble Jove, and what a sorry remainder! Nevertheless, Leviathan is of so mighty a magnitude, all his proportions are so stately, that the same deficiency which in the sculptured Jove were hideous, in him is no blemish at all. Nay, it is an added grandeur. A nose to the whale would have been impertinent. As on your physiognomical voyage you sail round his vast head in your jolly-boat, your noble conceptions of him are never insulted by the reflection that he has a nose to be pulled. A pestilent conceit, which so often will insist upon obtruding even when beholding the mightiest royal beadle on his throne."
Herman Melville, from Moby-Dick; or The Whale
Texts
Recorded
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| Jasper Mountain Reserve |
Gradus 383 - Neal Kosály-Meyer [June 12, 2023]
figures amplify former figures
include within themselves
an image
of their former appearances
tracking the motions of a body
through pitch space
or
is it
that
we track an active agent
through a pitch-enabled
thought space
peaceful repetition of figures
they sit and breathe
the notes themselves
and also
a shimmer
of their collective
lingerings
Madrigals, Book VIII: Ogni amante è guerrier: No. 2, Io che nell’otio nacqui e d’otio vissi - Claudio Monteverdi - Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini
the singers explain the situation
resorting to the occasional canonic
phrase or two
Wir danken dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BuxWV 224 - Dieterich Buxtehude - Simone Stella
the clauses of the chorale
are held within a container
made of
their elaborations
Premier livre de clavecin: Deuxieme Ordre (fin) : La Diligente. Legerement - François Couperin - Kenneth Gilbert
a moral lesson made pretty
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| Jasper Mountain Reserve |
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147 - Johann Sebastian Bach - Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Amsterdam Baroque Choir, Ton Koopman
music appears on the move
a cadence
approached from different
directions
in succession
joins
the directions
into
a temporally complex synthesis
oh
now there's a well-known chorale
(not the more famous words
{Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring})
so this may be a re-use of the
music
{maybe not
} well worth the redux if so
the tenor aria that follows
has a playful organ part
ah
back to the famous
(is that an accurate translation?)
{NB
Wikipedia says "inexact"}
Sonata in A Major, Kk. 285 - Domenico Scarlatti - Pieter-Jan Belder
coy phrase ends
lower neighbor
resolving up a step
like
asking a question of itself
Mr. Max Headrhyme
Sonata in C Major, K. 545 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Kristian
Bezuidenhout
Jasper Mountain Reserve
bravo articulations!
at ends of phrases
the string sound stops
then the box resonance fades
the box
hangs beyond the
as such
a marvel of compositional economy
the tempo bends to the song
ornamented repeated segment in the middle
movement
very tasteful
Prelude in B-flat Major, Op. 28 #21 - Frédéric Chopin - Garrick Ohlsson
heroic at their tender heart
Album für die Jugend, Op. 68 #11 "Sicilianisch" - Robert Schumann, Éric Le Sage
where did the notion of dance
with a national character
come from?
the Grand Tour?
this is the place
where the album
takes a curious turn
Prelude in B-flat Major, Op. 35 #2 - Alexander Scriabin - Dmitri Alexeev
at the keyboard
with some Wagnerian motions
must have heard
Tristan
(who hadn't?)
even
of somewhat Wagnerian proportions
(for a Scriabin Prelude)
Ham Beats All Meat - Dr. Humphrey Bates & His Possum Hunters [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
dances on light feet
a weightless wonder
ne'er touches the ground
but
the ground touches wonder
to
air again
The Same Old Story (take 2) - Billie Holiday [from Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia]
the tones fall from above
projected starlight
I like that piano
player
clear without being fancy
song
as a cinema scene
Sonatas and Interludes: Sonata VIII - John Cage - Boris Berman
one could consider
the effect
of preparation
upon the sounds
a piano makes
as
a specified marking
of certain notes
as
belonging
to one sound
and others
to
others
but
why make that distinction
specific?
an enforcement action
a barrier
armor
Little Girl Blue - Nina Simone [from Little Girl Blue]
piano begins
in perfect imitation
of a childlike innocence
as more commonly understood
that is
in Hallmarkland
now she's just showing off
complete with Amen
Second Fiddle - Willie Nelson [from Here's Willie Nelson]
poor guy
boo hoo
Joe or Jim
(Jim is a them)
country music clown contest
You're Gonna Hear From Me - Bill Evans [from Another Time: The Hilverson Concert]
my obsession with Bill Evans
is of long standing
my piano teacher
while I was in grade and high schools
was
(among other
things)
a fabulous jazz pianist
and his temptation for me
toward jazz
was Bill Evans
but
for me
it wasn't
the jazzness of it
that fascinated
so much as
the
sensitivity to touch and chord voicing
Intuition - John Lennon [from Mind Games]
Jasper Mountain Reserve
confession of self-delusion
(as a brag)
actually a pretty catchy little pop tune
Thirteen Dickinson Songs: The Loneliness One Dare Not Sound - George Perle - Bethany Beardslee, Morey Ritt
in shapes
such as music might make
in its darker dreams
with
consciousness
suspended
J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Suite: Allegro - The Canadian Brass [from High, Bright, Light and Clear]
busy elves
happy at their tasks
unless
dentistry
is
your thing
Banned Rehearsal 138 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Aaron Keyt [May 27, 1988]
the space of the sound's room
is immediately apparent
do we perceive environment
before we perceive objects in it
(within earmind)?
a sound
includes the space
in which
its fellow sounds
interpermeate it
(or else it gets lonely)
is this from a telepath?
so welcoming
are those disparate sources
do not
presume
do
enjoy
free space for causeless bliss
causeless thought
mind outside causation
an absurdity?
what might a caused thought look to be?
or appear to be?
what motive cause
causes thought?
the caws of crows
cause crows to caw
(strictly upon direct
observation
or
the lack of the possibility of it
we have no
way
to confirm
how far back in our evolutionary lineage
language goes
(nor music)
(nor mathematics)
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| Jasper Mountain Reserve |
we would have had the Yamaha in the big house
and those mics might have been a mite close
oh
now we're all getting silly
that confirms it:
all in the same space
at the same time
the rock and bone
are right there
in front of the squeaked
balloon
trianguclanglicar
over-indulged proximity
overflows the signal pipeline
that balloon
has been truly
and duly
squeaked
flatulently eloquent
what's sharpulence?
we are casting spells
World Island Festival - Sun Ra [from Monorails and Satellites]
no reason to let go just yet
time
to become more truly acquainted
closely held
restless chipmunks
drift unevenly to sleep
Here I Raise Mine Ebenezer - Keith Eisenbrey - Keith Eisenbrey [recorded June 26, 2014]
the old chromatic descent of arpeggios trick
fake to Ebenezoid quod libet
perhaps
a tad clever for its size
but wothehell archie wotthehell
Doo Ba Ba Ray - Karin Blaine [from Dirty Money]
hid behind the doo ba ba ray
even an ironic euphemism
is a euphemism
not
a speaking
plainly
(a flirtation)
July 30, 2025
Banned Rehearsal 742 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Neal Kosály-Meyer [July 21, 2008]
piano plays a soft chord on repeat
flutes hoot
a bell
a
peaceful scene
bass rumble
guitar keen
a quiet energy
content
to sit and observe
a pulse
does not impose
nor presume
Track 1 - Pouch [recorded live at Victory Lounge, July 6, 2013]
Jasper Mountain Reserve
a languid yell
shout out
over a brooding
Gradus 331 - Neal Kosály-Meyer [April 16, 2018]
note bunches
poked sharply
pinned firmly
pressed evenly
and smooth
a conversation
of touch types
and gaps
of many angles
we lust after regular cycles
a knowable known
old faithful
we revel
in elaborations thereof
what
is the there doing
in thereof?
whence comes it?
I know nothing of there
::
I know nothing thereof
?
I know nothing of it
::
I know nothing itof
?
therefor?
where is there for?
where is for there?
some other where
not there
not that there
some other there
that's where
points to a location
in the structure of the statement
it there
object location
there it
::
it there
a Romantic comedy
among the small
words
meanwhile
the pitch bunches play their touch game
touch
(the
game thereof)
new rung
watcha playing?
touch
my favorite
may I join?
(yes,
it would seem)
the old within the new
by means of continuity of gambit
fountain of open arms
revisiting Intermezzo I
sonority
articulation
touch
polyphony
motion
concrete to conceptual
musical motion
is entirely conceptual
sonority
entirely
sensual
Guns and Money - Steve Layton [from No Mind]
Jasper Mountain Reserve
reality loop
power pressure
ambient dystopia
(dystopia,
the ambiance thereof)
this music
is a box
with sounds in it
Travelin' Man - Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
made his livin'
stealin' chickens
police shot him
down
wouldn't give up
till then
trickster legend
Renard and Co.
They Are There!, third take (1943) - Charles Ives - Charles Ives [from Ives Plays Ives]
unsatisfied with the macho robustness of culture in general
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| Jasper Mountain Reserve |
I've Got a Woman - Ray Charles [from Ray Charles at Newport (live)]
heart to heart
fake to the blues
handoff to the celebration
Make Someone Happy - Stevie Wonder [from With a Song In My Heart]
money to be made
from the happy biz
song writing with spotlights and glitter
Money Won't Change You - Aretha Franklin [from Lady Soul]
community advice
being passed
in the guise
of theatricalized
sermonizing
One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor - Paul Simon [from There Goes Rhymin' Simon]
opens in the elevator
piano figure
ticking off the floors
in passing
our common packaging
architecture
Privilege (Set Me Free) - Patti Smith Group [from Easter]
the words of the Psalm
set off
in their own typeface
Rockaway Beach - the PKs [from Live in the Living Room]
neon sign
after
neon sign
vacancy
eats
Image - T Bone Burnett [from The Talking Animals]
Jasper Mountain Reserve
Moulin Rouge
liberally applied
lurid stage lighting
same old
story
in any lingo
Con amores, la mia madre - King's Singers [from Chanson d'amour]
respectful arrangement
of a pleasant song
Shadow Dance - Tingstad & Rumbel [from American Acoustic]
an album of songs
played together
to celebrate
the good time
of playing together
greeting card smarmy
no questions no conflict
Song of Solomon 3:1-3 (051705 E) - Keith Eisenbrey - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey [recorded at Jack Straw Cultural Center, May 17, 2005]
I'm pleased with the piano part
how
it is clearly a piano
but also
clearly
imitating other instruments
id est
two smaller instruments
within the piano as a whole
(no
preparations necessary)
Symphony #1, fourth movement - Chuck Graef
a scene at the beach
Summer Holidays
cameraman people watching
haggle in the market
a booth
with an enchantress
another
with kites
Banned Rehearsal 846 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Aaron Keyt, Neal Kosály-Meyer [October 28, 2013]
rattle jumps right in
on the resonance
of the announcement
an art music
made from scratches
upon the surface of space
let's make sci fi woo woo sounds
subtle the scratch
subtle the art
subtle the music
accepted
a conceptual geometry of space
within time
and time
within space
neo-non-Euclidean
cyclically warped
the strangest sounds
hint
at chambers
of occulted
geometries
what does a triangle sound like here?
soft spoken egalitarian noise culture
polyloquy
Different Rules - Red Car Burns [from Red Car Burns split with Dead Bars]
making sense of contradictory instructions
pig pile arrangement
Banned Rehearsal 1078 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Steve Kennedy, Aaron Keyt, Neal Kosály-Meyer [June 19, 2023]
it must have been chilly
as we are indoors in June
we discover the session
by tapping on things
or plucking
as the object requests
we dive
into banjotwang
in a niche sort of way
can a solid have eight equal faces?
(yes!!)
would the construction
of a solid
of eight equal faces
require
that space bend
to accommodate the math
(not necessarily)
Spider Man Blues - Bessie Smith [from Empty Bed Blues]
Jasper Mountain Reserve
the room this music happened in
as a microphone hears it
instrumental response
neither affirmation nor denial
nor neutral
nor uninvolved
This Is It - Judy Garland [from Judy In Love]
the tell-tale signifiers of cinematic happily ever afters
To Thee We Sing - Lake Washington Singers, Betty Eisenbrey, Joanne Deacon [recorded April 16, 1963]
mid century troubled triumphalism
with imported tenor
moodword painting
The Gift - The Velvet Underground [from White Light/White Heat]
a story indifferenlty told
(with an accent)
sophomoric shock
ending
monotonal narrative prosody
marking time
ha ha
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| Jasper Mountain Reserve |
This Song Has No Title - Elton John [from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road]
and its purpose
is to fill a crack in the album
Baby - Prince [from For You]
production value clogging every pore
October Love Song, dance mix - Chris & Cosey [from October (Love Song)]
the vocal track
dripped in
bits by bits
to drip
out of
sight
below the machine dance
separating each part
for ease of re-use
In Session at The Tintinabulary
July 27, 2025
Ashley - Keith Eisenbrey
July 28, 2025
Banned Rehearsal 1130 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Steve Kennedy, Aaron Keyt, Neal Kosály-Meyer
Postscripts
Drops
Keith Eisenbrey 26: Figure Studies 201 (part 1)
Two more solo piano improvisations. These are both from early in 2010.
1. Figure Study 100315
2. Figure Study 100405
recordings of my compositions (and more!) can be found at keitheisenbrey.bandcamp.com - free to download or stream
