"It was evening. Isabella and Emily had strolled out with Mr. Trundle; the
deaf old lady had fallen asleep in her chair; the snoring of the fat boy
penetrated in a low and monotonous sound from the distant kitchen; the buxom
servants were lounging at the side-door, enjoying the pleasantness of the
hour, and the delights of a flirtation, on first principles, with certain
unwieldy animals attached to the farm; and there sat the interesting pair,
uncared for by all, caring for none, and dreaming only of themselves: there
they sat, in short, like a pair of carefully folded kid gloves - bound up in
each other.
'I have forgotten my flowers,' said the spinster aunt.
'Water
them now,' said Mr. Tupman in accents of persuasion.
'You will take cold
in the evening air,' urged the spinster aunt affectionately.
'No, no,'
said Mr. Tupman, rising; 'it will do me good, Let me accompany you.'
The
lady paused to adjust the sling in which the left arm of the youth was placed,
and taking his right arm led him to the garden.
There was a bower at the
further end, with honeysuckle, jessamine, and creeping plants - one of those
sweet retreats, which humane men erect for the accommodation of spiders."
Charles Dickens - "The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club"
Texts
Live
September 10, 2022
NonSeq presents Arugakki
Kristofer Bergstrom and Minh Nguyen, with Heather Bentley, Leanna Keith,
and Karin Stevens
Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, Seattle
drum sharing
(several volumes into the Stone sticking books)
|||redolent of W.C. Fields|||
all the stage is a drum
September 16, 2022
Tom Baker Quartet and Leanna Keith
Gallery 1412, Seattle
Leanna Keith::
tube drum
pipe drum
bass flute multi-instrumentalism
presented as distinct
then
emerges as whole thought strand
within garden sounds
fast road nonstop long bridge
dark
forest night travel
alienic lights
mud pots
{{pitch set segments
gestural modulations thereof
among and from
certain intervals
problematizing vertical and horizontal
into a
solid figure that rotates freely in space
along all possible axes}}
Tom Baker Quartet::
heat to clarity
let settle
complex plating
lazy ramble turns vigorous
downhill coaster ride
I hope they know
whereto
they are hurtling at
{{voice leading is another means toward actualizing the relations lurking in
dichotomies
such as:
up down
vertical horizontal}}
a garden of careful grottos and reckless paths
September 10, 2022
La Volta, Fvb 159 - William Byrd - Claudio Columbo [from The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book]
the rhetoric of balanced answering phrases
threads back into the long
ago
Sonata in E minor, Kk. 198 - Domenico Scarlatti - Pieter-Jan Belder
offset answers and doubled statements
marbles in a lever board
Sonata in E-flat Major, D. 568 - Franz Schubert - Paul Badura-Skoda
1
here we use our pleases and thank yous
we don't interrupt
we wander
we do our best to steer clear of danger zones
it
is a pleasant day
let's keep it that way
flirtations with minor
thrills need not trouble us unduly
keep clear of thin spots above the
Byronics
easily avoided in this landscape
we may sleep
pleasantly
2
but at night
dreamy longings and worry
past sunset
on the veranda
3
things look sunnier in the morning
but more interesting
for the thinking
back
clever turns
to simpler things
all comes right at the ends
4
playing bowls
not even the grump can wreck the mood entirely
Divertissement brillant sur des motifs allemands in B-flat Major - Ludwig Schuncke - Tatiana Larianova
first we sweep the floor clean
so that
a song can be sung
and a bit of graceful dancing can amaze
a comic number can follow
proto Chico Marx
puppets!
slight but entertaining throughout
a more straightforward Papillons
less full of conceit
but as
full of fancy
Gonna Die With My Hammer in My Hand - The Williamson Brothers and Curry [from Anthology of American Folk Music]
regarding a hero
who fights
to save a brutal employment
music serves the text
by holding it up for all to see
Me, Myself, and I (take 2) - Billie Holiday [from Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia]
clear lyrics on a clear frame
play encouraged
just keep the frame
clearly going
Bird of Paradise - Charlie Parker [from The Complete Savoy and Dial Master Takes]
fluid magic
Cheek to Cheek - Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine [from The Irving Berlin Song Book]
a well made tune tells the words
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry Over You - The Beatles [from First Live Recordings, Volume 1]
so
this music makes no apparent attempt
to interpret the text as
such
fair enough
the words are there
to be words to sing
in whatever way the music
in this social context
needs words
to be
California, Here I Come - Bill Evans [from California, Here I Come]
this just leaves the words out completely
in favor of playful
exploration
of the how
of how
the melody intersects the
chord changes
Maria (You Were The Only One) - Michael Jackson [from Got To Be There]
the kid's got some pipes for sure
I'm not always convinced by his choice
of particular techniques in certain spots
his shout doesn't cut it
Come and Buy My Toys - David Bowie [from Starting Point]
folky
but with a somewhat less clumsy irony
and less message
than some
leaves a hint of an edge
Because I Do - X [from Under the Big Black Sun]
the music interprets an attitude
the words might
if I could make
them out
TV Dream - The Young Fresh Fellows [from The Men Who Loved Music]
all the old favorites
checking in with a particular generation
(mine)
(more or less)
Dance Around - Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, Joady Guthrie, Nora Guthrie Rotante, Abraham Guthrie, Cathyaliza Guthrie, Annie Guthrie, Anna Rotante, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Damon Guthrie, David Grover, Dan Velika, Terry (a la Berry) Hall, Rick Tiven, John Culpo [from Woody's 20 Grow Big Songs]
by some of them that did
Sanctus (Chant corse) - Ensemble Organum, Marcel Pérès [from Portrait]
from when the church allowed intricate and esoteric things
 |
| Gradus 17 |
September 12, 2022
In - An Auf [from An Auf]
it doesn't move or progress
it changes with the press of several
intentions
What's Wanting For - Your Mother Should Know [recorded live at The Comet Tavern, July 29, 2012]
an image of what a song is as a sound
overrides any other consideration
fits into a pre-image of what performance is
The Fight - The Maldives [from Mad Lives]
public sincerity
first person singular
sung by two voices
in
octaves
mostly rhythmic unison throughout
band plays the notes
without personality
so as to disappear
Banned Telepath 87 Dinner with Hummingbirds - Jennifer Chung, Aaron Keyt [June 5, 2022]
certainly there are chickens in the distance
and many tweeting birds
a quietish time
there was a bump
and that was probably the
hummingbird humming by
and another
yes
nearly a bee buzz
sound zipping past
Rowland, Fvb 160 - William Byrd - Claudio Columbo [from The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book]
music for private enjoyment
not the sort of thing to say in a crowd
or for one
more than a few people in the room breaks it
A Woman Gets Tired of the Same Man All the Time - Stovepipe #1 (Sam Jones) [from Allen Lowe's Really The Blues]
some sort of bowed instrument?
cello or bass or that size
or
imitating one
with some sort of jug-sized kazoo
his vocals are not
much more decipherable
behind whatever accent he has
Paducah,
Kentucky
Way Out On The Mountain - Frankie Wallace and his Guitar [from Evans 78s]
recording
and radio
and amplification
and distribution
really did a number on folk music
radio may have been the way
that a music designed for the porch or living room
found many
porches and living rooms
turning those porches and living rooms
into a commodity to be filled
Fantasy on "Frankie and Johnny' - Erroll Garner [from The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz]
instructions as to how swing works
pay attention
I think I need
more Erroll Garner
Budo - Miles Davis [from Birth of the Cool]
sophisticated venues require sophisticated music
Miles' game plan
It's So Heartbreakin' - Aretha Franklin [from The Electrifiying Aretha Franklin]
a low key Frankie and Johnny story
better advice than the pistol
she
tries
but the song doesn't have enough behind it to launch
The First Noel - The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble [from Festival of Carols in Brass]
trumpets take the tune
then the horn
back to trumpets
Angela - John Lennon and Yoko Ono [from Some Time in New York City]
the little sing song rhyme bit
is by far the strongest part of this song
otherwise rather flaccid
London's Burning - The Clash [from The Clash]
giving the disaffected a bullhorn
it won't be pleasant
Slender, White Vase - Orbaneja [from Orbaneja]
playing classy dress up party bores
Still The Same - Bonnie Guitar [from Dark Moon and Other Country Favorites]
song for a lonely road house
Act Like You Know - Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth [from Mecca and the Soul Brother]
a jumble of voices in the background
a jumble of articulation for the
verses
longish stanzas
Memory/Together Again - Janet Jackson [from The Velvet Rope]
the need for production value has taken over this song
only makes sense
on a large stage
with lights and dancers and an army of technicians
Not the First Time - The Humidiflyers [from Humidiflyers 2002]
a history lesson
Sputnik Love 02 Mixdown 01 - Keith Eisenbrey [February 20, 2007]
almost immediately
I hear a rhythm in triplets
which vanishes upon
closer inspection
in favor of a texture of pulsed sounds
in offset
layers
layer count irrecoverable
Sound Check - Beast of the Sky [recorded live at The Sound Effects Cafe, Seattle, October 26, 2012]
is what it is
and somebody says back pack several times
and the
ubiquitous how you guys doin' tonight
68 Chevelle - Your Mother Should Know [recorded live at Victory Lounge, Seattle, April 27, 2017]
far too intricate a tale to tell at a yell
Solo 1 - Sascia Pellegrini [from 7 Percussion Impossibilities]
kittens at play
intent absolute
Why Aske You, Fvb 161 - Traditional - Claudio Columbo [from The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book]
how is it that we can be so deeply involved in a music after just a chord and
a note or two?
how can so tiny a thing seem so potent?
clue?:
nothing is wasted
Dixie Cowboy - Aulton Ray [from Allen Lowe's Turn Me Loose White Man]
apparently this is in the collection twice
can't get the Dixie out of
the cowboy
report from the front
Milkcow's Calf Blues (DAL 403-2) Robert Johnson [from The Complete Recordings]
any deviance from the type
tells
becomes part of the conversation
I feel like milkin' and my cow won't come
and thusly we bid farewell to the late great Robert Johnson
Bikini - Dexter Gordon Quartet [from The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz]
music through binoculars
large field in a narrow scope
piano does
fine things with few notes
deftly placed
beatnik hot
I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues - Judy Garland [from Alone]
the arranger did a fine job for Judy here
allowing her to both be a
character singing and a stage star with full production
the backup
singers singing "Judy, Judy" are just creepy
a woman's right to sing the
blues
never out of control
Highway 51 - Bob Dylan [from Bob Dylan]
blues at a distance from the fact of the troubles
two syllable door
I Don't Want to Throw Rice - Dolly Parton [from Hello, I'm Dolly]
rocks or rice
pinging her voice to the pitch of the guitar's steel
tambourine in your ear up close
Take Me Riding in the Car - Woody Guthrie [from The Greatest Songs of Woody Guthrie]
ships and the little boats chug along
blow the horn
aroooaaaooaah!
Suzy is a Headbanger - Ramones [from Leave Home]
dance craze dancer legend
head
bang
ger
State Trooper - Bruce Springsteen [from Nebraska]
a bit heavy on the vocal echo
other than that
just about perfect
guitar on two notes essentially
and his vocal
also on two
notes
and a couple of quasi-yodel yells
toward the close
When the Rebbe Elimelech became so very merry - Itzhak Perlman [from Tradition]
Verses from the Abstract - A Tribe Called Quest [from The Low End Theory]
steady stream of words and syllables and feet and lines
Maggies - Mathew Rosenblum - Maggie Lane, California E.A.R. Unit: Dorothy Stone, James Rohrig, Robin Lorentz, Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, Amy Knoles, Arthur Jarvinen, Stephen L. Mosko [from Ancient Eyes]
fragments
of occasional Joyce
perhaps
or others
spoken
clearly
flatly
over a pretty instrumental background
recited
as literature is recited
as text is printed
spoken
like a raiment is worn
a list of harangues
alternates
Banned Rehearsal 638 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Neal Kosály-Meyer [June 14, 2002]
an applaw to open
a singular tone gathering details
morning
slow light
foragers arrive
early squirrels
cornet to
milk can
drum drum
piano persists
resistant membrane
keep at it
all improvising pianists need a tam tam hanging over
them
and a plow wheel
poke in through the top
not easy
shoulder to it comrades
ignore it
look the other way
fool it
sneak around it
by being over there too
darkness lingers in evening
scattering hymn
Hard-Boiled on the Wharf - Ghidra [from The Sound of Speed]
bipulsate as bass
chops energy foregrounded
they got it
no
doubt
and will certainly get it off
You're So Young - Your Mother Should Know [recorded live at The Comet Tavern, Seattle, July 29, 2012]
lets make it a test
open up the train case
right there
Unlabeled Track - Marjorie Palmer [from Make a Joyful Noise]
recorded on an inadequate device
if that is Marjorie singing
(a
first cousin of mine)
her voice has a distinct similarity to my mom's
voice
the song is straight out of the early 20th Century sentimental
sacred repertoire
lots of device noise
Banned Telepath 87 Samish Island - Jennifer Chung, Aaron Keyt [June 5, 2022]
in and out door sounds
sink water
button beeps
breeze and a
white noise
the track is essentially mono
so that
if I move
my head
the apparent source moves
keep one's head in the middle
for optimal compliance
In Session at The Tintinabulary
September 12, 2022
Banned Telepath 92 Rhymes with Food - Steve Kennedy
Banned Telepath 92 Tintinabulary - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Aaron Keyt
Banned Rehearsal 1059 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Steve Kennedy, Aaron Keyt
September 14, 2022
Prelude in C minor - Keith Eisenbrey
The Sun of Righteousness on me - Keith Eisenbrey
This Charles Wesley hymn text had been knocking around in my head for a few weeks. Its six-line stanzas and carefully paced lines appealed to me. The tune to which it is traditionally attached, "Wrestling Jacob" by Samuel Wesley, is a quintessentially austere mid-19th Century English Methodist square and proper setting intentionally devoid of any hint that pleasure might be got in singing it. I can dig that, but I fancy I can out-austere anybody so I thought I would give it a go. I started with a twisty chromatic melody, one note per syllable, then added a second part below that, limiting the vertical intervals to 3rds, 4ths, unisons, and their inversions. I think it would work well as a vocal duet, or as vocal with a melody instrument accompanying. Although I wrote it as a high part and a low part, either part could be transposed an octave to be sung or played in the same register as the other. I play it here on clavichord, and share Charles Wesley's text below.
1 The Sun of Righteousness on me
Hath risen with healing in his wings:
Withered
my nature's strength, from thee
My soul its life and succor brings;
My
help is all laid up above;
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
2 Contented now, upon my thigh
I halt till life's short journey end;
All
helplessness, all weakness, I
On thee alone for strength depend:
Nor
have I power from thee to move:
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
3 Lame as I am, I take the prey;
Hell, earth, and sin with ease
o'ercome;
I leap for joy, pursue my way,
And as a bounding hart, fly
home
To all eternity, to prove
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
Postscripts
Skaldmud's Doodle Gallery
some listening journal doodles from 1990
No comments:
Post a Comment