"It's difficult to believe in reality."
George Quasha - from "Not Even Rabbits Go Down This Hole"
Texts
Live
October 4, 2023
Cornish Music Faculty Showcase
Raisbeck Auditorium, Seattle
Granada, Three Brief Episodes - Michael Nicololla
ornate flavor (Isaac Albéniz)
a critter amuses in the middle of a quiet
afternoon
3 Klezmer Tunes - James Falzone, Neil Welch, Ray Larsen
(Belf's Romanian Orchestra)
a revived genre for social celebration
The Great Train Race (by Ian Clarke) - Leanna Keith
took the flute world by storm
an amusement
Inside a Stone - Jesse Myers, Tom Baker
gently jostling
river washed
rubbing is rocks doing
Improvised - Ray Larsen
a little longer than short
leading a path where it flows
"Not the Right Time" and "Lookout" - Kaley Eaton
begin outside
spiral in
New Work for Quartet - Tom Varner, Neil Welch, Leanna Keith, Greg Campbell
vigorous stirring with bubbles
elaborate timer bells
intricate
decorations
twisted wine
Over Oceans - Johnaye Kendrick, Kelly Ash
vocal duet unaccompanied
Improvised - Marcin Pączkowski
becoming a multitude
September 30, 2023
Intermezzo in C Major, Op. 4 #4 - Robert Schumann - Eric Le Sage
getting mileage out of unanswered phrases
Mazurka in B minor, Op. 30 #2 - Frédéric Chopin - Garrick Ohlsson
turned over enough times
surely it will yield the hoped for response
Fie!
Turandot, Act 1 - Ferruccio Busoni - Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Gerd Albrecht, René Pape, Linda Plechm Gabriele Schreckenbach, Josef Protschka, Friedrich Molsberger, Celina Lindsley, Robert Wörle, Johannes Werner Prein, Gotthold Schwarz
one exotic
like any other
may as well be Mars
just so
the setting is sufficiently outside
any European's wider
understanding
of the culturally plausible
that anything is
possible
through-composed
on a different basis than Wagner or Verdi
the
music is the scenery costumes and lighting
and only peripherally
the characterization of the individuals
unabashedly stagy
an illustrated book of an opera
the pages are
opaque
we can't see through into the future
nor back into the past
we follow along as it is played for us
the whole apparatus
is presumably a stand-in for out-of-date ideas of
marriage
tonality moves from one uncertainty to the next
through back alleys and
hidden doors
the carefully composed lines for the singers are
commendable
Song 15 - Charles Ives - Carol Sams, Russ Warner
trips and stumbles lightly through the dance
Evonce (alternate take) -Thelonious Monk [from The Complete Blue Note Recordings)
even while in the background
a rhythmic sensibility
the piano solo
though brief
is hardly as packed with notes
as his
colleagues' are
Slippin' and Slidin' (demo) - Little Richard [from Here's Little Richard]
at an easy going tempo
allows inflection in the piano part
Hey, Good Lookin' - Ray Charles [from Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music]
Las Vegas is in the west
so it must be western music
no country
tavern
is going to have that size of an orchestra
The Gal from Joe's - Nina Simone [from High Priestess of Soul]
tempo of brassy bodily swagger
patterned motion from measure to measure
I Was Born In Love With You - Sarah Vaughan [from Sarah Vaughan with Michel LeGrand]
the urge to say something intelligent about these cuts
to prove that I
get it
do I
probably not
God Only Knows - Carole King [from Simple Things]
the habit of unpatterned dancing
free style
not a step
does
it ask
that the music
it is the dance of
be heavily
structured
clear to the floor
possible
the purpose
is not to
express
but to extradite
expel
purge
nice guitar work
back there
do New Jersey lads say
when we did ride
or
when we rode
or
when we went
pulling in an Americana flavor of high-falutin' hick
Glass Spiders - David Bowie [from Never Let Me Down]
tells us a story
one could almost
more mood than narrative
the presence of the spoken words
is nearer than that of the sung
words
we are further from the singer
than from the speaker
The Old Cow Died - Mike, Peggy, and Penny Seeger [from Animal Folk Songs For Children]
lessons in what can't be turned
Bernadette - Paul Simon [from Songs from the Capeman]
chipper
then suddenly slides into a charmed evening
Compass 3 - Jarrad Powell [from Natural Selection]
this tone has a texture
bumpy
flexible
powered
directed intent
becomes our space
all of it
we are
pulled inside
Downpour - Brandi Carlile [from The Story]
sneaking up on what one means to say
Feather Floats Away - Steve Layton & Improv Fridays [from Shared Circle]
an entry
a text
a sound
a memory
an artifact
time-stamped time stamp
the participants share a harmonic
sensibility and
a temporal
Meow-ow-ow - Mud on My Bra [from Demo #2 (Manger Studio Mixes)]
the world is full of creative ideas of self-expression
and of what might
count as that
high energy headbanging
Duo 2 - Sascia Pellegrini [from 7 Percussion Impossibilities]
room to dance in sparkle land
hide and seek between the drizzle drops
a rain game
lighting shift
the color of the day responds
Caprice en forme de Valse in E-flat Major, Op. 2 #8 - Clara Schumann - Susanne Grützmann
a dialog dance
light and witty
Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes - Jerry Lee Lewis [from Rare and Rockin']
riding on an infectious motion
whoop it up
in the voice of a teen
Wake Me When It's Over - Willie Nelson [from ...And Then I Wrote]
callibrated performance
doling out the lines without hurry
A Fool Such As I - Bob Dylan [from A Tree With Roots]
a drinking in misery song
utilitarian chord changes
Takin' My Time - Bonnie Raitt [from Sweet Forgiveness]
epistolary
the changes take an interesting bend at the end of the verse
stanza
it goes where it wasn't going
Job Mob - Ornette Coleman [from Of Human Feelings]
the puppet's many feet dance lightly
while its body floats above
in a stiller wind
to another location
Amy Grant - The Young Fresh Fellows [from The Men Who Loved Music]
topical novelty
bunch of dudes fartin' off
it tries so hard
but the vocal just doesn't have much range
I Wonder Where You Are - Back Burner [from Simmer On]
song as pretext for cooperative competence
modestly showy
Girl - Shannon Stephens [from Pull It Together]
fledging
what to expect
post launch
nice guitar sound
Somehow, They Will Know - Anxious Arms [from Never Was]
microphones right up to the amps
not a word is understood
especially the ones he's hollering
Somos Nada - Christina Aguilera [from Aguilera]
swinging for the upper deck
heavy beats on piano
long decay
left to do so
O Holy Night - The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble [from Festival of Carols in Brass]
no lazy dotted rhythms for these folks
nor even any histrionics in the
stratosphere
Ein Kleine Nachtmusik (first movement) - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [from 100 Greatest Classics]
cadential elision
some motions are allowed to complete their tasks
some are interrupted
a scenario that goes around and around
for all the latecomers
Track 14 - The Humidiflyers [from Humidiflyers 2002]
the word part
is in a more believable voice
when being sung
than when doing the spoken thing
which sounds like it was written
down to be spoken
A Pest You Metrosexuals (sic?) - The Capitol Steps [from O Christmas Bush]
Wedding Ring Vacation - Rachel Harrington [from Makin' Our House a Honky-Tonk]
lots of
-ation rhymes
gonna have some fuuuun
Your Type - Alvvays [from Antisocialites]
the word part
is partly a pretext
a spell to be cast
in
order to conjure this feel of being with people
opening down
settling
pressed
weighty
Girls Eyes - The Who [from The Who Sell Out]
doing American culture
as an act
and then an ad
sheesh
Bolero (selection) - Maurice Ravel [from 100 Greatest Classics]
but they cheated
fading in on just the last five minutes or so
but
as a whole
Satieesque
it's not like Ravel invented playing the
same rhythm over and over
Capriccio in E Major (#9) - Niccolò Paganini - Shlomo Mintz [from Masters of the Bow]
having firm words with myself
don't mind me
a ventriloquism
Telluride Song - Head For The Hills [from Robber's Roost]
a band
an activity
a family-like relationship
a team
a
shared endeavoring
in a common way of doing
Turn Up The Radio - Madonna [from MDNA]
how old-fashioned
make me louder
producer
stand-in for group
collaboration
the various filters through which she is singing
wander about in ovoid orbitals
Sea of Straight Faces - Ephrata [from Ephrata]
the care they have taken in their harmony singing shows
not done with
synths
Can't Go Home - Doug Kolmar [from So Said Life]
a nice hot cup of tea
well cozied
The Scarecrow - Pink Floyd [from The Piper At The Gates of Dawn (digital)]
clip clop
horse wagon
life in the shire
Remix for P is Free - Boogie Down Productions [from Criminal Minded]
self-promotion
of both band and genre
self-consciously branding
itself
within the societal conceit of brand competition
Battle - Gang Starr [from 8 Mile]
so the business of music is front and center
in the brand's conceit
the music within the business
seeks to turn around and shake hands
Sold Yer Guitar Blues - The Tripwires [from Makes You Look Around]
concerning the hard life
of dirt-level music
Collette - Yuni in Taxco [from Prizes]
long on the verge of a downbeat
which just snuck in the back door
those lines are about their pitch trajectory
a line
from top
downward to the floor
repeat
Blonde - Prom Queen [from Doom Wop]
in the middle of a doldrum
on the self-invention seas
a little bit
of bleach and a magic wand
Coenties Slip - Steve Peters [from With My Back To the World]
opening with a seed
three notes rising together
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite (take 7) - The Beatles [from Anthology]
feet with feats
feats with feet
Toys In The Attic - REM [from Dead Letter Office]
actively courting the possibility of dancing in two two
or
in a
quicker four four
your call
Spires - Pete Comley [from Lost City Music Volume 2]
an entire soundtrack
minus only dialogue
without film
but
even so
with lighting and camera work
intact
Big K - Goat [from Live at Sonarchy]
working with power tools
wear eye and ear protection
be mindful of
your fingers
router and lathe
table saw and power punch
Glad That You Asked - Song Sparrow Research [from Song Sparrow Research]
a voice is valid
by virtue of its being
as are we
equally
valid
by virtue of our being
not just
born so
nor
created so
but being so
in being
Why Change a Thing - Bad Cop/Bad Cop [from Warriors]
attacking life in the work place
where it drives
The New Savannah - Jostaberry [from Hello Turbine]
atypical chords and patterns
within the rock and roll world
the
mid bit
where the drum stays out
is nice
I find myself
asking for atypical drumming
to match the pitch stuff going on
Love Is a Contact Sport - Whitney Houston [from Whitney]
at what point historically
did the exigencies of music video production
impinge on the songwriting
blame the producers
suggestiveness
back in our more innocent age
The Teaching Begun in Samish - Johnny Moses [from When The Humans Thought They Were People]
lift up your people
my people
it was this whole thing
met in Chemistry class
a
red dress
navy blue skirt
not Gone With The Wind
who wrote
the script?
with a piano accompaniment
there are weird politics
behind each piety
but
these were a wonderful uncle and aunt
(Dave was my mom's brother)
Son of a Good Man - Bigfoot Wallace & His Wicked Sons [from Virgil]
down in a swamp
tell a story
set a mood
Motorcycle Blues - The Low Hums [from Night Magic Wine]
the words
are not much more than the title
all day long
a
constant
until the swerves
after the verse
the point of
having a keyboard player
is to have someone to drown out
Iron Tears (featuring Del Sol String Quartet) - Gamelan Pacifica [from Vessel]
in the space where all are foreign
the purpose of this music
is to
open possibilities
to weave tapestries
to beguile in incense
Chinese Arithmatic - Eric B. & Rakim [from Paid In Full]
transgressive exoticism
theft
there is nothing one-ish
about
beat one
an excuse for fancy drumming
Faith-Based Roundup - Dubious Duo [from Children of Siberia]
lots of yelling
The Drowsy Sleeper - Mary Lomax [from The Art of Field Recording]
reading the signs
going away to the wild goose country
Out of the Rain - The Swearengens [from Devil Gets Her Way]
hey babe
I'm really trying hard over here
I did all the stuff
what's your problem
I'm suffering out here
Zap Sistah - Amy Denio [from The Big Embrace]
the texts
are a means of accessing alternative forms
for a music
to take
Go-Flow - Michael Bisio and Matthew Shipp [from Flow of Everything]
searching outward
dendritical
a color of tunes
upon which
to lay ones weary bones
Saved Today - Total Experience Gospel Choir, Pat Wright [from Bits and Pieces]
ministry of celebration
new way of walking
new way of talking
How Do You Keep the Music Playing - Glenn Tate [from Some of My Favorite Love Songs]
sing the song
fill the breathing space with arpeggiation
and
sweeping gesture
Vacant City - Brendan Byrnes [from Micropangea]
finding worlds in machines
starting point
being commercial
song objects
internal boundaries
pushed at
via content
which
isn't their
without-which-something-else
kinds
of sounds
kinds of words
Beyond the Zero - Antonioni [from Lullablaze]
steady flow of words
over steady flows of sounds
from heels to
knee
dip back and forth
rocking motion
Brillenbrillanz (Spectacles-Luminosity) - Eric Nathan [from Missing Words]
announce first
ask yourself what you're about later
discussion
among the heralds
split into contending parties
talk it out
My Baby's Gone - Los Lobos [from By The Light Of The Moon]
upper trunk motion
with a wiggle
that rides down body
the
drums are the trunk
the guitars and bongos
are the wiggles
Who Got The Camera? - Ice Cube [from The Predator]
interaction residue
the news from one side
the talk from another
Sons of No One (The Replacements) - Andrew James Robison [recorded live at The Rat and Raven, Seattle, August 9, 2012]
living wih engines
that get us here to there
this one is on rails
Lady Lazarus Part II - Greg Sinibaldi [from Ariel]
untranslated signals
compressed data
crowd chatter
dis-coalescing beat
deep in the weeds
Let's Not Kid Ourselves - Star Anna [from Live at Rimbert Illustration]
follow the beat
as it occupies the sung melody
a tough sinew
Overture to The Marriage of Figaro - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [from 100 Greatest Classics]
all those keys have a past
I'll catch you up
while we wait for the
curtain
Save You - Pearl Jam [from Rearviewmirror]
it was the fashion
to include a bit of studio noise
before the song
proper
a signifier of authenticity
we're real
we plug in our
guitars just like you folks
high energy usage
simple parts
fancy singing
Balance Beam - Tyrannosaurus Grace [recorded live at The Rat and Raven, Seattle, August 9, 2012]
a story about something that happened
I told you so
disjointed
but the female vocal is fun
in a wild way
reckless yodel
Silver - Waxahatchee [from Out In The Storm]
a trip on the lips
Mid-Day - Hilda Doolittle - William Bond [from Quaking Aspen]
he speaks as though reading words aloud
without quite saying them
Erghen Diado - Bulgarian State Radio & TV Female Vocal Choir, Philip Koutev [from Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares, volume 1]
upscale vernacular
for National Pride
Little Red Rooster - The Myers Sisters [from The Art of Field Recording]
coming by possum stew
he will taste so good to you
what they mean
is not what they are
what they are
is
Rise of The Ancients - The Ancients [recorded live at The Rat and Raven, Seattle, August 9, 2012]
their theme song
battle hymn
really gets into it
Wait For A Call - Merchant Mariner [from Merchant Mariner]
music from a port of call
happenin' joint
imaginative tempo work in there
Part 6 - Claire Lodge [from Seconds]
a bass line
a tune line
and a rattle
now a drum
or
marimba or tabla
or both
or
a lamellophone of unknown shape
click stick too!
left with the guitar squealing its tires
Trip Through Your Wires - U2 [from The Joshua Tree]
this one works pretty well
Bono doesn't overdo it
almost keeps his
distance
Fat Chance - Swearin' [from Swearin']
stanza location
walls and echo and power
back and forth
Dinosaurs - Shallow Lenses [from War Poems]
looking back to better times
Arrival - Re:Naissance Opera [from Music from the Apocrypha Chronicles]
a dance is believable
or a play
or a pantomime
something on
a stage
art-museum film perhaps
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen - Michael Praetorius [from The Glory of the Krummhorn]
instrumentals are analyses of vocal part singing
just the music sans
words
except that we do get a singer after a cycle or so
robust
temperament
Severed Head - Ian Bell, John Teske [from Embers of Discontent (final mix)]
from Labor on the run
but labor was never a monolith always a theory
a public service announcement
with a twist of blade
Over My Head - Denise Glover [from Dreams of The Butterfly]
lines alternate rhyme-useful nonsense
and head-on statement disguised
with a rhyme
Speed Demon - Michael Jackson [from Bad]
composed from the dance out
question
is the child innocent
singing sexualized entendres
any ickier
than our
cultural hyper-sexualization of a teenager
Raiding The Refrigerator - Cowgirls, The
after a faded countoff
one two three four
seven kinds of awesome
Portland Town to Klamath Falls - Tony Furtado and Kristin Andreassen [from Roll Columbia]
from the internal migrations
the BPA uses Woody's cred
to tell
folks there's jobs in the Northwest
ports and railroads and timber work
to be had
A Day At The Beach - The Maldives [from Mad Lives]
in which
we can imagine a more poetic life for ourselves
Ghost - Kaley Lane Eaton [from Cedar]
there's a downbeat inherency
in how this settles down
densely
under miles of ocean
Christmas Hymn - London Symphony Orchestra [from Songs for the Holidays]
this arrangement counts as song abuse
Song 3 - Peterman - [recorded live at The Blue Moon, October 4, 2012]
proto Dead Bars
quite an enjoyable band as itself
Ted Sabatina - Camarones Orquestra Guitarrística [from Feeexta]
if you have no words
there is less for the censors to latch onto
7---~--~-~--~~----~-~---~~-~--~(Rojahn Remix) - Lost Chocolate Lab [from (Previously) Clean]
the titles could be considered as horizons
distant hills' contours
a code for compass direction
guitar strum poles
for a billowy cloud tent
In Session at The Tintinabulary
October 1, 2023
Sterling - Keith Eisenbrey
an arrangement of a shape-note tune from an 1846 song book
October 6, 2023
Two-Part Invention in G - Gavin Borchert
three more to go!
and they look to be considerably simpler than this one
was
Postscripts
Drops
Keith Eisenbrey 4: 1983-1984
I have started sharing collections of my compositions in albums on Bandcamp. This volume finishes up the music I wrote while I was in New York (state) under the ostensible supervision of the academic world.
Keith Eisenbrey 3: 1982-1983
This set of pieces was written in Red Hook, NY, and Malabar, FL, as I was beginning to think about thinking about music.
Keith Eisenbrey 2: 1981-1982
These are what occupied my time toward at the end of my undergrad days and in the year before I went east for a while.
Keith Eisenbrey 1: 1979-1981
These are the keyboard works I composed while an undergrad at the UW.
All are free for download.
Skaldmud's Doodle Gallery
listening journal doodles from 2010
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