Lavelle / Mateen / Zappa Clarinets at WKCR 2009, track 1
Lavalle Mateen Zappa Clarinets at WKCR track 4
Did everyone have a beautiful Christmas? Truly the most wonderful time of the year. Everyone getting ready to have a fun filled New Year's? Gonna watch Dick Clark's Balls drop with Ryan Seacrest? Rocking, balls dropping, Times Square...isn't winter grand?
Speaking of the city of piss, these little numbers were recorded therein, again at the wonderful and totally unpisslike WKCR.
All you need to know about this session can be found at Brilliant Corners (a Boston Jazz Blog) in this post about Matt Lavelle--who was one third of the enclosed clarinet trio.
When conceptualising this trio, I had hoped for 3 alto clarinets. That didn't happen and I was very pleased in the end with the various configurations of Bb soprano, Eb alto and Bb bass clarinet as played by Matt, the fantastic Sabir Mateen and your host, me.
I played a segment from this session at Soundlines, (sort of written about here.) The promises of follow-up future group hugs from that event have desiccated, sloughed off and gotten lost in the easy to clean synthetic low pile industrial carpeting with the sensible pattern, leaving only vague and empty memories of hope for a meaningful and equitable relationship between the academy and improvisers. While it was happening, the attached pieces of music did get the attention and kudos of one Ron Coulter, who himself gave a very compelling presentation at said event.
(Ron, these are for you!)
Unfortunately, meaningful documentation of the presentations (and the presenters) has vanished from the ICASP website; yet another virtual disappointment in a long line of cyber sadnesses emanating from our beloved interwebs with regards to the documentation of that red-headed stepchild of a music, Crazy Experimental Freedom.
Regardless, the session was a joyous one. Time spent at WKCR playing Crazy Experimental Freedom Music with musicians of such high calibre is time well spent. Enjoy.
More thinly veiled swipes and semi exasperated expressions of disappointment coming your way in the next installment of the many installment of me!
copyright © 2010 Stanley Jason Zappa
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
A Christmas Message from Rev. Branch
To view on YouTube, click the above image. To watch via Vimeo, see below.For more by Reverend Branch, visit his website, RevBranch.com
© 2010 Rev. Raymond Branch, Wyatt Doyle
Friday, December 24, 2010
"Silent Night" by Rev. Raymond Branch
To view on YouTube, click the above image. To watch via Vimeo, see below.Recorded at the Heavenly Rainbow Baptist Church, December 2010.
For more by Reverend Branch, visit his website, RevBranch.com
© 2010 Rev. Raymond Branch, Wyatt Doyle
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Hells Jeah End Of Year List
Let's be honest; #1 on the 2010 end of year list? Watching you-tube!
A few things came my way this year. Our friend Max sent this delicious gem.
That's right, all of Billy Joel's greatest hits played all at once. And indeed, this is without any question the greatest, greatest-hit of Mr. Joel's career.
Visit wondertonic.tumblr.com and say thank you.
Bill Joel not your speed? How about Huey Lewis?
No? Abba maybe?
I'd sit through Mamma Mia if that was waiting as the grand finale. Wouldn't you?
Speaking of sitting, hopefully you're sitting down when you listen to Lin Yu Chun's performance of Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You.
I know I know, what feeling to feel first?
Speaking of Chinese renditions, I got a soprano saxophone in 2010. An Antigua Winds--you know Embrace the cold, play with fire.
Antigua Winds...who thought that up? (Embrace the cold, play with fire...who thought that up? Like, what the fuck can that possibly mean?) Was it someone born and raised in North America? If so, what demographic were they aiming for? File that one under "do words mean anything."
It's a fine horn. It came with a Yamaha 4c mouthpiece. Don't call it Mr. Right, call it Mr. Right Now. Evan Parker suggested I try the Selmer Super Session--because really, who doesn't love lots of words in a row all beginning with the same letter?
Mr. Parker told me that at the 2010 Vancouver Jazz festival, where I saw him play with the Alexander Von Schlippenbach trio. That was quite a thing...Paul Lovens is reverberating particularly clearly in my memory, but everyone played great. A fantastic evening of music. Thank you 2010.
Significant, but in a horrible way, 2010 was the year we lost Bill Dixon.
We also lost Gregory Issacs
Two very different and very beloved musicians. NO thank you 2010.
2010 will also be remembered as the year I organized my cassette collection. Anyone out there still rocking cassettes? Anyone out there know an easy, "supported" hardware/software combo for digitizing cassettes using Linux?
No? I didn't think so--but we're not going to let that stop us from loving two cassette rediscoveries.
The first features goats
The second features dogs.
If memory serves correct, 2010 was also the year Stop Requested and Black Cracker made their debut on the New Texture pan-media super corporation. But you knew that, and probably already have copies of both, right? I mean, Jesus H. Christ, it was on Dangerous Minds!
2010 is also the year that my electronica recording 88888888 was released. You can buy it on CDBaby. You can also purchase it as a download at this juncture, if that's your thing. If it isn't, the actual "product" is a hand made edition of 33, about five of which have been foisted upon friends and disinterested music industry types. There must be a pony somewhere, right?
2011...more digital days. January 1, 10, 11 as well as October and November 1, 10 and 11. November 11, 2011 should be a fun one. Or it should be the same old nonsense. Who can say? What does it matter? 12-21-2012 is just around the corner!
A few things came my way this year. Our friend Max sent this delicious gem.
That's right, all of Billy Joel's greatest hits played all at once. And indeed, this is without any question the greatest, greatest-hit of Mr. Joel's career.
Visit wondertonic.tumblr.com and say thank you.
Bill Joel not your speed? How about Huey Lewis?
No? Abba maybe?
I'd sit through Mamma Mia if that was waiting as the grand finale. Wouldn't you?
Speaking of sitting, hopefully you're sitting down when you listen to Lin Yu Chun's performance of Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You.
I know I know, what feeling to feel first?
Speaking of Chinese renditions, I got a soprano saxophone in 2010. An Antigua Winds--you know Embrace the cold, play with fire.
Antigua Winds...who thought that up? (Embrace the cold, play with fire...who thought that up? Like, what the fuck can that possibly mean?) Was it someone born and raised in North America? If so, what demographic were they aiming for? File that one under "do words mean anything."
It's a fine horn. It came with a Yamaha 4c mouthpiece. Don't call it Mr. Right, call it Mr. Right Now. Evan Parker suggested I try the Selmer Super Session--because really, who doesn't love lots of words in a row all beginning with the same letter?
Mr. Parker told me that at the 2010 Vancouver Jazz festival, where I saw him play with the Alexander Von Schlippenbach trio. That was quite a thing...Paul Lovens is reverberating particularly clearly in my memory, but everyone played great. A fantastic evening of music. Thank you 2010.
Significant, but in a horrible way, 2010 was the year we lost Bill Dixon.
We also lost Gregory Issacs
Two very different and very beloved musicians. NO thank you 2010.
2010 will also be remembered as the year I organized my cassette collection. Anyone out there still rocking cassettes? Anyone out there know an easy, "supported" hardware/software combo for digitizing cassettes using Linux?
No? I didn't think so--but we're not going to let that stop us from loving two cassette rediscoveries.
The first features goats
The second features dogs.
If memory serves correct, 2010 was also the year Stop Requested and Black Cracker made their debut on the New Texture pan-media super corporation. But you knew that, and probably already have copies of both, right? I mean, Jesus H. Christ, it was on Dangerous Minds!
2010 is also the year that my electronica recording 88888888 was released. You can buy it on CDBaby. You can also purchase it as a download at this juncture, if that's your thing. If it isn't, the actual "product" is a hand made edition of 33, about five of which have been foisted upon friends and disinterested music industry types. There must be a pony somewhere, right?
2011...more digital days. January 1, 10, 11 as well as October and November 1, 10 and 11. November 11, 2011 should be a fun one. Or it should be the same old nonsense. Who can say? What does it matter? 12-21-2012 is just around the corner!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Seventh of Many Instalments of Me
Certainly you all remember (and cherish) your time listening to The Sixth of Many Instalments of Me. In that post, I promised you the duo 2 years later.
And here it is. The Skrowaczewski Zappa duo, 2008.
Skrowaczewski / Zappa at Zappanale #19, Rehearsal 2008
Zappanale was many things, none the least of which being an opportunity to make more music with the wonderful Nick Skrowaczewski.
This track was recorded in the basement of the Zappanale headquarters right there in beautiful Bad Doberan Germany. It was recorded using Nick's Edirol hand held recording device.
The basement as I recall was your typical basement rehearsal room, complete with numerous posters and empty bottles of soda strewn everywhere. (Zappanale was a very soda-forward festival. Nick and I got 12 2 litre bottles of soda upon arrival. A mix-n-match pack if you will. My favorite flavor was the no flavor flavor. It had quite the sturdy bubble without any color or taste.) Maybe there was also a small childrens bicycle and a dryer in the rehearsal space? Anyhow, a real comfortable back-at-home-in-11th-grade kind of feeling.
No one was present for this recording (it was a rehearsal) and in retrospect, this might be some of the strongest work from that wee blip of productive time there in Germany. Which makes me think about the history of music, particularly how most of it is only known to the musicians making it. Rehearsal are often much hipper than the actual performance. How many rehearsal have you been to?
Yeah.
And with that, we wait with bated breath for the Eighth Instalment of Many Instalments of Me.
And here it is. The Skrowaczewski Zappa duo, 2008.
Skrowaczewski / Zappa at Zappanale #19, Rehearsal 2008
Zappanale was many things, none the least of which being an opportunity to make more music with the wonderful Nick Skrowaczewski.
This track was recorded in the basement of the Zappanale headquarters right there in beautiful Bad Doberan Germany. It was recorded using Nick's Edirol hand held recording device.
The basement as I recall was your typical basement rehearsal room, complete with numerous posters and empty bottles of soda strewn everywhere. (Zappanale was a very soda-forward festival. Nick and I got 12 2 litre bottles of soda upon arrival. A mix-n-match pack if you will. My favorite flavor was the no flavor flavor. It had quite the sturdy bubble without any color or taste.) Maybe there was also a small childrens bicycle and a dryer in the rehearsal space? Anyhow, a real comfortable back-at-home-in-11th-grade kind of feeling.
No one was present for this recording (it was a rehearsal) and in retrospect, this might be some of the strongest work from that wee blip of productive time there in Germany. Which makes me think about the history of music, particularly how most of it is only known to the musicians making it. Rehearsal are often much hipper than the actual performance. How many rehearsal have you been to?
Yeah.
And with that, we wait with bated breath for the Eighth Instalment of Many Instalments of Me.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
"Tell Me (When Jesus Was Born)" by Rev. Raymond Branch
To view on YouTube, click the above image. To watch via Vimeo, see below.Recorded at the Heavenly Rainbow Baptist Church, December 2010.
For more by Reverend Branch, visit his website, RevBranch.com
© 2010 Rev. Raymond Branch, Wyatt Doyle
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Sixth of Many Installments of Me
Skrowaczewski / Zappa live at WKCR 2007 by Stanley Jason Zappa
Interstellar Space...Papyrus...The Nick Skrowaczewski Stanley Jason Zappa duo? Stakes are pretty high with the duo. It's an instrumentation that lends itself well to embarrassment and humiliation. Unlike in the large(r) ensemble, there's no hiding in a duo.
On the flip side, the duo is a great way to share some feelings in no uncertain terms--perhaps even more so than the solo.
This track was recorded live at WKCR by Ben Young in 2007. The three or four of you who read this blog are no strangers to the joy and awesomeness that is WKCR and it's helmsman Herr Young. Live to 3 track? Maybe 1/4" reel to reel tape was involved? How soon we forget. What was I saying again?
Music making with Nick Skrowaczewski (drums on this one) is always a pleasurable, continually morphing reality. Next week (in the seventh of many installments of me) I'll post another duet from 2009. Will you hear a difference?
Stay tuned to answer that question for yourself!
Interstellar Space...Papyrus...The Nick Skrowaczewski Stanley Jason Zappa duo? Stakes are pretty high with the duo. It's an instrumentation that lends itself well to embarrassment and humiliation. Unlike in the large(r) ensemble, there's no hiding in a duo.
On the flip side, the duo is a great way to share some feelings in no uncertain terms--perhaps even more so than the solo.
This track was recorded live at WKCR by Ben Young in 2007. The three or four of you who read this blog are no strangers to the joy and awesomeness that is WKCR and it's helmsman Herr Young. Live to 3 track? Maybe 1/4" reel to reel tape was involved? How soon we forget. What was I saying again?
Music making with Nick Skrowaczewski (drums on this one) is always a pleasurable, continually morphing reality. Next week (in the seventh of many installments of me) I'll post another duet from 2009. Will you hear a difference?
Stay tuned to answer that question for yourself!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Josh Alan Friedman's "The Elevator Ride"
Gus was an elevator astronaut, perhaps, soaring, soaring through the 35-story heavens high above, driving his Otis car on its vertical route, o’er electrical cable and chain...
"The Elevator Ride," a short story by Josh Alan Friedman. Click here to read it now at Black Cracker Online.
"The Elevator Ride," a short story by Josh Alan Friedman. Click here to read it now at Black Cracker Online.
Monday, December 13, 2010
"Remembering Danny" by Wyatt Doyle
I learned I lost a friend today. I wish you could have met him.
Danny was a sweet old guy I meet through my kid sister. She’s a singer—she sings like an angel—and she frequently performs at senior citizens’ centers and hospice care facilities. Danny was a resident at the same place our grandfather passed his final days, and everyone there sure knew Danny. You couldn’t miss him: he used to sit out front, the unofficial greeter, enthusiastically welcoming and seeing off all who came and went. And despite the certain sadness inherent in even a fine senior living facility, a friendly hello from a cheerful soul like Danny can’t help but take some of the edge off. Not that I believe Danny thought that way; I think he just really liked people.
He adored my sister, and she was wild about him, too. She knew he and I would hit it off, so she made a point of introducing us the first time I tagged along to one of her shows there. After praising her voice and beauty to the skies, he informed me he was also a singer; and when I asked him what kind of music he sang (placing bets in my head whether it would be gospel or jazz), he surprised me by answering country and western…and also some classical—but acknowledged that was a long time ago.
I liked Danny a lot; it was near impossible not to. Confined to a wheelchair, his teeth were mostly gone and he was deeply critical of his appearance. His hearing wasn’t very good at all, and you usually had to repeat things several times before he picked up on exactly what you were saying. But he was rarely less than fully engaged—and fully engaging. Abandoned by his parents, he’d had a tough time from the very start; by his account he’d spent a lot of his life unloved and unwanted. But he didn’t dwell too heavily on the bad times, no matter that there’d been plenty of them. Maybe having survived them was more than enough; why spend the rest of your life reliving them? And while he was charming and funny and loved to talk, what really stood out was his apparently boundless joy and enthusiasm; he had an infectious laugh, and he seemed absolutely delighted by everything.
The spring before I saw him for the last time, my sister had phoned me after performing a show at Danny’s hospice. “I have some Danny news for you,” she told me. (I was always eager to hear how he was doing.) She went on to explain that as she finished her show, Danny—her #1 fan—asked if he could sing something. She always encourages her audiences to join in on the songs, so she presumed that’s what he intended. But Danny didn’t have a sing-along in mind; he wanted to solo. And before it could even occur to anyone to try to talk him out of it, solo he did, launching into an epic rendition of—wait for it—“Bali H’ai” from South Pacific. But he didn’t merely sing “Bali H’ai”; he belted the bejeezus out of it. “Bali H’ai,” loud as he could bellow. “Bali H’ai” to call the cows home. “Bali H’ai,” elongated and expanded, with new, improvised lyrics and scatting fills. “Bali H’ai” until the other residents were actually crying out, demanding he stop at once! “Bali H’ai,” no holds barred. Hearing the story I howled, and wished I could have been there. I could picture his hospice neighbors, groaning from their wheelchairs for Danny to stop, and Danny, up at the front, center stage in his wheelchair, head tossed back, singing his happy heart out. Unable to hear a word of their protests, showboating his way to his very own Bali Ha’i, wherever that may have been.
Last Christmas, I was back East and got to see Danny again. I’d been looking forward to it. We were able to sit and talk for a while after my sister’s show. He was fascinated that my camera could also capture video, and I asked him if he wanted me to record him singing something.
“What should I sing?” He asked me.
POSTSCRIPT:
Later, remembering his love for country music, I asked if he wanted to do a country and western number. His poor hearing prevented him from understanding my request the first, second and third times. After the fourth, he responded, “Oh, you want me to sing a gospel song!” (His tickled reaction to his own performance at the end of this clip makes it particularly special.)
copyright © 2010 Wyatt Doyle
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Make it a BLACK Christmas!
This holiday season, why not make it a Black Christmas for the crackers in your life? Signed copies of Josh's BLACK CRACKER are available NOW for immediate shipment! Click here to order.
You'll be in excellent company, as our Xmas book trailer attests...
click image above to view on YouTube, or below to watch on Vimeo
You'll be in excellent company, as our Xmas book trailer attests...
click image above to view on YouTube, or below to watch on Vimeo
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Fifth of Many Installments of Me
Hall Skrowaczewski Zappa Trio track one, 2005 by Stanley Jason Zappa
The Hall Skrowaczewski Zappa Trio...kind of rolls of the tongue like Medeski Martin and Wood. Like MMW, the HSZ trio trafficked in rollicking good fun.
Evidence again more Studer trickery. And why not? If it kind of worked once, keep using it again and again until it is tired and old and a nuisance. Culture does the same thing all the time--why shouldn't I?
On this track, Nick Skrowaczewski plays both vibes and drums (though not at the same time). I'm guessing that the vibes were overdubed over the existing trio. There might be two vibes going at once, come to think of it.
As far as I'm aware (and for the 6 to 7 of you who visit this site, please fill in my blanks), multi-tracking hasn't really enjoyed quite the same centrality in "this music" as it has in rock.
I know Dixon used it to great effect on Octette #1 from Vade Mecum II and...that's all I can think of! Who else? Help me here!
The Hall Skrowaczewski Zappa Trio...kind of rolls of the tongue like Medeski Martin and Wood. Like MMW, the HSZ trio trafficked in rollicking good fun.
Evidence again more Studer trickery. And why not? If it kind of worked once, keep using it again and again until it is tired and old and a nuisance. Culture does the same thing all the time--why shouldn't I?
On this track, Nick Skrowaczewski plays both vibes and drums (though not at the same time). I'm guessing that the vibes were overdubed over the existing trio. There might be two vibes going at once, come to think of it.
As far as I'm aware (and for the 6 to 7 of you who visit this site, please fill in my blanks), multi-tracking hasn't really enjoyed quite the same centrality in "this music" as it has in rock.
I know Dixon used it to great effect on Octette #1 from Vade Mecum II and...that's all I can think of! Who else? Help me here!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Fourth of Many Installments of Me
Here's a real thigh slapper!
Jon Van Wie There (2004) by Stanley Jason Zappa
This fun little number was the "midcourse" for that Kings Of Dispassion (or was it Friends Family Disease Death) record that never came out.
It is (duh) dedicated to the late great Jon Van Wie, who not only taught me (and countless others) how to play the guitar, but who also made me two mouthpieces--one for the tenor and one for the baritone.
I still play the one for the tenor--a modified Hite, that one. The other I dropped on a cement floor, shattering it, along with my psyche.
Getting back to Jon, it's fair to say that no amount of words will ever really do justice to his genius, the gifts of "knowledge and overstanding" he freely gave, or the huge crater of sadness and loss left in the wake of his passing.
It's probably also fair that the above little number doesn't do justice to any of that either.
It was, however, another occasion to have fun with a gigantic Studer tapedeck.
I do remember playing this for Bill Dixon. His reaction: "the out of tune piano thing isn't working."
Agree? Disagree?
Jon Van Wie There (2004) by Stanley Jason Zappa
This fun little number was the "midcourse" for that Kings Of Dispassion (or was it Friends Family Disease Death) record that never came out.
It is (duh) dedicated to the late great Jon Van Wie, who not only taught me (and countless others) how to play the guitar, but who also made me two mouthpieces--one for the tenor and one for the baritone.
I still play the one for the tenor--a modified Hite, that one. The other I dropped on a cement floor, shattering it, along with my psyche.
Getting back to Jon, it's fair to say that no amount of words will ever really do justice to his genius, the gifts of "knowledge and overstanding" he freely gave, or the huge crater of sadness and loss left in the wake of his passing.
It's probably also fair that the above little number doesn't do justice to any of that either.
It was, however, another occasion to have fun with a gigantic Studer tapedeck.
I do remember playing this for Bill Dixon. His reaction: "the out of tune piano thing isn't working."
Agree? Disagree?
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Third of Many Installments of Me
Track six from Friends Family Disease Death by Sistemazione
Towards the end of my Portland reality, I played pretty regularly with Jacob Hall, Matthew Freid and Jeffery Helwig. We had a nifty little combo called Sistemazione.
We had a semi regular thing at a happy and fun little club in Portland Oregon called The Dunes on the inviting and friendly MLK drive. Combine that with zero publicity (not bragging or complaining) and a Monday night and you get a regular, dedicated, guaranteed audience of usually between zero and one.
I liked that aspect of it...the dystopic setting combined with Portland's well disguised yet undeniable apathy toward and disinterest in a realisation of This Music without the central presence of clogs or vaudeville. I really could do what ever I wanted on that saxophone because absolutely no one cared. It was very liberating. I felt comfortable there. Maybe abuse is addictive, but in a way it was ideal.
This track was from the "record" which was stillborn, but still fun to make just the same. It was recorded at Audible Alchemy where Built to Spill eventually took up a multi year residence of extreme thoroughness. It's my favorite building on Mississippi Avenue there in hip, happening North Portland. Full of memories too--like the time I brought a toilet plunger there at 1am during a Wolf Parade recording session. Issac Brock thanked me personally: "That's what I call doing someone a nice" is what he said. When you need a plunger, you need a plunger I guess. The plumbing was brand new. Must have been quite the recording session.
More music to come from the Neve console and Studer deck at Audible Alchemy soon. Stay tuned for the next edition of Many Installments of Me!
Towards the end of my Portland reality, I played pretty regularly with Jacob Hall, Matthew Freid and Jeffery Helwig. We had a nifty little combo called Sistemazione.
We had a semi regular thing at a happy and fun little club in Portland Oregon called The Dunes on the inviting and friendly MLK drive. Combine that with zero publicity (not bragging or complaining) and a Monday night and you get a regular, dedicated, guaranteed audience of usually between zero and one.
I liked that aspect of it...the dystopic setting combined with Portland's well disguised yet undeniable apathy toward and disinterest in a realisation of This Music without the central presence of clogs or vaudeville. I really could do what ever I wanted on that saxophone because absolutely no one cared. It was very liberating. I felt comfortable there. Maybe abuse is addictive, but in a way it was ideal.
This track was from the "record" which was stillborn, but still fun to make just the same. It was recorded at Audible Alchemy where Built to Spill eventually took up a multi year residence of extreme thoroughness. It's my favorite building on Mississippi Avenue there in hip, happening North Portland. Full of memories too--like the time I brought a toilet plunger there at 1am during a Wolf Parade recording session. Issac Brock thanked me personally: "That's what I call doing someone a nice" is what he said. When you need a plunger, you need a plunger I guess. The plumbing was brand new. Must have been quite the recording session.
More music to come from the Neve console and Studer deck at Audible Alchemy soon. Stay tuned for the next edition of Many Installments of Me!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
"Thanksgiving at McDonald's in Times Square" by Josh Alan Friedman
Josh Alan's first 45.
To purchase your digital copy of the original "Thanksgiving at McDonald's in Times Square" single, click here.
© 1988, 2010 Josh Alan Friedman
Video by Wyatt Doyle & Josh Alan Friedman, with artwork by Drew Friedman. Visit DrewFriedman.net
Josh plays "Thanksgiving" live here.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Mary Woronov at La Luz de Jesus Gallery, December 2009
Visit MaryWoronov.com here.
copyright © 2009, 2010 Wyatt Doyle
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Second of Many Installments Of Me
All Of Them Are Mine by Stanley Jason Zappa
Of the many, many lingering regrets from my time at Bennington College, one of the big ones is not taking advantage of the computer music offerings.
Joel Chadabe headed up the department. I remember for some reason, in some class, he came and gave a lecture. Maybe he just gave a lecture...I can't remember. I do remember within moments of him opening his mouth having one of those d'oh! moments of bad, wherein I realised I should have been studying with him (as well) all along.
This one was made with a $1.00 (one dollar) MIDI keyboard, plugged into the computer via a high-latency cable, which may have come with the keyboard. At the time of this track's creation, my computer had a Yahama XG midi card.
The way this one was most likely made was by turning the recording tempo up as high as it could go. 999bpm maybe? Then, I pressed all the keys and all the buttons as fast and as frantically as I could. From there, it was slowed down to 20bpm. Thanks to the magic of MIDI, all the pitches stay the same. Love that! I made it, but I didn't make it. Love that even more!
While I don't really seek it out all that aggressively, I've had my joys with electronica and computer music. Conlan Nancarrow has to be thought of as a predecessor and antecedent to the world of MIDI, no? Gotta love Jazz From Hell and Civilization Phase III. There's nothing wrong with Kraftwerk, nor is there anything wrong with Matt Weston, nor is there anything wrong with Stalaktos.
I wish they'd hook some of these super computers up to a MIDI keyboard. Can you imagine the sound(s) one of those things could make turned up to eleven?
Of the many, many lingering regrets from my time at Bennington College, one of the big ones is not taking advantage of the computer music offerings.
Joel Chadabe headed up the department. I remember for some reason, in some class, he came and gave a lecture. Maybe he just gave a lecture...I can't remember. I do remember within moments of him opening his mouth having one of those d'oh! moments of bad, wherein I realised I should have been studying with him (as well) all along.
This one was made with a $1.00 (one dollar) MIDI keyboard, plugged into the computer via a high-latency cable, which may have come with the keyboard. At the time of this track's creation, my computer had a Yahama XG midi card.
The way this one was most likely made was by turning the recording tempo up as high as it could go. 999bpm maybe? Then, I pressed all the keys and all the buttons as fast and as frantically as I could. From there, it was slowed down to 20bpm. Thanks to the magic of MIDI, all the pitches stay the same. Love that! I made it, but I didn't make it. Love that even more!
While I don't really seek it out all that aggressively, I've had my joys with electronica and computer music. Conlan Nancarrow has to be thought of as a predecessor and antecedent to the world of MIDI, no? Gotta love Jazz From Hell and Civilization Phase III. There's nothing wrong with Kraftwerk, nor is there anything wrong with Matt Weston, nor is there anything wrong with Stalaktos.
I wish they'd hook some of these super computers up to a MIDI keyboard. Can you imagine the sound(s) one of those things could make turned up to eleven?
Monday, November 15, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The First of Many Installments of Me
Good news and bad news.
Good news: less me using hurt words
Bad News: more me making hurt sounds--you know, CEF or Shwe owei cwded leehdas or the Hated Music or the Beloved Music or my new favorite "Crazy people music" or what ever it is you want to call it.
Soap and Water Country Boy by the Leonard Skrowaczewski Zappa trio featuring Wyatt Doyle.
Soap and Water Country Boy features the sadly defunct and sorely missed Leonard Skrowaczewski Zappa trio with the addition of Wyatt Doyle on vocals. The track was recorded at KEXP in Seattle for a show called Sonarchy hosted by Doug Haire.
The recording was a lot of fun. Doug Haire was a joy to work with. A fast set up and a great sound within minutes. No excruciating microphone gymnastics or endless knob twiddlery.
Much of Wyatt's content is only meaningful to a handfull of people--lines like "That was the Little Man...the Little Man" resonate more fully with some than with others. The rest of are accessible to all: "Well, not the Jesus Christ, but a Jesus Christ."
The show was supposed to be for live broadcast. It was not. It was eventually broadcast, but according to those listening, as soon as the words started, the live transmission ended. HA! I think they went to a baseball game maybe?
More material from this session can be found here.
Stay tuned for more me!
Good news: less me using hurt words
Bad News: more me making hurt sounds--you know, CEF or Shwe owei cwded leehdas or the Hated Music or the Beloved Music or my new favorite "Crazy people music" or what ever it is you want to call it.
Soap and Water Country Boy by the Leonard Skrowaczewski Zappa trio featuring Wyatt Doyle.
Soap and Water Country Boy features the sadly defunct and sorely missed Leonard Skrowaczewski Zappa trio with the addition of Wyatt Doyle on vocals. The track was recorded at KEXP in Seattle for a show called Sonarchy hosted by Doug Haire.
The recording was a lot of fun. Doug Haire was a joy to work with. A fast set up and a great sound within minutes. No excruciating microphone gymnastics or endless knob twiddlery.
Much of Wyatt's content is only meaningful to a handfull of people--lines like "That was the Little Man...the Little Man" resonate more fully with some than with others. The rest of are accessible to all: "Well, not the Jesus Christ, but a Jesus Christ."
The show was supposed to be for live broadcast. It was not. It was eventually broadcast, but according to those listening, as soon as the words started, the live transmission ended. HA! I think they went to a baseball game maybe?
More material from this session can be found here.
Stay tuned for more me!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Happy Halloween! I'm Number One!
It was Drowning Witch or Goblin Girl. I wanted something with a sola, so Drowning Witch it is.
Don't get me wrong, I love me some Chad Wackerman as much as the next guy, but it is an enduring sorrow that FZ never played with anyone like Laurence Cook or Paul Lovens or Sunny Murray, or someone who could really go out. I can listen to that era of FZ's soloing for hours and hours and hours and still feel like, I dunno...like there was still more yet to be said/played/done. (Oddly, I don't feel that way the electronic music or the symphonic material.)
But really, this is no time for sorrow, because I'm number one! That's right, I'm the Number One Jazz Artist in the Reverb Nation of Kelowna! Or in Kelowna, I'm Reverb Nation's Number One Jazz Artist. EITHER WAY I'M NUMBER ONE!
That is thanks to FANS LIKE YOU! As you are well aware, Kelowna's place in Jazz history is unimpeachable--vibrant, rich and storied. Like me, just about synonymous with Jazz. Stanley Jason Zappa = Kelowna = Jazz. The music is a reflection of the place is the reflection of music is a reflection of me and I'M NUMBER ONE IN JAZZ OF IT ALL ACCORDING TO REVERBNATION!
So what's next you ask? Calgary? Who can say, but with me being NUMBER ONE JAZZ ARTIST IN KELOWNA, I'd say the whole damn world is probably mine for the picking. THANKS TO FANS LIKE YOU!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Josh Alan Friedman's "Bela Lugosi"
To view on YouTube, click the above image. To watch via Vimeo, see below.From THE WORST! Josh Alan's original musical based on the life of Ed Wood.
THE WORST! is available on CD and digital download from CD Baby. Click here to purchase.
© 1994, 2010 Josh Alan Friedman
Visit Josh Alan at Black Cracker Online.
Video by Wyatt Doyle, with artwork by Drew Friedman (from WARTS AND ALL by Drew Friedman and Josh Alan Friedman). Visit DrewFriedman.net
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
"How Great Thou Art" by Victoria Doyle & Rev. Raymond Branch
Recorded at the Heavenly Rainbow Baptist Church, August 2010.
To hear more by Victoria and to purchase her music, click here.
Visit Rev. Branch here.
© 2010 Rev. Raymond Branch, Victoria Doyle, Wyatt Doyle
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
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