Re: Local Anomaly

Jon wrote:

> What a *cool* piece! I really enjoyed how ...

thanks!

> What I find very nice about this situation is that the tonality is
> kind of slinky ... basically minor cast of the piece...
> funky and somewhat dark drumming... "East Bay
> Grease"-style feel to it.

Im not even sure I know which coast the east bay is on, but
it seems like much of the feel gets across - Interesting that you
hear it as "minor" - there are both (just) major and (just) minor
thirds in there, though usually they're wiggling around.

> Would you mind posting a link to the directory where your music
> is stored at your site?

I hadnt actually posted Local Anomaly there (but just did).
Its now also at:

http://eceserv0.ece.wisc.edu/~sethares/mp3s/Local_Anomaly.mp3

Jacky wrote:

> ...James Blood Ulmer meets Frank Zappa...

Now Im blushing all over... though this piece does
"get rid of scales and chords" (I think it was JBU who said that)
in a way that I hadnt thought about. It bypasses
any kind of fixed-pitch scales and chords!

Bill Sethares

Bill,

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., sethares@e... wrote:
> Im not even sure I know which coast the east bay is on, but
> it seems like much of the feel gets across

Sorry for playing the 'ends' against the middle (Wisc.)! It's not
only a feel, but actually the name of an album by certainly one of
the funkiest bands to ever exist, Tower of Power; details at:

http://www.bumpcity.com/albums/ebg.html

But in any event, even if the major/minor was somewhat evenly
dispersed, with the somewhat low tuning of the drum sounds and the
style of drumming (played, composed, or looped?), it was (for me) on
the dark and greasy side as opposed to perky and bouncy. Don't we
just love conversations filled with exacting, specific
descriptions? :)

That's just how it struck me... read on.

> I hadnt actually posted Local Anomaly there (but just did).
> Its now also at:
>
> http://eceserv0.ece.wisc.edu/~sethares/mp3s/Local_Anomaly.mp3

...and thanks, so now I'll hear the whole piece and see if my
impression of the style and tuning change.

What I enjoy most is that you are applying techniques and tuning
that, in other hands, could end up as a dry and sterile 'test bed',
but instead you've done your work *and* had a fun time. We like.

Cheers,
Jon

Bill,

Almost forgot:

{you wrote...}
>Im not even sure I know which coast the east bay is on

This would be the east portion of the San Francisco Bay area, which is usually considered Oakland. Oakland being the home of the band "Tower of Power". You can't argue with a group that has as a member one of the greatest baritone saxophone players of all time, and who goes by the moniker "the Funky Doctor".

Cheers,
Jon

Sethares,

this piece is brilliant. I love it. I hear zero Zappa, but a bit of Ryuichi
Sakamoto. I have no idea if the spelling is correct.

Cerebral "itchy" funk. It illicits small, tremor like movements. I don't
hear ANY Tower of Power, I hear You. And I like what I hear.

Send me a cd sans drums, and I'd be overjoyed to play over this piece. If'n
you want.

Good job Bill!

GZ

GZ,

{you wrote...}
>Cerebral "itchy" funk. It illicits small, tremor like movements. I don't
>hear ANY Tower of Power, I hear You. And I like what I hear.

I referred to the greasy aspect of Maestro Sethares' funk, and didn't mean to imply a direct 1-to-1 relationship with ToP. No horn section, either. :)

Bill, now that I've heard the *whole* thing, I like it even more...

Cheers,
Jon

Jon wrote:

> it was (for me) on the dark and greasy side as opposed to
> perky and bouncy. Don't we just love conversations filled with
> exacting, specific descriptions? :)

thats a pretty clear description...

> What I enjoy most is that you are applying techniques
> and tuning that, in other hands, could end up as a dry and sterile 'test
> bed', but instead you've done your work *and* had a fun time. We like.

thanks, glad its working! and funning!

George wrote:

> this piece is brilliant. I love it. I hear zero Zappa, but a bit of Ryuichi
> Sakamoto.

Im not really in touch with my inner zappa,
but I love the description:

> Cerebral "itchy" funk. It illicits small, tremor like movements.

Im presuming that this is a good thing!

> Send me a cd sans drums, and I'd be overjoyed to
> play over this piece. If'n you want.

I'd be very happy to collaborate... perhaps email me
offline and we can discuss what the easiest way to do it is -
details of file formats and etc...

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., sethares@e... wrote:

> Now Im blushing all over... though this piece does
> "get rid of scales and chords" (I think it was JBU who said that)

Who's JBU?

> in a way that I hadnt thought about. It bypasses
> any kind of fixed-pitch scales and chords!
>
> Bill Sethares

Go Bill!

Bill,

{you wrote...}
>--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., sethares@e... wrote:
>
> > Now Im blushing all over... though this piece does
> > "get rid of scales and chords" (I think it was JBU who said that)
>
>Who's JBU?

I'm gonna take a stab: James 'Blood' Ulmer, renegade avant-jazz guitarist.

Cheers,
Jon

Oops! The original reply to this should have been addressed to Paul,
not Bill, who asked:

> Who's JBU?

Mom, who's tired...