Re: [MMM] Bob Moses editorial

I love Bob Moses!

Sure, he's not the most tactful man, but who cares about tact when music is
being hurt.

God bless BOB!

GZ

Paul: I'm officially jealous that your a friend of Moses. Right on.

"D.Stearns" wrote:

> Hi everybody,
>
> Amidst some exaggerations and a pretty thick layer of crankiness, I
> think there's plenty to chew on in this letter Bob Moses sent to the
> Boston Phoenix regarding an article they ran entitled "Merenda Plays
> Mingus":
>
> http://www.amuletrecords.com/bios/moses3.htm
>
> On the surface of it, this may appear to have little to do with
> microtonality, but a lot of the larger issues that are brought up here
> surely do... I'd be interested to hear any thoughts that any of you
> might have regarding these thorny and often contentious issues.
>
> --Dan Stearns
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Bob is failing to recognize that not everyone can be a visionary. One
would hope then if those individuals whose abilities must rely on those that
are, could at least find one that had truly been ignored instead of the
"tried and true". If Mingus was alive today, he wouldn't be talking bout
Mingus.
Bob reminds us that artists are verbs not nouns.
BTw when Jacki Baard was asked who the greatest wind player he had
played with, his answer was ............this young kid from oklahoma ,Jim
French

"D.Stearns" wrote:

> Hi everybody,
>
> Amidst some exaggerations and a pretty thick layer of crankiness, I
> think there's plenty to chew on in this letter Bob Moses sent to the
> Boston Phoenix regarding an article they ran entitled "Merenda Plays
> Mingus":
>
> http://www.amuletrecords.com/bios/moses3.htm
>
> On the surface of it, this may appear to have little to do with
> microtonality, but a lot of the larger issues that are brought up here
> surely do... I'd be interested to hear any thoughts that any of you
> might have regarding these thorny and often contentious issues.
>
> --Dan Stearns

-- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria island
http://www.anaphoria.com

The Wandering Medicine Show
Wed. 8-9 KXLU 88.9 fm

Hi Jon,

I was indeed reminded of you and the position you often find yourself
in regarding Partch, spookily so.

As one who is on the outside of such a close personal connection of
the sort that ties Moses to Mingus and yourself to Partch, my view is
not nearly so intense. There's no way it could be.

What I would hope for above all else is something relatively
simple--that whoever would pay homage would do so in a way that
doesn't suck! That it wouldn't be exploitative and that they would do
some relevant aspect of their affections proud, that's enough for me.

thanks,

--Dan Stearns

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan M. Szanto" <JSZANTO@...>
To: <MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 9:58 PM
Subject: Re: [MMM] Bob Moses editorial

> Dan,
>
> {you wrote...}
> >On the surface of it, this may appear to have little to do with
> >microtonality
>
> Maybe, but I tend to think of this place as "Creating (Microtonal)
Music",
> and while the commonality is the discussion of microtonal items, it
is the
> creation of music that must reign...
>
> >but a lot of the larger issues that are brought up here surely
do... I'd
> >be interested to hear any thoughts that any of you might have
regarding
> >these thorny and often contentious issues.
>
> I would never put myself shoulder-to-shoulder with a deep human that
I've
> admired and been inspired by since the first time I heard him: Bob
Moses.
> One of the most transcendent nights of music I have ever experienced
was
> with Moses playing with Steve Swallow, Steve Kuhn, and Sheila
Jordan. He is
> a deep and passionate non-drummer, and means a lot to me.
>
> So all I can say is that the underlying tenor of his thoughts felt
so
> extraordinarily close to what I've had to talk about the last 6
years
> regarding the works of Partch. That so many now choose to utilize
> transcriptions and arrangements, for the simple pleasure of adding a
Partch
> work to their rep, with so little regard (or obvious disdain) for
his
> personal, and idiosyncratic, aesthetic - well, they are free to do
so in
> the literal, but spiritually it is a bankrupt rendition. (I've just
had
> occasion to vent spleen on this issue, as myself along with Danlee
Mitchell
> and a couple of other members of the Partch Ensemble were filmed and
> interviewed for a BBC documentary on Partch that will air in the
spring.
> We'll have to see what flack I catch from naming names, if it
doesn't get
> cut...).
>
> Thanks for sharing that, Dan - I'm going to pass it along to members
of the
> Harry Partch Foundation as well.
>
> Best,
> Jon
>
>
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>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>
>

Dan (again),

{you wrote...}
>I was indeed reminded of you and the position you often find yourself in >regarding Partch, spookily so.

Good to know that I'm not just self-absorbed! :)

>As one who is on the outside of such a close personal connection of the >sort that ties Moses to Mingus and yourself to Partch, my view is not >nearly so intense. There's no way it could be.

It is *very* difficult to delineate that intensity to others: I find that most just find it cultish or fetishistic. So be it; we've seen countless person-decades wasted trying to recreate the original aesthetic of an artist from a past era, and here I watch PoMo deconstruction before my very eyes *while* there are still those 'in the know' around to illuminate the situation.

Silly humans.

>What I would hope for above all else is something relatively simple--that >whoever would pay homage would do so in a way that doesn't suck! That it >wouldn't be exploitative and that they would do some relevant aspect of >their affections proud, that's enough for me.

Seems so simple, direct, honest, respectful, and art-affirming, doesn't it? Why can't it be so? Looks like ego and hubris walk hand-in-hand down this particular garden path. Feh.

With regards to a welcome writer,
Jon