Notes from the field...

Hello everyone! I wanted to report on a couple of microtonal presentations
I saw last week at the Percussive Arts Society Intenational Convention in
Anaheim, California (hell, at the *Disneyland* Hotel and Convention Center,
no less...). These took place on the first day, which is designated "New
Music and Research Day".

The first presenter was George Zelenz, who was to introduce "Intonation and
Instrument Design: A Practical Approach to an Evolving Relationship".
Unfortunately, the seminar/concert bore little resemblence to the announced
title. Mr. Zelenz proceeded to give an introductory lecture/demonstration
of just intonation, utilizing overhead diagrams and a large tubalong
instrument definately built on Erv Wilson's principles. The information
wasn't organized too well, and my notes can't tell me if the instrument was
22TET or 11-limit JI; it was another aluminum-tube-with-no-resonators type
of thing, so nothing special there.

This was the kind of seminar that falls in my "missed opportunity"
category; though the audience wasn't gigantic, it was the kind of people
that would be open to new ideas and musics. Instead, we were treated to the
typical "tyranny of equal temperment", scattered bits of numerical data and
noodling on the instrument. I really had Neil H. in mind, as he probably
would have stormed the stage and *demanded* that the guy go home and get
his chops together. The only hope was a tape he played at the end, which
was Mr. Zelenz on drums, unknown fretless bass player and sequenced
just-tuned synth -- a fairly funky piece. If he continues in this direction
maybe someone will be swayed, but this afternoon was a lost cause.

On a brighter note was the following hour, with Kraig Grady presenting some
of his instruments from the island of Anaphoria :) Mr. Grady is an
unassuming fellow who has also learned from Erv Wilson. Unlike some others,
he has developed quite a few good sounding (and looking!) instruments of
various designs -- metallophones, marimbas, hammered string and reed
organs. During this session, Mr. Grady played a short piece on an 11-limit
just metallophone and demonstrated a bass metallophone, and discussed
developing instruments for the ensemble. Logistics precluded my attendance
at a concert later that evening, but Kraig has a second CD out and has the
beginning of a web site.

Kraig Grady has taken an interesting tack, building the imaginary folklore
and music of Anaphoria as a path to just intonation explorations. Combined
with an appealing visual approach to instrument building, the net effect
supercedes the sometimes wandering quality of the
compositions/improvisations. It would be a lovely evening to see one of his
frequent collaborations: music for shadow plays. If people are interested
in the CD's and such I'll try to dig up more info.

I continue to search for the people who hear a music in their head, and
develop an intonational pallette to realize it! I've grown very tired of
folks who find all these cool scales, only to wonder just what the hell
they're going to do now that they found them...

~~~~~~~

By the way, now that everyone is straight on Jim French and the
"Frenchophones", one other item bears mentioning: I knew Jim when he used
to live down here in San Diego, and if it's of use to anyone he is a true
authority on the many varieties of bamboo, having grown and studied them
quite a bit. Amazing improvisor, too.

Cheers,
Jon


*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Jonathan M. Szanto : "Once upon a time there was a little boy...
jszanto@adnc.com : ...and he went outside."
Corporeal Meadows : http://www.adnc.com/web/jszanto/welcome.html
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*


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From: mr88cet@texas.net (Gary Morrison)
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