source file: mills3.txt Date: Thu, 27 Nov 1997 05:37:28 +0100 Subject: Notes from the field... From: "Jonathan M. Szanto" 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 *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu From: mr88cet@texas.net (Gary Morrison) Subject: "Go With the Flow" Music PostedDate: 27-11-97 14:08:42 SendTo: CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH ReplyTo: tuning@eartha.mills.edu $MessageStorage: 0 $UpdatedBy: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH,CN=Manuel op de Coul/OU=AT/O=EZH RouteServers: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=notesrv1/OU=Server/O=EZH RouteTimes: 27-11-97 14:07:12-27-11-97 14:07:13,27-11-97 14:07:12-27-11-97 14:07:13 DeliveredDate: 27-11-97 14:07:13 Categories: $Revisions: Received: from ns.ezh.nl ([137.174.112.59]) by notesrv2.ezh.nl (Lotus SMTP MTA SMTP v4.6 (462.2 9-3-1997)) with SMTP id C125655C.00480E07; Thu, 27 Nov 1997 14:07:01 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA04751; Thu, 27 Nov 1997 14:08:42 +0100 Date: Thu, 27 Nov 1997 14:08:42 +0100 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA04744 Received: (qmail 3372 invoked from network); 27 Nov 1997 04:05:41 -0800 Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1) by localhost with SMTP; 27 Nov 1997 04:05:41 -0800 Message-Id: Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu