source file: m1577.txt Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 01:17:58 -0500 Subject: It was a microtonal night in NYC From: David Beardsley Just got back from NYC. I caught Newband performing Dean Drummond's score for the silent film "The Last Laugh" by F.W. Murnau in the Wintergarden at the World Financial Center. I already heard this once in March. Joe Monzo reviewed that show on my Juxtaposition Ezine site (follow links below). Last time I was busy watching the film, this time I could concentrate on the music. For me, to date this is probably Dean's most interesting work. The score really captures the polar opposites of despair and joy in the film. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- After that was done I buzzed over to the Knitting Factory to catch Elodie Lauten with a band that contained a few AFMM regulars. Here's the bit from the Knit site: >Elodie Lauten > >Performed every seven years, Initiation, from the Soundless >Sound Matrix brings seven performers to interact with an >electronic ambience based on the harmonic vibration of silence. >Mary Hurlbut - soprano; Meredith Borden - coloratura soprano; >Andrew Bolotowsky - flute; Jon Catler-microtonal electric >guitar; Johnny Reinhard-bassoon; Juliann Klopotic - violin; >Elodie Lauten - synthesizers. I got there a bit late but they were still working on the sound check, the sound man plugging things in with the board volume turned up - treating us to some really nice loud pops. There were problems with the mix, the cd backing track was a bit too loud. I could go on a bit here, but on to the music... Bells and cymbals and big fundamental drones over which the band played. On one of the pieces, some classic repetitious minimalism against which the band also played. Some of this was performed by Elodie, some was on a cd player plugged into the board. Everyone got some solo space, the obvious being Meredith Borden, Johnny Reinhard and Juliann Klopotic letting loose with some great solos. Microtonal? Yes but I have no idea what kind of tuning was used. Still, even though there were technical difficulties, I got *it*. A big beautiful drone (most of the time) with sections of group improvisation. Elodie Lauten on the WWW: http://www.echonyc.com/~jhhl/Lauten/ -- * D a v i d B e a r d s l e y * xouoxno@virtulink.com * * J u x t a p o s i t i o n E z i n e * M E L A v i r t u a l d r e a m house monitor * * http://www.virtulink.com/immp/lookhere.htm