31–40 of 69 posts
Listen to Giant Steps. The man was a genius https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy_fxxj1mMY
> Thelonious Monk once said “All musicians are subconsciously mathematicians“. I haven’t heard that one. I think I prefer this one, attributed to Leibniz: “Music is the pleasure the human mind experiences from counting without being aware that it is counting.”
On the bandstand, there's usually a ton of highly aware counting going on. 24 bars of rest! followed by 8 bars of rest! and then 16 bars of latin feel! now back to 8 of swing! On top of that there is definitely some feel and intuition going on. But for a band to play non-trivial music, everyone is counting unless they know the material cold, and even then they are probably counting at times.
But I think the quote is also referring to casual enjoyment of music where the counting might not be deliberate.
Nothing upper-middle class people love more than worshiping dead black Americans, while treating their descendants like dangerous parasites. They were so cool, such genius! I can't wait to be the authority on them, and make more on redefining them than they ever saw in their lives, or to buy the new product that no black American makes a dime from. One day, every black American will be gone, and all that will be left…
> Nothing upper-middle class people love more than worshiping dead black Americans, while treating their descendants like dangerous parasites. I know, right? It's those Dutch folks living in Bulgaria hating black American descendants again, eh? /s So, to be serious, do you have evidence that Roelant Hollanderr is treating black American descendants as "dangerous parasites"? Those are pretty hefty accusations. I haven…
See also: Arcana V. Music, Magic & Mysticism . Ed: John Zorn, Hips Road 2010 https://archive.org/details/zorn-john-ed.-arcana-v.-musician...
Coltrane wrote that song because he didn't have to play the harmony... he played the easy part. /s
Earlier quoted context omitted.
On the bandstand, there's usually a ton of highly aware counting going on. 24 bars of rest! followed by 8 bars of rest! and then 16 bars of latin feel! now back to 8 of swing! On top of that there is definitely some feel and intuition going on. But for a band to play non-trivial music, everyone is counting unless they know the material cold, and even then they are probably counting at times.
Indeed, as a long time fan of prog metal and tech death I'm quite aware of the importance of counting (and the existence of people whose counting abilities far surpass my own)! But I think the quote is also referring to casual enjoyment of music where the counting might not be deliberate.
Playing music has changed my listening, and not necessarily for the better. I'm sometimes counting or listening for structural and composition elements in a way that can be distracting from just enjoying the sound/vibe.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Nothing upper-middle class people love more than worshiping dead black Americans, while treating their descendants like dangerous parasites. I know, right? It's those Dutch folks living in Bulgaria hating black American descendants again, eh? /s So, to be serious, do you have evidence that Roelant Hollanderr is treating black American descendants as "dangerous parasites"? Those are pretty hefty accusations. I haven…
While the critique of this author seems unjustified, I think we do well to grapple with issues like this and not dismiss them outright. The problem is real, even if this may not be a good example.
Also, if the current regime is in a position to fully eradicate all the blacks and browns, the statues will all be of Confederate generals and Trump family members, not black people.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
While the critique of this author seems unjustified, I think we do well to grapple with issues like this and not dismiss them outright. The problem is real, even if this may not be a good example.
Grapple with what, though? Abstract Whitey loves Coltrane and Satchmo and hates every Black person born since? It's not a coherent theory to begin with. Also, if the current regime is in a position to fully eradicate all the blacks and browns, the statues will all be of Confederate generals and Trump family members, not black people.
These sorts of things happen in music industry, music criticism and music journalism. As I said, I don't think this is a good example, but as someone who has benefited greatly from Black American culture, I see bearing these issues in mind as one way to pay back my benefactors.
A few months ago, I was studying Giant Steps and I came across the “Giant Steps is actually very simple (yes, really)” video by Dave Pollack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd75Mwo4JNo Pollack argues that the main reason that Giant Steps is such a high mountain is because it is traditionally played at such a ferocious tempo. Slow it down, and the Coltrane Changes become fairly ordinary ii-V-I substitution progressio…
Ah yes the best welcome for people joining a jam session: "OK, let's do Giant Steps. One, one two three..."