tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post117379510669910434..comments2024-03-26T01:59:52.206-04:00Comments on Just outside: Brian Olewnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08567239067604835372noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1173894668343629922007-03-14T14:51:00.000-04:002007-03-14T14:51:00.000-04:00I think we are about in agreement on the Kahn/Muel...I think we are about in agreement on the Kahn/Mueller show at XI. I was particularly excited at the beginning of the set (when things when quieter, less dense) for the intrusion of the traffic on Centre St (this can be heard on the Andre Goncalves/Kenneth Kirschner "Resonant Objects" recording, which was done at XI), but for most of the set the outside was kept firmly at bay.<BR/><BR/>Overall, I enjoyed the performance - small touches and highly repetive gestures keeping the sound in motion, but without drastic change, in the best tradition of drone. Like their respective recording enough that the differences, the "instants" of a live performance gave it dimension. As an audience member, though, the ~hour long set length, while it revealed plenty of beautiful material, seemed long (I think I am thinking of your "diffuse" categorization in the comments). Had a small debate afterwards along the lines of "let's say you have a really excellent piece of music - if it is too long, does it become bad?" yeah there was that awkward phrasing, but it was an interesting chat. I've just been a fan of brevity lately (not to say that a given piece of music/performance has to be short!).<BR/><BR/>Kahn's new album (picked up at the show) clocks in at under 40' for seven tracks. Which is enough to make me listen again!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1173836385630392932007-03-13T22:39:00.000-04:002007-03-13T22:39:00.000-04:00tig, "abstract" may not have been the best choice ...tig, "abstract" may not have been the best choice of word but I was just wanting to get across that the line didn't have to do, with me, for anything like the purity of a Sachiko M sine tone *or* the lushness of Fennesz, as arbitrary representatives of eai. A better set of poles my be concision and diffusiveness. Both of the above are sonically concise in that the sound explodes out of them. Whereas nmperign (again to use an arbitrary example) or most of last night's music strikes me as more diffuse in character. This, of course, is not a value judgment at all. It's just that *if* the music has this character (to my ears, necessarily--it could be different to its cretors) I'd generally like to hear it presented in a manner to take advantage of these characteristics.<BR/><BR/>Two things--1) as an active audience member one can, and I have when the opportunity allows, resituate oneself to create a better mix in the room, for instance moving away from the performance area where other sounds permeate. 2) We mus always allow for a "perverted" tack by the performers, intentionally going against what might seem the better option--sometimes you gain results that couldn't have come about any other way. <BR/><BR/>In any case, I get the sense that the entire issue isn't thought about as much as you might expect, given the general pronouncements of the musicians involved re: awareness of the space, etc. I think (inevitably?) a routineness tends to settle in.Brian Olewnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08567239067604835372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1173820655537866652007-03-13T18:17:00.000-04:002007-03-13T18:17:00.000-04:00…It has little to do with how abstract the music i...<I>…It has little to do with how abstract the music is.</I><BR/><BR/>What do you mean by abstract in this context? Do you mean a kind of <A HREF="http://improvisingguitar.blogspot.com/2006/12/engineering-ritual-curious-case-of-body.html" REL="nofollow">‘all ears’</A> ‘absolute music’? Or do you mean a musical practice in which, as often happen in electro-acoustics, the action-response mechanism is obtuse, or (in the case of <A HREF="http://improvisingguitar.blogspot.com/2007/02/closed-laptop-pt-0-cautionary-tale-of.html" REL="nofollow">software mediation</A>) arbitrary.<BR/>Interesting post, BTW.<BR/><BR/>S, tigthe improvising guitaristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07517613086214719180noreply@blogger.com