Marty Erlich

July 12

Kitano Jazz Club

David Lopato Quartet: Lopata, piano; Marty Ehrlich, soprano sax, B flat clarinet, flute; Ratzo Harris, bass (6-string); Richie Barshay, drums.  I went to hear Marty and was pleased to hear the other good musicians as well.  It was the first time I’ve heard Ratso Harris on his impressive Big 6-string bass. The club is quite upscale and the food was delicious.  Gino, the host and curator of Kitano’s, welcomed us all.  The music was more mainstream than I am wont to attend but, hey, good music is good music.  David Lopato introduced each piece, all composed by him except one by Wayne Shorter, “Prince of Darkness.”  First up was a solo piano piece “The Big Bad Wolf Ain’t So Bad After All” written for his mother. I guessed from the music that she was a effervescent person.  Second, a trio for bass, piano and drums and Marty joined them for the third and onward playing his clarinet with his usual gorgeousness and he swings. I love his tone on all the instruments he plays and his solos were fantastic.  A lovely piece, “The Gift that Keeps on Giving” was dedicated to Fred Hersch by David.  Hersch was sitting next to me and was touched by the graciousness of David’s introduction saying how much Fred had meant to him over their thirty years of friendship. After an evening of good food and music I decided to treat myself to a cab ride home, rather than the subway.  Upscale all night long.

Flux Quartet

July 11, 2012

Barge Music: Here and Now Series

Flux Quartet: Tom Chiu, violin; Conrad Harris, violin; Max Mandel, viola; Felix Fan, cello

John Cage “Centennial Celebration” Part 2

Barge Music always amazes me.  It overlooks the Frank Gehry building and the ever-rising WTC as well as the river.  The seats are nice, it’s air-conditioned and the slight rocking complements the music, especially this night, an all Cage night where one of the pieces, “String Quartet in Four Parts” (1950) had movements entitled “Quietly Flowing Along” and “Slowly Rocking.” I was surprised when they began playing the first movement.  It was lovely with a melody and discernible rhythm, not just conceptually interesting.  But, not for long: back to interesting by the second movement and on through the night. “Solos from Concert for Piano and Orchestra” (1958). Of course, there was no piano and no orchestra. It was explained that Cage wanted everyone in the orchestra to treat their part as a solo and this is what the quartet did playing each of their solo parts simultaneously using every extended technique (to my ears/eyes) possible, for example, scrapping, tapping, plucking, bowing on the bridge.  They each used a stopwatch so they could tell where they were.  Most of the sounds were short and sporadic.  I heard the cello play a couple of long tones but that was it.  Chris broke a string but kept on going and who could tell the difference -- not me. After intermission they performed “Thirty Pieces for String Quartet” (1983) which was 30 pieces in 30 minutes.  They spread out on the stage as per Cage instructions to arrange themselves in some unplanned way.  Again, way-interesting music and I wish I understood the concept but since I didn’t I just kicked back, listened and appreciated all that Cage did for the world.

Ensemble

July 10, 2012

Guggenheim Museum

Composing with Patterns: Music at Mid-Century

One wonderful night after another. This was put together by talented Christopher McIntyre and Luke DuBois with Luke presenting an informative pre-concert talk in the Peter B. Lewis Theater.  Luke put into historical context music and art from 1949-1960, this to complement the current art exhibit. Much of both were a reaction to WWII.  He noticed that there were two main ideas: 1. Nothing left to chance as with Boulez and Stockhausen. 2. Mostly all about chance defined by Earle Brown and Cage, the patron saint. DuBois also compared the European and New York schools of music during those years.  Luke had quotes on the back screen all of which I hope to remember. By Cage: “Where we are, what we hear is mostly noise.  When we ignore it, it disturbs us.  When we listen to it, we find it interesting.”  Boulez said, “Creations exist only in the unforeseen made necessary.”  Varese: “Contrary to general belief, an artist is never ahead of his time but most people are far behind theirs.” And, famously, Cage also said, “We need not to destroy the past; it is gone.”  We then were shepherded upstairs to the Guggenheim lobby where the sold-out audience could either grad a folding stool to sit or wander along the ramps to watch and listen from above. One piece morphed into the next so I am not positve which was which but they played the music of Varese, then Takemitsu’s “Landscape” and Earle Brown’s “November ’52”  from “Synergy.  All delicious.  Stephen Gosling played Stockhausen’s “Klavierstucke XI” for solo piano. The first time I have heard this live and it was special.  Morton Feldman’s “Projection 4” for violin and piano where the score was interesting and music was great. The penultimate piece was Scelsi’s “Kya” movements 1 and 2 conducted by Ted Hearne featuring Joshua Rubin,  virtuosic on his B flat clarinet. Appropriately the concert ended with John Cage’s “Concert for Piano, Violins 1 and 2, Clarinet, Trumpet and Sliding Trombone, the latter being very busy and beautiful using many mutes plus taking apart and putting back the trombone to create a myriad of sounds. Various extended techniques were used such as tapping with fingers on the violins and music stands and playing inside the piano.  A perfect way to end the evening surrounded by Wright’s architecture and just as creative music.

Summergarden concert at MoMA

July 8, 2012

MoMA Summergarden 

New Juilliard Ensemble  New Music for Large Ensembles

I went to this because Henrik Strindberg’s music was being performed.  Henrik is from Stockholm and I met him in Iceland at the Nordic Days Music Festival last October and it was a special treat to see him here and get to hear his music again. The setting, in MoMA’s sculptural garden, was perfect, all seats were filled and it was finally not too hot. All four compositions were a premiere of some sort.  Joel Sachs conducted the excellent Ensemble and was a welcoming host who acknowledged that the chirping birds were an active part of the audience. First on the program “The Myth” by Sukhi Kang (Korea), a No. American premiere. Strindberg’s “Timeline” (2008) was a Western Hemisphere premiere performed by nine members of the ensemble and was full of gorgeous arpeggios.  All was as wonderful as I remembered and I particularly liked the piano part and will now re-listen many times to this striking music on his CD. After intermission was the Western Hemisphere premiere of Toshio Hosokawa’s (Japan) “Drawing” and then to end the evening a longer (four movement) and lush composition by Roberto Sierra “Concierto de Camara” (2008), a New York premiere.  This was also performed by nine members of the Ensemble.  It was wonderful to be there to bask in the artistic setting, hear great music and see my Swedish friend.  He runs Sound of Stockholm Festival and I hope to get there before too long. For sure, I will be at the Nordic Days Music Festival again, probably 2014 in Finland. NYTimes review: http://nyti.ms/Me2xfR

Buchla Synthesizer and Ableton on computer

July 7, 2012

River to River Festival

Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts

The Source of Uncertainty II with Morton Subotnick

What a night.  I was so pleased to hear both historical and new music by Subotnick as well as a piece by Richard Lainhart.  I heard Lainhart live at a little club in Brooklyn awhile back and was blown away; then shocked and saddened to hear of his untimely passing.  Very sad.  Lainhart’s “Orchestra of the Damned” is a quadrophonic surround tape-work for the Buchla 200e. It was played in a darkened theater and was full of surging sounds and textures into which, after a few minutes, I found myself fully immersed. The great sound system at the venue made it easy to kick back and listen. Subotnick then took the stage performing “Silver Apples of the Moon” and a premiere performance of “Song and Dance” with excellent live visuals by Sue C.  ”Silver Apples” created in 1967 and, as noted, was the first large-scale  composition creating for the disc medium and home stereo system.  Thanks, Mort. We also heard these in quadrophonic sound which was glorious.  In “Song and Dance,” which was fully improvised in real time, Subotnick used the computer (Ableton) to multiply the power of the 200e. I found this to be not only beautiful but also very sophisticated. The program notes say, “Together the works in the program realize the potential of the analog synthesizer as a performative instrument for the digital age.” Hooray. NYTimes review: http://nyti.ms/MfheFP

Getting ready

July 6, 2012

Cornelia Street Cafe

Mark Helias - The Parlance of our Times

Mark Helias, bass; Tim Berne, alto saxophone, Kirk Knuffke, trumpet; Mark Ferber, drums.  This is a new line-up with longtime colleague Tim Berne.  The notes say “the music explores the lexicon of composition and improvisation.”  Another good night of music by great musicians.  They did as they said, combining compositions and improvisation beautifully. I particularly liked how they played together as a quartet but then as duos and trios always changing the combinations. Helias and Ferber together were quite amazing.  Tim and Kirk, virtuosic players, continued in that vein.  They didn’t announce who the composers of each piece were but they played “Sequestered,” Waltz for Thursday Face,” “Speed Kills” where the sax and trumpet actually played in unison for a bit and Mark had a fabulous solo turn.  The final piece for this set was, “ Land’s End.” This one I assume is by Helias as he said it was inspired by his grandfather who came from Land’s End in France.  This is an older piece (1984) and was recorded on his first album.

Cornelia Street Cafe downstairs

July 5, 2012

Cornelia Street Cafe

Ben Allison, bass; Michael Saxon, saxophones; Rudy Royston, drums.  I went here this night as it is close and getting to far away places in this heat sounded too-hard.  I was pleased to hear Rudy the drummer who I had not heard before and he is now a new favorite performer.   On his website: http://rudyroyston.com/ he credits Ron Miles as his greatest teacher. Both are from Denver, CO.  I see on his website that since he has been in NY he’s played with an impressive list of musicians including Bill Frisell, Greg Osgy, Tom Harrell and Jenny Scheinman.

55 Bar

July 4, 2012

55 Bar

Fay Victor’s ExPosed Blues Band with Anders Nilsson

After a lovely 4th of July BBQ at Peter Matthew’s in Brooklyn I wended my way back to Manhattan to hear Fay and Anders. This hot weather has changed my plans some as I am a San Diego wimp when it comes to 97 degree heat.  I have gone to some air-conditioned movies instead of hot, humid clubs.  But the 55 Bar has a good fan so braved it.  I am glad I did.  Fay sang many great blues songs and Anders played his ass off, if I may be so crude.  She sang “Alone from Mother Earth;” “Creep,” Radiohead tune; a great “If You Don’t Give Me Just What I Want”, a jump blues piece that is on their CD. I didn’t get the name of some of the songs but loved an Eddie Harris classic, “Jazz Dance Freedom” and Monk’s “Blue Monk.” Some of the words from that hit home (paraphrased): “Being alone life is your own - sometimes the cost is deep. Trial and error, loss and gain. Finding your own place in the sun doesn’t come easy. It takes some doing measured by the dues you pay.”  Sigh.  Anders tore it up during Curtis Mayfield’s “Check Out Your Mind.” He and Ken Filiano will be performing in my Fresh Sound music series in San Diego on Oct. 2nd.  That’s very good news.

Cowboys makin' plans

June 28, 2012

The Performing Garage

Git Along lil Doggies

Performed by Corey Dargel, Oleg Dubson, Wil Smith, and Sammy Tunis.

I am so glad I was there.  It was beautifully produced, very funny, irreverent and smart. The actors moved around the stage mainly in line dance steps which was great (and unusual).  Their hand and arm gestures accompanying their words were highly stylized. Another creative performance with Corey Dargel. I am always happily surprised by what he does.  I don’t usually do this but below you will see the write-up that was on Facebook about this performance.  It explains it so much better than I can.

"Brokeback Mountain" meets "Naked Lunch." GIT ALONG LIL DOGGIES is a meditative, cowboy dance-drama about the spiritual imprint of the windswept landscape of the American west. In an impressionistic narrative drawn from a variety of sources, two outlaws on the trail of an old adversary take work as jewel thieves for a washed up brothel madam. In a chance encounter with a traveling magician, they locate their enemy and conjure the violent forces of nature through sex-magic to take revenge.  GIT ALONG LIL DOGGIES commingles elements of William S. Burroughs’ novel "The Place of Dead Roads" with short stories by Annie Proulx, country-western line dance, and gay pornography. The performance unfolds against a projected video landscape of repainted Marlboro cigarette TV commercials and within an immersive soundscape incorporating country-western recordings from the 1920’s–30’s and contemporary new age music for pedal steel guitar. Directed by Yvan Greenberg, layering of choreography, text, sound, indeterminacy, and imitation, provides a continuously shifting framework for a reconsideration of the outlaw, frontier spirit that continues to shape the mindsets of Americans in the 21st Century.

Erik Deutsch

June 26, 2012

Cornelia Cafe

Erik Deutsch Trio

Erik, piano; Jeff Hill, bass, Tony Mason, drums - a great trio.  They played music that swung, a rare treat for me -- some original and some covers, for instance, Neil Young, Hank Williams and Peter Gabriel. I was mightily impressed with the musicianship and with good cause. Jeff has performed with folks like Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Parker and Joan Baez.  Erik has toured with Charlie Hunter.  I especially liked the first set and then during the second set the audience thought it a good time to talk alot.  What’s wrong with those people?  If they want to drink and talk go upstairs!