Archive for the ‘Dave Douglas (Artist Thoughts)’ Category

Thomas Friedman said something the other day where I found myself nodding in agreement. It was nice because I don’t often agree with him. In the context of an essay supporting an Islamic cultural and recreational center in Lower Manhattan he invokes the legacy of Broadway.

It wasn’t just the great performances of Audra McDonald, Nathan Lane, Idina Menzel, Elaine Stritch, Karen Olivo, Tonya Pinkins, Brian d’Arcy James, Marvin Hamlisch and Chad Kimball, or the spirited gyrations of the students from the Joy of Motion Dance Center and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts performing “You Can’t Stop the Beat” — it was the whole big, rich stew. African-American singers and Hispanic-American dancers belting out the words of Jewish and Irish immigrant composers, accompanied by white musicians whose great-great-grandparents came over on the Mayflower for all I know — all performing for America’s first black president whose middle name is Hussein.

The show was so full of life, no one could begrudge Elaine Stritch, 84, for getting a little carried away and saying to Mr. Obama, seated in the front row: “I’d love to get drunk with the president.”

Feeling the pulsating energy of this performance was such a vivid reminder of America’s most important competitive advantage: the sheer creative energy that comes when you mix all our diverse people and cultures together. We live in an age when the most valuable asset any economy can have is the ability to be creative — to spark and imagine new ideas, be they Broadway tunes, great books, iPads or new cancer drugs. And where does creativity come from?

Friedman cites a recent Newsweek article:

To be creative requires divergent thinking (generating many unique ideas) and then convergent thinking (combining those ideas into the best result).

I’m a big fan of Broadway because the music is so good. OK, maybe I’ve always had a crush on Elaine Stritch, too. But I often wonder why American culture travels so well all over the globe. Why is South Park, or Hannah Montana, or The Apprentice so popular in places that would seemingly have no reason to be interested? Friedman continues:

And where does divergent thinking come from? It comes from being exposed to divergent ideas and cultures and people and intellectual disciplines. As Marc Tucker, the president of the National Center on Education and the Economy, once put it to me: “One thing we know about creativity is that it typically occurs when people who have mastered two or more quite different fields use the framework in one to think afresh about the other. Intuitively, you know this is true. Leonardo da Vinci was a great artist, scientist and inventor, and each specialty nourished the other. He was a great lateral thinker. But if you spend your whole life in one silo, you will never have either the knowledge or mental agility to do the synthesis, connect the dots, which is usually where the next great breakthrough is found.”

I like this. And even though it’s kind of a no-brainer, it’s worth keeping in mind as the meaning of being an American is increasingly up for debate. What is of intense value is the collision of ideas. Allowing divergent views to be voiced and heard, to influence, does not mean abandoning core principles. Open debate and tolerance, curiosity for the other, spurs creativity, growth, and vitality. That has to be at the core of what makes American culture so resonant and captivating.

Grandma’s Arepas
Bringing divergent ideas together in order to create something new also makes for a great arepa.

UPDATE FROM SARDINIA: The chef who created those beautiful arepas requests a name check. She is none other than Marietta Drummond, ballet pianist, former manager of Old and New Dreams, one-time arts programmer at St. John The Divine, among so many, many other things. Thanks for all of that and more.

Who knows… Could be part of a new series, though some of the things Finley brings in might be better unseen. Just thought the blog needed some new images. Long summer of many travels, and more soon to come. Thanks to everyone I’ve met at shows, workshops, airport lounges. And I hope those who’ve already ordered are enjoying the new set of discs.

Just wanted to thank this great group of musicians who will join me Wednesday, July 28 at the Hollywood Bowl. Really looking forward to this performance, honored to share the bill with Dave Holland’s Big Band and the Count Basie Orchestra.

Matt Zebley – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, clarinet
Katisse Buckingham – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
Bob Sheppard – tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute
Robby Marshall – tenor saxophone, clarinet
Damon Zick – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet

Pete De Siena – lead trumpet
Brian Swartz – trumpet
John Daversa – trumpet
Michael Stever – trumpet

Jacques Voyemant – trombone
Ed Neumeister – trombone
Vikram Devasthali – trombone
Craig Gosnell – bass trombone, tuba
Hamilton Price IV – contrabass
Mark Ferber – drums

Jim McNeely – piano, arranger, conductor
Dave Douglas – trumpet, composer, arranger, conductor

Stephen Byram gets props for his classic work.

Designed Beastie Boys cover, and more

Stephen Byram is a lot more than an artist of CD covers, but the graphic designer has created work for some well known acts. He crafted the covers for the Beastie Boys’ “Licensed to Ill,” Slayer’s “Reign in Blood,” and first two Living Colour records.

Byram…is one of four local New Jersey artists who were featured at Suckerpunch Art Gallery, a new gallery space that opened last month in the Chambord factory building in the industrial southwest area of Hoboken. Suckerpunch, run by Wayne Martine and Mark Rosenthal.

For the opening, Byram had a freestanding construction, a large painting, a color print, and a set of 20 drawings arranged in a grid on display.

Steve pretty much defined the look of JMT and Winter & Winter releases. He’s also done amazing things at Tim Berne’s label, Screwgun. I first started working with Steve on ‘In Our Lifetime,’ for New World Records. He has created some record designs for us here at Greenleaf, too.

Congrats on the show, Steve.

Nice to see such a multi-regional team unify to win the World Cup. These players are very specifically linked to teams in the autonomous regions of Spain, mostly either Barcelona or Real Madrid. Self-identifying Catalan players from Barcelona could be viewed with suspicion, both by their own countrymen (for playing on a national team) and by Nationalists (for not being really Spanish). This was all swept aside, a fact underlined by their coordinated passing game that sometimes seemed to be based on extra-sensory perception.

And I was also happy to read that they celebrated (after meeting with the King) by eating in a Basque restaurant. Probably no vuvuzelas there.

Cheers to them, and also to Holland.

Those of you who have seen me play recently know that I am a big Spain fan. So congratulations on a well-played semi-final against an excellent German side!

Spain v. Netherlands on Sunday. Classic. I will be watching from Trento, Italy, on a day off after climbing Monte Bondone to play with Hank Roberts, cello, and Noam Pikelny, banjo. This will be the first gig of Trio Sentiero, the Trio of the Trail. Olé.

Really liking this article and video on Harry Partch’s instruments. Courtesy of the American Music Center.

Writing Music for Someone Else’s Instruments: Creating New Music for the Partch Ensemble

A few final remarks about the Banff Workshop. Next year there will be another edition of this event, from May 23 to June 11. If you have even the slightest curiosity about this workshop I urge you to apply and join us. Everyone learns from everyone up there. The more creative minds come together, the more we all expand. Here’s the link to the Centre with application process, etc. Banff Centre is also receptive to requests for more specific information, so please write with any questions. All forms of jazz and creative improvised music are welcome.

In the 2010 season there was an in-depth section on collaboratively conducted improvising ensembles. Myra Melford brought a spotlight to that work. Among many other things, Myra led multiple, increasingly detailed sessions on John Zorn’s COBRA. About thirty musicians were involved, and they got really proficient at all the twists and turns in the rules for that piece.

In addition, we were fortunate to have the Italian-Canadian composer and improviser Giorgio Magnanensi on campus. In one of his lectures he showed us the score to this piece:

Manuel Zurria flute/piccolo, Antonio Politano recorders, Claudia Antonelli harp

Giorgio works closely with improvising musicians, sometimes recording their improvisations and using their techniques and sonic ideas in constructing the piece. He says the players are often surprised at the complexity and the level of difficulty of what they played. Many initially see the piece and say it simply is not possible. For that reason, Giorgio also builds a set of instructions so the player can find his or her way back into the sound:

A lot of composers talk about recording, or simply remembering, their own improvisations and then isolating bits to use as a basis for composition. For a classical composer to be so open to the world of improvising performers is rare. Giorgio’s desire to deal quite personally with the language of the musician is one of the things that make his works so surprising and constantly inventive. The pieces are clearly his own works in his own language, but they are also a deep tribute to the voices of the players he is writing for.

On the final day of our workshop, Giorgio led 12 musicians in a performance of his works, including conducted improvisations, for the rest of us. Each ensemble then played for the others in turn: Mary Halvorson’s group (”Mary Had A Little Band”) played her works brilliantly; Ravi Coltrane’s group played their own compositions; Drew Gress’ ensemble learned several of his pieces; David Gilmore’s group nailed a few of his tunes; E.J. Strickland’s group played his twisted (in a good way) arrangement of Lazy Bird. I led two groups that week: one group absolutely killed on some Quintet tunes (Invocation, Earmarks, and, yes, War Room). The other group played Brass Ecstasy music: Orujo, Fats, Spirit Moves, and, amazingly, Bowie. We had a lot of fun.

It was an incredible afternoon of music that brought to a close another inspiring year at the Banff Centre. Thanks so much to everyone up there for providing such a wonderful space. Until soon.

Following the U.S. Soccer team began for me some months ago when they drew England for their first match. They famously upset England at their last World Cup meet-up in 1950. That game became known as the Miracle in the Grass, and I can’t blame England for licking their chops for revenge this time around.

But the U.S. emerged with a respectable tie in that first appearance, with unfortunate assistance from English goalkeeping (”Here’s one spill the Yanks won’t complain about,” quipped London’s Sunday Times).

So Friday they meet Slovenia, who also host the great Ljubljana Jazz Festival, and provided a common family name for accordionist extraordinaire Guy Klucevsek. England plays Algeria the same day, rounding out the second round of matches for our group.

Those plastic horns everyone is blowing at the Cup? Vuvuzelas. The Wikipedia entry starts innocently enough, but then seems to have been recently edited…

The instrument is played using a simple brass instrument technique of blowing through compressed lips to create a buzz, and emits a loud monotone (B♭3). A similar instrument (known as corneta in Brazil and other Latin American countries) is used by football fans in South America.

Vuvuzelas have been controversial. They have been associated with permanent noise-induced hearing loss, cited as a possible safety risk when spectators cannot hear evacuation announcements, and potentially spread colds and flu viruses on a greater scale than coughing or shouting… Commentators have described the sound as “annoying” and “satanic” and compared it with “a stampede of noisy elephants”, “a deafening swarm of locusts”, “a goat on the way to slaughter”, and “a giant hive full of very angry bees.”

Indeed. I know a few trumpeters who would wear that as a badge of honor.

Darcy gives me a significant promotion in his Banffblogging.