Well, first of all there hasn't been too much in class discussion, so I guess I'll throw in a few things about some of the peformances, and reminisce about the days where we did some discussion.
Although I have thoroughly enjoyed the performances, I would really rather read and discuss books like "In the Country of Country" and "Deep Blues." It seems to me like the performances have kind of been hit or miss; either somebody has a background in guitar/bass or music in general, or they don't and its more of an abstract presentation complimented with a Powerpoint.
In terms of the actual discussions, I really enjoy the Q+A sessions after the performances, as well as some of the ideas that stem from the performances, including the idea to teach/do swing dance as a Jamboree final project. I guess in that sense (sparking new ideas) the performances have been successful, but I would really rather read about/listen to music and discuss it the way we did the first few weeks or so of class.
I guess I can't really complain about the discussions that we have had, it just seems that they're a little few and far between.
-Brady
Monday, October 30, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
The Folkways Collection, Episode 5
Beyond a small exception (one section of this episode), I felt that episodes 4 and 5 were in a lot of ways presenting the same ideas. While the anthology may have (and was) been a very significant collection of music done by a very unique and interesting person in Harry Smith, it was kind of this same concept over and over again for two hours.
One passage in particular that I really liked was the interview with the member of the Grateful Dead (not the later part about Garcia) as he explained the impact that Smith's Anthology had on his own music. "This is where we all started," he recalled. "Then we went beyond that music," he said, giving a very real connection between the anthology (where the musicians and genres seem far away) and music as "we" know it.
Another fact that I found interesting was Smith's undying commitment to bring the music to the masses, especially the fact that the anthology was put together without permission, technically making the first edition a bootleg........
One passage in particular that I really liked was the interview with the member of the Grateful Dead (not the later part about Garcia) as he explained the impact that Smith's Anthology had on his own music. "This is where we all started," he recalled. "Then we went beyond that music," he said, giving a very real connection between the anthology (where the musicians and genres seem far away) and music as "we" know it.
Another fact that I found interesting was Smith's undying commitment to bring the music to the masses, especially the fact that the anthology was put together without permission, technically making the first edition a bootleg........
Monday, October 23, 2006
The Folkways Collection, Episode 4
Episode 4 seemed to be very different from Episode 3. It's not that it wasn't interesting, but it seemed a little bit formulaic and tired. The show played part of a song from Harry Smith's "Anthology of American Folk Music," then dissected it. I really liked the music that they played, especially the Canon Jugstompers "Minglewood Blues."
Beyond that, I think that the sheer influence that the anthology had on future folk musicians is incredible. When Smith explained the work at the 1991 Grammy's, he seemed to realize the affect that his collection had on musicians. This became even more evident when coupled with Eagan's (a current musician and student of the genre) reccomendation of the anthology.
In conclusion, I hope that the 5th (and later) installments of "The Folkways Collection" are more like the third than the fourth, but I really couldn't complain with the quality of music presented in this episode.
Beyond that, I think that the sheer influence that the anthology had on future folk musicians is incredible. When Smith explained the work at the 1991 Grammy's, he seemed to realize the affect that his collection had on musicians. This became even more evident when coupled with Eagan's (a current musician and student of the genre) reccomendation of the anthology.
In conclusion, I hope that the 5th (and later) installments of "The Folkways Collection" are more like the third than the fourth, but I really couldn't complain with the quality of music presented in this episode.
The Folkways Collection, Episode 3
I really liked this installment of the Folkways Collection. Though I've only listened to the third and fourth installments thusfar, I liked a lot of aspects, particularily Moses Asche's sense of history and preservation.
In stark contrast with almost all record executives today (including the ones I've had the chance to meet), Asche seemed to really actually just be about the music and not the money. When he described how he always wanted to keep records in print whether they "sold five copies or five hundred," that speaks greatly of his character and dedication.
He also seemed to have a very strong sense of maintaining the music as a means of writing history. He always wanted to keep everything around to provide what he described as an "encyclopedia" of sorts, keeping every letter in line and available.
All in all this episode showed a side of the music industry that is fairly lacking today, which is how this episode ties into the class; roots music as a whole was a different ball game than modern music (a relative term). Not only were musicians employees of the record company, they were also family who were looked out for by the company (the show described how a friend/relative of Asche always made sure several of his musicians had enough to eat).
In stark contrast with almost all record executives today (including the ones I've had the chance to meet), Asche seemed to really actually just be about the music and not the money. When he described how he always wanted to keep records in print whether they "sold five copies or five hundred," that speaks greatly of his character and dedication.
He also seemed to have a very strong sense of maintaining the music as a means of writing history. He always wanted to keep everything around to provide what he described as an "encyclopedia" of sorts, keeping every letter in line and available.
All in all this episode showed a side of the music industry that is fairly lacking today, which is how this episode ties into the class; roots music as a whole was a different ball game than modern music (a relative term). Not only were musicians employees of the record company, they were also family who were looked out for by the company (the show described how a friend/relative of Asche always made sure several of his musicians had enough to eat).
Monday, October 09, 2006
Blog Summary for 10/10
First of all, I'd like to say that this class has given me my first exposure to the whole "blogging" scene. With this being my first exposure to the lifestyle, the legend and the community that blogging provides, it has become apparent that others also have varying backgrounds in the subject.
Whoever blogs under the name "Random Stuff Plus Homework" obviously has previous exposure to the scene. With seven of the ten most recent blogs, his entries range from rants about laundry, the local McDonalds, religious programming in Morris, and trips to the Twin Cities area (can you really dislike a blog that starts out by saying "Grr! I hate laundry!"). Clearly, it falls a little bit more on the "Random Stuff" side than the "Plus Homework" side, but I was entertained by his writings.
All in all, the ten most recent posts weren't all that scholarly--but they did provide several comments on recent in-class performances, including my favorite, from "Greenstar" who talked about her nervousness during her American Sign Language in-class performance this past week. Personally, I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the performance and the depth of her research into deaf musicians. Her comment about audience response made me think more about the performance. "I did not get to practice signing my song much so yes, normally it is a lot beter to watch because you can consider, facial expression, body movement, timing, and much more." Would deaf musicians perform differently? Usually when we think of any photographed rock star playing guitar now, we see them either with their eyes closed, or attentively looking at their instruments. Hmmmmmm......
Maybe a few more posts regarding the reading would've been nice, but I know it can be hard to keep up with the reading, seeing as I have only done two blogs on the topic myself. Overall the blogs were enjoyable.
-Brady
Whoever blogs under the name "Random Stuff Plus Homework" obviously has previous exposure to the scene. With seven of the ten most recent blogs, his entries range from rants about laundry, the local McDonalds, religious programming in Morris, and trips to the Twin Cities area (can you really dislike a blog that starts out by saying "Grr! I hate laundry!"). Clearly, it falls a little bit more on the "Random Stuff" side than the "Plus Homework" side, but I was entertained by his writings.
All in all, the ten most recent posts weren't all that scholarly--but they did provide several comments on recent in-class performances, including my favorite, from "Greenstar" who talked about her nervousness during her American Sign Language in-class performance this past week. Personally, I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the performance and the depth of her research into deaf musicians. Her comment about audience response made me think more about the performance. "I did not get to practice signing my song much so yes, normally it is a lot beter to watch because you can consider, facial expression, body movement, timing, and much more." Would deaf musicians perform differently? Usually when we think of any photographed rock star playing guitar now, we see them either with their eyes closed, or attentively looking at their instruments. Hmmmmmm......
Maybe a few more posts regarding the reading would've been nice, but I know it can be hard to keep up with the reading, seeing as I have only done two blogs on the topic myself. Overall the blogs were enjoyable.
-Brady
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)