July 23, 2013

An ironic point of view about music by Dave Tomlin...

This is one of the last writings by Dave Tomlin published by IT internet site at http://internationaltimes.it/music/
It's dedicated to the music with the peculiar sardonic irony of Dave...
You can read all the posts by him at http://internationaltimes.it/author/davetomlin/
 
Music
The language of music conforms within a mathematical matrix to produce a kind of grammar, whereby each tone is identified by name and endowed with a chronological period.
Thus each symbol in the language must simultaneously represent both placement and time.
Music though, like its sister, poetry, is founded upon an ultimately ungovernable spirit; wild to the rules of any grammar and always ready to confront the righteous pedant with a more existential viewpoint. 



The Hum
 
Smith, a simple soul, has encountered his friend P. B. Rivers, a rabid existentialist, and they now sit drinking coffee at a table outside a café.
P. B. Rivers opens a conversation: ‘This is the age of traffic and shopping’, he announces, and slits his eyes meaningfully at Smith as if willing him to respond, but Smith, not being the least interested in either subject turns for relief to a technique he has only recently evolved.

Realising that whistling distorts the lips, making the exercise obvious if undertaken during a boring conversation, he had discovered that he can hum without this handicap. He has also detected three levels to the discipline. The first is a hum so quiet that it is hardly detectable even by himself. The second is loud enough to be heard by another but not sufficiently so as to reveal its source. The third, an uninhibited and full-bodied hum is capable of overcoming any conversation.

‘Traffic is something other people do’, he thinks, ‘and shopping is some sort of weird art form now more popular than football; both devoid of any interest’. Therefore it is at this point that he begins to utilise his hum.

He chooses a lightish tone, not too deep and one which is easily maintained. Faintly at first and then, given the generous parameters of the situation, begins gradually to increase the volume until he perceives that P. B. Rivers has become aware of it, but not yet that it is issuing forth from Smith. He now begins to go over the top and the, by now, powerful hum, growing ever louder, makes its source obvious.

‘Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,’ goes Smith.

P.B. Rivers is unfazed by this display of social precociousness and merely cocks an ear; he has perfect pitch and can accurately identify any tone.

‘That’s G sharp,’ he snaps irritably.

‘Oh, is it?’ says Smith.

‘I thought it was Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.’
 
Dave Tomlin
©2013

no©2013 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

July 12, 2013

Third Ear Band quoted on a magazine about the great late Claudio Rocchi...



The recent unexpected death of Claudio Rocchi at 62, a great Italian musician played some wonderful music in the '70's in some way inspired by the Third Ear Band (i.e. "Viaggio", "Volo Magico n.1" and "Volo Magico n. 2", recorded from 1970 to 1972), has led various tributes on Italian magazines: one of these on the weekly music magazine "XL" written by Andrea Silenzi about that music played and recorded in the Seventies in Italy by musicians as him, Franco Battiato, Osanna, Aktuala, Alan Sorrenti... The journalist also quotes the TEB in a section dedicated to Aktuala.

Even if in Italian, you can read it at http://xl.repubblica.it/articoli/claudio-rocchi-e-i-suoi-fratelli/3998/ and listen to some excerpts of very good music...

no©2013 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first) 

July 08, 2013

The same old useless sampler on the so-called "Progressive Rock"...

 


The Market tries desperately to sell his by now Jurassic punched disks. The last attempt to save itself from the forthcoming crash is this useless 5-CDs E.M.I. box sampler about the so-called "Progressive Rock" titled "Prog Rocks!" (very pristine title!).
Published on last March, we have 5 CDs with tracks taken from glorious 70's English labels as Harvest, Liberty, Charisma, Virgin and from InsideOut.
The little surprise is that on volume 1 there's also a track played by our Third Ear Band, the omnipresent "Fleance".
But is it so essential to have "five discs celebrating five legendary progressive rock labels" as the title states?
I've got my answer. What about yours?


no©2013 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)