Italian musician and journalist Pierluigi Castellano dedicated to the Third Ear Band an interview in a book edited in 2004 by publisher DeriveApprodi (http://www.deriveapprodi.org/estesa.php?id=157) titled "Le sorgenti del suono. Trenta incontri con musicisti straordinari" ("The sources of sound. 30 meetings with extraordinary musicians" - pages 192, € 13.00).
Among the others, original interviews (just in Italian) with 'monsters' as Terry Riley, John Cage, Philip Glass, Uri Cane, Alice Coltrane, Brian Eno... to investigate the origins of their sound.
As
the author states in the preface, the aim of this book is "to detect
the freedom of choice inside and against the limits imposed by present
conditions. Suggesting an idea of musical expression deprived of
gerarchies, with processes of contamination taken even from scientific
disciplines, and restating the power of collision between subversive
power of art and his reduction to the logic of a controlled
communication".
About the Third Ear Band, in December 1989 Castellano asked few questions to Glen Sweeney related to the origins of the group, the first two albums recorded ("Even today I like much to listen to them: in particular the second one that probably is the best album we have done..."), the experience with Polanski's Macbeth.
About this Sweeney reveals: "(...) Personally, I had the idea that a soundtrack were something of too artificial, not so ideal to make good music: so I replied we were just available to improvise on the pictures he'd given to us. (...) I think music we recorded was very very good, but it happened something of very funny: the copy on which we had worked was b&w and just the evening before we realized Polanski's Macbeth was a wonderful full color movie... Obviously it was really pleasant, while the black and white ones was so glum...".
no©2013 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)
About the Third Ear Band, in December 1989 Castellano asked few questions to Glen Sweeney related to the origins of the group, the first two albums recorded ("Even today I like much to listen to them: in particular the second one that probably is the best album we have done..."), the experience with Polanski's Macbeth.
About this Sweeney reveals: "(...) Personally, I had the idea that a soundtrack were something of too artificial, not so ideal to make good music: so I replied we were just available to improvise on the pictures he'd given to us. (...) I think music we recorded was very very good, but it happened something of very funny: the copy on which we had worked was b&w and just the evening before we realized Polanski's Macbeth was a wonderful full color movie... Obviously it was really pleasant, while the black and white ones was so glum...".
no©2013 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)
Hi Luca, see if this link is interesting for you: a long interview with Davey Payne, who also played with the People Band. Glen is mentioned once. http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/11/16/something-else-interview-davey-payne-of-the-people-band-and-the-blockheads/
ReplyDeleteThanks Mirco for this thing, very intersting... more for about the London jazz scene history than the Third Ear Band's... A clear example of good journalism!
ReplyDeleteAnother new: French composer Bernard Parmegiani died. Many sites report that he performed live in London with TEB in the 70s... do you know if it's true??
ReplyDeleteAll the best
Mirco
Oh yes, they did :-) I just read this in your book!
ReplyDeleteSome years ago, I tried to contact him for an interview through his official web site but he didn't reply me. Anyway, he played with the TEB on June 24th, 1970 at the Royal Festival Hall for the "Sun Wheel Ceremony".
ReplyDeleteSoon I will put a stuff on the Archive to commemorate him. Thanks.