Iva Bittová

A singer, violinist, violist with theatrical inclinations while performing. Unabashedly forward with her voice that can range from loud and somewhat frightening to transcending the most beautiful territory. Playing that simultaneously sounds of such refreshing newness and reflection upon tradition. Iva Bittova is absolutely stunning.

She was brought to my ears' attention when looking through the Bang on a Can All-Stars catalogue a few years ago. Seeing this video on youtube, I was immediately captured. The Bang on a Can All-Stars album is great, but I just picked up her self-titled release on Nonesuch. Wow. I truly envy her ability to create such texturally interesting songs just using her voice and her instrument. She is joined by Pavel Fajt on percussion on a few tracks, but for the most part this album is a solo effort.

Some of the tracks were recorded as much as 20 years ago. I really wish I'd known of her earlier. So refreshing.

Björk interviews Arvo Pärt

Master Classes at The Stone

For anyone in NYC, The Stone has great news for musicians looking to learn. Now, instead of being closed on Mondays, The Stone will be hosting masterclasses by some of the most revolutionary musical minds of the past few decades. They've already started, and as far as I know, there will be a class hosted by a new musician every Monday. I am particularly excited about Cyro Baptista and Butch Morris.

The Stone is located at Ave C and 2nd St in Manhattan. For dates, go to the following link:

The Stone Calendar

And of course, amazing performances at The Stone shall continue.

The Debate Over Technology and the Arts: Can the Artist Survive This Increase in Accessibility?

I largely disagree with the following article. Yes, I believe in the proliferation of the arts. The arts should be easily accessible to the public, but this is putting an overly optimistic spin on the accessibility of video, music, and photos in an attempt to posit that the state of the arts is better than ever even though attendance of performances have declined 15% between 2002 and 2008.

How New Technologies Secure a Place for the Arts

What strikes me as strange is they never ask the question of how artists are to make a living in this new technological age. This is especially important as methods of compensation for the arts are still within the mindset of the gallery and the performing arts center. If attendance to these places is down, what is the artist to due?

Music and photos and so forth are now more accessible (and often free, regardless of legality) and there is now the potential for a larger audience, but is that really enough for those making the work? And does this new accessibility encourage or discourage the attendance of live performances? I would guess the latter.

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man

Having mentioned this to many Portishead fans and having most of them say that they weren't aware of it, I think it is worth mentioning that, in 2002, Beth Gibbons from Portishead released a remarkable album partnered with Rustin Man. It is very minimal in its textures and so moving in its starkness. Please listen.

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man: "Out of Season"

I think I've enjoyed this more than the work put out by Portishead, but that is largely due to the musical mood I've been in for some time now. This album is always easy to come back to and very comforting without sacrificing any integrity. Amazing work. Again, please listen.

Meredith Monk on UbuWeb

For anyone who is interested, there is an hour long documentary on Meredith Monk available for free viewing on UbuWeb.

Four American Composers: Meredith Monk

Meredith has pushed the bounds of extended vocal techniques throughout her career and has inspired many musicians in her time. I highly recommend listening to her.

I'm particularly fond of her album "Mercy" made available by ECM (an extraordinary record label that I cannot say enough about). "Mercy" was my first encounter with Meredith's music; it was one of those recordings that caught my ear at the right time.

Enjoy.

Giacinto Scelsi

So after a few initial posts about a year ago, I pretty much stopped writing. I've decided to try to start this up again. So here goes.

A composer whose name has been on my radar for a while is Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988). He was a the Count of Ayala Valva and is known for writing music based around a single pitch.

Scelsi's genius combined with the amazing musicianship of bassist Robert Black makes "The Works for Double Bass" from Mode Records a phenomenal album. Yes, I know. A single pitch. How exciting can that be? Not only is it exciting, it is haunting in its austerity.

This is definitely worth a listen:

Giacinto Scelsi: "The Works for Double Bass" performed by Robert Black

I still have a lot of catching up to do in listening to Scelsi's works, but I wanted to put this out there for anyone interested.