NYC's perfomance at Le Poison Rouge Friday was expectedly complicated, as a live blend of programmed electronics and acoustic jazz drums in a quasi-improvisational set is a difficult feat. It was good enough, though, but that's not even why I attended. No, it was for my worship of John Cage that I attended.
The C3 percussion line performed the middle set with compositions for percussion written by Steve Reich and John Cage. I was extremely excited to see my first live performance of a Cage piece, and as expected, it was absolutely amazing. The collective clatter and inventive, oblique climaxes ejaculated beauty all over my face.
The first opener, ARP, achieved their goal, which I believe was to be derivative of anything remotely related to Brian Eno and accompanied with footage derivative of anything remotely related to Stan Brakhage. Good enough to drink my seven dollar beer to, though. Which leads me to the next item of the review: the venue. This was my first visit to Le Poison Rouge, decorated modernly with chained fish tanks dangling over stairways and occupied by a large crowd of obnoxious douchebags that love to chatter throughout the show. I would have preferred tohave seen the performance of Cage's "Third Construction" at a seated concert hall and not an indie club who claims to be an "art center" (stop embarrassing yourselves and call it what it is, a dump with beer and bands).
I attempted to locate more information on the C3 Pecussion group and have found the following information. (1.) They're names are Jeffery Irving, Haruka Fujii (has a web site, http://www.harukafujii.com), John Ostrowski, Sam Solomon, and Chris Thompson . (2.) Most of them studied or are affiliated with The Julliard School in New York. (3.) Irving has participated in releases on New Albony Records (mostly a 20th century composer label, well known for releases for Ingram Marshall, John Adams, Threnody Ensemble, etc.). (4.) While writing this, I found they're official site! http://www.linec3.com (members page does not include Irving, who is said to be a member by The Julliard School). (5.) They're next show is in February. I'm going.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Howdy doody. Today's recommended film: Bamako, now available to stream on the Netflix web site. This is perhaps the most stylish and politically charged film of its kind since Godard's Trout Va Bien.
This is somewhat of a docudrama covering the issue of the "African debt," along with other political turmoil of Bamako, and daily Mali life in a quite brilliant marriage of the two in a storyline of a literally failing marriage coming to a close as a heated trial takes place in the courtyard outside of the couple's home.
Watching the film, we witness a debate between parties over the accumulated debt owed to the World Bank, IMF, and other "foreign aid" and the subjugating and anti-progressive cycle, in which they are now stuck, taking place in a courtyard of Bamako, Mali. The people of the court consist of both actors and actual activists (a style of mixed film-making innovated by Werner Herzog and continually popularized by Harmony Korine). The trial, performed in the traditionally Western means of democracy, takes place in the midst of surviving African tradition and culture. Director Sissako further implements with increased power his argument against the discussed globalization with this reconciliation and at times even presents the hilarity of their coexistence (i.e. - the fact this is in a courtyard and not a courtroom, the elderly man who expects to be heard in his culture without permission to speak by a judge, the toddler's squeaking shoes sounding off throughout eloquent speeches).
One of the most interesting creative decisions of the film-making was the stylish inclusion of a film within the film, an ironic western starring Danny Glover, also a producer of the film, and Palestinian director Elia Suleiman. Here again Sissako makes multiple uses of an item, here with paralleling metaphors of pillaging bad guys as well as a humorous parody of non-American westerns (popularized in Cambodia and Thailand [see Tears of the Black Tiger, a homage to Thai westerns in the 1950s], though I am unsure if this is truly a popular genre of Mali). Sissako has also admitted that he chose a multi-ethnic cast for the western in illustrating that it was not solely the West to be blamed for the troubles of Africa.
The film's points are clear. The foreign solution to poverty increased Mali's poverty due to privatization and lost government jobs. The foreign solution to its economic growth has hindered such growth by creating a structure dependent on exports and suffocating it with the accumulating interest of the debt. The sad excuse for a reduction of the debt is laughable as a solution. In other words, and to make use of the film's metaphor, the cowboys were shooting aimlessly at nothing.
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Recommended music for today is NYC, featuring Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) with Steve Reid, releasing their second record of this musical portrait of New York City. The music is smart but still undeniably danceable. They will be performing tomorrow at (Le) Poison Rouge (doors at 7, show at 8). It's 15 bucks a ticket, however, you can purchase a ticket and the record for 25 bucks all together at Other Music on 4th Street (I think 20 bucks for ticket and the CD). I'll be there and so should you be... there.
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Recommended read: Accident: A Philosophical and Literary History by Ross Hamilton. Hamilton asserts it is the accident that makes us modern through his retelling of the history of ideas. Published 2007, I'm just beginning it now. Available at Strand.
This is somewhat of a docudrama covering the issue of the "African debt," along with other political turmoil of Bamako, and daily Mali life in a quite brilliant marriage of the two in a storyline of a literally failing marriage coming to a close as a heated trial takes place in the courtyard outside of the couple's home.
Watching the film, we witness a debate between parties over the accumulated debt owed to the World Bank, IMF, and other "foreign aid" and the subjugating and anti-progressive cycle, in which they are now stuck, taking place in a courtyard of Bamako, Mali. The people of the court consist of both actors and actual activists (a style of mixed film-making innovated by Werner Herzog and continually popularized by Harmony Korine). The trial, performed in the traditionally Western means of democracy, takes place in the midst of surviving African tradition and culture. Director Sissako further implements with increased power his argument against the discussed globalization with this reconciliation and at times even presents the hilarity of their coexistence (i.e. - the fact this is in a courtyard and not a courtroom, the elderly man who expects to be heard in his culture without permission to speak by a judge, the toddler's squeaking shoes sounding off throughout eloquent speeches).
One of the most interesting creative decisions of the film-making was the stylish inclusion of a film within the film, an ironic western starring Danny Glover, also a producer of the film, and Palestinian director Elia Suleiman. Here again Sissako makes multiple uses of an item, here with paralleling metaphors of pillaging bad guys as well as a humorous parody of non-American westerns (popularized in Cambodia and Thailand [see Tears of the Black Tiger, a homage to Thai westerns in the 1950s], though I am unsure if this is truly a popular genre of Mali). Sissako has also admitted that he chose a multi-ethnic cast for the western in illustrating that it was not solely the West to be blamed for the troubles of Africa.
The film's points are clear. The foreign solution to poverty increased Mali's poverty due to privatization and lost government jobs. The foreign solution to its economic growth has hindered such growth by creating a structure dependent on exports and suffocating it with the accumulating interest of the debt. The sad excuse for a reduction of the debt is laughable as a solution. In other words, and to make use of the film's metaphor, the cowboys were shooting aimlessly at nothing.
-------------------------------------------
Recommended music for today is NYC, featuring Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) with Steve Reid, releasing their second record of this musical portrait of New York City. The music is smart but still undeniably danceable. They will be performing tomorrow at (Le) Poison Rouge (doors at 7, show at 8). It's 15 bucks a ticket, however, you can purchase a ticket and the record for 25 bucks all together at Other Music on 4th Street (I think 20 bucks for ticket and the CD). I'll be there and so should you be... there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recommended read: Accident: A Philosophical and Literary History by Ross Hamilton. Hamilton asserts it is the accident that makes us modern through his retelling of the history of ideas. Published 2007, I'm just beginning it now. Available at Strand.
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