Genius, as always..! Thanks, Ted! (Reminds me of the disappointment some reveal when i show them my bamboo saxophone [xaphoon]-- which is really just a recorder with a tenor sax mouthpiece..!)
Nice text, Ted! On the subject of Bill Summers and the use of the bottles on "Watermelon Man", this happened shortly after Herbie heard Hermeto Pascoal's recording session for the tune "Velório"(Mourning) in NYC in 1971. Here's the opening: https://youtu.be/R2A1q1ddm94
You hear Hubert Laws, Jerry Dodgion, Jerome Richardson and Joe Farrell playing different bottles, all orchestrated by Hermeto - a different kind of pigmy.
Somewhat related, and also from Colin Turnbull, is this surprising example (or maybe a put-on) from his recording of Twa people on “Music of the Rainforest Pygmies”:
“The single recording of the Twa pygmoids, from south of the Ituri, in the Kivu Mountains, is a final example of acculturation at its most unexpected. With the help of a Watusi friend, I located some of the Twa. After pleading for a really old song, one of the great religious songs of the past, an ancient lady finally agreed, but with hesitation, saying it was so old and highly sacred. The surprising result is on Track 6.”
Of course the vessel of 'the instrument' is not the point. The point is the vibration that comes from it, and more importantly, the vibration it produces in the listener. Very succinct article! Thank you.
Unexpected answers are often (always?) the most interesting! Increasingly, I'm noticing that the when expectations are absent, when one surrenders to what may come, with little sentiment save curiosity, therein lies what is most profound.
I live in the Andes, and the Andean Cosmovision has informed the music of this region for centuries. Imagine Pizarro's army encountering hundreds of Inca warriors playing a wind instrument we call the "Sound of Death." My friend Carlos Freire, the ethnomusicologist, explains that such "instruments" should actually be called "sound objects", because the intent was never to create music with them, but rather to create soundscapes--with various functions, of course. Your molimo is just such a "sound object." Fantastic Ted.
I doubt you’re familiar with Dan Harmon’s story wheel but this parable reminds me of the last stage of the wheel, where the hero returns to his familiar environment, but “having changed.”
Thanks for this. For some reason--the journey is inside us, I suppose--it reminded me of the poem, "Ithaca," by C.P. Cavafy, excerpted here:
Have Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is what you are destined for.
But don't in the least hurry the journey.
Better it last for years,
so that when you reach the island you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.
Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She hasn't anything else to give you.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn't deceived you.
So wise you have become, of such experience,
that already you'll have understood what these Ithakas mean.
Genius, as always..! Thanks, Ted! (Reminds me of the disappointment some reveal when i show them my bamboo saxophone [xaphoon]-- which is really just a recorder with a tenor sax mouthpiece..!)
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
T.S Eliot
Nice text, Ted! On the subject of Bill Summers and the use of the bottles on "Watermelon Man", this happened shortly after Herbie heard Hermeto Pascoal's recording session for the tune "Velório"(Mourning) in NYC in 1971. Here's the opening: https://youtu.be/R2A1q1ddm94
You hear Hubert Laws, Jerry Dodgion, Jerome Richardson and Joe Farrell playing different bottles, all orchestrated by Hermeto - a different kind of pigmy.
Somewhat related, and also from Colin Turnbull, is this surprising example (or maybe a put-on) from his recording of Twa people on “Music of the Rainforest Pygmies”:
“The single recording of the Twa pygmoids, from south of the Ituri, in the Kivu Mountains, is a final example of acculturation at its most unexpected. With the help of a Watusi friend, I located some of the Twa. After pleading for a really old song, one of the great religious songs of the past, an ancient lady finally agreed, but with hesitation, saying it was so old and highly sacred. The surprising result is on Track 6.”
https://youtu.be/CGvlG0It4S4
Of course the vessel of 'the instrument' is not the point. The point is the vibration that comes from it, and more importantly, the vibration it produces in the listener. Very succinct article! Thank you.
Yes the journey helps you see things in a whole new light.
“You can’t go home again!”
Thanks Ted!
Unexpected answers are often (always?) the most interesting! Increasingly, I'm noticing that the when expectations are absent, when one surrenders to what may come, with little sentiment save curiosity, therein lies what is most profound.
Nice one! Thank you!
I live in the Andes, and the Andean Cosmovision has informed the music of this region for centuries. Imagine Pizarro's army encountering hundreds of Inca warriors playing a wind instrument we call the "Sound of Death." My friend Carlos Freire, the ethnomusicologist, explains that such "instruments" should actually be called "sound objects", because the intent was never to create music with them, but rather to create soundscapes--with various functions, of course. Your molimo is just such a "sound object." Fantastic Ted.
I love learning something new from you each day! Thank you. 💙🎶📚
Quite enjoyable and enlightening. Thank you.
I doubt you’re familiar with Dan Harmon’s story wheel but this parable reminds me of the last stage of the wheel, where the hero returns to his familiar environment, but “having changed.”
https://channel101.fandom.com/wiki/Story_Structure_101:_Super_Basic_Shit
LOVED the Watermelon Man/ Mbuti connection! Made my day.
Even more relevant today when the goal of music producers seems to be to out-tech others.
Another nice example, also pretty deep in the forest...
https://youtu.be/06Qm-Z5OsHw