And all the Jazz.
Sad that lyricist Fred Ebb died (Chicago, Cabaret, etc).
Driving in the car is such a great time to think! Ok - well - as long as you also pay attention to the moment and drive.
So - driving to work this morning I had the opportunity to listen to a an interview w/ Jazz musician (Sax) Benny Golson. He talked about writing music. How fortuitous. I love synchronicity and personal gestalt
He talked about how he wrote the song "Terminal 1" for the movie The Terminal. He said "usually the drums accompany the music, but I decided in this case to let the music accompany the drums." That statement really caught my attention - drums have been a HUGE part of my life for many years. As a belly dancer, I am always listening for the drum even if I don't always choose to acknowledge every single hit when I dance. The drum speaks to my gut and my soul. So now - I think I want to compose my piece for Gary's class around the drum or the percussion with a musical accompaniment (or at least approach it from that angle). This will be quite a challenge because I've never done anything like this before (I've never really intentionally composed much more than a melody in fact).
Benny also shared a quote from Dizzy Gillespie that I just loved!
In answer to "how can a musician prove his mettle, by how fast he plays?" Benny answered, "No, by how slow he plays." He then shared the Dizzy Gillespie quote, "Slow it down. Slow it down enough to eat a sandwich between each beat and you'll find out where everybody is. There is no room to hide on a balad" How fantastic is that?
As I listened to the interview and the music, I realized that I was listening differently. I was listening like someone who creates music (or attempts to) rather than someone how only listens to it.
That begs the question, how does our own personal context inform each thing we do?
When I think of myself as a writer do I read differently then when I only think of myself as a reader? What about when I think of myself as an author (which may be different from a writer)? When I am the dancer, do I listen to the music differently than when I am the composer? How about when I am the musician but not the dancer or composer?. What about watching film - I've been an actor, director, techie, editor, producer, etc... does each of those unique aspects watch the film differently? How do I integrate them all? I must do it - and I think it must be sub-conscious in nature... but today in the car, for just a moment, I was able to step outside of myself and be aware of how I was listening differently.
It occurs to me that these questions might be pertinent to our upcoming discussions and meditations on what it means to be an expert. I'll have to watch for that! Ok... enough blogging... time to dance and then eat... no more sitting tonight.
Driving in the car is such a great time to think! Ok - well - as long as you also pay attention to the moment and drive.
So - driving to work this morning I had the opportunity to listen to a an interview w/ Jazz musician (Sax) Benny Golson. He talked about writing music. How fortuitous. I love synchronicity and personal gestalt
He talked about how he wrote the song "Terminal 1" for the movie The Terminal. He said "usually the drums accompany the music, but I decided in this case to let the music accompany the drums." That statement really caught my attention - drums have been a HUGE part of my life for many years. As a belly dancer, I am always listening for the drum even if I don't always choose to acknowledge every single hit when I dance. The drum speaks to my gut and my soul. So now - I think I want to compose my piece for Gary's class around the drum or the percussion with a musical accompaniment (or at least approach it from that angle). This will be quite a challenge because I've never done anything like this before (I've never really intentionally composed much more than a melody in fact).
Benny also shared a quote from Dizzy Gillespie that I just loved!
In answer to "how can a musician prove his mettle, by how fast he plays?" Benny answered, "No, by how slow he plays." He then shared the Dizzy Gillespie quote, "Slow it down. Slow it down enough to eat a sandwich between each beat and you'll find out where everybody is. There is no room to hide on a balad" How fantastic is that?
As I listened to the interview and the music, I realized that I was listening differently. I was listening like someone who creates music (or attempts to) rather than someone how only listens to it.
That begs the question, how does our own personal context inform each thing we do?
When I think of myself as a writer do I read differently then when I only think of myself as a reader? What about when I think of myself as an author (which may be different from a writer)? When I am the dancer, do I listen to the music differently than when I am the composer? How about when I am the musician but not the dancer or composer?. What about watching film - I've been an actor, director, techie, editor, producer, etc... does each of those unique aspects watch the film differently? How do I integrate them all? I must do it - and I think it must be sub-conscious in nature... but today in the car, for just a moment, I was able to step outside of myself and be aware of how I was listening differently.
It occurs to me that these questions might be pertinent to our upcoming discussions and meditations on what it means to be an expert. I'll have to watch for that! Ok... enough blogging... time to dance and then eat... no more sitting tonight.
posted by susan | 8:10 PM
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