life imitates art imitates life

Jonathan Newman's latest work The Rivers of Bowery is going to be premiered at the CBDNA convention in New York City very, very soon. I had the good fortune to be able to take a sneak peek at the score, and I think the world of winds and brass are in for a fresh new sound, the likes of which they've never had in their repretoire before. For a truly excellent read, check out Newm's notebook entry and program notes for this much-anticipated new piece!

(I'm expecting Newman's self-deprecating response any time now...)

patriot acts

I've been hearing more and more remarks from friends in the concert community who are coming under fire for making "political" comments in front of their audiences and/or their ensembles. None of these friends are using the stage as a soapbox or a pulpit, but in these galvanizing times, it is difficult not to develop strong opinions, and for those opinions to color one's self-expression. For this post, I want to put my own beliefs aside and express my views as non-partisan as I possibly can. I want to speak of being an American Patriot, not of being an American Liberal or an American Conservative. Oh -- and if you do manage to divine my own political leanings from this post, you're not clever -- you're missing my point.

It is an American's right to hold their own opinion of their government. It's not a God-given right, as we see demonstrated in so many less-fortunate countries, it's an AMERICAN RIGHT. It is an American's right to express that opinion in public -- positive or negative. Our founding fathers did not fight and die for the belief that one day, some gangsta rapper should be able to brag about how he likes to "smack his b*tch up". Their concern was for society-at-large, not a handful of Eminem fans -- they were thinking much bigger than that. (yes, I know it's a paraphrase of a Prodigy lyric, and Prodigy is not gangsta rap, but allow me some creative license here, folks). Their intention was to allow public opinion and the free press to be the watchdogs of our political process.

It is the priviledge of an American to agree or disagree with what is expressed. By an artist, by a politician, by anyone they wish -- that is their priviledge. What follows is a choice: one can choose to be tolerant, or one can choose to be intolerant; one can choose to consider or to rule out; and one can choose to listen or not listen. Intolerance is not un-patriotic. Our country was founded on intolerance. And once it was founded, no one tried to silence the newly-arisen intolerance. It IS patriotic to have an opinion about our government. It IS patriotic to express it in public. But in this extraordinary civilization that we have created, an act of intolerance must be met with tolerance, or conflict inevetably arises. Our America is open and able to encompass both, and it is the hope that with grace, consideration, and intelligence, we choose which conflicts are significant to us, and which ones are merely a passing annoyance.

On November 2nd, our government asked for our opinion, and that day, our nation spoke. The results were tallied, and our government was reformed. And while some might feel that our government only listens to our voice once every 4 years, as an American Patriot, one does not have to wait until then to speak. It is our right. It is our honor. And whether you agree with the means or not, here we are -- and it is the hope of every honorable soldier, and of every honorable patriot, that it is THIS right that the Iraqi people will enjoy for the first time in their lives today.

In the midst of constant dissent and intolerance, our system of government has prevailed far longer than our founding fathers ever imagined. Let's have faith in this lesson that history offers us, and allow one another the chance to express ourselves freely and confidently. For it IS a demonstration of American patriotism to take a stand for one's ideals, in whatever form that may take. It is NOT a demonstration of American patriotism to mindlessly or passively follow the current regime, or to stiffle the voices of those who choose to be intolerant.

small world

It's amazing how you keep bumping into the same people over and over again, and the internet makes it all the more crowded with 'em. Let me show you what I mean: before the gig at St. Charles East, I asked the other guys at work if they'd heard of this other guest artist, Mark Maegdlin. Sure enough -- my buddy Steve Zoloto does a wicked double-take and says:

"Mark Maegdlin?!? I haven't seen that guy since high school!"


Then after the concert at St. Charles East, a guy came up to me and offered his card. His name is Dan Butler, and he owns a company called CHICAGO BLUES BOX -- they make custom guitar amps that, judging from the info on the website, must sound absolutely AMAZING. And I've got this buddy named Vince Pontarelli -- monstrous guitarist and composer who works for Midway Games. He's done music for video games like Mortal Kombat, Cruisin' USA, Psi-Ops, Ballers... the list goes on and on. He's also a total guitar gearhead, and I thought he might be interested in these amps. So I mention this guy Dan Butler to him --

"Dan Butler? DAN BUTLER!?! I KNOW Dan Butler!!!"

Turns out they went to high school together. Like I said, small world.

Or how about this -- let's start with the fact that I'm reading John Mackey's blog (which, by the way, is always a good read), who I'd known in undergrad but have gotten back in touch with through Newman, who met Mackey at Juilliard. Anyway, I'm reading John's blog, and he mentions an old friend named Pete Cressy. Now John and I graduated from CIM at the same time, but Pete was only there for a year or two -- didn't even know John and Pete were friends! Now a little back-story: Pete Cressy was this uber-talented, way-out cat who wrote the COOLEST music, who got me into King Crimson and hooked me on these Tea Tree Australian Chewing Sticks that I'm still constantly chewing on to this day (I'm chewing one now!). I'd seen Pete about 8 years ago in New York City, but I thought Pete had once again dropped off the face of the Earth. Now here he pops up again, and he's playing in an ensemble called SLOW SIX. I go to their website, and I recognize THREE MORE MEMBERS of the group. This is freaking me out. There's Maxim Moston -- another super-talented violinist from C.I.M., and his wife Leanne Darling was also an oboist in Cleveland too. And then there's Marlan Berry, a 'cellist and recording engineer that was a very good friend in undergrad as well as when I was living in New York City. I had NO IDEA where they were or what they were doing!

SMALL WORLD.

Saint Charles Jazz (pt.2)

Barenaked Ladies pop me out of bed (the band -- not like, y'know...)... take care of the three s's... rent a car... go to work... meeting... square away things with Keith Dye (the most patient man on EARTH) and Texas Lutheran University... pack up my gear and GO GO GO to St. Charles East!

I arrive without getting lost -- although I do call Nicki on my cell phone at one point to make sure I haven't missed a turn. I jump out of the car and grab my gear. Some students are nearby, rocking out to their cranked car stereo (I'd swear it was the riff from Dio's "Holy Diver"...?) -- this can only be a good omen. After all, I've come to the St. Charles East jazz program to stop all this swingin' and play straight 8th's with TONS of distortion.

And hopefully not play any wrong notes.

I meet Jim Kull and Mark Maegdlin onstage. Mark is a very positive, high-energy cat, and I like him immediately. His organ rig is all set up, so I busy myself patching in the Hyper-Sophisto-Sonic-Mutation-Station (a.k.a. my pedalboard) to the amp and my guitar. About this time, I notice that I've forgotten my sheet music in Chicago. Luckily, Nick, the regular guitarist in the band, is well-prepared, and happy to share his parts with me. The rehearsal begins with one of Tim's charts called "Rubbernecker", which is dedicated to all the Looky-Loo's in Los Angeles. Mark's energy translates directly into his performance, and I'm knocked out by his creativity and outrageous style. It's going to be fun to play next to him! Also, the drummer (Tom) is SLAMMIN'. I heard this guy play when we did the readings of TranZendental Danse of Joi, and he was sight-reading his Vinnie Colaiuta-esque part perfectly by the second pass!

We start rehearsing "Chocolate Requiem" -- my favorite Tim Davies chart of all time. I've decided to use the Whammy pedal for a chorus sound, and it sounds pretty dang good! Things are coming together, and then Mr. Kull suggest that we "open up this tune". What does that mean, oh ye non-jazz-squares of cyberspace? It means "get out your pencils, the director is going to restructure the chart". Now in the classical world, this would be outright sacrilege -- but in jazz, it don't mean a thing. EXCEPT that it means you better write down what's being changed! Now I've got the first additional solo, and Mark has the second. We start back up... and I'm so pumped to play that I come in early and stomp all over the trombonist's solo... nice move, Bonney. But everyone's very cool about it, and we make it though, no problems.

Next is "Iron Chef Big Band" -- this is a big deal for this band, because the TV show, "Iron Chef" is HUGE here -- they even name their heirarchy of bands after the chefs on the show (they're all called Miramoto Band, and Fujiyama Band, and Hari-Kari Band...). I switch the Whammy pedal to "2 octaves up", kick on my "Twilight Zone"-mod Metal Zone pedal, and we're really to RAGE. Mr. Kull decides to open this tune up too, and so I fake my way through the freakier changes with over-Whammified wackiness that sounds more like I'm tuning in a short wave radio than playing the guitar...

Rehearsal is finished! Mark, Jim, and I hop in Jim's van, pick up his daughter from dance class, and head over to the Kull Casbah for pizza and the pre-concert chill. We talk about movies, careers, politics... and before we know it, we're headed back to the school!

Before everything starts, I run onstage to double-check my gear and my tuning. They've brought a new amp for me (the last one wasn't loud enough -- he he), and so I lean my guitar on Mark's rig while I'm re-patching cables. A minute later I hear a "WHOOMP" and a few of the audience members let out a gasp. Yes -- once again, my Music Man guitar has taken a digger. Fortunately, it's fallen onto it's back, so aside from some loose locking tuners, everything is AOK. After all the crashes and bashes this guitar has survived (without a scratch), I think I've come up with a nickname for it -- TONKA.

The concert sounds great -- occasionally during tunes, Jim Kull points out rising stars in this program, but they need no indication -- their playing speaks for itself. The bass player in the third band that is DEFINING the groove. The trumpet section in the second band that already shows great power and polish. He's excited about the future of this program, and I can't say that I blame him!

It's getting close to that time, and so I review my scales and theory and try to think through the structure of the solo breaks that I have -- pentatonic here... modulate... dorian mode here... phrygian mode there... diminished stuff here... hold back... build up... OK, cool. I go back to the side of the stage in time to catch Justin's trumpet solo on a Duke Ellington chart. There's nothing fancy or technical about what he's chosen to play, but it's expressive, and musical, and totally awesome. I realize that he's just being "in the moment", playing what his ear is telling him would sound good. Inspired by what I've heard, I decide to chuck all the theory and licks -- for better or for worse, I'm just gonna play whatever comes to me, and see what comes out.

Finally, it's my chance to join the group onstage, and I run out to plug in. Only problem is that the amp is on top of my cables. And my gear is unplugged. And power for the amp has been switched off. And I don't have a music stand. Hey, no problem -- that's how it goes! Nick helps me get the gear back into gear, and soon we're ready to go. My first entrance in "Chocolate Requiem" is a very exposed funk rhythm part, and I come in TOO LOUD. Grab at the volume knob on my guitar -- oop -- too soft! TOO LOUD too soft TOO Loud too SOFT -- there we go! Next thing I know, I'm grooving out and Mark is yelling to me, "YOU'RE UP!!!". Oh yeah -- we're many bars into my solo section and I'm backing up NOBODY. Shift gears, start soloing mindlessly, and my break which seemed so long in rehearsal is now OVER. Back to rhythm guitar!

Next up -- "Iron Chef". Everyone is pumped. The audience is bracing itself. The band starts with a bloodcurdling scream, and then the rhythm section is laying down this head-banging, ear-grinding, Death-Metal riff. The bassist, drummer and I have locked UP and the groove feels HEAVY. Solos come up, and I'm over-Whammifying everything in my path (note to self: try having more taste with the toys next time!), but hey, at least I'm "in the moment"! And I do spontaneously come up with this Arabic sounding idea that I like, but soon I can't decide where I'm going to go with it, so I'm back to the short-wave radio effects again...

But we had a blast -- I'm honestly not sure whether the audience thought, but the whole band sounds huge and fierce, and we had a great time.

Special thanks to Jim and Gil for having me out to play, and to the band for being so excited about the music and ALIVE in the performance of it. I'll look forward to the next time we can make music together. Best wishes, St. Charles East!!!

Saint Charles Jazz (pt.1)

Headed out to St. Charles East High School to sit in with their jazz band. We've got one rehearsal this afternoon and then the concert tonight. I'm playing on two of Tim Davies' charts, "Chocolate Requiem" and "Iron Chef Big Band". There's also a guest keyboardist named Mark Maegdlin, so I'm looking forward to hearing him play too. I'm very excited and also kinda nervous -- the music is great, and I can only assume from what I've heard of Jim Kull's program that the ensemble is excellent. I just want to compliment the band and serve the music.

And not play any wrong notes.

This is my first time playing live in a jazz setting (I've done plenty of recording, but never performed live!), so it should be a real kick in the head. I'll let you know how it goes!

scorecard

Couldn't think of anything to write about today, so I thought I'd give you my review on a few recent experiences I've run across:

"American Splendor" = movie about the life of underground autobiographical comic book writer, Harvey Pekar. An excellent film, and another reason NOT to write that comic book about your own life.

"Well to the Bone" = solo album by guitarist Scott Henderson. Positively great when no one is singing, totally unlistenable when someone IS.

"Anatomy of a Murder" = classic film with Jimmy Stewart. Pretty good, although you'll chuckle at their gritty, cutting-edge (and oft-repeated) use of the word "panties".

"Battle of the Sexes" = boardgame that- well, the name speaks for itself. Unfortunately, the questions aren't always all that even: guys get questions like "What is Palmolive?" (answer: "soap"), and women get questions like "What is the exact distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate?" (answer: 60 feet, 6 inches). The good news is that we CREAMED the girls, but victory can turn bittersweet as an evening progresses. So for the sake of fairness to the ladies, I'm going to say "pure crap". Now if she'll only forgive me for the repeated touchdown dances in the living room that evening...

"Jaws" = classic movie by Steven Spielberg that still occasionally makes me do a flying leap into bed at night (in case there are any sharks lurking underneath). Sadly, this movie doesn't appear to be withstanding the test of time with new viewers, but I still say it gives me the willies, so I'm going to give it a very defensive "totally awesome, and I don't care what YOU think!".

"Hot Doug's" = new restaurant that's opened up across the street from work and whose menu sticks close to the clotted arteries of every native Chicagoan's heart -- they only serve hot dogs and sausages. It's wreaking havoc on my Pescatarianism... translation: it's good. It's very, very good.

"snow" = pretty white stuff that falls from the sky and turns to heavy, wet brownish-grey stuff that freezes to your car and makes it difficult to find a parking space. For the uninitiated, "snow" is absolutely lovely under three conditions: 1. You're indoors, snuggly-warm, with a large mug of hot chocolate, and you're watching it fall because you don't have to go to school that day. 2. It's Christmas Eve. That's it. Did I say there were three conditions? Ummm, yeah -- I was wrong -- there are only two.

Happy Birthday to me

George Carlin's Views on Aging:

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five!

That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40.

Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.

And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them".

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, art, foreign affairs, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improv e it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the beach, or to the next county; even to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

New Paradise Lost video

This was NOT easy to get ahold of -- Eric doesn't usually let people see him "in action", especially while he's composing. I'm sure you'll find numerous quotes from his previous works in this musical snipit. And as you can see, he's been on another of his Krispy Kreme binges, but I'm sure he'll be heading back to the gym soon... without further ado, pump up the volume and enjoy the latest clip from "Paradise Lost".

stream of unconciousness

Two games go to prototype testing tomorrow... still need more music... forecast: bitterly cold winds, snow flurries, and a looooong day in the writing room... Reflections in a Tidal Pool scores and parts finished late last night, will send them to Hal Leonard tomorrow... Asturias score finished, need to extract parts and send out ASAP!!!... TranZendental Danse of Joi scores printed but still needs to be bound... parts still not proofread or mastered or printed or folded or shrink-wrapped... BCM CD's to Japan, check... BCM CD's to CDBaby.com, check... need to send more BCM CD's to Mark Custom for distribution... yes, thank you some sleep would be nice... book-keeping behind, need to send invoice to Mark, to Shattinger, to a half-dozen other people... and checks to Luis (paper printer), Shirtsmith (t-shirt printer), Eric... bills not paid, checks not cashed... still need to send out comp scores... anyone have Tad Suzuki's address?... sure could use a paper folding machine, how much do they cost... oh yeah, and I'm playing in St. Charles next week, must practice those charts... Iron Chef Big Band... Chocolate Requiem... weekend coming up, birthday tomorrow... no plans except, well, see above...

Asturias

My new arrangement of Isaac Albeniz' "Asturias" is finished! Today I'm sending out the score and parts to Keith Dye at Texas Lutheran University.

I took a more straightforward approach with this arrangement -- for the most part, I think the piece has it's own unique sound, so I just tried to compliment what Albeniz had already done. I tried not to overdo it with the castanets or whip, but there is a dash of that to add to the Spanish flavor. There's a few solo trumpet sections, so some lucky trumpet player is going to get to strut his stuff. There's also a nice oboe solo line in the middle, and a short solo marimba lick at the end, so a few people get to share the spotlight. I hope they like it!

What BCM means:

(if you can figure it out, let me know...)

Weekend Update

Spent most of the weekend laying low, trying to get over this KILLER cold... staring at far too much of the first season of "24", playing waaaaay too much "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas", and in the few lucid moments in between, putting the finishing touches on my new arrangement of "Asturias", for the premiere in February with Dr. Keith Dye and the Texas Lutheran University Wind Ensemble.

Both the arrangement AND the cold are almost finished...

Flatlined

Chicken soup. Orange juice. Club soda. Every form of anti-oxidant Nic can come up with. Zinc. Bedrest. Cranberry juice. Lentil soup. Hot showers with lots of steam. Garlic. Redefining the term "couch potato". Aspirin. And I'd even consider taking Ecanacia, but supposedly it won't work in conjunction with Vitamin C.

These are all no match for this whopper of a cold.

Sneeze.

Snort.

Ugh.

Achoo

I'b god a code. I habed't had a code id YEARS.

Ugh.

Employee of the Month

All day company meeting... awards ceremony... look what I got!

cyberjammin'

Oops -- spoke too soon. Budget constraints. Gotta watch the bling-bling. So my groovin' live band will now be made up of samples and synths. It's not a problem, but it will change the way I write these pieces. I'll still keep you posted...

We be jammin'

Today's musical challenge? Writing for steel drums. I've got to write an original Carribean tune for a game called "Blue Lagoon". I've never written for steel drums before, but it should be a cool challenge! I'll let you know how it goes...

MESHUGGAH

Favorite listen these days: MESHUGGAH.

A blood-curdling shout-out to Shilo Stroman for introducing their music to me.

WARNING: this is unbelievably hardcore (yet extremely sophisticated) Swedish Thrash/Industrial Metal, and therefore will not be everyone's cup of tea -- personally, I can't get enough of it. The lead guitarist is from another planet -- he has some of the craziest lead lines I've ever heard (best described as "high-velocity-spider-like arpeggiation"). I just wish they'd let him play more... The rest of the band is in non-stop lock-step odd-meter time changes -- impossible to get your toe to tap for even a split-second. But when you experience the combined impact of those drums, bass, and EIGHT-string guitars, your head WILL involuntarily BANG. I can't understand a word the lead screamer is shrieking, and I don't really WANT to know what he's singing about. I think it's mostly socio-political stuff, but I do my best to ignore him. Consequently, I'm not gonna vouch for the safety of any lyrical content. Those who are easily offended, take your own chances with this stuff. Or do what I do -- crank it up and twitch uncontrollably to the beat.

Tim Davies

Had a great discussion with Jim Kull last night about his jazz band concert out at St. Charles High School. I'm going to sit in on guitar with them, on two charts -- one called Iron Chef Big Band, and another called Chocolate Requiem. Both were written by a very good friend of mine named Tim Davies.

Tim is one of the most talented and driven musicians that I know. He's an excellent drummer and percussionist and an extremely knowledgable and creative composer/orchestrator/arranger. He's originally from Australia, but currently lives in Los Angeles. He has his own big band in L.A., made up of some of the best session musicians in town. These cats can BLOW. Seriously. And these musician's broad musical skills are tested time and time again, because Tim's charts really stretch musical boundaries. Iron Chef Big Band has HEAVY influences from Death Metal music, and Chocolate Requiem (my favorite piece of his) seamlessly blends hip-hop beatz, fusion and funk grooves, and free jazz moments into an extraordinarily expressive work of art.

I can't wait to play these pieces with Jim's band!

BCM - MEN OF INDUSTRY

The new BCM CD is now available online! You can buy it at CDBaby.com.

You can also hear an excerpt of "TranZendental Danse of Joi"...

Bonney's Sweatshop

Yes folks, for the price of 2 pizzas and a bottle of wine, you too can start your own publishing company! Once the pages of score and parts are printed and folded, they go over to AVSICTISM Music's high-tech assembly line:

Here, Nicki collates a set of Chaos Theory parts. Note: the huge smile on her face -- all our workers are HAPPY. Also note the half-empty wine glass. This is my management technique for keeping them HAPPY.

Hmmm... smells like burning plastic in here... oh, that's just Darlena (though she doesn't usually smell like that). She's shrink-wrapping those parts and preparing them for the infamous HEAT GUN. (Yes, this is in my apartment.)

And here Ian binds scores on the very same machine that has punched little tiny holes in many of your favorite Eric Whitacre band scores, such as Ghost Train and Equus. (Note: The Smithsonian museum has contacted me about this contraption, but I've told them they'll have to wait till I'm finished with it.)

I know, I know -- it all seems so glamorous... the Fox network has even considered creating a reality TV show based on these events. But in the meantime, THERE IS NEW STOCK OF "CHAOS THEORY" AND "COURAGE & COMPASSION" ON IT'S WAY TO HAL LEONARD!!!!

bumpers

Had to do a couple of bumpers on very short notice. A "bumper" is a short musical phrase -- they're used alot in TV sitcoms (think Seinfeld). Anyway, it's not one of my favorite things to do, and I didn't have any time to do a big production number, so I grabbed my DeArmond guitar, some bass samples (courtesy of Mr. John Patitucci), and a few drumsets off of the Roland JV-5080 (I like the hi-hat on one patch, the cymbals on another, the kick and toms on this one, etc.). Rolled up my sleeves, and knocked 'em out, quick and dirty. Here are a few examples:
bumper #1
bumper #2
bumper #3
Hey, it beats digging ditches!

Blog of the Week

Forwarded from my cousin, and in the interest of trivia, here's news of my military doppelganger, the courageous Capt. James Bonney, from a blog called "BlackFive, The Paratrooper of Love":

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2004/05/royal_marine_ca.html