sonic evidence

on the blog post of june 4
i commented on the experience
of recording
without in fact having in hand
the CD
the little silver disc
that might be indubitable evidence
that in fact a recording did occur

now i have in my possession
the result of the collaboration between
3 somewhat likeminded souls
a very generous and capable production
manager and his wife who
on more than one occasion
saw to the nutritional needs
of us all

thus it occurs to me that
the project stands as a testimony
to an idea and the willingness
of the whole group to go with the idea
and dispense with the pretense
of aesthetic appeal

it was far more important to me to see
if in fact we could get the idea onto
some sort of recorded material
than to think about how it might be heard
by others

the result is for me one of delight
and music is for delight

i could not help but perceive the "roughness"
a sort of self-critical reaction ensues
for any artistic endeavor
"is this what i want?"

finally i have to admit that not only the idea
but the process and the belief that
no matter what the overall sound
the concept will work...
this held forth

i suppose it is rare that one begins
a recording project with the sense
that "this is a work in progress"
typically a recording is about
putting out music that is well-rehearsed
and will somehow supplement
the musical efforts of the ongoing
professional/musical life of the musician

so i find the approach we took
to be more authentic in regards to purpose
and in regards to what music is

the recording stands
as an "art piece"
both attesting to
a level of completion
and an "open-endedness"

music is an exploration
into the organization of sounds
one is always in conflict
between the clear idea
and the possibility of something new
and unimagined occuring

all music should in fact have something
of the spontaneous in it

my goal then is not the CD
the goal is performance
the goal is to be present
to others with the collection of songs
fit into the structure of the roman catholic mass

and within that given structure
there is the acknowledgement of
ongoing change
there can be considerable creativity
within the "form"
for the form
in a sense
"lives"

the other aspect that occurs to me
is that this sort of project
fits into a description of activity
we might term
"serious play"

gods' children
making noise
twanging strings
raising voices
giving expression

within the given structure
various musical expressions are audible
appalachian (shaker) hymns
blues
bluegrass
gospel
funk/rap
rock anthem
spoken word
freeform guitar improvisation
organum (parallel 5th harmonies)
country
reggae
bossa nova
celtic

variety holds within the form
and the form is open
to even more variety