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2000
M.J. Zuckerman, " Y2K computer problem has public wondering just
how bad it will be."
USA Today. 1998. http://www.detnews.com/1998/technology/y2k/index.htm
(January 2, 1999).
M.J. Zuckerman’s article, " Y2K computer problem has public wondering
just how bad it will be." addresses the ignorance that we have
regarding the Y2K bug. This ignorance reaches beyond society’s
technological illiteracy into the realm of hypothesis and prediction.
The Y2K bug threatens to shut down most computers as a result
of their inability to distinguish the first two digits in the
year date. Programmers established the method of recording the
date within a computer’s operating system at a time when memory
was very expensive. Because of this, they eliminated the first
two digits in the year date to save space. Computers will not
be able to distinguish between 1900 and the year 2000 with out
altering their perception of this year date. Problems related
to this glitch are compounded by the global reliance on computers
in the flow of essential goods. All food, power and raw materials
that are moved from one place to another are controlled by computer
technology and therefore could be affected by the Y2K problem.
When you consider how these elements travel around the globe,
a view of the domino effect that could result from the breakdown
of our vital systems begins to emerge.
M.J. Zuckerman’s presumption is that the public rejects this disaster
potential as far too extremist. He then outlines the uncertainty
that surrounds even the most enlightened on this issue. The American
Red Cross, for example, advises stockpiling of food and water,
preparedness in financial and survival matters and a consideration
of power alternatives. Other sources claim that without proof
there is no cause for alarm. Ultimately the scenario that emerges
is unpredictable.
Although, as the article suggests, there is a consensus that some
systems will fail, it appears that the disaster may not occur
at the zero hour of this year. Instead problems will emerge in
the months that follow as problems work there way through the
integrated systems of the world. Problems envisioned include a
significant drop in the value of stocks on the US market and the
likelihood that power systems will fail. According to Zuckerman,
the US is relatively well prepared for whatever the outcome is,
within our own systems. However, questions remain with regard
to other countries, especially those of the oil producing world.
To compound this problem, there has been fraud in reporting compliance
with the solutions.
Much of the uncertainty results from the inability to test solutions.
Programs can be altered, but testing the solutions is either improbable
or impossible. It appears that we will have to wait and see what
the end result of the Y2K bug will be. Taking a cue from many
who are working on this problem first hand, being prepared may
be the only real solution.
-John Bacon 1/99
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Y2K
John Stebbins, " Tech Focus: Symantec, others warn Year 2000 bug
bites home PC’s."
The Detroit News. 1998. http://www.detnews.com/1998/technology/y2k/index.htm
(January 2, 1999).
Y2K, the year 2000 bug, is a dominant topic in the world of computers
today. Searching for this topic on any WWW search engine produces
thousands of hits whose tone ranges from those who fear apocalypse
to others claiming it is all a false alarm. One thing is for certain
there is a dollar to be made capitalizing on this uncertainty.
John Stebbins’ article is a brief announcement informing us of
the availability of a product from Symantec Corporation (Norton
2000, $49.95) that will check your home PC and update the Windows
operating system to avoid the year 2000 glitch. Network Associates
(2000 Toolbox, $29.95) and Greenwich Mean Time (Check 2000 PC
Deluxe, $59.95) are two other companies that have spotted the
gold mine and produced Y2K repair programs.
It could not have taken very much market research to realize that
there are going to be scores of computer owners interested in
repairing their computer clocks by this time next year. Producing
an easy to use and inexpensive piece of one time use software
is a sure way to boost profits. I would argue that the majority
of people who own home PC’s have absolutely no real understanding
of this potential problem let alone the repercussions of it on
a global level. I believe most people will respond to the media
hype that has just begun to simmer and therefore make millions
for the stock holders of corporations like Symantec. Don’t misunderstand
me, I have nothing against making a profit. In fact these products
appear very useful. Do most people care about the usefulness of
this software? I believe they will be hyped into this cure just
as they have been hyped by media campaigns in the past. Remember
the lines at computer retailers when Windows ‘95 was released?
How many of the millions of purchasers of that massively hyped
update really need the added features? How many can even tell
the difference in any actual computing features? Were they merely
responding to the glamour of the Stones media campaign?
Unfortunately these simple questions are not the real issue here.
Our real concern is that the mass majority of our society is as
ignorant about the technology of computers as they are dependent
upon it. Society’s ignorance goes beyond the complexity of this
technology. Most people are blind to the inter-connectedness and
inter-dependency of the global computing network. The fact that
companies like Symantec, Network Associates and Greenwich Mean
Time are poised to score big in the face of this ignorance is
not merely loathsome because of it’s obvious commercial exploitation
but rather it says much about the inability of society to overcome
the inherent weaknesses in human character. We are often willing
to take advantage of one another in the face of disaster. We rarely
surpass our day to day existence to embrace and prepare for the
future. We are like ducks in a pond or lemmings following the
piper’s song.
I know I am making a big stretch here and possibly getting very
heavy with a simple product announcement from a news wire. Sometimes
these simple ironic examples are the most telling forecast of
our fate. I am actually middle of the road between the doomsday
predictions of some analysts and the complacency of most Americans.
I can’t help but think of the optimism of the Roaring 20’s and
the decades of turmoil from the Great Depression to World War
II that followed; the blind optimism of the 50’s to the Vietnam
War and turbulent 60’s. What does our future hold and how does
the Y2K problem figure into this pattern?
-John Bacon 1/99
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Autumn Haiku
Gliding slow long neck
Drop, etch the glass still surface.
Wait like a drawn bow.
The chill and quiet
Join the cloud gray cinema,
Onion and manure.
Black flight swooping low,
Turn, climb a circle of wind.
Flapping fans lift you.
Sweet vine, humid night.
Your essence intoxicates
Ripe swollen spirits.
Saxophone honks warn.
A drunken parade in flight.
Migration alarm.
Weathered tops, brick pasts
Reflect the cool gray autumn.
The spectrum transforms.
Trees live the slow life.
The seasonal clock times them
Across earth’s ages.
-John Bacon 10/99
A Sound for Today
A thought...
The day's soundbite recorded into a computer.
Raw sound, found sound, musique concrete.
Manipulated text, rapper, scratcher, speak.
Control and edit synthesizers with midi.
Today's sound bite performed live.
Musical remembrances, inventions, schemes.
Our words, spoken, sung, rap.
Play and improvise on any instrument or voice.
These sound bites recorded and edited with a computer.
Overall theme, mood changes, time frame.
Soundtracks, songs, poems, samples.
Sync these sounds and words to video.
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Musicians In A Circle
Everyone can see everyone. Around one center.
Each one the beginning. Each one the end.
Describe something important in your life today. Use sound. Is
it music?
Recall something from the past...How long will you remember it?
Predict the future...How can you be so sure?
Dream...
Let's Play
together,
alone,
in duet,
on teams,
all at once,
one after another.
Are there rules to this game?
When does it start?
How do we know when it is over?
Who calls the plays?
Is there a winner or a loser?
In a circle, we can try to make any sound.
From the loudest to the softest.
From the highest to the lowest.
From beautiful to ugly.
Familiar to brand new.
happy, sad
funny, embarassing
sacred, profane
comforting, disturbing
energetic, sleepy, dancing, sitting, moving, stop.
When is music noise?
When does sound become music?
I can make noise.
I can make music.
I can make music.
I can make noise.
Can you tell the difference?
make noise.
make music.
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In A Circle: Music Lesson Plan
Session One:
Goal: Introduce the theme and demonstrate examples.
Materials: Large room with one chair per student in a circle.
Activity: Musicians In A Circle. Students will participate in group improvisation
exercises.
Assignment: Visit visual art exhibits, form groups of four or five students,
leave a welcome message at the online forum (www.innereye.net).
Session Two:
Goal: Develop an outline of how the group will express the theme.
Materials: 5x7 Index Cards (30 per group), Spaces for small groups to meet.
Activity: Title flash cards that organize the elements and aspects of
the piece. Fill out Instrumentation, Thematic Elements, Text,
Visual References, Technology, Name cards. Others to be filled
out later Theme, Event, Review of Tape, Form.
Assignment: Fill out one theme card and at least two event cards.
Session Three:
Goal: Develop the musical themes and events for the piece.
Materials: Space for small groups to meet. One audio recorder for each group.
Activity: Present and experiment with the musical themes and events in
the group. Improvise, develop, try other things. Audio record
the ideas. Fill out more event cards as you develop more ideas.
Assignment: Listen to the tape and fill out a review card.
Session Four:
Goal: Edit the musical ideas and create the form of the piece.
Materials: Space for small groups to meet. Large space for recording and
an audio recorder.
Activity: Eliminate some of the events. Decide on an order of the events.
Be aware of the time frame for the piece. Record the finished
musical piece.
Session Five:
Goal: Synchronize the musical ideas with the visual artists.
Activity: Perform the intermedia work.
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IDA AND THE TURTLE
a musical/multi-media folk tale
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida and the Turtle is the story of a young girl who leaves her
home on
bright Sunday afternoon, dressed in her best clothes, to sit by
the
ocean and daydream before dinner. The piece is a multi-media
presentation involving dance, voice, film and percussion music.
It is a
work in progress.
In the opening vocal section, "Mama I'm leaving now...", Ida sings
to
her mother about the effect the ocean has on her dreams and imagination.
She asks her mother about her own dreams, if they have come true,
and if
she knows what the future might bring.
The second movement is entitled "Street Dance". In this segment
Ida
plays, dances and runs through the streets of her tiny Italian
village
on her way to the seaside and her favorite dreaming spot.
As the story continues, Ida begins to dream and before long she
has lost
track of time. The tide begins to roll in, but Ida is unaware.
Soon she
is surrounded by water far out from the tide line. Her sister
calls
wildly from the now distant shore, but to no avail. She gives
up and
departs. Suddenly Ida is startled from her dreams as she is splashed
by
the water and realizes that she is stuck at sea. Ida fantasizes
that
this has happened to her because she has sat upon the back of
an
enormous sea turtle that is carrying her away. Ida begins to fantasize
about what she will find on this journey. Eventually she begins
to
recite her final prayers believing that she is doomed. Just then
her
sister returns with their father who launches a row boat and rows
out to
rescue her.
The piece draws inspiration from two anti-heroes of American
musical-dramatic work. The repetitive, pattern-based percussion
music of
Harry Partch, although texturally similar to the music of composers
Steve Reich and Terry Riley, remains structurally different from
the
minimalist arena in that Partch's music is, as he has stated,
Corporeal
(tangible; with the intention to convey meaning), like a story
or a
dance that tells a story, rather than Abstract. Partch's use of
dance,
singing and percussion have been a model for Ida. Frank Zappa's
use of
rock elements, his use of humorous sound, complex polyrhythms
and most
importantly his repetition of individual melodic elements and
the
subsequent displacement and development of those fragments as
the
forward motivation in a piece of music, have been extremely important.
The melodic material used throughout the entire piece is derived
from
the alternation of two chords of identical intervallic structure,
built
on root notes a whole step apart. InIda 7/8 dance, this material
is
presented as an ostinato in odd meter time upon which scales and
melodies derived from these structures are presented in a
quasi-improvisational manner. The piece Solo Variation is a stream
of
conciousness melodic development of the two alternating chords.
The
original development appears in the marimba. Material derived
from this
development was later manipulated and re-scored for the gongs,
vibe,
orchestra bells and fretless bass synthesiszer.
Although these two pieces donot appear consecutively in the actual
drama
they are both dream sequences during Ida's adventure and therefore
related. Ida 7/8 dance is a trance inducing frenzy, like voodoo,
meant
to draw the spirit into the body. Solo Variation is a hypnotic
dance, a
shamanic travel, the dreamer seeking to travel to where the spirit
lives.
-John Bacon, Jr.
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The Use Of Percussion In
Sun Ra's Arkestra
By John Bacon, Jr.
The use of percussion in Sun Ra's Arkestra is rich and varied,
encompassing Afro-Caribbean, African, Middle Eastern, Oriental,
European
and American instruments and their applications. Percussion instruments
including timpani, keyboard percussion, tuned bongos and multiple
percussion set-ups are used as solo instruments in both traditional
jazz
forms and experimental works unique to Sun Ra. The Arkestra also
functions as a percussion ensemble, creating complex rhythmic
and
timbral textures as a back-drop for solo improvisations by other
instrumentalists. Sometimes Sun Ra employs multiple drummers and
other
percussionists in an attempt to elevate the music to a higher
energy
level or to create a pastiche of cultural representations.
Percussion in the large jazz ensemble seems familiar, if not common
place, today. Sun Ra's dedication to percussive sounds has had
a major
impact on this perception. Throughout the life of the Arkestra
he
nurtured an expanding universe of percussion activity. Photos
as early
as 1955 show Jim Herndon, a timpanist, as a member of the Arkestra.
In
1990, near the end of Sun Ra's life, the Arkestra can be seen
with two
drumset drummers, a congero, a timbalero, marching snare drummer,
surdo
player, djembe player, clave player, gongs, cymbals and "Ancient
Infinity Lightning Wood Drum". Sun Ra traveled the globe spreading
his
musical and philosophical message while continuously absorbing
the world
of percussion, integrating those elements in a myriad of ways
and expand
ing our galaxy of jazz percussion.
I. Arkestral Percusssion
A. Timpani
The first appearance of kettledrummers in Western Europe was in
1457 as
part of the entourage of the King of Hungary. Since that time
the drums
and drummers have enjoyed an exalted place in Western culture.
In the
courts or on the battlefield, Kettledrummers and their instrument
were
prized. The distinction of Kettledrummer was bestowed as a special
rank
within the military service and with it greater remuneration and
special
privileges were gained. The loss or gain in war of a pair of timpani
was
of great consequence. Frequently the timpani, a pair of kettledrums,
were combined with trumpeters to form an ensemble used exclusively
in
the presence of royalty (Blades pp.226-30).
Since their introduction into the orchestra in the 17th century,
followed by wide use in Classical, Romantic and Modern Orchestral
literature, through their current maturity as a solo and ensemble
instrument; the timpani have become the most prominent of orchestral
percussion instruments. Our modern orchestral drums are similar
to the
small Arabian kettledrums, called nakers, that were brought to
Europe by
the returning crusaders. In Egypt, timpani like drums, baz, are
attached
to the saddle of a camel and used in religious processions (Blades
pp.226-30).
Jazz music has had less familiarity with the timpani. In big band
music
we know that Duke Ellington's drummer/ percussionist Sonny Greer
employed a huge set-up of percussion including timpani. Other
Jazz
percussionists, including Roy Haynes in his work with Chick Corea
and
Max Roach with Booker Little, have employed the timpani as a solo
instrument with excellent results. It is difficult to document
over a
substantial period of time the use of the timpani as an integral
ensemble member outside of Max Roach's M'Boom percussion ensemble
and
Sun Ra's Arkestra. Sun Ra may have been influenced by Duke's use
of the
great tuned drums since we know that he held high respect for
Ellington
and called him a "creator" of Jazz music along with Fats Waller
and
Fletcher Henderson (Rusch p.67). Additional sources as to the
root of
Sun Ra's use of timpani in the Arkestra can be traced to important
ideas
that are foundations in the overall spectacle and sound of his
ensemble.
Sun Ra's years of research in Egyptology, numerology, astrology,
spirituality, mathematics, sciences, and the occult combined with
performances at southern social clubs, urban dance hall floor
shows and
strip clubs combine to produce a dramatic multi-media effect that
demands the pomposity of Hollywood movie music as an element in
his
sonic vocabulary. The timpani with its allusions to eastern warriors
riding on the backs of great beasts and beating on mounted kettledrums
are a vivid metaphor that would have appealed to Sun Ra's sense
of the
drama.
The earliest use of non-standard jazz percussion in the Arkestra
is the
timpani. By 1955 the Arkestra had taken shape. Using four to six
horns
and a rhythm section the music was "...partially based on the
blues, but
much of it also intensely percussive." (Szwed p.94) Jim Herndon,
a
member of the Chicago Civic Symphony, is the timpanist on many
early
recordings of the Arkestra. The timpani were used to play melodic
lines,
bass vamps and as a solo instrument. A unique adaptation of the
timpani
occurs on Supersonic Jazz (1956), originally issued as a single.
This
swinging horn chart features a Herndon timpani solo side-by-side
with
solos from the horns and piano. Sun Ra's attempt to realize the
timpani
as a voice equal in its expressive soloistic qualities with the
other i
nstruments, is somewhat successful. Usually during this period
of Jazz
when drums are heard as a solo instrument there is a rhythmically
weak
accompaniment necessitated by the drums switching roles and abandoning
the rhythm section. Also, when the acoustic bass solos, we generally
hear a weaker rhythmic accompaniment necessitated by the low volume
of
the soloing instrument. An interesting result of Sun Ra's experiment
is
the sound result of a rhythmically strong and low pitched instrument,
the timpani, soloing over a strong rhythmic accompaniment from
a full
rhythm section.
The timpani are used in a different manner on Adventure In Space
(1959)
which is essentially a piano solo with percussive accompaniment.
The
string bass is eliminated altogether leaving the timpani to provide
a
bass vamp over which rhythmic drumset and a-rhythmic bells and
scrapers
are overlayed by members of the Arkestra as an accompaniment to
Sun Ra's
piano solo.
B. Heliocentric Worlds
The timpani remained an important element in the Arkestra through
the
recording of The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra in 1965. Although
album
credits are somewhat deceiving on many Sun Ra recordings, three
separate
timpanists are listed on The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Vol.
I . Here
timpani act as a low register ensemble color with occasional brief
solo
passages. Their use highlights Sun Ra's taste for the bottom sounds
of
an orchestra. Passages during Of Heavanly Things feature a rumbling
trio
of bass, bass marimba and timpani with drumset accompaniment that
are
particularly characteristic of this flavor.
The music on this recording uses a vocabulary closer to 20th century
classical music than to any jazz recordings up to that time (Gridley
p.
270). There is a noticeable lack of any repetitive rhythmic structures,
no thematic melodic material and no harmonic basis for any of
the
compositions. There is however a strong use of ensemble color
juxtapositions, use of a variety of instrumental ensembles and
soloists
and a myriad of densities with regard to timbre and ensemble size.
The
fact that percussion figure prominently in all of the pieces on
these
recordings may be credited to the ease with which percussion lends
itself to these type of musical treatments and that Sun Ra assigned
virtually everyone in the ensemble the role of percussionist.
With an
extremely creative group of musicians assembled into a finely
tuned
ensemble but lacking in the technical norms of the average
drummer/percussionist Sun Ra had at his disposal a responsive
group of
improvisers whom he could guide through a series of orchestral
passages
based on reaction time and inquisitive investigation of a variety
of
percussive colors.
The Cosmos , highlights an engaging amount of contrast and similarity
among bowed bass, piano, timpani , cymbals, and drums with brushes.
The
registral range of the three percussion instruments is comparable
to
that covered by the piano and bass. But the percussion instruments
are
much less pitch specific than the piano and bass and give off
a more
complex harmonic spectrum. The quick attack of the timpani is
in direct
contrast to the slow sounding of bowed bass. Ringing sustain of
cymbals
contrast drier piano sounds. Scratching drum brushes mirror friction
of
bow hairs against strings. All of this in free rhythm and with
no
distinct melodic or harmonic theme. This passage investigates
the sound
of a group of instruments colliding and melding to produce an
aural
episode. Sun Ra was in control of these episodes, cueing the beginnings,
pacing durations, rotating players to alternate instruments, clarifying
roles, and thereby composing the improvisation (Szwed p.216).
The strongest use of mallet percussion in the Arkestra appears
on
Heliocentric Worlds also. Sun Ra seems to have neglected the vibraphone,
the standard jazz mallet instrument, in favor of electronic celeste,
and
vibe like sounds on most occasions. The percussive woodiness of
the
pitched Bass Marimba, a tone color absent from any of the other
instruments in his ensemble, takes center stage during many passages
on
this album.
The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra highlight another interesting
fact
about Sun Ra's use of percussion that may have had a profound
effect on
the Free Jazz movement. Sun Ra's use of space, the amount of silence
in
his music and his willingness to allow non-virtouso passages on
peculiar
instruments seems to have had an effect on musicians in the AACM
of
Chicago. Groups such as the Art Ensemble of Chicago have become
very
skilled at improvising on a perplexing array of instruments many
of
which are percussion. Sun Ra's influence in Chicago prior to his
NYC
move likely coincided with this development.
II. The Arkestra as a Percussion Ensemble
A. Pop Rhythm Approach
By the 1970's the Arkestra had been making music for almost 20
years.
The electric sounds and rock rhythms that infused jazz music during
this
decade had been incorporated into the Arkestra's sound for nearly
all of
those 20 years. Recording credits show the use of electric bass
and
electric piano during 1956. 1958 recordings credit electric guitar.
From
1967-9 he incorporated the clavioline, the Solar Sound Instrument
(Hohner Clavinet), electronic celeste and Moog Synthesizer. These
instruments were used along with the Hammond Organ and the piano.
Throughout these first 20 years Sun Ra was recording doo-wop,
rhythm and
blues and pop vocal music in addition to jump blues, swing, bop
influenced jazz, rock inspired rhythms and his unique brand of
space
music. The search for new sounds was forever imminent and the
field of
percussion provided fertile ground.
Great Balls Of Fire (1958) is an excellent example of Sun Ra's
use of
pop rhythms and added percussion. The tune chugs along in a rock
rhumba
rhythm indicative of the current pop music with an accompaniment
of
drumset, timpani and other percussion behind the three horns,
electric
piano and electric guitar. His use of pop music percussion trends
continued with Disco 2100 (1978), a song employing an electronic
drum
box along with a live drummer to create a repetitive dance beat.
B. Afro-Latin Rhythm Ensemble
Sun Ra had been using African string and percussion instruments
at his
performances at Slugs in New York City during the1960's (Rudd).
In 1967
he met Olatunji, the master drummer from Africa who first exposed
the
American public to a wide variety of music from the African continent.
Olatunji's performances were entire media spectacles that encompassed
singing, dancing, and music from many cultures and styles. In
many ways
he and Sun Ra were interested in a similar mode of performance
(Szwed p.
202). With a greater focus on African and Latin percussion instruments
came a stronger rhythmic quality in the use of percussion in the
Arkestra. The Arkestra began to explore musical passages where
the
entire ensemble played percussion instruments. Although the Arkestra
used very little pure African rhythm or structure, the group was
able to
emulate the sound and timbral variation of an African drum choir
without
using the specifics of the genre. They were successful because
individuals understood that their simple repetitive part juxtaposed
against other percussion instruments playing similarly would create
an
intricate rhythmic counterpoint. Also the Arkestra began to employ
multiple drummers functioning in similar if not identical roles
or
performing different layered rhythms on various size drums both
of which
are uniquely African drum concepts.
Spontaneous Simplicity (1968) features a simple bass vamp and
a modal
piano comp with a bossa nova rhythm. The flute solo completes
a very
typical sound world. As the ensemble adds small and large afro-latin
sounding drums, struck metal plate and shaken bells the group
sound tra
nsforms. We move from a jazz quartet sound to a percussion ensemble
with
jazz rhythm section.
Exotic Forest (1966) highlights another development of this idea.
A bass
vamp is again the building block for an improvisation, on Oboe
this
time. The drumset set plays a much less predictable pattern that
becomes
more experimental as the tune progresses. As the wind chimes,
bells, log
drum, shakers, metal plate, other drums, shells and rims of drums
are
added the rhythms, become less and less metered. Eventually the
oboe
departs and the percussion are left to sustain the tune. The sound
is
that of a free rhythm percussion ensemble until some staggered
groove
playing begins to emerge.
III. Sound Complexities Through the Use of Multiple Percussion
A. Energy Music
One facet of the avant garde Jazz vocabulary with which Sun Ra's
music
is aligned has as its' predominant features the use of fast moving
phrases, distorted instrumental sounds, loud ensemble passages,
extended
solo lengths and non-metered rhythm section playing. Some of the
difficulties that arise with performance of this type of music
are
grounded in achieving and maintaining the proper intensity level.
Musicians often need a warming up period to reach the appropriate
heights. Sustaining this level once you are there can also prove
to be a
challenge. The Free Jazz big band format that Sun Ra was working
with
gave him a collection of soloists to draw upon for high intensity
playing. If one soloist was played out another could come to his
relief.
The use of more than one drummer can be thought of in a similar
way. By
using more than one drummer, Sun Ra was able to achieve and maintain
the
high intensity level needed to propel the avant garde jazz sound
he
desired. In the Robert Mugge Film Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (1979)
we can
witness film footage from a performance by the Arkestra at the
Famous
Ballroom in Baltimore, MD. Across the back of the ensemble are
three
drumset drummers and a conga drummer. All of these percussionists
are
involved in a free-rhythm intensity style improv with Marshall
Allen
playing the alto saxophone solo. There are relatively few other
jazz
ensembles that used more than one drummer in live performances
to quite
this same effect.
Another model for multiple drummers can be found in the musical
groups
of James Brown who often employed two or three drummers not only
to
provide a continuous level of intensity but also to capitalize
on the
strengths of a particular drummer. Sun Ra was noted for using
whatever
instrumentalists were at hand to assemble his group. He also knew
how to
utilize a musician to achieve unique results. Sounds, textures
and
rhythms that others would never have imagined were born of the
fact that
musicians were asked to play beyond their perceived level of competence
on an instrument and that Sun Ra could conceive of a way to utilize
the
result. Roswell Rudd calls Sun Ra "A genius of getting quality
out of
those with modest abilities." An excellent example of this is
John
Gilmore's drumset performances. Gilmore is an outstanding tenor
saxophonist whose accomplishments and influence on other musicians
is
well documented. He was used as THE drummer in the Arkestra on
occasion.
Initially the absence of the groups drummer forced him into that
role.
On the recording of Love In Outer Space (1970), from The Singles
(ECD
22164), we hear him interpret a waltz rhythm in an engagingly
polyrhythmic manner as he superimposes 6/8 over the 3/4 in Sun
Ra's
piano bass line. The elusiveness of the downbeat in Gilmore's
drum
pattern and the clumsiness of his rolls give a unique quality
to the
groove of this recording that would have been lost with a technically
advanced drummer. Obviously Sun Ra appreciated the feel that Gilmore
could create since he continued to utilize him even when he had
three
additional drumsets as in the film Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (1979).
B. Cultural Adaptations
Sun Ra often spoke of assembling a very large ensemble of musicians
from
all over the globe. He imagined a mixture of musicians from Asia,
India,
The Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas under his leadership
and producing sounds that only he had previously imagined. When
confronted with the impossibility of such a feat he would retort
that of
course no one else would think it possible that is why Sun Ra
would be
needed to pull it off. In some ways He was able to achieve this
impossibility although not on as grand a scale as he might have
imagined.
It has already been mentioned that Sun Ra was an avid student
of
Egyptian culture. He integrated his interests and philosophies
with
regard to African peoples not only in the spectacle of their concert
performances and the musical textures of their percussion ensembles
but
also in his selection of members for the ensemble.
During Make A joyful Noise, James Jac(k)son describes his interest
in
percussion and how Sun Ra directed him to make a drum. Jacson
was unsure
of what Sun Ra meant since he was not an instrument builder. Shortly
thereafter a tree was downed by lightning in their Philadelphia
neighbo
rhood and a large section of the trunk of the tree was cut and
left by
the clean-up crew. Jacson took this large trunk and fashioned
it into an
African style drum that he proceeded to play with the Arkestra
from
thereafter. His method of alternate hand drumming with accentuation
of
every second or every third strike of the curved sticks produced
an
African derived drum color that became a signature of the groups
sound.
The "Ancient Infinity Lightning Wood Drum" was a much beloved
part of
the ensemble. Further incorporation of Brazilian drummers Elson
Nascimento on surdo, a large Brazilian bass drum played with both
the
stick and the hand to create alternate open and muffled tones,
and Jorge
Silva on the repinique, a smaller drum also played with one hand
and one
stick, add to the cultural mix. There is also a collection of
gongs and
cymbals in Sun Ra's music that help to conjure the Orient. All
of these
distinctly cultural percussion instruments are used less in specifically
derivative musical selections and more as colors in the ensemble
blended
with the free jazz, swing, pop, electronic and 20th century avant
garde
elements. Purple Nights (1989), a recording from Sun Ra's final
years
and one of the few recordings the Arkestra released on a major
label
(A&M), contains passages where all of these styles are intermingled
with
excellent results. Friendly Galaxy uses the African/Brazilian
drum
collection along with three drumset drummers to accentuate the
strolling
moderato rhythm of this selection, long a part of the groups repertoire.
This passage is unique to the Arkestra and could only have existed
in
the environment that Sun Ra created. Rather than attempt to duplicate
some type of Brazilian or African musical material in the horns
and
highlight a corresponding drum sound Sun Ra chooses to transplant
these
drums into a typically Arkestral arrangement and thereby create
a new
blend of musical styles and sounds.
As we have seen this blending, melding, intermingling, fusing,
accepting, sympathetic, patient, lenient way of constructing music
is a
trademark of the Arkestra. Because of the variety of sounds, cultural
representations and ease of performance of the instruments, percussion
illustrates this idea better than any single instrumental group
or
musical style embodied within the Arkestra. Sun Ra realized this
truism
early on in the creative and practical development of his group.
He
developed the idea in many interesting and unique ways. His legacy,
the
music and accomplishments of the Arkestra, provide a passageway
through
which we can explore the galaxy of jazz percussion.
Bibliography
Blades, James. Percussion Instruments and Their History. Connecticut:The
Bold Strummer, Ltd., 1972.
Jost, Ekkehard. Free Jazz. New York: Da Capo Press, 1974.
Mugge, Robert, director. Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise. with Sun Ra and
the
Arkestra. Rhapsody Films, 1979.
Rudd, Roswell. Personal Interview, November 21-23, 1997.
Rusch, Robert D. Jazztalk. New Jersey: Lyle Stuart Inc., 1984.
Scott, Reynold. Personal Interview, November 16, 1997.
Spellman, A.B. Four Lives in the Bebop Business. London: MacGibbon
&
Kee, 1967.
Sun Ra. Heliocentric Worlds Vol. 2. ESP Disk 1017-2, 1965.
Sun Ra. Nothing Is... ESP Disk 1045, 1966.
Sun Ra. The Singles. Evidence, ECD 22164-2, 1996.
Sun Ra. Purple Night. A&M, 75021 5324 2, 1989.
Szwed, John F. Space Is The Place : The Lives and Times of Sun
Ra. New
York: Pantheon Books, 1997.
© 1998 John Bacon, Jr.
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Cadence Questions
John Bacon, Jr. (drums/perc.)
1) I was born Jan. 28, 1963 in North Tonawanda, NY. I have resided
in the Buffalo area my entire life. I currently live two blocks
from my childhood home with my wife and three children. My earliest
musical memory is of standing on the family porch playing my drum
along with a passing parade.
2) I have performed with Roswell Rudd Trio, Sam Noto, Lester Bowie,
Bobby Previte, Bernard Woma and Ernie Krivda. I have recorded
for hatArt (Maelström Percussion Ensemble), CIMP , and other independent
labels. I lead the group Multi-Jazz Dimensions and co-lead the
New Jazz Orchestra of Buffalo. I teach at Tri-C in Cleve., OH,
SUNY at Fredonia and privately at home.
3) I feel most comfortable in the club environment. I enjoy playing
anywhere that people are willing to listen and have a good time.
4) I have been fortunate to play with many talented artists of
varied backgrounds and stylistic persuasions. I feel that this
is a major artistic achievement. Also I will never forget the
first time that I rehearsed with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
for a performance of Shostakovitch's 10th Symphony.
5) I would like to get back to producing my original jazz ensemble
music. I am working to complete a musical drama incorporating
dance, voice and visual media. I would like to produce a new music
series in the Buffalo area.
6) Greg Piontek and Dave Alderson asked me to join their improvisational
group Dinosaur when I was 18. This challenge set me on a path
of continuous turning points.
7) I enjoy talking with friends and family. Barbecuing on a summer
evening. Listening to live music in a club with friends.
8) Talking honestly and openly is second only to playing music
honestly and openly.
9) I love to cook.
10) I am irritated by the close-mindedness that rears it's ugly
head in many musicians, listeners and other critics. I respect
personal opinions and appreciate how we all gravitate toward our
favorite food, preferred mode of living or engaging sounds. When
these opinions lash out in disrespect at others commitments and
honest efforts we are saying more about our own shallowness and
insecurities than the object of our criticism.
11) My family is a major source of inspiration. All of my teachers
including Al Tinney. The musicians with whom I perform including
Greg Millar, Roswell Rudd, Dave Schiavone and many others to numerous
to mention but equally inspiring.
12) Music is a way of communicating subtle and otherwise elusive
human thoughts and feelings. I feel best when other people hear
and understand my performance or composition and communicate directly
with me about their reaction. This is one source of fuel for my
artistic fire.
13) Like a camera an artist has a unique view of the world. I
must maintain the tools to express this view in a succinct, intelligible
and effortless manner. Having an understanding of my world, past,
present and future is relevant to my art .
14) I have no problems with the day to day but the future is always
a mystery.
15) The good vibe of music in harmony and the warmth of friends
and family.
16) I feel successful when I can look ahead on my calendar and
see challenging projects on the horizon.
17) I enjoy all four seasons, the charge of the city, the timelessness
of the mountains and the rhythm of the ocean.
18) I have only the power to work hard and do my best. In the
short term I may have difficulties but over the long haul I believe
that this will be a successful combination.
19) The power is centered in the money. I can reach it if I stay
focused on the music. Hard work and quality eventually produce
results.
20) I can be reached at MultiJD@aol.com.
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