I’ve been working a lot on #1, and realizing that this may really take me a while to get right. I don’t want to just finish something for the sake of meeting an arbitrary deadline; I want to make a good record. Something I’d like to listen to myself over and over again. So, we’ll see when that happens! Until then, I’m just plodding along and making plenty of mistakes every day. Don’t we all.
I didn’t really know where this would take me, musically, as I feel pretty wide open, and don’t have any particular genre in mind, but it just hit me today that I’ve been in a vaguely Arthur Russell-esque realm. Not the disco stuff, but his expansive solo work, which in some ways feels like the most solo of all solo music. Very inward, but at the same time infinitely large. There is so much going on in his cello-and-vocals material. I guess it got under my skin a few years ago and stayed there, because I haven’t listened to him in quite some time. Hmm. Makes me really want to check out the recent documentary, Wild Combination.
Speaking of big influences, I recently found out that David S. Ware has been really ill with kidney failure, and is scheduled to get a transplant soon. All the best of healing energy to him–the info thread on that is here. I spent a lot of time listening to Ware’s tenor saxophone throughout the ’90s, and was really inspired by his transcendental, all-inclusive approach to composition. He really helped me enter the world of saxophone playing, and witnessing his quartet live with William Parker, Susie Ibarra, and Matthew Shipp about ten years ago was as near as I’ll ever come to seeing the classic Coltrane quartet. Incidentally, Ware released two records years ago called Great Bliss (volume one and volume two). I only found that out after I settled on this name for my project, but it’s fitting after all.
Beings like Russell and Ware (and can’t forget Coltrane, since I summoned this holy ghost also) seem to have incessant vision, mixed with worldly skill, which is a most powerful combination. Fulfillment of the thought/form continuum; nondual empty activity.
As for me, I’m no virtuoso, but I’ve got some scrappy spirit. Luckily enough, I opt for the fully lo-fi life.
J: Julie Russell, Arthur’s sister whom I used to work with, would be so pleased to know that his influence lives on. I’ll mention your project to her. -R
Comment by Rich Boulet — April 5, 2009 @ 8:31 pm
Rich, I’d like to meet her someday. I wonder what she thinks of the documentary. I plan to watch it this week.
Comment by Anonymous — April 5, 2009 @ 9:58 pm