Failing Better
I don’t make the schedule, that’s set by editors and institutions. So it’s pretty much an accident that I’ve got a flurry of bass-centered writing that’s recently come out:
Bandcamp published my guide to the great, great Melvin Gibbs. He was one of the essential anchors on the Downtown scene in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and still doing great stuff in Harriet Tubman, Body Meπa, and more. He’s also a brilliant guy with deep insights into music making, and he’s writing a book I’m eager to read.
Because of the coming together of several events, I wrote an essay on Tom Johnson that will be coming out in the April issue of the Brooklyn Rail. The main focus is on his Failing: A Very Difficult Piece for String Bass, which is one of the most brilliant conceptual works in music history, on the level of I am Sitting in a Room. Failing is deceptively fun; it’s a profound work of art. What I mean is, think about this part of it: “If I tried to fail, and then failed, that would be a kind of success, and not a failure at all.” Here’s Johnson talking about it in one of his great YouTube videos, and here’s a performance of it with the score.
For VAN magazine, I interviewed Ron Carter in anticipation of him playing the arrangements of Thelonious Monk made for the Kronos Quartet with ETHEL at Zankel Hall. Yeah, that Ron Carter, at the foundation of arguably the absolute heights of modern jazz. What’s stuck with me is, as you can read in the interview, he said that with Miles, playing in the rhythm section with Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams, he was just figuring it all out as they went along. I mean …
I want to share some more links that I think are good:
A primer on library music by way of a guide to examples at Bandcamp.
A short bio and discographical guide to Bob Ostertag, who is a unique and important figure not just in music but political activism, someone who absolutely put himself on the line for his beliefs, and took the rawest effects of political power and violence and turned them into gripping work.
For the February Star-Revue (they’re slow to post the online versions of my print writing), more wrangling with my anger at the moment, and especially the cultural illiteracy of our rulers and the people who get to distribute their opinions to the establishment. TL;DR: Brodsky said “Evil is a bad stylist.”
TG it’s gonna be F
Bandcamp Friday returns tomorrow for 2025, and if you have an account there you’re going to be inundated with releases and announcements. If you’re looking to put things in your shopping cart, here’s what I myself would like to buy if I had any cash I could spare!
Michael Gregory Jackson: Frequency Equilibrium Koan
A shorter version of this was released a few years ago, and I reviewed it then—an essential look into the Loft Jazz scene.
James Brandon Lewis: Apple Cores
Have already flagged this, and no I don’t get promos from him or Anti-, I love this as a jazz fan.
Philip Samartzis and Michael Vorfeld: Air Pressure
I’m fascinated by Samartzis’ field recordings from Antarctica.
Sarah Davachi: Basse Brevis
Someday I won’t keeping track of what Davachi is doing, but that’s not today.
Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition)
”Expanded Edition” …
Good listening to all. Hang in there.