Tony Conrad Droning On

Listening to Inside the Dream Syndicate Volume I and Outside the Dream Syndicate, I was struck again by the freeing feeling I had upon first hearing Tony Conrad's Early Minimalism boxed set. Although the recordings are primarily focused on Conrad's violin work, the drones remind me of many afternoons and evenings spent practicing long tones on my saxophone. I had always enjoyed playing them, but the jump between these tones and focusing on the sound of the individual notes and preparing a more varied piece for performance was always a hard one for me to make. The process of practicing was always profoundly meditative.

I think I had intended this as the start of a longer entry, but I think it will do on its own.

Urban Noise and Thoughts on John Cage

I read this article from Dusted Magazine this morning:

http://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/630

It reminded me of John Cage's desire to listen to the sounds of the city around him rather than the set sounds of records. I've often thought of following Cage's lead and selling or giving away my CD collection en masse. (I don't think I could do it piece by piece. It would be too heart-wrenching, and in the process, I'd probably realize the extent of my attachment to them and sit down and cry for a while.)