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.