In the 20th century, the symphony—that grand musical statement
made by composers assumed to be white, dead, and wearing a powdered
wig—didn’t die. Symphonies flourished in parallel to the museum
culture of the classical concert hall, appearing on recordings and the
radio under many misleading labels, including “jazz,” “radio
documentary,” and “electronic music.”
Despite sounding utterly remote from the sonic worlds of Beethoven,
Bruckner, and Mahler, the aim of igniting transcendence through
extended forms remains the same.
Heard at low volume, Miles Davis: The Complete On the Corner
Sessions (Columbia/Legacy) churns like a 1970s porno soundtrack,
yet the wall of wah-wah guitars, hypnotic bass lines, and piercing
trumpet solos amount to a secret symphony.
In the late 1960s and early ’70s, Miles, inspired by the legendary
avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen and new multitrack recording
technology, assembled his recordings from multiple performances. Solo
trumpet bits, group vamps (with Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Chick
Corea, Jack DeJohnette, and countless others), and overdubbed sections
were spliced into elephantine collages. My favorite is “Black Satin,”
with its airy whistling, tabla strokes, jostling sleigh bells, and
asymmetric handclaps heard in groups of 3, 5, and 19. It’s a terrific
collection; the six discs of the On the Corner Sessions swell
into a metasymphony, a construction kit of various takes, complete
pieces, alternate mixes, and go-nowhere riffs ready for someone to
suture it all together into something new.
Glenn Gould is another secret symphonist of the 20th century. He
remains revered for his dazzling 1955 LP of Bach’s Goldberg
Variations, but after retiring from live performance in 1964, Gould
focused on studio recording and radio documentaries. The excellent
budget-priced five-disc set Glenn Gould: The Radio Artist (CBC
Records) contains his masterwork, The Idea of North. True to his
vision of “contrapuntal radio,” Idea remains radical; a web of
voices veers in and out alongside rattling train tracks and Sibelius’s
Symphony No. 5. The rest of the collection features the sequels
to The Idea of North, The Latecomers, and The Quiet in
the Land; collectively dubbed “The Solitude Trilogy,” all explore
different modes of isolation and loneliness.
Although he has yet to officially compose a symphony, Stockhausen’s
Stimmung (harmonia mundi) radically reinvents vocal music
on a symphonic scale. Led by vocal guru Paul Hillier, six singers cycle
through a series of 48 magical names, humming, whispering, and
singing a global pantheon of deities from Ahura Mazda to Yoni. It’s
like eavesdropping on chanting Tibetan monks and grasping the divine
essence revealed within the words.
Locally, Yann Novak has been exploring extended forms with Marc
Manning, Jamie Drouin, and others in two new collaborative releases,
Pairings (Dragon’s Eye Recordings) and Snowfield (Infrequency). Scratchy contact microphone crackles and lush drones
make these discs a delight. I’ve also been savoring Eric Ostrowski’s
Magnificent Forest (Endsound). The first disc is a suite of
short, whip-crack violin improvisations; the accompanying DVD contains
a clutch of his gorgeous hand-painted films, a riotous symphony of
tactile smudges and oversaturated color. 
Sat 11/24
SPATULA CITY
Alas, worthy benefits such as this marathon for the Seattle wing of
Food Not Bombs remain one of the few places to catch a cross-genre gig.
On the docket: alto sax firebrand Wally Shoup, techno-meister Joey
Casio, Orkestar Zirkonium, Diminished Men, and a slew of others along
with films by Chris Ando and Eric Ostrowski. Admission includes a full
vegan meal. Rainier Valley Unitarian Universalist Center, 835
Yesler Way, 722-4880, 5—10 pm, $10—$20 suggested
donation.
Tues 11/27
CHICK COREA
The legendary keyboardist who bolstered Bitches
Brew—era Miles Davis and pioneered fusion in the 1970s with
Return to Forever performs with an all-star lineup: flutist Hubert
Laws, bassist Eddie Gomez, and the awe-inspiring percussionist Airto
Moreira. Expect funky grooves comfortably housed in complex
arrangements. Don’t miss it. Through Sun Dec 2. Jazz Alley, 2033
Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 7:30 pm, $32.50—$35.50.
VOICE DIVISION RECITAL
UW School of Music voice students sing songs by Schubert, Hugo Wolf,
Beethoven, Mahler, and Richard Strauss. Brechemin Auditorium in the
Music Building, UW campus, 685-8384, 7:30 pm, $5.
Wed 11/28
SPARKLE GIRL
A self-described “cultural terrorist affinity group,” Sparkle Girl
range from sound collages and defiantly lo-fi field recordings to
freeform compositions and hardcore electronics. You may have picked up
one of their limited-edition releases at a noise show, in a phone
booth, or during a political protest. Kooroo, NovaHead vs. ChickenTron,
and Nasty Hunter share the bill. Funhouse, 206 Fifth Ave N,
374-8400, 8 pm, free.
