Sounds Like Now
A blog by saxophonist Brian Sacawa
Archive for April, 2005
April 30, 2005 at 12:01 am · Filed under Blog: Spring 05, Saxophone
If you remember Bill Clinton’s 1992 
presidential campaign, the title of this post should come as no surprise. I recall vividly then-Governor Clinton appearing with his tenor saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show. Last summer I began reading his memoir, getting about half-way through it before being overtaken by other responsibilites. However, reading just half of the book, I was taken by how much music meant (and means) to him–especially the saxophone. Yet with all the book’s saxophone references, I was disappointed that saxophone wasn’t included in the index, so I started keeping track. Here they are, up to about half-way through: 9, 29, 40, 53, 55-6, 63, 156, 203, 262, 335-6, 342-3.
April 29, 2005 at 2:38 pm · Filed under Blog: Spring 05, Literature
I’ve had to turn the page on a few things. It’s time to move forward. It’s like starting a new book, which is exactly what I’m going to do. Something I’ve been meaning to read for a while now.
April 28, 2005 at 12:05 am · Filed under Blog: Spring 05, New Music, Performances
In what is most likely a rarity, I infiltrated the inner sanctum of the Oberlin brotherhood last night and performed with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) at Merkin Concert Hall. ICE was ensemble-in-residence at NYU this week, which culminated with a concert of six world premieres by NYU graduate students. I played on the last piece, Leaving Santa Monica by Jenny Olivia Johnson, an intense and powerful work for two female voices and chamber ensemble, so I got to hear most of the concert save Matthew Quayle’s string quartet. On the first half of the show, Paula Matthusen’s the distances and Sophocles Papavasilopoulos’ Pasa Pnoi stood out. I was impressed by the variety and distinctiveness of the compositional voices on display tonight. And ICE is a wonderful group.
April 27, 2005 at 12:46 pm · Filed under Blog: Spring 05, New Music
Composer Lawrence Dillon, whose now famous (or maybe infamous) list of 111 most influential works since 1970 made the rounds, is now wondering what other art forms or disciplines inspire composers. Literature? Architecture? Painting? Help him out over at Sequenza21.
April 26, 2005 at 1:31 pm · Filed under Blog: Spring 05, Restaurants
Last night Evan introduced me to a gem in the East Village. Kenka is possibly the best Japanese restaurant in New York City. It’s the closest thing to an authentic izakaya that I’ve ever been to in the states. An izakaya is a very informal restaurant that you can find on just about any street corner in Japan. You don’t go there to eat sushi. At an izakaya you order small dishes–anywhere from teriyaki chicken skewers and wasabi octopus to tofu with bonito flakes and barbequed squid–to compliment the heaps of edamame and cheap, free-flowing draft beer and sake. The last time I was a place like this, I was overlooking the banks of the Kamo river in downtown Kyoto. Off to see Little Boy today.
April 24, 2005 at 11:21 pm · Filed under Blog: Spring 05, New Music, Performances, Travel
. . . it pours. And that’s exactly what it did following Non-Zero’s concert at the Tenri Cultural Institute on Saturday. Tim and I looked like we had jumped in the Hudson after getting all his gear out to the car. Luckily, we had the closest possible parking space to the venue but even that didn’t save us from getting drenched. Despite the downpour outside, the show was a success. We were fortunate to have a good-sized audience, including composers Sophocles Papavasilopoulos, Keeril Makan, and David T. Little. Thanks to everyone who came out.
Here’s a story about New York City you don’t hear too often: After making my way through the rain with a companion who will remain anonymous for reasons that will soon become clear, I arrived at the 14th Street A train station. When the uptown train came to a stop, we boarded. As the doors were closing, my companion, who was in charge of carrying my soprano saxophone–I had three horns with me as well as a suitcase and messenger bag–exclaimed, “The soprano!” Then I saw my soprano saxophone sitting on the platform all by itself. As I tried in vain to pry open the subway doors, a man began picking it up. Seeing the terror in my eyes, he attempted to calm me by saying, “I work for transit.” Yeah, right, I thought. The next stop on the A is 23rd Street. We got off the train and fueled by anger and panic I sprinted 9 city blocks through the pouring rain, I might add, back to the 14th Street station. I thought I’d never see my soprano again. However, when I finally arrived, the man from the platform was on the phone at the information desk–my soprano sitting by his feet. It turns out he did work for transit and he was calling to report a lost object. He recognized me immediately and returned the instrument to me. What a relief. Don’t believe everything you hear. There really are honest people in New York City.
April 22, 2005 at 3:55 pm · Filed under Blog: Spring 05, Classical Music, Orchestra
Talk about an expose. Ilka Talvi writes about the bitter truth surrounding auditions. The illusion that some young musicians labor under is that the best player will win the job. Unfortunately, as Mr. Talvi notes, that’s not always the case–perhaps it’s not the case more times than some would like to believe. It’s inevitable that politics–both external (who knows who) and internal (so-and-so doesn’t like so-and-so)–will come into play during the selection process. And even when there seems to be a sure winner, when some committees get together, nothing can be sure.
I’ve witnessed this phenomenon first hand. A few years ago while a member of a professional ensemble based in Washington, D.C., I served on a number of audition committees. In one instance, immediately after a candidate’s audition, the entire committee was completely hot on this player. However, after thirty grueling minutes of deliberation, the committee had gone from considering this musician the one to absolutely hating their playing. And the poor musician didn’t do anything to provoke this. Rather, some members of the committee used the audition as a vehicle to voice their personal differences and frustrations with each other. I was stunned as I watched this unfold in front of me–I was a junior member of the ensemble, so I wasn’t really in a position to chime in.
I received a big education that day. I felt like Holden Caulfield. (I should note that not all the audition committees I sat on were as corrupt as the one described above. Usually they were quite enjoyable. But it does serve to illustrate an unfortunate fact that Mr. Talvi discloses so bravely.) It’s certainly nice if it works in your favor though!
April 19, 2005 at 4:05 pm · Filed under Blog: Spring 05, New Music, Performances
Usually when I’m on the road, I have no shortage of thoughts to put up on the old blog. The time spent on planes, the subway (the T in Boston), or simply wandering around generally allows me to think clearly–free of the clutter and rushing around that I tend to slip into in my “normal” daily life. Not so this time. Maybe it’s because in addition to Non-Zero’s concert this Saturday in NYC, I’m also thinking about engagements at Weill Recital Hall on Monday and Merkin Concert Hall on Wednesday, which is keeping me cooped up practicing instead of daydreaming on public transportation on the way to Tower Records in Harvard Square in search of some CD I’ve never seen or heard of before. Come to think of it, that’s probably it.
In kind of a strange quest, I had to go harmonica hunting in Cambridge yesterday. The second movment of David T. Little’s new work for Non-Zero, Red Scare Sketchbook, has a polytonal dueling harmonica part between Tim and I–he’s in C and I’m in D. As you might imagine, this sounds somewhat absurd, which is exactly the point David informs me!
In other news: Thanks to Marcus Maroney for adding me to the list. And it’s nice to see Alex back online.
April 19, 2005 at 1:17 am · Filed under Blog: Spring 05, New Music, Performances, Travel
With composer Karen Tanaka. I performed her work for saxophone and electronics, Night Bird, on a concert last Sunday. I’m off to Boston today to rehearse with Tim. Non-Zero plays New York’s Tenri Cultural Institute on Saturday. Works by Hillary Zipper, John Cage, Sophocles Papavasilopoulos and world premieres by Keeril Makan and David T. Little. In the meantime, want to know how artsy you are? Take Helen’s quiz.
April 18, 2005 at 12:21 am · Filed under Blog: Spring 05, Music, Performers
A few days ago Scott Spiegelberg had an interesting post on the use of Inderal, or beta-blockers, by musicians. For those not familiar with the drug, Inderal blocks the action of adrenaline and other substances, effecively muting the sympathetic nervous system, which produces fear or anxiety. Some musicians use the drug to overcome stage fright or performance anxiety. The New York Times had an article about the topic not too long ago. Even some of the greatest players the world has known–Pablo Casals, for example–suffered debilitating bouts of performance anxiety–something that’s hard to believe when you hear artists like that perform either live or on recording.
I first met people who used Inderal when I played with a group in Washington, D.C. from 1999-2002. Musicians in this group used the drug for various reasons–one player used it when he played a solo in front of the ensemble; another used it when taking auditions; and another used it when he had a small solo part in the context of a large ensemble work. Of the three musicians, I could understand why the first two might feel the “need” to use it–maybe they always get extremely nervous, to the point of almost being incapacitated, when they are put in high pressure situations–but I have a really hard time justifying why the third musician would use the drug. It seems to me that musicians need to learn how to cope with a certain amount of pressure. Personally, I think that the last musician mentioned probably became “addicted” to the feeling (or no feeling) he experiences and gradually became unable to trust his own musical instincts. If it gets to that point, I think you’re using it for the wrong reasons.
I don’t use Inderal and the thought of using it never crossed my mind. Part of what I love about performing is the rush that I experience before, during, and after a performance. I live for that adrenaline rush. I feed off of it as a player. It gives me an edge and intensity that I experience nowhere else in my life. Why on earth would I want to quell that intensity? I’ve heard some people call Inderal, “End-it-all” for that very reason.
Next entries »
