Sounds Like Now
A blog by saxophonist Brian Sacawa
Archive for Blog: Winter 06
February 14, 2007 at 1:24 pm · Filed under Blog: Winter 06, Humor, Interviews, Jazz, Saxophone
One of my favorite shows on Saturday NPR is Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, the weekly humorous NPR news quiz. In a portion of the show called “Not My Job,” host Peter Sagal invites prominent guests on to answer questions about esoteric topics they mostly likely have no knowledge of whatsoever. Back in December, Peter’s guest was none other than jazz saxophonist and perennial whipping boy for sullen classical saxophonists, Branford Marsalis. Bantering about before the quiz portion of Branford’s interview, Peter tried to get to the heart of an important issue, which is fitting for a Valentine’s Day post:
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Peter Sagal: We heard a rumor, and I want to see if you can confirm it, that the ladies like the saxophone for some reason.
Branford Marsalis: Oh, man, that’s not a rumor. What makes you think that’s a rumor? I mean look at all the movies. As soon as the guy gets near the girl, what do you hear? Saxophone. There’s a reson for that. But at the age of 14 or 15 when I really wasn’t getting any girls and wasn’t hip to that, I’ve often said, in jest, you know I had to switch to the saxophone, because you can get women with the saxophone. And I will concede that you stand a much better chance playing the saxophone than you do playing an electric piano.
Charlie Pierce: Just the lack of hernias alone would be . . .
BM: There you go.
Roxanne Roberts: Well, wait, wait. Let me ask then: what makes the saxophone so sexy?
BM: I have no idea. It’s not that I made the decision. It’s just that you play it and women go, “Ooh, I like the saxophone.” I don’t know why. I’ve just never heard a movie, or a show, or in real life a person come and say, “You know what really turns me on? Fender Rhodes. I just love this guy. Electric keyboards? Oh, the DX-7 is just so sexy.” It doesn’t happen. I cannot tell you why, but I’m glad it’s the way it is.
CP: Apropros of nothing, is it true that all oboe players are virgins?
BM: You know that might be true. I don’t know if it’s true but I would understand why if it were.
CP: It is as someone once said: an ill wind that nobody blows good.
BM: There you go.
PS: I was just thinking about the accordian player watching you with a woman swooning around. The accordian player’s thinking, “I’ve wasted my life.”
(N.B. Download the complete audio here.)
February 12, 2007 at 2:33 pm · Filed under Blog: Winter 06, New Music, Performances
For nine straight years, the Music at the Anthology Festival has been an important catalyst for emerging contemporary composers from around the world—it’s like the Whitney biennial, but for new music, and every year. I’ll be playing a piece by one of those composers at this year’s festival—Alexandra Gardner’s Tourmaline for soprano saxophone and computer sound. Concerts are at the Brooklyn Lyceum. Full schedule here.
February 10, 2007 at 5:27 pm · Filed under Blog: Winter 06, Classical Music, Performances
February 9, 2007 at 11:04 pm · Filed under Blog: Winter 06, Classical Music, Performances, Saxophone, Travel
I’m in Roanoke, VA this weekend performing with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. In honor of Valentine’s Day, our program is titled Dance and Romance and features its fair share of saxophone. (Because what instrument’s more romantic than saxophone? Really?) Truth be told, it’s the most playing I’ve ever done on a single orchestra gig. Two by Bernstein—perennial favorite Symphonic Dances from West Side Story coupled with hidden gem On the Town—along with the amorous Bolero by Ravel, in which I play both the tenor and soprano parts. I normally don’t have a problem with nerves on any concert I play, but having only 5 beats rest to put down the tenor and pick up the soprano and play both lines equally beautifully is seriously challenging my nervousness-free performance record. Not to mention having to have the perfect reed for three horns at the same time—actually, check that, because I need to have all four horns (add baritone) ready to go because of an upcoming concert in NYC. More on that later. I need to deflate.
February 7, 2007 at 3:33 pm · Filed under Baltimore, Blog: Winter 06, The Wire
Last night, David Simon, the creator and executive producer of the HBO drama The Wire (among other things), was the guest speaker at Loyola College in Maryland’s 2007 Humanities Symposium. Titled Urban Spaces, Urban Voices, the symposium uses Jane Jacobs’ seminal text The Death and Life of Great American Cities as its point of departure. And who better to talk about the death of the American city than David Simon? He started by outlining his world view, which you know if you’ve read any of his books, seen any of his tv shows, or heard him interviewed, is not all that rosy. In fact, it’s downright pessimistic. Simon’s central thesis is this: in today’s world, human beings are worth less than they used to be, are not as important, have become less and less necessary, and are expendable—useless to the institutions they serve.
I wanted to ask a question, but wanted to phrase it just right. By the time I had carefully composed my query, the line at the microphone had been disbanded. But here’s what I was going to say:
I want to start by saying that I’m a great admirer of your work. There’s a wonderful, well-founded pessimism underlying all that you do. Specifically related to the war on drugs, you make the point that all of the tactics meant to remedy the problem are actually attempts by those who design them to mislead us into believing that progress is being made, when in fact, there is no progress whatsoever. When I read The Corner or watch The Wire I say, “Wow, David Simon is calling my attention to a lot of problems with society here.” But I never get a sense of what you think will make it better, besides Bunny Colvin taking it upon himself to decriminalize drugs, something that was actually suggested in Baltimore not long ago. So what do you see as a solution?
Luckily, the last person in line—an acquaintance of Simon’s from the Criminal Justice Department at the University of Maryland—asked pretty much the same thing, although phrased much more eloquently. This was his answer (paraphrased): Things will begin to get better when our leaders begin to plant olive trees rather than annuals. In other words, taking the long view instead of looking for instant gratification.
* * *
democracy:
n. Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
oligarchy: n. Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families.
February 6, 2007 at 12:14 am · Filed under Blog: Winter 06, New Music, Performances, Saxophone
It seems unfathomable to me that it was nearly one year ago that I performed J Anthony Allen’s Hyperacusis as part of my guest artist duties at last year’s SPARK Festival—certainly an event to remember. Somehow I made it through 3 concerts, 10 different pieces of music, and a series of early morning interviews with my wits still about me.
February 5, 2007 at 8:33 am · Filed under Baltimore, Blog: Winter 06, Experimental, Improv, Music, Reviews
The Red Room played host to two of Boston’s finest last Friday as Tim Feeney and Vic Rawlings schooled the faithful on the sound of silence. Although Tim confessed that Friday’s set was one of their louder efforts, both musicians operated in a dynamic space that ranged from niente to about mezzo piano. Yet within those seemingly narrow confines there is much that transpires and holds your interest. Both musicians play with such poise and conviction that they compel you to engage, drawing you into a world of sonic subtlety. Texture appeared to be the overarching theme to their set, which oscillated between the white-noisey and moments of pure beguiling consonance, with both textural flavors being equally elaborate and complex. Perhaps the most refreshing and virtuosic aspect of Tim and Vic’s set was the patience and restraint they displayed. Less levelheaded musicians might get bored or anxious working in the confines that they choose to. So it says something about their musical maturity that they are able to not only maintain their self-control but also that they can expand that space into a universe of infinite possibilties.
February 3, 2007 at 11:37 pm · Filed under Blog: Winter 06, Literature
Martin Amis’s latest novel takes place (mostly) in a Russian labor camp and is suitably dark and dismal. Written as a confessional, the narrator recounts to his daughter his life prior to, during, and after his imprisonment in the labor camp. Most of the story revolves around his relationship with his brother, who married the woman that he (the narrator) had designs on but with whom nothing romantic ever transpired despite his best efforts. At the end of the novel (and the narrator’s life), we find out that he was actually queer for his brother, acting out his male homosocial desire across the body of a woman in a classic Eve Kosofsky Sedgwickian love triangle. Vintage twisted Amis, but without the humor.
February 1, 2007 at 1:38 pm · Filed under Blog: Winter 06, Film, Museum
As predicted, the Matthew Barney event at the Hirshhorn last night drew an overwhelming crowd. The make-sure-and-get-there-early-to-ensure-that-you-get-a-ticket warnings were heeded so Alex and I arrived at 5:30pm, well before advanced ticketing began. There was already a throng of ticket-hopefuls snaking around the lobby, but we took our place in line optimistically. It was around 6:15pm—when they were supposed to start handing out tickets—that we noticed the crowd thinning. However it wasn’t thinning out because people were being let into the auditorium, it was getting smaller because people were stepping outside. That’s odd, I thought, why are they leaving? It was then revealed that almost all of the tickets had been given out to well-to-do patrons and members of the museum well in advance (like days and weeks) of the cattle call so we were out of luck. I wish they’d made that a little more apparent on the website or something prior to getting everybody’s hopes up. At any rate, despite the lack of edifying lecture a good time was still had: I got to take some photos of the sculpture garden and Alex and I got to hang out.
N.B. Missed the event like me and didn’t see the live webcast? Check out the podcast.
January 30, 2007 at 6:49 am · Filed under Art, Baltimore, Blog: Winter 06, Experimental, Film, Improv, Music
All dressed up and no place to go? Allow me to suggest the following activities taking place this week in and around Baltimore:
+ Meet the Artist: Matthew Barney: The acclaimed artist and filmmaker best known for The Cremaster Cycle, and more recently for his collaboration with Björk in Drawing Restraint 9, will be at the Hirshhorn this Wednesday at 7pm with Guggenheim Museum curator Nancy Spector discussing the influence of Joseph Beuys‘ art on the evolution of his work. If you really can’t make it, dont worry: due to the anticipated overwhelming response, the musuem is offering a live webcast of the event.
+ Tim Feeney & Vic Rawlings: The better half of Non-Zero leads a double-life as an improviser and this Friday he comes tramping through Baltimore with fellow Boston-based musician Vic Rawlings (cello/electronics) for a 9pm set at the Red Room to make some sounds you’ve never heard before and will probably never hear again.
+ Cell Phone: Art and the Mobile Phone: Just-opened exhibit at the Contemporary Museum, featuring art created by/for small handheld devices.
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