Comments on: Urs Leimbgruber, and more http://andrewoliver.net/2009/06/urs-leimbgruber-and-more/ Pianist, Composer, Arranger - Portland, OR Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:41:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Andrew http://andrewoliver.net/2009/06/urs-leimbgruber-and-more/comment-page-1/#comment-21 Andrew Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:42:04 +0000 http://andrewoliver.wordpress.com/?p=162#comment-21 Good point, Andrew - I suppose Zappa was rather a master at that! Still I wonder if having to sit through something waiting for something else is a problem in and of itself - it could quickly become the lame smorgasbord you describe though of course Zappa's personal touch was enough to hold it all together. I wonder if the people who originally hated the gnarly modern chamber music eventually came around to like it? Good point, Andrew – I suppose Zappa was rather a master at that! Still I wonder if having to sit through something waiting for something else is a problem in and of itself – it could quickly become the lame smorgasbord you describe though of course Zappa’s personal touch was enough to hold it all together. I wonder if the people who originally hated the gnarly modern chamber music eventually came around to like it?

]]> By: steph http://andrewoliver.net/2009/06/urs-leimbgruber-and-more/comment-page-1/#comment-20 steph Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:55:25 +0000 http://andrewoliver.wordpress.com/?p=162#comment-20 Serieses is a word? Maybe it is just an avant garde way of expressing multiple series. Hi Tom! Serieses is a word? Maybe it is just an avant garde way of expressing multiple series. Hi Tom!

]]> By: Andrew http://andrewoliver.net/2009/06/urs-leimbgruber-and-more/comment-page-1/#comment-19 Andrew Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:29:33 +0000 http://andrewoliver.wordpress.com/?p=162#comment-19 When it comes to being able to pursue avant-garde ends in a mainstream (or pop) context, my personal exemplar is Zappa. And I think he was "successful," if we define that in terms of having the power to take on many of the ambitious projects he imagined (not all of them, though), because his music ends up being a kind of "something for everybody" experience, without feeling either like a cheesy unappetizing buffet, or like a cheap pander to multiple audiences. So, for instance, the folks who liked the "dumb rock songs" could sit through the "gnarly modern chamber music" because they knew that there would be another "dumb rock song" sooner or later. Zappa's strong compositional personality connected everything as a coherent body of work, and that coherence was important, but there was enough of a sense of variety to appeal to multiple audiences. Sorry, I know that was a bit of a tangent. Or was it? Anyway, cool post! When it comes to being able to pursue avant-garde ends in a mainstream (or pop) context, my personal exemplar is Zappa. And I think he was “successful,” if we define that in terms of having the power to take on many of the ambitious projects he imagined (not all of them, though), because his music ends up being a kind of “something for everybody” experience, without feeling either like a cheesy unappetizing buffet, or like a cheap pander to multiple audiences.

So, for instance, the folks who liked the “dumb rock songs” could sit through the “gnarly modern chamber music” because they knew that there would be another “dumb rock song” sooner or later. Zappa’s strong compositional personality connected everything as a coherent body of work, and that coherence was important, but there was enough of a sense of variety to appeal to multiple audiences.

Sorry, I know that was a bit of a tangent. Or was it? Anyway, cool post!

]]> By: TBG http://andrewoliver.net/2009/06/urs-leimbgruber-and-more/comment-page-1/#comment-18 TBG Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:06:07 +0000 http://andrewoliver.wordpress.com/?p=162#comment-18 I think our last SoS tour showed us that non-musicians can handle our music and even enjoy it. We had lots of positive reactions from people who had never been to a show like this, or who were involved in a totally different music scene. However, my mother still hates it. I think our last SoS tour showed us that non-musicians can handle our music and even enjoy it. We had lots of positive reactions from people who had never been to a show like this, or who were involved in a totally different music scene. However, my mother still hates it.

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