Greetings, whoever-reads-this! I've just found two CDs I've been looking for since I don't know when. One is mine, a thing called Near-Miracle on 33rd Street. All originals, all jazz- in one form or another. I got a picture of a stretch of 33rd Street on one of my New York trips, and it's just been waiting to be a CD cover all this time…
The other CD is Symphonies 6, 7, and 9, by Roger Sessions. He was an American composer, teacher and writer. 1896-1985. Taught at Princeton and Juilliard. His first works were neo-classical in nature, a bit reminiscent of Aaron Copland. I've listened so far to his Symphony no 1, and it's very much in keeping with this style, but without being derivative in any real way.
As he developed, his music became less diatonic. Eventually he employed the 12-tone system of composition in his works, a musical language which had been invented by the Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg. It was designed to break the composer of old harmonic habits by imposing restrictions on which tones were to be used, and in which order.
The 3 Symphonies I have on CD are late-period works, so they should be more harmonically adventurous. A bit wackier. Looking forward to becoming reacquainted with them. I misplaced this CD not long after I got it. Been looking around for it for some time now.
I gotta say, finding something you've been looking for is a great feeling. I was glad to find the recording of mine, and overjoyed to find this other CD. I'd given up trying to find it.
So I've got some listening ahead of me. As binges go, I think music is healthier. This music by Roger Sessions seems to awaken something in me. I started out wanting to be a longhair composer, even went to school for it.
And that'll do it for this session. Thanks as ever for stopping in and reading. Much love. More later.
ps today's tune is from Near-Miracle on 33rd street. It's based on the changes to Miles Davis's So What, and is called Who Cares? Keeping the apathy alive…
