Bartok and Crumb

A few years ago, I went to go hear George Crumb (of Black Angels fame) speak at the McPhail Institue in Minneapolis, and he talked for a full ten minutes about how Bartok had influenced him in most of his early work, and how he was finally coming around to it again. I was reminded of that today I stumbled across this gem earlier while surfing in my pajamas:




Compare and contrast comrades! (If you don't feel like listening to a convincing musical rendition of human violence, skip to about 1:33, where the influence becomes a bit more obvious.)

Slam Jam

I remember listening to this man's music on an airplane while flying cross-country at age five. I didn't know until five minutes ago that he also has a big career in Japan. Like, huge.



Which reminds me:

Japanjo

And why shouldn't he play Gershwin at lightning speed in a style obsolete for over a century? (Shame the video cuts off before the end.)

Artikulation

Oh nontraditional scores.

Qbert gets sheepish

Were you not happy? You will be happy!

John Lee Hooker

The toe tapping is essential. So is the breakdown at 1:50.

Cyro Baptista + Yoshida Brothers = A severely beaten donkey.