11/01/2024 /
Admin / Comments Off on The Sportification of Politics
[This has been edited on 11/6/2024 to reflect the election results.]
The Republican sweep was decades in the making, and a win for unbridled capitalism (as seen in the market reaction). What role did the media play, including Roger Ailes and Fox News? Elon Musk who controls the platform X? It’s also important to look at the cumulative advantage given through media exposure to a particular individual, party or agenda. The Apprentice ran fifteen seasons from 2004 to 2017, a time period which coincided with the rise of social media in the mid-2000s and the prioritization of algorithmic feeds in the mid-2010s, further amplifying polarization.
Recently, I found myself inside a Trump Store. I hadn’t seen a Harris store or a Walz Store so I was curious. The walls were entirely covered by Trump merchandise: T-shirts, flags, posters, hats. There was a ballpoint pen of Trump dressed in boxing gear; click a button and his tiny, red-gloved plastic hands would swing tiny punches.
The middle-aged storekeeper was tangling with a rambunctious puppy in the otherwise empty store. We chatted about kids, his dog, the future of higher education in this country. We agreed on the importance of education; his son had recently been accepted to the prestigious UPenn. We spoke of our wishes as parents to provide great opportunities for the next generation.
Fast forward to this week, and I found myself pacing the room and shouting at the screen during that fateful fifth inning of the final World Series game, everyone going wild, celebrating or cursing Aaron Judge’s costly error, yelling and screaming as the Yankees went through an epic, public, nightmare meltdown. Adrenaline pumping, profanities flying. What is it about sports that excites us to this degree? And what was this reminding me of?
The sportification of politics has been much talked about. On my reading list is The Increasingly United States: How and Why American Political Behavior Nationalized. “Dan Hopkins, associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania… explores how politics in the U.S. have largely become a spectator sport. That is, politics have become more nationalized—issues are more likely to be argued and adjudicated at the national rather than local level. This stands at odds with the historical intent of our framers, who envisioned that political power would favor states and municipalities.” [1]
Unlike sports, politics will have a far larger and possibly devastating consequences for all. As a former media professional, I was particularly concerned about exposure to information in today’s networked world: the cumulative advantage given through media exposure to a particular individual, party or agenda. The Apprentice ran fifteen seasons from 2004 to 2017, an inconceivable amount of exposure priming an individual for the candidacy. This time period coincided with the rise of social media in the mid-2000s and the prioritization of algorithmic feeds in the mid-2010s, further amplifying polarized reach and general polarization.
Media exposure, including information shared on social media, favors the rich and the powerful regardless of party affiliation. Media platforms are for-profit, and their gatekeeping works in tandem with technological advances which also favor the rich and powerful. By keeping our eyes glued to the spectator sports of the presidential election, are we missing something important?
This election was a win for runaway capitalism. But we all have the choice to keep working for a better future, together.
[1] French, C. (2022, December 11). Democracy from the Sidelines: How U.S. politics became a spectator sport – behavioral scientist. Behavioral Scientist. https://behavioralscientist.org/democracy-from-the-sidelines-how-u-s-politics-became-a-spectator-sport/
How do we find music? Recommendations from friends? Movies? Video games? Algorithm? Music is everywhere. But when 120,000 tracks are being uploaded every day to digital streaming platforms1 and Spotify gives us access to over 100 million tracks,2 the chances of us encountering a piece of music become surprisingly low.
Yet, we find them.
This semester at Bennington College, my class “Musical Taste and Monetization” took another deep dive into music discovery methods. The image above is a page from a project by Ruben Whitaker, recent graduate of Bennington College, who analyzed years of their playlists and made the following observation: “Friend recommendation + Algorithm seems to be a powerful phenomenon of exposure especially if the artist and sub-genre are completely new…I was surprised at the low number of artists and songs I encountered through algorithms, this highlights that peer-to-peer recommendation is strong…”
Ruben continues: “I think a lot of people listen to…music they know personally or locally because it’s more of a personal relationship. I think this aligns with the hypothesis of music being developed for social bonding. This is something to think about in terms of how to build strong musical networks and offer something that AI music or mass-produced popular tracks cannot.”
When I first designed this course back in 2021, I anticipated students to rely heavily on the Spotify algorithm. How wrong I was! Although Spotify is the main platform many use to listen to music, the ways in which students discover music were remarkably diverse and creative, with person-to-person communication and live concerts playing huge roles, that I had to completely rethink and recalibrate all I had thought I knew.
Daniel Ek recently made comments about the cost of creating content, and my class too had previously reached a similar conclusion specifically regarding digital content: anything that can be reproduced digitally ad infinitum with a click of a button skews the traditional supply and demand curve. We discussed what it means to live in a society surrounded by technologies of abundance: “New technologies continue to democratize, decentralize, and disrupt production, offering the possibility that scarcity will be a thing of the past for many industries. We call these technologies of abundance. But our economy and our legal institutions are based on scarcity.” 3
Music is so much more than digital content. Reexamining the non-digital component of music feels especially important right now. Music has been integral in every culture since the dawn of humanity, with many researchers highlighting the relationship between music and social bonding.4 In that spirit, I continue to make music and explore the opportunities of social bonding through music. The next generation already understands this. These students are creating our future. We have so much to learn from them.
[All images by Ruben Whitaker, used with permission. Ruben Whitaker is a Chicago-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, and a graduate of Bennington College. During college, Ruben ran a radio show called “Folkloric Geography” which showcased music from around the world. Ruben has several releases under the name “Ruben Jai” including the the album Present for You and the singles Washburn and Neighborhood Planets.]
Stassen, M., & Stassen, M. (2023b, May 24). There are now 120,000 new tracks hitting music streaming services each day. Music Business Worldwide. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/there-are-now-120000-new-tracks-hitting-music-streaming-services-each-day/
Konstan, E. & Spotify Technology S.A. (2023). FORM 20-F. In UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Report], P.35, https://s29.q4cdn.com/175625835/files/doc_financials/2023/ar/26aaaf29-7cd9-4a5d-ab1f-b06277f5f2a5.pdf
Desai DR and Lemley MA (2023) Editorial: Scarcity, regulation, and the abundance society. Front. Res. Metr. Anal. 7:1104460. doi: 10.3389/frma.2022.1104460
Mehr, S. A., Krasnow, M. M., Bryant, G. A., & Hagen, E. H. (2021b). Origins of music in credible signaling. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x20000345
“Bridging the Gap” is Kitamura’s new project concept conceived in 2024. Kitamura has always been interested in ways to bring people of diverse backgrounds and generations together, the main reason she has continued to pursue wordless vocal music – because language, while being an important tool to communicate, can also exclude.
Taking this a step further, and building on her experience honing her craft as a sideperson-vocalist under many musical elders, Kitamura expanded her activities to create opportunities to bridge the gap in performance settings. Kitamura recently took on a volunteer consulting role for the multi-generational and diverse Brooklyn Free Spirit Festival (July 12&13 at IBeam Brooklyn) as well as set up gigs for next generation musicians to perform with seasoned veterans at small NYC venues.
The first of these activities will happen on July 2, 2024 at the Downtown Music Gallery, where two Bennington College music students, Julius Boxer-Cooper (fl) and Paige Draiss (dms), will perform with veteran bassist Ken Filiano and Kitamura herself. The second will happen on July 13th, when Julius Boxer-Cooper will demonstrate an excerpt of a work by Anthony Braxton during the workshop segment of the Brooklyn Free Spirit Festival. Kitamura hopes to inject this concept into all of her future activities.
09/07/2023 /
Admin / Comments Off on Lost recordings and artists’ rights
Every so often, I hear about a label on our scene which would disappear, along with all the physical recordings. Horror stories abound, of label owners destroying CDs and LPs. Are the artists notified beforehand? Can the artists keep any of the copies about to be demolished? Unfortunately, the answer to both is often a “no”. Although the sound recording itself may belong to the artists, if the label produced the physical goods and helped distribute it, they often end up doing what they want with them. All we can do is sit on the sidelines. We often aren’t even given the chance to buy them back.
Thankfully, that is not what happened with ok|ok’s eating mantis which was recorded back in 2006, the year Spotify was born but hadn’t yet landed in the U.S., the “before times” when CDs still ruled. The album features Michael McGinnis, Khabu Doug Young, Tony Moreno and myself, and was released through a label back in 2008. We – the artists – produced the master recording ourselves and collectively own the sound recording. We also produced the artwork and did most of the publicity. The label produced the physical copies. Everything was very relaxed and we never had any formal agreementaside from the trust we had in each other. Friends making music, released by a label run by those we knew well. (I am still grateful to the label for giving us that opportunity.)
Somewhere along the way, things got reshuffled because of technological developments in the industry. CD sales plummeted, record stores went belly up and distributors disappeared. The label had personnel changes, then moved to a streaming/download only format, understandably presenting themselves outwardly as the rights holder of the music so they could deliver the audio files to various platforms.
Looking at the contracts I’ve worked on or signed since then, they almost always contain a blanket agreement which grants a label or artist to distribute the material on all future mediums that goes something like the this: “…grant all rights therein, including, without limitation, the following: any so-called “SACEM home video payment rights”, blank tape levies, cable transmission rights, and “Rental and Lending Rights” pursuant to laws, regulations or directives of any jurisdiction (collectively, “Collection Rights”), throughout the universe in perpetuity…”
That didn’t happen with eating mantis. All of us were unprepared for the speed of the transition. In hindsight, when the label went to digital distribution should have been the moment to hit the pause button, for the label and the artists to sit down. We never had a discussion with the label about digital streaming. (Four Tet’s royalty dispute lawsuit with Domino is a famous example of a “push for a fairer deal on historical contracts, written at a time when the music industry operated entirely differently.”)
Today, armed with the knowledge and experience of overseeing the label New Braxton House for over a decade, I am able to see what could have been done better from a business perspective to protect artists’ rights. Yet, surprising even myself, I’m not convinced those things are necessary. Our objective was to make great music together, label included. Having an airtight contract covering all possible future music technology was never the objective.
When did we turn into a society where negotiated agreement trumps all? Where we seem to spend so much time and money creating contracts? When did the objective switch from the common goal of creating something great together, based on trust and shared responsibility, to making sure all parties were covered legally should something go wrong? Of course, shared responsibility means that we all have to do the work, and that’s not always easy. But isn’t that better than tying each other up in the oft-incomprehensible fine print of legal jargon so that we end up being locked into a contract, rather than having the joy and flexibility of exploring solutions together? Isn’t it time we reexamined the status quo? (Full disclosure: I research the effect of trust vs. negotiated contracts; here is an excellent paper by Professor Marc A. Cohen The Crisis of Trust and Trustworthiness in Organization).
So here we are, 2023, the fifteenth anniversary of the album release. The artists collectively agreed that we should re-release the album on our respective outlets with the blessing of the label. Together, we are stronger. We – the artists – can no longer offer the physical CDs but we are very happy to be able to offer the digital album. Name your price. We just want people to listen to this album. I still love it. Bottom line, if we want to keep what we created, we need to own it. Negotiate carefully and always stand up for artists’ rights. Re-presenting eating mantis.
04/14/2023 /
Admin / Comments Off on Press Release Creation ChatGPT vs. BARD vs. Bing
Prompt: Could you draft a press release for an upcoming CD release concert? Date: September 28, 2134 at 8PM local time. Group name: The Chitchats. Occasion: New album release. Place: The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3. Album is titled “For Those Who Aim”. This is their first release in six years. Group members are Jackie May on piano, Young Lee on bass, James Dale on drums, Friedman on their Lunar Rock Percussion Instrument. The music is electro-jazz-fusion with a dance vibe. They have been recently touring the West Coast in the U.S. on earth, has had numerous sold out shows in both 2032 and 2034. Review from Lunar DitchSpoon states, “This young group of fearless innovators caters to both the teen and senior fans, melding familiar jazz moments with abrasive noise, creating something utterly new from the old. Their use of Lunar Rocks as a percussive instrument is what endears them to the local fans.” (Note: I say this is a clear win for ChatGPT but someone tell Chatty that “comprised of” isn’t correct usage. Bing is the weakest of them all but perhaps Bing isn’t cut out for this sort of thing.)
ChatGPT:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Chitchats to Release New Album “For Those Who Aim” at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3
Lunar Outpost 261J3 – The Chitchats, the electrifying electro-jazz-fusion group, are set to release their highly anticipated album “For Those Who Aim” on September 28, 2134. The album, which marks the band’s first release in six years, promises to be a musical experience that fans won’t forget.
To celebrate the release of their new album, The Chitchats will be performing at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3. The concert will take place on September 28, 2134 at 8PM local time.
The Chitchats are known for their unique blend of jazz, fusion, and dance music, which has earned them a loyal following of fans across the West Coast in the U.S. on earth. The band is comprised of Jackie May on piano, Young Lee on bass, James Dale on drums, and Friedman on their Lunar Rock Percussion Instrument.
The band has been receiving rave reviews from both fans and critics alike. Lunar DitchSpoon states, “This young group of fearless innovators caters to both the teen and senior fans, melding familiar jazz moments with abrasive noise, creating something utterly new from the old. Their use of Lunar Rocks as a percussive instrument is what endears them to the local fans.”
The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3 is the perfect venue for The Chitchats to showcase their new album. Fans can expect an evening of electrifying music, a vibrant atmosphere, and an unforgettable performance.
Tickets for the concert are on sale now and can be purchased online or at the door. Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see The Chitchats perform live and experience their new album “For Those Who Aim.”
For more information about The Chitchats and their upcoming album release concert, please visit their website or contact their publicist.
The Chitchats Release New Album, “For Those Who Aim,” with CD Release Concert on Lunar Outpost 261J3
[City, State] – [Date] – The Chitchats, a four-piece electro-jazz-fusion band, will release their new album, “For Those Who Aim,” on September 28, 2023 at 8PM local time at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3. This is the band’s first release in six years.
The Chitchats are made up of Jackie May on piano, Young Lee on bass, James Dale on drums, and Friedman on their Lunar Rock Percussion Instrument. Their music is a unique blend of jazz, electronica, and dance music. They have been touring the West Coast in the U.S. on Earth, and have had numerous sold out shows in both 2032 and 2034.
The album “For Those Who Aim” is a collection of 10 original songs that showcase the band’s diverse musical talents. The songs range from the upbeat and danceable “The Moon Is Calling” to the more introspective “Aim for the Stars.” The album is sure to appeal to fans of all ages.
The Chitchats will be performing a CD release concert at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3 on September 28, 2023 at 8PM local time. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
“We are so excited to release our new album, ‘For Those Who Aim,’” said Jackie May, the band’s pianist. “We have been working on this album for a long time, and we are really proud of the final product. We can’t wait to share it with our fans.”
The Chitchats are a rising star in the music world, and their new album is sure to cement their place in the spotlight. Don’t miss your chance to see them live at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3 on September 28, 2023.
About The Chitchats
The Chitchats are a four-piece electro-jazz-fusion band from [City, State]. The band consists of Jackie May on piano, Young Lee on bass, James Dale on drums, and Friedman on their Lunar Rock Percussion Instrument. Their music is a unique blend of jazz, electronica, and dance music. They have been touring the West Coast in the U.S. on Earth, and have had numerous sold out shows in both 2032 and 2034. Their new album, “For Those Who Aim,” will be released on September 28, 2023.
Quotes
“We are so excited to release our new album, ‘For Those Who Aim,’” said Jackie May, the band’s pianist. “We have been working on this album for a long time, and we are really proud of the final product. We can’t wait to share it with our fans.”
“This young group of fearless innovators caters to both the teen and senior fans, melding familiar jazz moments with abrasive noise, creating something utterly new from the old. Their use of Lunar Rocks as a percussive instrument is what endears them to the local fans,” said Lunar DitchSpoon in a recent review.
Bing:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Chitchats Announce New Album Release Concert on Lunar Outpost 261J3
The Chitchats are excited to announce their upcoming CD release concert for their new album “For Those Who Aim” on September 28, 2134 at 8PM local time at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3.
The Chitchats are a group of fearless innovators who have been recently touring the West Coast in the U.S. on earth and have had numerous sold out shows in both 2032 and 2034. Their music is electro-jazz-fusion with a dance vibe that caters to both teen and senior fans.
The group members are Jackie May on piano, Young Lee on bass, James Dale on drums, and Friedman on their Lunar Rock Percussion Instrument. Their use of Lunar Rocks as a percussive instrument is what endears them to the local fans.
This is their first release in six years and it promises to be an unforgettable night of music that melds familiar jazz moments with abrasive noise, creating something utterly new from the old.
Don't miss out on this exciting event! Tickets are available now at [The Sunrise Lounge](https://www.sunriselounge.com).
For more information about The Chitchats and their new album “For Those Who Aim,” please visit [their website](https://www.thechitchats.com).
Contact:
The Chitchats
info@thechitchats.com
ChatGPT Extra Credit:
18 months before release:
Start building a buzz about the upcoming album on social media and through interviews with relevant media outlets.
Begin planning promotional activities, including album launch events, live performances, and collaborations with other artists.
Identify target audiences and determine key messages for marketing and PR campaigns.
12 months before release:
Launch a teaser campaign to start building anticipation for the album.
Begin pitching media outlets for interviews and reviews, and plan for any necessary press events.
Coordinate with other artists, labels, and distributors to ensure that the album release is properly scheduled and promoted.
6 months before release:
Launch a full-scale marketing campaign, including social media promotions, influencer partnerships, and paid advertising.
Finalize any collaborations or guest appearances on the album and begin promoting these features to fans.
Release one or more singles from the album to build excitement and start generating buzz.
3 months before release:
Ramp up promotional efforts, including media appearances, radio interviews, and press releases.
Launch a pre-order campaign for the album, offering exclusive merchandise or early access to content for fans who purchase in advance.
Plan for any live performances or other promotional events leading up to the album release.
1 month before release:
Release a final single or music video to generate last-minute buzz.
Continue to promote the pre-order campaign and encourage fans to purchase early.
Finalize logistics for any promotional events, including scheduling, venue preparation, and marketing materials.
Release week:
Release the album on all platforms and announce the news to fans via social media and press releases.
Host a launch event, such as a listening party or live performance, to celebrate the release and generate additional media coverage.
Continue to promote the album through interviews, appearances, and online promotions.
Of course, this is just a general outline, and the specifics of your publicity plan will depend on factors such as your budget, target audience, and available resources. But hopefully, this timeline will help you get started in planning an effective and successful campaign for ChitChat’s new album release.
BARD Extra Credit:
Timeline
Activity
Month
Notes
Set marketing goals
January
Define your target audience, marketing objectives, and budget.
Create a marketing plan
February
Develop a detailed plan for how you will achieve your marketing goals.
Secure press coverage
March
Pitch your album to music journalists and bloggers.
Release singles
April-August
Release one or two singles from your album leading up to the release date.
Create promotional materials
May-June
Design posters, flyers, and other promotional materials for your album release.
Book live shows
July-August
Book live shows to promote your album release.
Launch a social media campaign
August
Launch a social media campaign to build excitement for your album release.
Release the album
September 28th
Release your album on all major streaming platforms and retailers.
Continue promoting the album
October-December
Continue promoting your album through live shows, social media, and other channels.
This is just a sample timeline, and you may need to adjust it based on your specific needs and budget. However, it should give you a good starting point for planning your publicity campaign.
Here are some additional tips for creating a successful publicity plan:
Be creative and original. Your publicity plan should stand out from the crowd. Think outside the box and come up with creative ways to promote your album.
Target your audience. Make sure your marketing messages are targeted to your target audience. This will help you reach the people who are most likely to be interested in your music.
Be persistent. Don’t give up if you don’t get immediate results. It takes time to build a successful publicity campaign. Keep at it, and eventually you will see results.
Bing Extra Credit:
2 months before the event: Send out press releases and begin promoting the event on social media platforms.
1 month before the event: Begin email marketing campaigns and reach out to local radio stations for interviews.
2 weeks before the event: Hang up posters and flyers around town and begin online advertising campaigns.
1 week before the event: Partner with local businesses to offer discounts or promotions for customers who attend the concert.
Day of the event: Host the CD release concert at The Sunrise Lounge on Lunar Outpost 261J3 at 8PM local time.
08/13/2022 /
Admin / Comments Off on The Case of Robert “Bob” Rusch
(Update 1/29/2024: Mr. Rusch passed away on January 14, 2024 according to publicly-viewable Wikipedia entry.)
(Update 9/10/2024: The case is ongoing as of September 10, 2024.)
One of the many cases we looked at in my music business course was that of Robert “Bob” Rusch who used to run the labels Cadence Jazz and CIMP, as well as Cadence Magazine (the current incarnation of the magazine is run by someone else). I had been following this story for nearly a decade, now a lawsuit, and received notification today (Aug. 13, 2022) that attorneys were added for the defendants. The case is moving forward in the system.
Bob Rusch is accused of allegedly assaulting students at Brooklyn’s Woodward School in the 60s and the 70s, and the statute of limitations for the alleged crimes had expired. However, in 2020, under New York’s Child Victims Act which opened a look-back period for victims of childhood abuse, the alleged victims were able to bring a new lawsuit.
Many around me had worked with him: musicians recording for his labels, publicists trying to get a review or two in his magazine. My dealings with Mr. Rusch was limited to online interactions during the time I was the director of communications for Tri-Centric Foundation, starting around 2010. Mr. Rusch would often send emails requesting promo copies although we had taken him off our curated press list quite early on and were not sending him any copies.
In 2014, explosive WSJ articles came out:
In several phone interviews with The Wall Street Journal from his home in upstate New York, Mr. Rusch acknowledged that he had sex with multiple young students, while declining to comment on some allegations and denying others. “I accept involvement in some of the things that went on, not all of them, and to that extent I am embarrassed and remorseful and I have been for the better part of 41 years,” said Mr. Rusch, who is now 71 years old. “I carry a lot of guilt.” (Hollander, Sophia. “Years of Abuse at Brooklyn School Alleged”. The Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2014)
What happened afterwards brought up many questions, not just about Mr. Rusch, but also about how we as individuals were supposed to deal with this information. Mr. Rusch had not been convicted of a crime. The alleged crimes were past the statute of limitations. Where does one draw the line? What line? There were musicians around me who stated that Mr. Rusch deserved a “second chance” (“but,” I asked, “if Mr. Rusch hadn’t been convicted, why would he need a second chance?”). That everything was too grey and that it was okay to keep working with him. I know that Mr. Rusch remained on at least one publicist’s promo list even after the articles were published although, by then, Cadence Magazine was technically no longer under Mr. Rusch’s leadership.
What about the works of music on Mr. Rusch’s labels? Articles published in his magazine? Musicians and writers may or may not have known about the allegations but had nothing to do with them. (This leads to a different and likewise nebulous area of “cancelling” works created by many individuals who had nothing to do with the crime or the controversial issue because the prominent representative seen as being responsible for the work – composer, conductor, producer, director, etc. – was convicted or cancelled.)
We wade through a world of grey.
To this day, many academic sexual assault cases are settled out of court, perpetrators are never convicted (or found liable) and the institutions turn a blind eye as the alleged perpetrators move on to other institutions, organizations or freelance jobs. The defendants for Mr. Rusch’s case also include the Woodward School (acquired by Poly Prep in 1995). A question that haunts me: what could the adults have done better?
The music industry, including teaching, is hardly immune to sexual assault and harassment; schools and mentor/mentee relationships can be just one step away from grooming. I also come from another industry which, from my experience, has been just as bad, if not worse: the media. I feel that it is important to speak on these matters and discuss it from many angles. There may never be one right way to avoid or prevent these situations, but we may be better able to help the next generation by studying past and present cases. My hope is that the victims are compensated somehow and find some sort of closure through the process. I want to keep following this case because I care. Many of us have been victims (as so many of my colleague have noted, “Who hasn’t?”). We can continue to raise our voices to make the world a safer place.
(The plaintiffs are represented by top lawyers from a law firm which has been involved in many high profile sexual abuse cases including those of Larry Nassar and Jeffrey Epstein.)
03/08/2022 /
Admin / Comments Off on A Mistake or Implicit Bias?
Recently, I learned of an album review written by a seasoned writer, whom I did not know personally, published on an online platform frequented by music fans. The review itself was wonderful, but there was one error which I noticed. The author, referring to my nonverbal vocal improvisation, wrote that I sometimes sang in Japanese on the recording.
Nowhere on the entire recording do I sing in Japanese. My vocal improvisation used my usual method of combining consonants and vowels in my own way. Perhaps the author decided that I was singing in Japanese because of my ancestry. Perhaps he took a mental shortcut without fact checking. (Many writers already know about my reluctance to use pre-existing language since language can both unify and divide; I’ve mentioned this personally to writers or in interviews or press releases, and have posts about it on my website.)
It took me a while to think about how to deal with this, or if I should deal with it at all. Given all that the world was going through right now, calling attention to a seemingly small error in a music review did not feel appropriate. At the same time, given what many of us go through on a daily basis as we continue to be seen as hyphenated-Americans on a good day, I felt that I should at least attempt to rectify the error, however small.
There were three ways I could approach this. One, do nothing. Two, post the issue on a public forum like Twitter. Three, contact the writer and see if he is open to having a conversation. The first option, I had already abandoned. The second option, I abandoned as well because I didn’t want a public discussion about implicit bias and assumptions based on race. We live in a polarized environment. The author and I represented two races and two genders which could easily be framed in a more explosive narrative. I wanted this to be an opportunity to explore the why and the how – especially how to prevent these things from happening in the first place. A public social media forum, to me, was not always constructive for nuanced matters.
Fortunately, I was able to find his email address and wrote to him about the error. He emailed back two days later, apologizing and saying that he will rectify the error as soon as he could. Then I emailed him back with an invitation to have a more formal dialogue about what happened, to examine the reasons and see if we could both gain insight from this incident. I did this because we are all human and we all make mistakes. In fact, making mistakes is pretty much the only way we learn, as has been shown in neuroscience research. If every small mistake was blown up in a public forum, what would that do to us? In the fear of making a faux pas, will we stop making mistakes, and thus stop learning? Stop communicating with each other, listening and discussing? I think all these things are already happening. Had I been in the same position as the author, I would have liked for the musician to reach out to me in the way I reached out to the author. I would want to learn, correct my mistake, and use that knowledge to make the world a better place.
For this process to work, we also need to be open to being corrected, because that is one of the most important parts to learning. And it goes without saying that mistakes which create victims… That would call for a serious investigation and all that goes with it.
If the author wants to engage, this story can continue. If not, this post will hopefully provide one direction out of many, in the ways we can deal with bias and assumptions. This incident has already given me an opportunity to put my thoughts into words, and that is a positive thing. As Anthony Braxton repeatedly told me, “Making no mistakes is the biggest mistake of all.” Mistakes are key to learning. Next time we make a mistake, no matter who makes it, let’s take a breath and see what we can learn from it, together, before rushing to condemn it. Because the only way to make the world a better place is to learn to do it together. And if we are not learning, then we are not part of the solution. We become part of the problem.
[Update] The author sent me an email with a thoughtful apology, although he declined to engage in a discussion. I am happy to let this matter drop, and hope that this interaction added something positive however small.
09/15/2018 /
Admin / Comments Off on Protean Labyrinth and wordless vocal music
My two recent albums are both wordless: Geometry of Caves (Relative Pitch) and Protean Labyrinth (Bandcamp, self-release). I included liner notes in the DL of Protean Labyrinth which explains a little of why I chose to not use words, and this is an addendum.
One, I wanted to explore how listeners – including myself – perceive syllables as sounds as opposed to words which carry a layer of information. Two, growing up bilingual and picking up a third language later for professional reasons, I was always very conscious of language being both a bridge and a barrier. As a child, I remember switching languages among my friends so that our parents wouldn’t understand what we were talking about. Some words were untranslatable – e.g., Japanese have so many words for weather, color, different kinds of rain – and it was common for us to mix several languages in a sentence.
Today, I see language become points of conflict, smartphone culture documenting bi/multi-linguals being harassed when they speak a non-dominant language in public. Those languages tend to be spoken by people of color. This issue is in no way unique to the U.S. although I feel that things have gotten worse over the last year or so (but hey, we also now have Crazy Rich Asians and that’s progress). Whenever there is a dominant race, minority or minorities can be targeted for practicing their own culture and heritage. One “minority” language can be a “dominant” language in another country and the cycle perpetuates. It’s really about power because language is powerful. I was interested in putting that aside for a moment, exploring vocal music sans the extra layer of information and power that words undeniably add to the mix.
My exploration of wordless vocals was most definitely influenced by Anthony Braxton. I had always incorporated wordless vocals in my work, but not in a very systematic way. This all changed in 2012 when I was asked to record, in a duo format with Anthony, his Diamond Curtain Wall Music where we used the graphic scores of Falling River Music and secondary material of Ghost Trance Music combined with interactive SuperCollider electronic patches designed by Anthony himself. That recording became part of a 12-CD box set titled 12 Duets (DCWM) 2012. Through this process, I realized that I needed to sit down and systematically figure out what I was trying to do because the paucity of my wordless vocal expressions hit me like a ton of bricks (I mean, I’m improvising with Anthony Braxton…). Much of my efforts in the area were triggered by the recording and didn’t make it into the box set, but years of researching vocal syllables and techniques ensued and continues to this day.
This direction was further strengthened as I prepared to document Braxton’s vocal ensemble material, which has now been recorded and is scheduled for release in early 2019. The syllables in those works are at the periphery of words, almost becoming defined but not quite. Pointillistic, abstract, but with intention.
Voice is such an individual instrument and so malleable. I see so many vocalists on the scene right now making such interesting, unique, fresh, eye-opening music. I hope to continue to do the same in my own way, exploring with two more follow-up albums in the Protean Labyrinth series.
