Milo

The rippling effect culminating in a whimsical tribute

Context/digression: I do not recall the exact circumstances of my meeting musicologist Susan McClary in the early 80s. Then a professor at the University of Minnesota, she was, for a time, an ardent supporter of my work. Though ensconced in the academy, her attitude was, at the time, and concordant with mine, decidedly anti-establishment. (At … Read More

Emerging from relative isolation

Following on from the last post*, I am indeed moving beyond my pandemic-induced ritual of solo (in both senses of the word) concerts 6 days a week. Having received the “refresher” booster of last fall’s vaccine**, I’ve scheduled and will be scheduling private sessions with colleagues who had, over the course of the pandemic, expressed … Read More

Concerning private sessions and public concerts

As the pandemic continued/continues, I was/am occasionally asked when I’ll be opening Studio Toile D’Angles for sessions and concerts. (And, within the last couple months, along with two invitations for gigs, I had an inquiry from an anonymous person as to when I’d be presenting my work publicly. Seems she [?] heard about me from … Read More

Belated clarification

A year or so before Covid hit, a dear friend/colleague attended a gig featuring another dear friend/colleague at a jazz-centric venue. There was a brief exchange with an older gentleman minding the door in part concerning free jazz. He said that “my” opening set at the Gary Burton Children’s Theater concert back in the early … Read More

George Roberts’ “improvised writing”

George Roberts – poet, visual artist (for example, the cover of Ananke), paper maker, hand typesetter, educator/mentor, co-owner/founder of Homewood Studios in North Minneapolis, and, in the best sense of the description, community advocate* – was unaware of free jazz/improvised music when we first officially met in 2003. (An overview of that encounter from both our … Read More

“Her Grace”; new LP by/final voyage with (of?) Teenage Boatpeople

[Teenage Boatpeople backstory.] Due to the pandemic, but in keeping with the process utilized in post ’09 TBP documents, I recorded my parts for Her Grace listening to the songs on headphones for the first time; in other words, treating them as in-the-moment material for improvisation. (Naturally, adding instruments meant that I was getting somewhat [but … Read More