#058 - Uncomfortable & Alienating - Appreciating Avant Garde

Will the 2020’s be just like the ‘Roaring 20s’ because they both kicked off with a Pandemic? It’s not rock solid prediction, but we conclude that it’s good that someone made it.
With current events out out of the way, we begin an episode long discussion on Avant Garde music. Nick gets the ball rolling with a rundown on the history and roots of some really weird (and important) music. Naturally this required we listen to some Frank Zappa right up top!

Song: Frank Zappa - Uncle Meat (Live)

Greg grabs the baton & brings us some good news & some bad news. The bad news is we lost another titan this week. Jazz bassist Greg Peacock was most famous for his work with Keith Jarrett, and we discuss his work and legacy. The good news is that a Halberstadt, Germany performance of John Cage’s “Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible)” is changing the chord it’s been playing for 8 years. A project that kicked off in 2001, and scheduled to take 639 years to complete, it’s just getting started. We discuss why this is happening & dig into John Cage the composer a good bit.
Song: Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette - Flying Pt 2

Jay completes our expedition by discussing some of his favorite artists from the genre, especially the minimalist Steve Reich. We get into some of Reich & his peers techniques & methods, we also talk about ways to listen to & hopefully enjoy this music.
Song: Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint: III. Fast

What should a music podcast’s episode on deliberately uncomfortable music aim to achieve? In an effort to show the genre our sincere appreciation and respect, we decided our goal was create discomfort for the Avant Garde crowd by making an enjoyable show. Let us know what you think!