Prefuse 73

Electronic music...


Preparations

Jose Gonzalez

Before you go any further, take a listen to this track...

Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez

The first time I heard Jose Gonzalez I had a strange feeling. It was a feeling I'd had once, years ago, when I first heard another favorite artist of mine, Michael Hedges. My intention is not to draw a comparison between the two, both musicians are truly unique. But they share a quality that is uncommon in any artistic medium. They share the ability to move the listener in a certain way. The music has heart, and it touches the listener's heart as well.

The music is not flashy or technically that impressive, it's serene if anything. But it is exciting in a way. It's exciting to hear fresh music that stands out, not for its virtuosity, but for its humble spirit.

Jose Gonzalez is 29 years old and was born in Sweden. He released his first album in 2003. He has gained international notoriety for his unique style and is popular among many different circles from indie to folk.


This video has some cool animation...

Check out his website at jose-gonzalez.com

=ESPRESSO=

There's nothing like a steaming hot shot of espresso.

An espresso aficionado is not your average coffee drinker. Almost everyone drinks coffee. But most coffee drinkers could not endure the bold explosion of flavor in a shot of espresso. Espresso attracts a more adventurous soul. One who drinks espresso is one who's taste buds are not easily charmed, one who likes a little extra spring in their step. It is more than just the flavors in a shot that makes a good shot of espresso such a sublime experience. Its rich creamy texture, its thick crema top, the complexity of its aroma all are part of the experience. Take in a shot of espresso and observe its effects. The eyes widen, brighten a bit. The heart rate quickens. You're ready for anything.

This is what a shot of espresso should look like

Unfortunately espresso is not always good. Getting espresso just right takes more than just flipping a switch. Bad espresso is a waste of time and money, and just plain makes me sad. Good espresso is a product of a good bean, good equipment and a skilled barista.

Let's start with the bean. When we think of espresso beans we picture a very dark roast with a shiny coating of surface oil. This is the type of bean traditionally used for espresso. Actually espresso can be made from any coffee bean. Some World Barista Championship winning brews have come from medium roast beans.

Espresso Beans

Crema is the thick creamy layer of foam that occurs when a shot of espresso is pulled. Crema is made up of oils, proteins and sugars, and exudes a major part of the espresso aroma. Crema is absolutely essential to making a decent shot of espresso. If a barista hands you a shot with no crema, hand it back... it's not a good shot of espresso.

Crema

This is The Ideale, the first successfully marketed espresso/cappuccino machine. Designed around 1905 for use in restaurants and cafes around the world. It spawned the popularity of fashionable and sophisticated espresso and cappuccino beverages.

The Ideale

The design of the espresso machine has evolved over the years. Modern espresso machines are computerized and designed to give consistently high quality servings of espresso.

A Modern Espresso Machine

The variations of espresso drinks are many. The most popular include: the Cappuccino (1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 foam), the Caffè Latte (espresso topped with steamed milk and a thin layer of foam), and the Caffè Macchiato (an inverted latte with the espresso on top).

A Cappuccino

Espresso is a way of life, but be warned, once you've acquired a taste for this magnificent beverage there's no turning back. Regular drip coffee just won't do anymore.

Informational Links:
coffeeuniverse.com
Espresso Machine Historical Timeline

espressoporn.blogspot.com
homebarista.com

John Zorn: Cobra

Cobra is a musical game created by the jazz artist John Zorn.

Cobra's rules are complex, but basically, a director leads an ensemble of improvisational musicians with a series of hand signals and cue cards.The resulting music can be described as free jazz. The form is entirely conceived on the spot by the director and interpretations vary from musician to musician and from performance to performance so each game of Cobra is unique.

There are also rules to make the game more interesting. Each player wears a headband somewhere on their body. Players can usurp control of the ensemble by stealing other players headbands. The 'guerrilla' leader has complete control over the music until power is taken from him. These aspects to the game can make for an interesting stage show.

There are several recordings of this game available.
This is an album cover for a recording from 1992.

Here is a sample of John Zorn conducting a game of Cobra.



This is a great version from a performance in Israel in January of 2008.

This music would likely be catgorized as unlistenable by the average person, but to jazz fanatics and musicians this is the coolest thing around. It throws the traditional concept of form out the window. It takes improvisation in a new direction.

There have been a few incarnations of Cobra ensembles in Morgantown WV over the years. Many sessions have been directed by WVU jazzer Paul Scea. This is a recording of a performance on the Morgantown Sound show from 1999. Thanks to Orville Weale for making this available.

cobra_ensemble - Deborah Voigt and Placido Domingo

Roger Dean

The art of Roger Dean could be described as wonderous, fantastic and even trance inducing.

His art is most famous for the album covers he created in the late 60's and 70's, the most notable of which were designed for the English progressive rock band Yes.

Roger Dean was born in Kent, England in 1944. He studied at the Royal College of Art Furniture School and gained notoriety for his architectural and furniture designs.

He is also known for designing the Retreat Pod

His album art gave Yes albums a signature look and he was soon doing stage design for the band.

Roger Dean continued doing album cover art for Yes, Asia and many other bands through the 1990s and 2000s and has published several books. You can see more artwork and designs at www.rogerdean.com

IMEEM

I found this cool embeddable player at http://www.imeem.com/

Word Jazz

Word Jazz is an art form that combines beat style poetry and free form jazz or electronic music. Word Jazz was created by the popular TV and radio voice over artist, Ken Nordine. Ken Nordine's name may be obscure but his voice is unmistakable. Nordine's voice has been in thousands of TV and radio spots since the 1950s.

The classic album, Sounds In Space, is narrated by Ken Nordine

Nordine's prose is surreal and often employs multiple characters. In his early work He is backed up by small jazz ensembles such as the Fred Katz group. Later on he is often backed up by electronic music or live improvisational musicians.

Upper Limbo is a live performance in which Ken recites over improvisational music, the album features harmonica great Howard Levy.

My first exposure to Ken Nordine and Word Jazz was The Devout Catalyst which was released on the Grateful Dead's record label. This is a very bizarre album in which Nordine collaborates with Jerry Garcia on acoustic guitar and David Grisman on mandolin.

If you don't know the name Ken Nordine take a listen and I think you might recognize the voice.

Green


The Nervous system


The Essence of S

Check out Ken's website at http://www.wordjazz.com/