Thursday, April 21, 2011

Oversinging!!! The American Idol Dilemma

I do watch American Idol, I admit it. It started off as great trash t.v. and 'cause my students all watch it.  SO I could start dishing on the Idols-but I won't. It is an interesting new year with a different set of judges. (More or less, but Randy has taken on almost a different personality this year anyway...) They seem to have chosen more of a variety of singers, and chosen singers, in general, who aren't as "pop" idol material as in years past.  Good, I say. But I do have a bone to pick with this season and with alot of contemporary "pop" singing in general: there is too much oversinging. What do I mean you may ask ?...Is singing about vocal pyrotechnics?  Is it about hitting high notes, screaming, belting, yelling or doing runs, a.k.a. melismas? Is that what moves the listener, tells her something she hasn't heard before, heals her or thrills her? Is that what makes someone listen to a recording over and over again?
I have a very different idea about singing, why I listen to a given singer, and what I long to hear.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Life Part (a fragment)

Squeak, shoot-
through the dirt
eek out your patch
sink deep roots
catch the sprinkles
of the green porous space
lift your face
to the sun's blaze of truth

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

possible new song....

 In fact Jaroslaw and I have been collaborating on this and it has turned into a tango! Velly interesting....so far a challenging process, we are not done yet but it is getting there. Can't wait to have it done and perform it!

The Dance

Did you hear as I started my song
I looked up as you came through the door
The vista of your surprise
Left me lying sideways on the floor

But I picked myself up
Metaphorically that is
And I reached for your hand
Sardonically you grinned
Our eyes met in motion
We swayed round the room
And we danced till the dawn of the doom…

Did they hear as we started our dance
Did they know that it almost was done?
The silence of those all around
Left me hopelessly dizzy  and stunned

As we reached the crescendo
Some slight  innuendo
Left me sighing tremendous
Relief
The music was halting
The starstruck were waning
The reason was their
Disbelief
In the stuff of our dreams….