Here in Mingus' hometown
the LA Philharmonic
etc.
is celebrating the centenaries
of Lutoslawski
and Cage.
But all I hear is Mingus
like a baby brother
rambunctious from the jump
rattlin' and stompin' for his.
Because what Cage did
for silence and Zen and chance
Charles was on
for the kind of swing
that defines nations.
Some nations don't like
their definitions
or their origins
or their history of atrocities
but he put
swing in.
Antibes,
O
"Folk Forms" -
Doesn't that…
Isn't that…
?
Accurate.
What would Luto do
or say or raise or hand
this younger Mingus
- worthwhile outburst -
for the sake of hell in school
and other places.
Paraphrasing a bandmate
from the bandstand
at UCLA
1965
Mingus notes
"all of a sudden you find yourself
trapped
but you blame it on other people".
Dissect, transcribe and melodize
The place of unconfinement.
His music is
What music does
Let's go out
and in
and find it.
* * * *
Andrew Choate was born and raised in South Carolina and studied music and literature at Northwestern University and the California Institute of the Arts. His first book, Langquage Makes Plastic of the Body, was published by Palm Press in 2006. His most recent book is Stingray Clapping, published in 2012 by Insert Blanc Press. He has been publishing his writings on music and art since 1999; these have appeared in Urb, Coda, The Wire, Signal to Noise, Art Ltd, d’Art International and Facsimile. His writing has been translated into Spanish, French, Hungarian and Czech. His radio plays and sound works have been broadcast on WDR in Germany, Radioarte Mobile in Italy, Hipersônica in Brazil, Resonance FM in England and various outlets in the US. His visual work has been exhibited at the Yerevan Center for Contemporary Art, the Torrance Art Museum, Pomona College Museum of Art, Barnsdall Art Park, High Energy Constructs and the Overca$h Gallery. He has given lectures at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles ("Picturing Language"), CalArts ("Writing for Video Performance") and Hofer's Studio Roof ("I'm Turning Sideways In This Crowded Train So You Can More Easily Pass Me By"). His current projects include a graphic novel made of photographs and narration called 260 Aquariums and a series of stress balls in the shape of desktop computers painted with text and installed and photographed in domestic interiors.
the LA Philharmonic
etc.
is celebrating the centenaries
of Lutoslawski
and Cage.
But all I hear is Mingus
like a baby brother
rambunctious from the jump
rattlin' and stompin' for his.
Because what Cage did
for silence and Zen and chance
Charles was on
for the kind of swing
that defines nations.
Some nations don't like
their definitions
or their origins
or their history of atrocities
but he put
swing in.
Antibes,
O
"Folk Forms" -
Doesn't that…
Isn't that…
?
Accurate.
What would Luto do
or say or raise or hand
this younger Mingus
- worthwhile outburst -
for the sake of hell in school
and other places.
Paraphrasing a bandmate
from the bandstand
at UCLA
1965
Mingus notes
"all of a sudden you find yourself
trapped
but you blame it on other people".
Dissect, transcribe and melodize
The place of unconfinement.
His music is
What music does
Let's go out
and in
and find it.
* * * *
Andrew Choate was born and raised in South Carolina and studied music and literature at Northwestern University and the California Institute of the Arts. His first book, Langquage Makes Plastic of the Body, was published by Palm Press in 2006. His most recent book is Stingray Clapping, published in 2012 by Insert Blanc Press. He has been publishing his writings on music and art since 1999; these have appeared in Urb, Coda, The Wire, Signal to Noise, Art Ltd, d’Art International and Facsimile. His writing has been translated into Spanish, French, Hungarian and Czech. His radio plays and sound works have been broadcast on WDR in Germany, Radioarte Mobile in Italy, Hipersônica in Brazil, Resonance FM in England and various outlets in the US. His visual work has been exhibited at the Yerevan Center for Contemporary Art, the Torrance Art Museum, Pomona College Museum of Art, Barnsdall Art Park, High Energy Constructs and the Overca$h Gallery. He has given lectures at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles ("Picturing Language"), CalArts ("Writing for Video Performance") and Hofer's Studio Roof ("I'm Turning Sideways In This Crowded Train So You Can More Easily Pass Me By"). His current projects include a graphic novel made of photographs and narration called 260 Aquariums and a series of stress balls in the shape of desktop computers painted with text and installed and photographed in domestic interiors.
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