(Aug 23): NMA '82 Chicago radio: Jeffrey Lohn's "Theoretical Music" July 9, 1982
Plus a short tribute to Richard Maxfield, live nationally broadcast program presented by Charles Amirkhanian and Joan La Barbara
The band he shared with Glenn Branca, Theoretical Girls, did re-release on bandcamp a collection of pieces; though undated, these tracks are probably from the second half of the seventies:
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New Music America Chicago July 9, 1982
Radio broadcast 4, part 3 of 3 - Charles Amirkhanian and Joan La Barbara
live at the Navy Pier Auditorium
https://archive.org/details/NMA_1982_07_09/NMA_1982_07_09_C_ed.wav
Contents:
0:00 Joan La Barbara and Charles Amirkhanian
- intro/stalling for time
♪6:02 Jeffrey Lohn Theoretical Music Part One: Hypothesis
26:54 La Barbara and Amirkhanian
– extro, unsure whether that was part 1 or parts 1 and 2; stalling for time, intro
♪30:39 Jeffrey Lohn Theoretical Music Part Two: Refutation/Dirge
46:07 a loud single “boo” and applause
46:15 Joan La Barbara
– extro, intro to documentary on Richard Maxfield
46:32 Charles Amirkhanian (tape) Richard Maxfield tribute
51:49 La Barbara and Amirkhanian show extro
♪ 56:11 New Music Ensemble at Colorado (show theme)
- Stephen Scott: music for bowed piano
=================================
gd note - the actual introduction of the ensemble was about 10 minutes prior to this starting as there were delays and much stretching of improvisational conversation between Joan La Barbara and Charles Amirkhanian.
reprised from the end of from part 2:
Charles Amirkhanian: Our next performance is by a group directed by Jeffrey Lohn. We’re going to hear from Theoretical Music Part 1: Hypothesis and Part 2: Refutation/Dirge.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He has a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins and did further graduate study in music at the University of California in San Diego. He’s a student of Kenneth Gaboura there.
Recent performances of Jeffrey Lohn’s music have been given in Paris, West Berlin and Bucharest as part of a European tour sponsored and financed by the Kitchen Center for Dance, Music and Video in New York City. Theoretical Musics Part 1 and 2 were premiered in New York City in January 1982 at the Bessie Schonberg Theatre.
Joan La Barbara: There are two parts to Theoretical Music. Part 1: Hypothesis and Part 2: Refutation/Dirge. Theoretical Music was composed in the winter of 1981. The work draws upon the musical conventions of several centuries.
One strong influence was the aggressive thrust, which supercharges much of the music of Igor Stravinsky. It was written as a tribute to the memory of N. Kgoathe who died in a South African prison on February 4th, 1969. The cause of death was officially noted as “slipped in shower”. Since his death, over 100 persons have died in the detention, in the hands of the South African Security Police.
1:01:09
Charles Amirkhanian: Our performers will be Steve Antonelli, Rob Tomaro, Rich Robinson and George Aravella, guitars, Mark Steven Brooks, bass guitar, Ann DeMarinis, electric piano, and the percussionists Jeff Siegel and John Leland, all conducted by the composer Jeffrey Lohn. And our musicians are just about ready to go on stage…
=======
Part 3
0:00 (sounds of tuning in background)
Joan La Barbara: We might mention, while we’re waiting for the musicians to tune up and get ready for Jeffrey Lohn’s Theoretical Music, that at the Museum of Contemporary Art, there are exhibitions of scores by John Cage and a number of other composers.
Also, Sound/Film, a video and music, um, Pacman™-like game that can be played by audience participants, ah, six players at a time…
Charles Amirkhanian: Now wait a minute, where is that? Where is that? (Chuckles)
Joan La Barbara: That’s at the Museum of Contemporary Art and ah, there’s just a small charge to get in but you don’t have to pay each time you play the game. It’s a, a sound piece by David Behrman and Paul DiMarinis. A large video screen shows a number of video characters that, uh, fly and climb around, ah – uh, flying high-hat and uh a little animal-type person who plays a cymbal going across the video screen, chopping up characters in front of it.
Charles Amirkhanian: Sounds very educational.
Joan La Barbara: Oh yes! Indeed!
Charles Amirkhanian: You know, Joan, one of the things I’ve noticed about this festival is that the items which have caused the most, um, controversy and also the – the most, uh, stimulated the most discussion seem to be the pieces that use real extremes.
1:12
For instance, tonight we’ve heard the very, very low bass instruments of Roscoe Mitchell’s ensemble. Ah, the first night we heard Alvin Lucier’s single oscillator suite duplicated by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
There was the death bed interview tonight of Walter Wincha in Annea Lockwood’s piece, all of these are very extreme kinds of things and perhaps the thing which has caused the most controversy has been Glenn Branca’s ah, tremendous volume of his piece with guitars, and it was discussed in detail today by composers at a symposium at the Chicago ah, Library Center.
1:47
The, um, any thoughts on this? About what it is that, ah sort of stimulates the artists to go to such extremes? Is it that everything’s been done and there’s not much else to do except…
Joan La Barbara: (chuckles)
Charles Amirkhanian: …to be – sort to be extre-, extreme?
Joan La Barbara: Well, I – I think, um, each person working in this field is, is trying to discover, ah, as we were talking with Ben Johnston, the other night, trying to discover his or her own voice. And to figure out what it is that is, ah, special about themselves, what – what they can say, um, to contribute to this vast area of new music, of experimental music.
Um, there’s so many different – different areas, different, ah, genre, that we’re hearing in, in these concert. Um, you spoke about Glenn Branca and we’ll probably hear some similar music from Jeffrey Lohn tonight.
2:40
Charles Amirkhanian: Another extreme, you might say, is the complete retuning and ah use of new scales as in Amazing Grace by Ben Johnston, which was very effective and at times tonight during Harold Budd’s performance, I was wondering if it wouldn’t even more interesting if he were to be playing on a just intoned piano rather one in the equal tempered scale.
But it’s – I’d certainly like to hear him try.
Joan La Barbara: Yes! (Chuckles)
Charles Amirkhanian: It might be very, very exciting. Jeffrey Lohn’s the, man in the ah, the black shirt with the stripes and I believe he’s about ready to get his performance together, but ah, in the meantime, we will remind you that on our next broadcast of New Music America ’82, you’ll be listening to music by Douglas Ewart, Christian Wolff, Phil Winsor, Dary John Mizelle and Peter Gordon with his Love of Life Orchestra.
And then the final broadcast concert six will feature Extensions performed by composer Jon Gibson on saxophone, then the songs of Jill Kroesen, and Joan La Barbara will be performing Klee-Alee, her work for live voice and tape and Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society will be here to do a 45-minute long jam.
So it’s going to be a couple of very very interesting concerts coming up. We hope you’ll be joining us and we remind you that many of the composers whose music you are hearing, ah, are recorded on private and small labels. You can get a catalogue of these ah recordings by writing ah to the New Music Distribution Service in New York. Their address is very simple to remember. I’ll let you go get a pencil right now so you can ah mark it down.
New Music Distribution Service, 500 Broadway, New York, 10012. Is that right?
Joan La Barbara: That’s right, it certainly is.
4:21
Charles Amirkhanian: You have a small record company, Wizard Records.
Joan La Barbara: Um-hum.
Charles Amirkhanian: What do you do about that? Do you go…
Joan La Barbara: What do I do about it? (Chuckles)
Charles Amirkhanian: Yeah, how do you get them out?
Joan La Barbara: Well, I use New Music Distribution Service, um, and they’re, they’re quite effective. They – they know what stores, ah, around the country are interested in independent records, in new music and new jazz.
Charles Amirkhanian: Seems that the problem is that most distributors will only take a label unless they – if they have say 20 or 30 releases…
Joan La Barbara: Um-hum.
Charles Amirkhanian: …when you have just one or two, it’s a little more difficult.
Joan La Barbara: But they do a good, ah, mail order business. You – you really should write to them, and also while we’re mentioning writing to people, you should write and or phone ah the station that you’re hearing this broadcast on this evening and let them know that you’ve enjoyed New Music America ’82.
Charles Amirkhanian: It’s amazing how much good that can do because – ah, and I know having worked at a radio station for what thirteen years now, that we take very seriously the ah the kinds of ah responses that we get to our programs. And if – if we have five or six phone calls on the subject of a certain broadcast, ah, that – that is important (applause in background) that really does make a difference, so write, tell…
Joan La Barbara: Here we are…
Charles Amirkhanian: …your program directors that you’d like to hear more new music on your radio station. Jeffrey Lohn now on stage to conduct Theoretical Music Parts One and Two Part three won’t be heard on this program. Part one is Hypothesis. Part two is called Refutation/Dirge.
♪ 6:02 Jeffrey Lohn Theoretical Music Part One: Hypothesis
(short pause at 18:29)
26:54
Joan La Barbara: We’ve been listening to Jeffrey Lohn’s Theoretical Music played by musicians Steve Antonelli, Rob Tomaro, Rich Robinson, George Aravella, guitars, Mark Stephen Brooks on bass guitar, Andy Marinis, electric piano, Jeff Siegel and John Leland, percussion and conducted by Jeffrey Lohn. (band tuning)
27:15
Charles Amirkhanian: I think that was ah part one of the piece and it looks like the musicians are preparing for part two, which is ah entitled (pauses)…
Joan La Barbara: Refutation/Dirge.
Charles Amirkhanian: Oh, thank you.
Joan La Barbara: You’re welcome.
Charles Amirkhanian: Jeffrey Lohn is a musician living in New York and he has his ensemble with him tonight at New Music America ’82, to which you’re listening ah through the auspices of WFMT in Chicago, over stations throughout the country.
(pause)
28:10
Charles Amirkhanian: It looks like we have a moment now while the conductor walks off stage, and so we pause for station identification for ten seconds. From Chicago, these are the sounds of New Music America ‘82
Voice: And this is KPFA and KPFB in Berkeley and KFCF in Fresno and the “Low Show” will be on at ten tonight.
28:37
Charles Amirkhanian: Jeffrey Lohn and musicians on stage for ah part two now of Theoretical Music. Jeffrey ah played with Glenn Branca’s ensemble and has been active in the movement of music in New York which has included ah Rhys Chatham, young ah performers and composers who have been working with electric guitars in new and very ah interesting ways, usually with ah sort of minimal composing styles.
29:11
Joan La Barbara: They’re changing some of the on-stage monitors right now. To get a better sound for the band.
Charles Amirkhanian: And in the background is still that thirteen-foot-ah, high triple contrabass which was so effective in Roscoe Mitchell’s piece. That’s, that’s a piece of sculpture that you really have to see to believe. Looks as if Superman™ took a regular contrabass and just squeezed it and ah elongated it.
Joan La Barbara: We might mention to those listeners here in Chicago, tomorrow night at six o’clock, Lowell Cross’s laser event will take place at the Adler Planetarium, that’s for lasers and electronic tape. Also, around town a number of sound installations (feedback in background) Douglas Hollis Sound Shade in C Major at 5500 South Lakeshore Drive. Liz Phillips’s Windspun Water Tower at the Water Tower landmark. Bill and Mary Buchan’s Wind Antenna: A Wind Harp in Lincoln Park. David Behrman and Paul DiMarinis Sound Fountain at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 237 East Ontario.
Also at the Museum of Contemporary Art, an exhibition of visual works and original manuscripts by John Cage and other composers represented in this festival. Also, every day at the Monroe Street Garage from three to four p.m., electronic music organized by Robert Snider of the School of the Art Institute.
♪30:39 Jeffrey Lohn suddenly out of nowhere… Theoretical Music Part Two: Refutation/Dirge
46:07 a boo and applause
46:15
Joan La Barbara: Theoretical Music by Jeffrey Lohn and musicians. In place of the Colin McPhee feature by Charles Amirkhanian, we’ll have a short feature on the late Richard Maxfield, part of our continuing series tracing the history of New Music America.
♪ 46:32 Richard Maxfield Cough Music (which moves to the background)
Richard Maxfield: I began our discussion by asking whether or not we could even talk about this kind of music.
Voice: (Laughs)
Richard Maxfield: You know, we spend a lot of time telling people, or suggesting how a listener might approach ah traditional music. Now, ah, do you have any suggestions for the poor listener concerning how he might approach the next piece we’re going to hear, your “cough music”?
Voice: Well, ah, no.
47:30 Richard Maxfield Cough Music
47:45
Charles Amirkhanian: You’re listening to a tape piece from 1959 by one of the pioneers in American electronic music, Richard Maxfield. This is Cough Music, using tiny, spliced out coughs by audience members during a recorded concert.
48:00 Richard Maxfield Cough Music (continues)
Richard Maxfield: I think that the best way to listen to a piece is with an open mind, without suggestions of the composers. (Laughs) In other words, music is the art of sound and ah, the composition should be freely thought of ah rather than with certain preconceptions, rather than with the idea of well, it’s going to have a climax at the front or the end or in the middle.
Ah, literally, there’s no climax necessary in music and I have always felt very strongly that the need to have a climax about two thirds or three quarters of the way through every piece was terribly monotonous and terribly ah destructive of ah of the form of music. It doesn’t happen in painting that there necessarily has to be a climax.
I think that paintings by not only Pollock, Mondrien, but ah, you may have ah – you may have a beautiful painting without a terribly heightened dramatic effect at one point.
49:11 Richard Maxfield Cough Music (continues to background)
49:21
Charles Amirkhanian: The late Richard Maxfield. He was an exceptionally talented and difficult personality who left numerous excellent pieces. The works from 1942 to 1950 are heavily influenced by Bartok and Hindemith. From 1950 to 1959, his music was based on the twelve-note serial writing of Schonberg and Webern.
From 1959 to ’69 his works were influenced by studies of chance operations with John Cage, and his precocious use of tape and electronics. Maxfield was a meticulous tape editor. In fact, he worked for major record companies often editing master tapes of symphony orchestras. These skills served him well on his own composing and he was the first American composer to teach electronic music techniques in the United States.
Maxfield is remembered by some of his students from the New School for Social Research in New York City, as having been highly influential in their development. Richard Maxfield’s unfortunate turn to drugs and his subsequent heavy addiction was one element leading to his premature death. On June 27th 1969, he ended his own life by leaping from the window of a Los Angeles hotel room. He was just 42 years old.
50:36 Richard Maxfield Cough Music (I presume)
50:45
Charles Amirkhanian: The music of Richard Maxfield is recorded on Odyssey and Advance Records. Glenn Glasow interviewed the composer at KPFA in Berkeley in 1960. One of Maxfield’s most famous students is LaMonte Young who currently is setting up an archive of Maxfield’s music scores and tapes in New York City. If you have information to contribute, or wish to learn more about Richard Maxfield, you may write to LaMonte Young at 6 Harrison Street, New York, New York, 10013.
Once again, LaMonte Young, 6 Harrison Street, New York, New York, 10013.
♪51:24 Richard Maxfield
The full interview from 1960 is at y2b:
♪51:49 New Music Ensemble at Colorado - Stephen Scott unidentified music for bowed piano
Joan La Barbara: Mayor Byrne’s New Music America ’82 festival is sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events in the City of Chicago, and the Chicago Tribune and was partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music, Meet the Composer, the Fromm Foundation and the John and Gertrude Balmgarten Foundation.
The festival was organized by Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, and these broadcasts are made possible in part by the Illinois Office of Tourism, the Nathan Manilow Foundation and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Charles Amirkhanian: On tonight’s program you heard an improvisation for solo piano by Harold Budd, music by Roscoe Mitchell and ensemble, Delta Run by Annea Lockwood, Peter Gena’s S-13, S-14 and Theoretical Music by Jeffrey Lohn. We’ll never know if we really heard part three or not.
Our engineers at the Rotunda was – were Larry Rock, Jim Roth and Mary Gaffney with assistance from Sidney Lewis and Sue Schwab. Our broadcast coordinator and den mother is Lois Baum and our engineer back at the WFMT studios are Jim Unrath, Kurt Tyler and Mace Rosenstein.
Thanks to Chicago Music Company for sound reinforcement and special thanks to the engineers for our house system, Leo O’Rourke and David Goldberg. Also our stage manager Nancy McCardy and her crew and at the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, the people who really convinced the mayor that this was a good thing to do, and it is, director Arthur Crouse, Alita Kaster, project coordinator and Mark Fisher, production manager.
Joan La Barbara: On tomorrow evening’s program, we’ll have music by Douglas Ewart, by Christian Wolff, Phil Winsor, Dary John Mizelle and Peter Gordon and the Love of Life Orchestra.
Charles Amirkhanian: And bless your heart, Mayor Byrne.
♪ New Music Ensemble at Colorado - Stephen Scott unidentified music for bowed piano
Charles Amirkhanian: With Joan La Barbara, this has been Charles Amirkhanian.
♪ 56:11 NMEC
54:59
Charles Amirkhanian: And thanks to composer Stephen Scott whose music you’re hearing on bowed piano, nine players playing inside a grand piano. It’s performed by the New Music Ensemble at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Thanks for listening, and good evening.