Comments on: Keith Rowe, Tambersauro, and Killing You With LPs

By: Free Press Houston » Keith Rowe and Kjell Bjørgeeng at 13 Pews this Saturday

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:37:55 +0000

[...] Kjell Bjørgeeng at 14 Pews. I saw Rowe perform ages ago at Rothko Chapel and it was phenomenal (link). Because of that show, I can’t recommend this show any higher but instead of me yammering on [...]

By: Jon

Jon — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 03:06:00 +0000

yeah, it’s a tough call certainly.I don’t quite know how I’m going to approach/broach the topic myself, but I don’t see how his health can completely be ignored, especially how it kind of dovetails with the point that Rothko was in his own life. Loren is 58 now, Rothko was 61 when he started working on the paintings in the chapel, a few years before killing himself at 66.

By: Ramon Medina - LP4

Ramon Medina - LP4 — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 01:47:00 +0000

Hey Jon,
I'd love to read your take on the performance and I'm looking forward to it.

But to your point, I owned two of his albums back int he Loren Mazzacane Connors day, I even reviewed one positively to be added the KTRU playlist. So while I haven't kept up with his work I'm somewhat familiar with his work.

I think what I was trying to suggest was that he was working within the limits of his disability and doing it quite well. My take was that even given that he just wasn't connecting that night and I think I'd blame that more on having just flown in.

Maybe I'm being overly defensive but here is my issue with making Parkinson's the star of the show. If his Parkinson's has gotten to the point where he no longer is in command of his instrument then what are we doing? Are we just giving him sympathy points for trying? I am simply saying that I still think he is a musician, one who knows how to work within his limits, and still has something to say albeit differently than before. Either what he is trying to say now is cohesive and communicative or it is not. I've seen a lot of improvised shows and some nights artists just can't connect. I've seen just as uninspired performances from musicians without Parkinson's; Connor's performance struck me as no different than those.

To be pithy, the reason I'm not willing to cut Connors any slack because he's suffering from Parkinson's is because I respect him too much as a musician.

By: Jon

Jon — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:26:00 +0000

hey, just seeing this...

despite John not being there and Ramon being there, I totally agree with John (I was there, and am writing up the weekend for Signal To Noise once I stop procrastinating). maybe if you were more familiar with Loren's work or if you'd seen him before the show, you'd realize how much of an effect his health has on his current ability to perform, especially in a case like that where he had just flown in that day.

-jon abbey

By: John Cramer

John Cramer — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:26:00 +0000

Mmmm, the LP4 on vinyl… mmm. Johnny like. Release soon gentlemen.

By: ms. rosa

ms. rosa — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 05:03:00 +0000

i see, anon. well, since the LP comes with a cdr you can think of the record as A REALLY BIG INSERT! ha!

head stapler you made me guffaw.

By: Ramon Medina - LP4

Ramon Medina - LP4 — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 03:57:00 +0000

Ha funny I didn’t put the two together either.

By: Head Stapler

Head Stapler — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 02:39:00 +0000

Anon,

It was a joke based on Ramon having discussed musicians suffering from schizophrenia and Parkinsons. Was it not funny?

HS

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 22:01:00 +0000

Head Stapler said...
Ramon,

I'm starting to believe you have a disability fetish.

HS

What do you mean?

By: Head Stapler

Head Stapler — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 18:54:00 +0000

Ramon,

I'm starting to believe you have a disability fetish.

HS