Elliot Cole – Composers Do Exist In Texas!

31 08 2008

Hello readers.  Its not a good day for Texas considering the nerves Hurricane Gustav is unedging allover the south.  So enough about aliens and UFOs for a bit (Mars Webbens is out there somewhere), lets talk about Elliot Cole.  Judging from the picture, you might guess this guy is my age, pushing 37, but no he’s just a kid.  You could say the same for his music, the former that is.  Just listening, you hear seasoned, mature works.  So lets see, born in 1984, that makes him somewhere in his 20s?  Wow, talk about a future ahead.  Elliot composes tonal and chromatic works and I really have yet to hear one I haven’t liked.

Click here to quickly be shuttled to his works.

Excerpt from his website:

Elliot Cole was born in 1984 in Austin, TX. In 2008 he graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in Cognitive Science (Linguistics concentration) and a B.Mus. in Composition. He studied composition with Karim Al-Zand, Edward Applebaum, Kurt Stallman and Anthony Brandt and jazz piano with Larry Slezak. In 2006 he won first place in the Foundation for Modern Music Young Composer Competition for his string quartet “Birds” and was an ASCAP Finalist. In 2007 he studied Boulanger-style harmony, counterpoint, analysis and composition at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris with the EAMA program, completing with honors in counterpoint and harmony. He also has experience as a record producer, arranger (rock band to big band), music director for musical theater, and teacher. He currently lives in Houston, putting himself through his own private graduate school of one.


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AAM Salutes Barack Obama!

29 08 2008

Amaranth Arthouse Music and JC Combs would like to congratulate Barack Obama on becoming the democratic nomination for president and also the first African-American in the history of the United States to get the nomination.  A truly historic moment, three cheers!


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First Impressions: The Wanderlust of Mars Webbens

28 08 2008

Overture and The UFO Liftoff

I interpret this as an auditory description of future astronomical methods…well done.  – Louis Platz

I listened to it the other day and was, frankly, shocked. I happened to listen to the first movement 1st and the overture second. I had nightmares that night.- John Anderson777

I actually got into it, especially the overture. I was up and dancing and soon figured maybe I could enhance it with some shrooms. Bad IDEA. – Signed Anonymous

The overture…., probably the longest two minutes of my life…. I’m not saying its a bad thing!! – Candy

Dig the new direction in “Wanderlust …,” James. A real departure. Thought the “theremin” passage toward the end was a cool touch. - James Ross

CANT WAIT FOR THE SECOND MOVEMENT!!!! – Nikki


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An Incidental Lucid Moment: Video

19 08 2008


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Listen to David Toub

17 08 2008

Link: David Toub

Its Saturday night and I’m dying of heat. I was planning to compose a 20 minute-plus work dedicated to Mars Webbens this weekend and ended up composing IMO the most mainstream work yet to date: An Incidental Lucid Moment (although I kind of dig it).

Anyway, I want to give a nice and loud shout out to David Toub who this weekend gave me a lesson on serial composition. I want to make it clear, he is not a professor (as you undoubtedly know), he is a composer who has no problem passing on knowledge. I have written about David Toub before and here I am again. Yet, this won’t be the last time either. Every composer I write about is someone who deserves a serious listen. Toub is a “downtown” composer, a postminimalist specialist. The greatest thing about Toub is that once you start exploring his works, you realize there are literally hours more to delve into. Happy listening!


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An Incidental Lucid Moment

15 08 2008

Third work for “Bats in the Belfry,” a collection of miniatures, is finished up. Have a listen here.

I initially planned to work on the Mars Webben’s work, but one thing led to another and you know the rest….


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New Project: The Wanderlust of Mars Webbens

14 08 2008

I have decided to dedicate a mini-project (set for potential release between Bats in the Belfry) to my close childhood friend, Mars Webbens, who mysteriously disappeared on April 7, 2007. Not to worry, readers, he warned me in advance of this. He said “the date is set, but unknown to me, to travel once more. Master calls on me at the most unexpected moments.” Alas, the date must have came and gone and I often think about what wonders his eyes set upon.

The work shall be a continual, extended, meandering piece, expected to start and finish the weekend of August 15-16, 2008-of course.


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Bird in a Cage

13 08 2008

I find it very sad to see a bird in a cage. Bird owners may disagree. The world as we know it is quite a bit smaller than it is to a bird as it not only flies within our reach but of course high overhead. If you equal the amount of space used by a bird, I would guess its substantially greater. Let us not forget how small in size they are in proportion to us as well. All of this makes it more tragic when viewing a bird in a cage.

I get the same feeling when I hear Germanic music composed today. The music of Astounding American Academia (AAA). I hear this all the time “if you sound like this, you are accepted.” You’re a scholar, tell me what sound? Okay, I’ll tell you. Germanic. John Williams? Hmmm, a perfect example. Can pull anything out of a hat. Hang on here, I’m not so sure about that. I’m not limiting him, but I haven’t heard much other than Germanic-sounding music. Maybe a little Russian overtones yes, some Dvorak? But all a part of the sound of academia (and John does it better than all the other AAAs). But what if you get off track a little, no problem. There’s always Schoenberg to keep you from falling overboard. But the key, right…, the key is to keep from playing that WRONG note or the WRONG structure. Which brings us back to “classical music.” Yes that German classical (they loved the term wrong, because they simply composed by numbers, mostly). Haydn, Mozart. Not the classical of today, or is it…………………………………………………….


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Chopin on Performing

11 08 2008

Another Sunday, worked this morning a bit and decided to spend the day relaxing. However, when I punched in to check out my blog, I noticed a new WordPress feature. In a streak of red-orange the words “Post Now” appeared in the dashboard. So what was I to do? I followed the orders, but figured a small little quote would be a way to settle this conflict.

Today, as was yesterday, pianist composers are expected to perform. Similarly, I suspect there is more money in performing. Yet one king in the history of the piano wasn’t too confident about performing. Preferring small parlors. intimate settings, Chopin did not at all match in performing personality the pianists who champion his works.

“I am not fitted to give concerts. The audience intimidates me, I feel…” – Chopin


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My Favourite Film Music

9 08 2008

Quick Note: I have decided to include the letter U into words (i.e., favoUrite) for a more Euro-vibe. It looks better.

I’m not in to pumping businesses. Naming them in a blog, its a sort of viral marketing. And since I’m not being paid to name drop, I’d prefer to simply leave the name of a corp. out. HOWEVER, in this case I’m going to name drop, but I think its important. On two levels, first I can quit telling all my friends who pass by here about this corp. (save me the time) and also to educate the public.

Pre-Utopia, we are stuck with pretty widespread crap in regard to entertainment, in this case television and film. Through personal experience and trial and error, I devised a sort of SOP for my entertainment. First, I canceled cable (huge rip-off). Of course, I kept the internet because I need it for my work. By the way, did you know that basic cable in my town costs 55 dollars a month? If I remember correctly, the basic plan included 20 stations. Secondly, I joined Netflix — DINGDINGDING— (the magic word).

Netflix has several plans, but for the way I was to employ them I chose the one-film-at-a-time delivery with unlimited download access (Watch Instantly). You hook up a wire from your laptop or PC to your TV (or just watch it on your laptop or PC) and after one software upgrade, viola! Here’s the thing, watch instantly doesn’t offer much in the way of new films. But those big budget Hollywood films generally suck right? And one new movie of your choice arrives a couple times a week. So to get to my initial point.

Netflix has a massive amount of old films in their watch instantly section. Enough to last a long time (sort of like that scenario from a Twilight Zone episode where the guy who loves to read breaks his glasses after he lined up a library worth of books, after a nuclear holocaust, last man on Earth sort of thing). They also have quite a collection of silent films.

My favourite film music is set to silent films. All of them! The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari and Nosferatu (from the opening scene in the house with the happy, flowery music, to the ride in the carriage) to name a few, but there are many more.


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