Re: Musicianship, live technique, etc...

[Jon Durant <74074.1316@CompuServe.COM>]

Hi Gang,

Shameless plug: Back from mixing/mastering my new record (Silent Extinction
Beyond the Zero) at David Torn's and I'm most excited. A truly inspiring 
thing
to have Tony Levin playing on it, then having DT mix it! Wow. It'll be 
available
mid-March, and you can check it out at http://www.musicpro.com/alchemy/ 
(the
page will be updated by next week.) Or you can call 800-292-6932. OK, 
shameless
plug over now...

Michael wrote:
>Sometimes I worry that too many musicians are trying to be artists, too 
>few
>trying to be entertainers.

Hmmm. Interesting thread. The artist/entertainer line is very fine. (not 
unlike
the line between "clever and stupid"!!!) I'm reminded of the Torn/Trilok 
Gurtu
show at the Bottom Line in New York a coupla years ago. Torn opened with 
his
"pretty loud guitar" set: artsitically very cool. As for entertainment 
value, I
suspect much of the crowd was kinda confused. Then Trilok's band came out 
and
put on a very tight, well executed thoroughly "choreographed" set. The 
crowd
responded quite enthusiastically. Especially to the vocal drumming by the 
entire
band. I must admit I got a good chuckle out of it, and was really taken 
with how
exceptional the chops level was. However: For the second show (two shows 
that
night), I watched Torn's set, and could only sit through two tunes before 
I was
compelled to go backstage and sit w/DT during Trilok's set. And BTW, I 
really
like much of Trilok's music. It was the "entertainment" I couldn't accept. 
I
simply wanted to hear the music and the musicians, and the rest got in my 
way. 

So, Dr. Mike: I'm guilty as charged. I guess we're now big-time enemies!!!