Re: Live sequencing.

["K. Douglas Baldwin" <dbaldwin@suffolk.lib.ny.us>]

James Lanpheer wrote:

>When doing your live looping gigs, i'm curious how much everyone is using
>canned sequenced materials?
>
>Reason i ask?  Just saw Michael Brook/Djivan Gasparyan at the
>newly-remodeled Gothic Theater in Denver.  I went to see the famed duduk
>player, not really to catch Brook, and while i REALLY enjoyed the duduk,
the
>presentation left something to be desired...  I felt that there was alot 
>of
>rough edges, mostly due to trying to integrate technology into the gig, 
>and
>the fact that Brook is NOT the 'virtuoso guitarist' that the CD liner 
>notes
>to 'Black Rock' make him out to be...  Most of the sequenced stuff was
>really just loops, but the lengths of the sections were definitely
>programmed and just when they finally started to hit a groove, they moved
>on...  I don't know, in this case, they just relied TOO much on technology
>in my opinion, and there wasn't enough PLAYING...  (off my soapbox..)  Buy
>the record (which i like) and save the $$, unless you wish to see the
>legendary Gasparyan (you won't be disappointed in him).
>
>So, again, i wonder aloud, how many of you use sequencing in your gigs, 
>and
>perhaps any tips that you've found to more successfully integrate it into
>your show so that its seamless (no 3 minute breaks to load up software
>etc..) and leaves room for improvisation (section lengths are not fixed
time
>frames).


    I am going to be gigging out in the next few weeks (and am lining up
venues in the Long Island, NY region - anybody know of good gigging ground
hereabouts? And would anyone care to join my gig-announcement list?) and I
use no sequenced material at all. When I was last doing
looping gigs around 87-88, I also used no sequencing except for one gig
where I hauled a Roland D-50, an Alesis HR-16 drum machine and Alesis
sequencer along with my two guitar amps and a PA. Never again. Never again.
Never again.
    I'm sorry to hear about the disappointment of the Michael Brook/Djivan
Gasparyan gig. While M.B. has never represented himself to be a "Virtuoso",
the use of sequencing in an interfering way is dark news. I was going to
take the two-hour trip in but I think I'll save my $$ and buy the CD, which
has been recommended by many others.