[Dixielandjazz] Crappy pianos - the solution

[Bill Gunter]

Listmates,

Lots of discussion about “crappy pianos” often found at gigs away from home, 
Pat Ladd talks about one on a British aircraft carrier:

“ . . . the old upright was dispatched in style by the steam catapult off 
the flight deck.”

Well . . .  a “New Music Society” existed at the University of California at 
Davis and it published an interesting periodical back in the late sixties 
and early seventies. Percussionist Stan Lunetta was the joint editor and 
publisher of the group’s periodical, “SOURCE: music of the avant garde.”

Lunetta also studied music composition under such avant garde composers as 
Larry Austin, John Cage, Jerome Rosen, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Richard Swift 
and David Tudor.

I’m a fan of Lunetta who is also a principal percussionist in many of 
Sacramento’s (my home town) musical productions from the symphony to light 
hearted musicals at Sacramento’s annual “Music Circus.” He is an 
accomplished musician who happens to be seriously involved in music which I 
find amusing and even ludicrous at times.

Anyway, I was one of the subscribers to his odd and often confusing 
periodical and had to laugh at many of the “musical” inclusions - for 
example, one of the issues contained a page of blank manuscript paper (you 
know, with the musical staff already printed on the page) and it had bullet 
holes in it where a whole stack of these pages had been lined up and shot 
with automatic weapons and then the pages were bound into the publication 
where it appeared along with other stories and examples of “avant garde” 
music! It was presented as a musical experience, but I think the publishers 
were actually playing a little joke on the readership.

But I digress . . . we were talking about CRAPPY PIANOS.

In one of the editions of SOURCE there was a piece about a “musical event” 
where a piano had been doused with kerosene and then set afire. The event 
was recorded in high fidelity stereo sound and captured all the “music” from 
the crackling of the flames to the snapping of the strings as the piano was 
gradually consumed in an instrumental holocaust.

Talk about “hot jazz” . . .  how about a “hot piano” where the event can 
exist on several levels. First there is the matter of disposal of a “crappy 
piano.” Then there is a bonfire where one can find warmth and comfort on an 
otherwise cold and frosty day. And, most importantly, there is a 
contribution to the world of the avant garde music where a profound and 
evocative musical performance provides a moving artistic experience to music 
lovers everywhere.

Is that a worthy exercise or what!

Respectfully submitted,

Bill “sizzle, crackle, boing, twang, pop” Gunter
jazzboard at hotmail.com