B. Clugston Posted September 19, 2006 Report Posted September 19, 2006 MacArthur Fellows for 2006 Include Composer John Zorn, Jazz Violinist Regina Carter By Matthew Westphal 19 Sep 2006 Regina Carter, an innovative jazz violinist, and John Zorn, a composer and saxophonist whose music straddles the genres of contemporary classical, jazz and Jewish folk music, are among the 2006 MacArthur Fellows, whose names were announced this morning by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The MacArthur Fellowships — popularly known as the "genius awards" — are given each year to support outstanding and innovative work in such fields as research science, literature, the visual and performing arts and health care. The associated cash grants, paid out over five years, are intended to allow the Fellows to devote themselves to their creative work free (temporarily) from worries about making a steady living. The 2006 MacArthur Fellowships are worth $500,000. ... www.playbillarts.com/news/article/5249.html Quote
Spontooneous Posted September 19, 2006 Report Posted September 19, 2006 Regina Carter?? I was searching for a diplomatic way to say the same thing. Obviously the MacArthur folks haven't heard her most recent album. Quote
JSngry Posted September 19, 2006 Report Posted September 19, 2006 Zorn? Yeah, ok, whatever, sure. It's that kind of thing for that kind of world. But Regina Carter? Based on what? I'm calling bullshit on that one. Not that it matters, and not that it's a surprise. But I'm still calling bullshit. Quote
Nate Dorward Posted September 19, 2006 Report Posted September 19, 2006 Hey, even if JZ never played/wrote another note but concentrated on the Stone & Tzadik I'd still think he was putting that money to good use. Carter on the other hand..... ick. One wonders how they go about picking names & voting. Quote
B. Clugston Posted September 19, 2006 Author Report Posted September 19, 2006 In the case of Zorn, this is indeed great news for The Stone. It will be money put to good use, probably mostly for the benefit of other musicians. Quote
RDK Posted September 19, 2006 Report Posted September 19, 2006 Don't quite understand the RC hatred - too commercial? - but I've heard little of her work. Anyhow, here's a list of former grant recipiants... Music Marin Alsop Orchestra Conductor Milton Babbitt Composer Ran Blake Composer and Pianist Anthony Braxton Jazz Composer and Performer Regina Carter Jazz Violinist Ornette Coleman Jazz Performer and Composer John C. Eaton Composer Osvaldo Golijov Composer John Harbison Composer and Conductor Stephen Hough Pianist Bernice Johnson Reagon Music Historian, Composer, and Vocalist Ali Akbar Khan Classical Indian Music Performer Steve Lacy Saxophonist and Jazz Composer George E. Lewis Composer, Performer, and Music Theorist Edgar Meyer Bassist and Composer Conlon Nancarrow Composer George Perle Composer and Music Theorist Max Roach Percussionist and Jazz Composer Reginald Robinson Ragtime Pianist and Composer George Russell Composer and Music Theorist Gunther Schuller Composer, Conductor, and Jazz Historian Ralph Shapey Composer and Conductor Bright Sheng Composer Cecil Taylor Jazz Pianist and Composer Ken Vandermark Jazz Composer and Performer Marion Williams Gospel Music Performer Charles Wuorinen Composer John Zorn Musician and Composer Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted September 19, 2006 Report Posted September 19, 2006 My guess is they were scrambling at the last minute to find a woman and missed Amina. Quote
JSngry Posted September 19, 2006 Report Posted September 19, 2006 Don't quite understand the RC hatred - too commercial? - but I've heard little of her work. Anyhow, here's a list of former grant recipiants... Music Marin Alsop Orchestra Conductor Milton Babbitt Composer Ran Blake Composer and Pianist Anthony Braxton Jazz Composer and Performer Regina Carter Jazz Violinist Ornette Coleman Jazz Performer and Composer John C. Eaton Composer Osvaldo Golijov Composer John Harbison Composer and Conductor Stephen Hough Pianist Bernice Johnson Reagon Music Historian, Composer, and Vocalist Ali Akbar Khan Classical Indian Music Performer Steve Lacy Saxophonist and Jazz Composer George E. Lewis Composer, Performer, and Music Theorist Edgar Meyer Bassist and Composer Conlon Nancarrow Composer George Perle Composer and Music Theorist Max Roach Percussionist and Jazz Composer Reginald Robinson Ragtime Pianist and Composer George Russell Composer and Music Theorist Gunther Schuller Composer, Conductor, and Jazz Historian Ralph Shapey Composer and Conductor Bright Sheng Composer Cecil Taylor Jazz Pianist and Composer Ken Vandermark Jazz Composer and Performer Marion Williams Gospel Music Performer Charles Wuorinen Composer John Zorn Musician and Composer No hatred here. But read that list... Quote
Nate Dorward Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 (edited) Hey, mostly spot-on, plus a few wacko choices. Speaking of which, what has Reginald Robinson been doing since he got his grant? Edited September 20, 2006 by Nate Dorward Quote
marcello Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 I had the pleasure of spending some time with John Eaton last month, at of all places, The Princeton Club in NYC, where we watched Joe Locke sit in with the Princeton Jazz Quartet. John Eaton is an electronic music pioneer and composer of operas and microtonal music. I quote: " As composer and performer with the Synket, one of the first analog synthesizers in the 1960s, he was one of the first musicians to perform live with a synthesizer." "Mr. Eaton is a prominent composer of microtonal music, and worked with Robert Moog in developing several types of synthesizers. He innovated a compositional genre called pocket opera, operas scored for a small cast of vocalists and a chamber group." Quote
PHILLYQ Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 Regina Carter?? That was exactly my reaction, too. There are many folks doing stuff that should get the $$ way before Regina Carter. If they wanted to honor a violinist, what about Billy Bang? The lsit of recipients has some people of real substance, but Regina Carter? I bought two of her discs and neither one was worthwhile for time or $$. Who's next for a grant- Kenny G? Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 Hey, mostly spot-on, plus a few wacko choices. Speaking of which, what has Reginald Robinson been doing since he got his grant? Quote
ghost of miles Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 I wish Jeanne Lee could've gotten one when she was still alive. Quote
7/4 Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 "Mr. Eaton is a prominent composer of microtonal music, I know my microtonal composers and I know he's pretty obscure. He isn't Harry Partch or La Monte Young. Bah! Quote
Larry Kart Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 Clem -- Threadgill would be a fine choice. The point is (or one of the points is) to give the dough (a) to someone who's really good and (b) who probably has ideas/plans that without the dough he/she couldn't realize to the same degree or even at all. Threadgill has (a) in the bag and probably (b) too. 7/4 -- Eaton (b. 1935) is a prominent microtonal composer but from another part of the cultural forest than Partch or Young, so if you dig them, it's not unlikely that you wouldn't know of Eaton. He also made a jazz album for Columbia in his 20s. Quote
7/4 Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 7/4 -- Eaton (b. 1935) is a prominent microtonal composer but from another part of the cultural forest than Partch or Young, so if you dig them, it's not unlikely that you wouldn't know of Eaton. He also made a jazz album for Columbia in his 20s. I know who he is, I just don't think of him as important. Didn't he teach at some midwest university? Wasn't there a CRI album? It's not like all his music is microtonal, he wrote (as far as I can tell) a few pieces - maybe more than one? - that were microtonal. There's a bunch of composers that dabble in microtones, but can't be bothered to really invest time into making this kind of music all the time. Quote
Larry Kart Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 Eaton was at Indiana Universitry from 1971 to 1991 or thereabouts. He's written a lot, but I don't know how much is microtonal. He did make use of synthesizer called the Syn-Ket that has microtonal capacities. Quote
ep1str0phy Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 (edited) We can debate the merits of the grant process/award 'til the cows come home. Don't make it right, but just saying--the list of who's deserving (and not just good or, hell, great) can get pretty long. Implicit in Larry's words is the idea that Regina got something together in proper time--enough to provide a viable candidate for the MacArthur. The issue remains, however--we have dozens of qualified, well-organized, well-deserving career geniuses who've been passed over many, many times... that's either a tremendously understudied award committee or a pretty big rabbit out of a hat for Ms. Carter (maybe both? Tho it's happened before, obviously). Edit: another good name: Roscoe Mitchell--as well as any among a sizeable number of tremendously (IMO) deserving and often project-oriented AACMers Edited September 20, 2006 by ep1str0phy Quote
marcello Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 John Eaton's opera work is a major part of his musical history, which is a rich and varied one. Larry, you are correct about that Columbia recording which was shown to me the day after I met him by Alan Bergman, who is his old friend. Mr. Bergman, is a esteemed music attorney and a member of the Princeton Jazz Quintet. Quote
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 they should call it the Free Jazz Cash Raffle-- what a crock. what will zorn create w/ an extra billion dollars that he couldnt do w/ his current funds-- hmmmph Quote
ep1str0phy Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 (edited) Muhal was actually the first person I thought of when Threadgill popped up, but then I realized how many of the greats have passed w/o the possible funds (Tapscott included--hell yes on Tapscott; and who else (in the "free jazz raffle," as chewy put it--Marion Brown--still alive, thank the maker, and Grachan Moncur III, too, tho he's in and out of sorts--and Noah Howard; Mal Waldron, Dewey Redman--surprised Haden hasn't gotten one yet, granted the crowd and his large-scale, organizational proclivities...). And we have some potentially tremendous offerings by more "inside" cats--e.g., Harper, Charles Tolliver, Sonny Rollins (tho the debate rages...)--etc. Edited September 20, 2006 by ep1str0phy Quote
Dan Gould Posted September 20, 2006 Report Posted September 20, 2006 I guess we can look forward to more of the Regina Monologues. I think we can all agree that Ursula Martinez is the kind of cutting edge performer the McArthur Grants are supposed to support. Quote
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