Saturday, August 20, 2016

Dušan Bogdanović's Jazz Sonata, Two Reviews

“…(Jazz Sonata) There are evocations of the late jazz pianist Bill Evans’ introspective style with snatches of serialism. The relentless, haunting melodies embrace popish tunes, while the repetitive and simple folk-like modulations become hypnotic. The end result is a successful collage of fast and slow rhythms, full of beautiful sonorous sounds juxtaposed with prickly chords. Bogdanovic proves himself an able composer, an imaginative experimenter and a sensitive artist.”
The Los Angeles Times, USA, 1984



Wow. A guy "fusing classical, jazz and ethnic music" on the guitar?

You can hear that trite new age crapola at every hair salon in the first world. And he's your important composer, Sparky?


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Washed up pop-music scribbler for an ad flyer, Steve Simels August 19, 2016

Notice that Stupy's "quote" isn't anything I said, it came out of his mind.  I said, "Bogdanović has absorbed and assimilated a large range of influences, the music that comes out being all his own," which is something you could say about most composers of any ability in any genre.  Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky, certainly could be accurately described in that way.  Not to mention Charles Ives.  And even Schoenberg incorporated jazz elements into his music, his opus 33b for example.  

But the way Simps puts it?  I don't think it sounds like anything I'd say.  I don't know if I've ever used the word "fusing" in that way but it doesn't sound like something I'd keep unless I was pressed for time and didn't edit closely.  I don't think I'd put it the way the reviewer for the LA Times did either. 

But I invite you to do what Simps didn't, listen to it (posted below) for yourself, and you decide.  Oh, and here's another, general assessment of his compositional abilities.

“Dusan Bogdanovic is a composer of masterful craft with a genuine clarity and purity of vision. His music is distinct to the extent that it would be nearly impossible to mistake it for another’s- and he happens to play the guitar… The opening piece, titled Crow, is a ballet-poem scored for tenor, flute, double bass, and guitar. It was commissioned by the Pacific Dance Company in 1990, and included nine dancers. Bogdanovic’s setting of Ted Hughes’ poetry is as powerful as it is challenging. A score that balances tension and rhythmic energy with moments of serene beauty, ever present is the silken smoothness that characterizes Bogdanovic’s music… The Gruber/Maklar Duo should be commended for a performance that is nothing short of astounding. Bogdanovic should be congratulated for writing what may be the finest piece of contemporary music for two guitars… The back cover of this disc states “Dusan Bogdanovic proves again to be one of the true originals of the guitar. His music shows a complete mastery of ethnic folk, jazz, and classical traditions.” While every bit of that statement is true, what this recording really demonstrates is the work of a composer who not only has rich experience with many kinds of music but who has cultivated his musical experience and reveals it by means of a truly individual, and exceptionally powerful voice.”
Guitar Review, USA, 2002.


Update:  Simps is whining that he didn't say that himself, he's quoting Wikipedia.  Well, dopey, if you will spend your time looking at that stuff instead of listening to the piece you're going to show what an ass you are.  The point is that I didn't say it.  

Simples, Didn't they ever teach you to make citations at the ad flyer?  But, my guess would be your list of citations for borrowings would have been longer than your pieces. 

Update 2:  Freki is Stupy's biggest competition for the biggest liar at Baby Blue, I choose not to decide.   If they wanted me to feel nervous about what I've said the fastest way for them to do it would be to agree with me.   Together, what they don't know about music is pretty much everything. 

Update 3: I'm done with this one, as Stupy goes on longer, he only grows wronger.  He's at the stage where he knows he's lost so he's just making it up and it isn't very creative. 

4 comments:

  1. I wasn't quoting you, you self-centered twit. I was quoting Wiki.


    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nobody said you did, you self centered simple shithead.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "There are evocations of the late jazz pianist Bill Evans’ introspective style with snatches of serialism"

    Wow -- a so-called serious composer watering down Bill Evans' watering down of actual serious composers? Genius, I tells you!!!!

    ReplyDelete