At 6:15 PM -0400 4/2/08, Darcy James Argue wrote:
On 2 Apr 2008, at 5:45 PM, John Howell wrote:
But replays of the original are just nostalgia. Covers or new
approaches are what establish longevity, for me.
This isn't how the popular music world works. The original recording
*is* the work. The vast majority of covers (well over 90 percent!)
are vastly inferior. A work that is rarely covered has nothing to do
with the quality of the original. Some songs lend themselves to
multiple reinterpretations, and some don't.
I'm answering as an arranger, Darcy. I realize that to most
people--certainly ordinary people but unfortunately some pretty good
musicians, too, and including my own kids when they were
teenagers--the original recording IS the work. But to an experienced
arranger, the original recording is only one possible version and one
possible arrangement of the work. Anyone who can't think outside
that particular box isn't prepared to be an effective arranger, or at
least not a creative one.
During the two seasons I worked with Disney, in the late '70s, my
ultimate boss was Bob Jani, who was hired as creative vice president
after Walt died. Creativity was his thing. He used to tell us,
"Every day on your way to work, try to imagine at least 3 things that
you see in a brand new way." He created the scenario for the opening
ceremony for the Los Angeles Olympics, and then lost the job when he
refused to guarantee that it could be brought in for under $2
million. The guy who did produce it, and got the credit for Bob's
creativity, ended up spending $5 million!
Perhaps we have different ideas of what "cover" means. These days it
usually does mean someone trying to duplicate the original recording,
and while you're right that the result is most often inferior there's
no reason it can't be successful and effective. I used the term
without thinking, but what I mean is quite different, using the
original material in a new arrangement with a different approach and
usually arranging for different forces than were used in the original.
And John, I'm sorry, but the idea that "replays of the original are
just nostalgia" is absurd. I listen to an awful lot of music that
was written and recorded before I was born. How is that nostalgia?
That's more along the lines of what I would call "musical literacy."
Well, as much as I honestly respect your thinking on most things, I
guess we'll just have to disagree on this. Of COURSE anyone can get
a lot of enjoyment out of "Golden Oldies," but they're still "Oldies"
no matter how "Golden" they may be.
And I may have a university address these days, but I'm no stranger
to the popular music world or how it works. I was a professional
entertainer through the late '50s and the decade of the '60s, a
member of and chief arranger for The Four Saints, and that includes
the 4 years we spent with the USAF Band in D.C. Our recordings were
released by both Warner Bros. and Decca, and we had a top-notch
reputation within the business even though we never got the big break
and never became a household name. We were working steady, up to 360
days a year, and I had to book my wedding and honeymoon with our
agent! Most of our arrangements were original, taking advantage of
our vocal and instrumental abilities, and very entertaining, and when
we did do something that had been on the Hit Parade it was adapted to
our abilities, not an attempt to duplicate the original.
After getting my master's in choral conducting and completing the
course work for the Ph.D in musicology I accepted a job here to
rebuild, direct, and produce a first-rate university show troupe, so
I was right back into entertainment and back to touring on the road.
I'm not doing that any more, so I'm not up to date on the current pop
scene and not actively trolling for great ideas to adapt to my group,
but I've been there and done all that.
Best,
John
--
John R. Howell, Assoc. Prof. of Music
Virginia Tech Department of Music
College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
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