[NewMusic] Marco Eneidi's Animal Farm

[weasel walter]

i wish marco would have utilized his position as conductor to mold the
results into something more distinctive. i didn't see needing to turn it
into a moe!-style frantic/quick cut thing at all, but some very light
conduction would have cleared up a majority of issues most of us seem to
have had with the concert.  i understand that marco likes to let things
happen and watch people struggle and all of that, but i'm with george in
his wanting it to be a great performance and not some
oh-it-was-just-a-workshop thing. like, let dicking around and
experimenting happen in private, not in front of paying customers. this
was not billed as the "american jungle *workshop* orchestra". 

i didn't think the performance sucked at all but i definitely felt
absolutely redundant in the setting. maybe that was the point? there were
way too many drummers and as we all know, most drummers can't handle real
dynamics, nor will they ever shut the fuck up if nobody tells them to!
there was almost no space for me to play, so i didn't most of the time.
when i did, i chose only to do so when i felt i could make an impact on
the music. 

marco could have easily had people lay out, but he generally didn't. he
could have easily muted the backgrounds to let soloists ride on top. like
i said - i know how i'd do it and maybe i need to just do it. maybe this
fall or winter. i don't really have time to organize anything like that
until then. 

all criticisms aside, i'm glad this happened and it was very interesting
on many levels. i can't really comment on the music until i hear a
recording. clearly the rhythm section dwarfed the horns and it's a damn
shame. it didn't have to be that way. i'm sure some brilliant playing was
buried in the deluge of noodling. 

ww