After Ian (anarchy)

Cover of Les Dani de Nouvelle Guinee, Vol. 1 (r) and 2 (l)

Hurricane Ian has been highly disruptive in many aspects of life. Today marks two weeks since it struck just a little north from where I am. Unlike some others I know, I was lucky and only had to deal with a foot of water in my studio and fallen trees. I only got back to work in my studio three days ago. The result above, is based on the cover images of two French research recordings, Volumes 1 and 2 from Les Dani de Nouvelle Guinee. [CRAVA/nordsud music, 2001] A track from each volume is listed in the Top 100 this year. I'll be more specific in a moment but now I'd like to write a few words about my experience with Ian. I learned something about myself these past two weeks, and this is that I'm fairly conservative; I don't like the lawlessness observed since Ian struck; I don't like anarchy. Growing up in the punk-rock era I always applauded the idea of anarchy. Anarchy was leftist revolution, so I thought, but now I see the world reversed. Now that some parts of 70s/80s ideologies have been accomplished, revolutionary ideas have shifted to the right in an effort to undo these accomplishments. I don't like it at all! Regardless of political leaning I see that humanity, in the context of hierarchies, is anarchy at heart. 

As far away from the realities of the aftermath of a natural disaster in the US, is the music of the Dani people of the Western New Guinea (Irian Jaya) province of the Republic of Indonesia. The two volumes of Les Dani de Nouvelle Guinee are filled to the max with gems of ethnographic recordings. From Volume 1 comes, like last year, Cour D’amour, Air Doux, Tiom, a beautiful example of polyphonic singing by men and women, and from Volume 2 Live beetle jew's harp, where a live (and buzzing) beetle is attached to a wooden splinter and is used like a jew's harp. I am mesmerized by this instrument both for its aesthetic charm and the concept of the extension of the human voice by using a live animal. However beautiful the music, it was not the main objective of the three researchers who compiled the cds, but came to study the traditional making and trading of salt. The three anthropologists are Anne-Marie and Pierre Petrequin, and Olivier Weller. Weller was also the photographer on the expedition and I assume he is responsible for the source images for the above painting that appeared on the cover of the cds. I did not paint Olivier Weller but did put Anne-Marie and Pierre Petrequin together in a double portrait. 

Pierre and Anne-Marie Petrequin

Back to States and to the time when the punk-rock atmosphere was still imbuing the minds of young people with ideals of equality, freedom, and other such good things. Pere Ubu came of age during the same period I did too. Mostly active in the 80s the band was a regular high-achieving band in my Top 100 lists of the 90s and both Laughing and Waiting for Mary had been listed during that decade. Laughing, in the classic line-up that I've painted: Tom Herman; Tony Maimome; Allen Ravenstein; Scott Krauss; and David Thomas, is from The Modern Dance [Plan 9, 1978] while Waiting for Mary is a recording from the live TV show Night Music [NBC, 1988-1990] hosted by David Sanborn. In the performance, from 1989, Tom Herman had been replaced by Jim Jones and Chris Cutler, and the band is backed by a slew of renown musicians including Sanborn himself, and Debbie Harry of Blondie.

David Thomas; Scott Krauss; Tom Herman of Pere Ubu

Tony Maimone; Allen Ravenstine of Pere Ubu

There's one more painting that's somewhat new that I need to display and talk about, even though I already did so in the context of the 100 Faces from the Top 100 2022 preview painting from earlier this year. First I'll copy what I wrote on May 11th about the people portrayed: "The record Musica Sveciae: Fornnordiska Klanger means a lot to me as I'm interested in prehistoric art and the origin of music. Professor Cajsa Lund, who produced the record, and her collaborator Äke Egevad are professionals who research bot interests and use archaeological evidence to reconstruct sounds from the prehistoric era. Two tracks from the album are listed in the top 100: the sound of a bull-roarer and a performance on the Kantflöjter (flute)." Only one painting will suffice for the two tracks since there are no other individuals I know of associated with the two works of music-archaeology.

Äke Egevad/Cajsa Lund

The Top 100 2022

100 Faces from the Top 100 2022, oil on canvas, 24x36" 

The above painting is still in progress. The process of it is establishing the concept for the series of a 100 paintings for the Top 100 2022. The series, like last year, will be double portraits, but the focus will not be on difference but on equality, or similarity, or familiarity. Different too will be that the 100 paintings will not follow the list by the letter. While the list is a ranking of 100 songs, the paintings will not be depending on the rankings. This will give me greater flexibility in my choices of who to paint. The one aspect of following the list I grew tired of last year was that I had to paint certain individuals over and over again. Last year I painted six portraits of Hugo Zemp for example. Even though there are already several duplicate performers in this year's list (that is not even half way compiled), the above painting has no duplicates, yet every song is represented and there are already more than 60 people portrayed (out of a list of 40 songs). The following 10 details are likely to be repeated in the series that will become The Top 100 2022.

Austin Grasmere and Brian Elliot of Cromagnon

The two members of Cromagnon were painted side by side. The song Caledonia is nothing short of spectacular. Experimental garage rock featuring a bagpipe. It has it all. I had never heard of the band but was introduced to them via the No Wave Facebook group. Their record Orgasm (later reissued as Cave Rock) was produced for the New York based ESP records. The 'E' in ESP stands for 'Esperanto'. The label was founded with the intention of releasing recording with lyrics in Esperanto.

Rundi women performing Ubuhuha

One of my favorite tracks from the treasured LP Burundi:Musique Traditionelles is back in the list this year. For earlier paintings (and written commentaries) click on this link.

Klaudia Schiff and Marlene Marder of LiLiPUT

A return after about 15 years to the list for the Swiss post-punk band LiLiPUT. This time not with their high scoring Eisiger Wind, but with the equally exciting single Split. LiLiPUT used to be called Kleenex but had to change their band's name because of the threat of legal action by the company who used Kleenex as a brand name.

Swedish music anthropologists Ake Egevad and Cajsa Lund

The record Musica Sveciae: Fornnordiska Klanger means a lot to me as I'm interested in prehistoric art and the origin of music. Professor Cajsa Lund, who produced the record, and her collaborator Äke Egevad are professionals who research bot interests and use archaeological evidence to reconstruct sounds from the prehistoric era. Two tracks from the album are listed in the top 100: the sound of a bull-roarer and a performance on the Kantflöjter (flute).

Albert Ayler and Sunny Murray

Sunny Murray is the percussionist on Spiritual Unity, an album by Albert Ayler from 1965. Gary Peacock (not depicted) is the third member of the trio. Ghosts, First Variation is the opening track that also features in my continued top 100, which records and adds points for a recording going all the way back to 1983, the year I started the Top 100.