Wednesday morning at 9:15, Sept. 19, in Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, I’m giving the keynote address for a Harry Partch conference hosted by NEC and Northeastern University where my incredibly brilliant former student Anthony DeRitis runs the music department. It’s scheduled (my keynote, that is) to run until 10:30, and I’m making it as long as possible to leave no room for questions, and then I’m DONE. All I have to do for the next three days is listen to microtonal performances and papers on aspects of Partch. My piece The Unnameable is scheduled to be performed Wednesday night, by someone besides me, thank God. I don’t even have to teach the rest of the week. Boy, my life can be a frickin’ bowl of cherries sometimes.
I do wonder what brand of cigar Harry’s smoking there. I’m halfway through a smooth Romeo y Julieta Lonsdale at the moment.
The cover of Enclosure #3 seems to indicate Partch was partial to White Owl, Havana Sweets, Robt. Burns, Middies, King Edwards, Certified Rempo, El Roi-Tan, and Gonzalez Sanchez.
Post your keynote, dammit! I wanna read it, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
KG replies: I will, thanks, but I want to tweak and expand it a little first.
Gann can’t just post that keynote on the internet. The whole essence of the thing is doing it live, in the flesh. Corporeality!
KG replies: Touché!