Steve Reich covering/talking Radiohead

[pennyroyalty 102]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k0dW_6Xz58&feature=player_embedded

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/mar/01/steve-reich-schoenberg-coltrane-radiohead

 

It is perhaps worth noting that my first question was a fairly routine inquiry about Radiohead, on whose music Reich's latest piece, Radio Rewrite, is based. The piece, commissioned by the London Sinfonietta, wasn't initially intended to have anything to do with Radiohead, he says: he was trying to write "a giant counterpoint piece" in which 15 musicians played against a recording of 15 other musicians, but that "was like an elephant, it was going absolutely nowhere". Then he met Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood at a festival in Krakow in 2011, where the guitarist had assembled a new version of Reich's Electric Counterpoint: "He'd done his own backing tracks, which means he'd put a lot of time and effort in and it was kind of like: 'Oh, this guy's serious about this thing.'" Impressed both by Greenwood's ability to read music and his soundtrack for There Will Be Blood ("I didn't know this guy was a rocker, I thought he was just a composer who likes Messiaen"), he found himself looking up Radiohead's music on the internet. "And these two songs just said: 'I'm your ticket.' I let the people at the Sinfonietta know, this is going to be the source of where I'm getting my juices flowing, I want to do this, I don't exactly know how I'm going to deal with these songs, but I'm ready to go, I want to get going."

The two songs in question – which Reich quickly points out his finished pieces don't much resemble – are Jigsaw Falling Into Place, "just a beautiful song", that snared Reich's ear thanks to its "elaborate harmonic movement, it's got an interesting move from B minor to A sharp" and Everything In Its Right Place. Reich describes the latter, winningly, as "three-chord rock", which does make you feel for Radiohead, nearly killing themselves to come up with something strange and unprecedented on Kid A, fuelled by Thom Yorke's belief that rock music had run its course. Then again, if you spent your 20s studying serialism under Berio, maybe it does sound like Louie Louie. "Well, it's three-chord rock but it's not, it's very unusual," says Reich. "It was originally in F minor, and it never comes down to the one chord, the F minor chord is never stated. So there's never a tonic, there's never a cadence in the normal sense, whereas in most pop tunes it will appear, even if it's only in passing. The other thing that really struck me about it is the word 'everything', sung to one-five-one, the tonic, the dominant and the tonic. The tonic and the dominant are the end of every Beethoven symphony, the end of everything in classical music, that's the way it goes. In the tune, those notes actually sound kind of distant because of the harmonies, they don't sound like the tonic and dominant. And the word: 'everything.' I'm sure Thom did it intuitively, I'm sure he wasn't thinking about it. I've seen him playing the piano and he's completely lost in it, the way he should be, but it's perfect, it is> everything."

 

[MarkGrace 10]

Somehow I only recently realized how great Jigsaw is.  I've always liked it, but the last time I listened to In Rainbows it was like an epiphany.  Fucking great track.

[Guest ageofbloom]

Reich originally wrote Electric Counterpoint for guitarist Pat Metheny, interesting in light of the fact Metheny was a member of Joni Mitchell's live band during her experimental jazz influenced period, which is pretty much the only past model for what Radiohead has been doing in recent years in bringing together genres.

[Hippopothomas J 0]

Oh yeah I read this a few days ago

[Bluebelle 0]

bump because Christmas came early for me today:

 

 

Legendary modern classical composer Steve Reich will be the centerpiece of the 2014 Big Ears Festival, which will be presented in downtown Knoxville March 28-30. Reich will be joined by a number of musicians, including Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, to perform original Reich pieces. Greenwood is expected to perform Reich’s “Electric Counterpoint,” marking the first time the guitarist has play the piece in the United States. In addition, John Cale, best known as a founding member of the seminal rock band The Velvet Underground, guitarist Marc Ribot and cutting edge artists Julia Holter, Susanna and Son Lux, will also take part. Other artists are expected to be released 11 a.m. today on the Big Ears website,www.bigearsfestival.com, and even more will be made public in the upcoming weeks.

 

[pattersonk092 16]

you're so lucky, ive always wanted to catch jonny live. i missed the new york show(s) he did a few years ago. jonny's electric counterpoint cover was a pleasure to listen to on youtube, and im sure its even better to witness live.

[Bluebelle 0]

I just hope I can get a ticket.  they're $150 but that covers the whole weekend.

[pattersonk092 16]

jonnys 14 minute performance is worth 150 alone, but seriously, that's not bad for a festival ticket.  i haven't heard of any of the other artists performing except for glenn kotche, who played with phil and ed in 7 worlds collide.  and i know steve reich of course

[Bluebelle 0]

Television is going to be there, I've never heard them but I know who they are.  also John Cale, and more artists yet to be announced.

 

I just can't believe Jonny is going to be in my lil' old town lol.

[pattersonk092 16]

yea ive heard of tele and cale, but never actually listened to em. 

 

and yea, convience factor is always a plus.  i remember when the easy dub all stars, who were touring their reggae version of ok computer came to my lil town in new hampshire.  i just couldnt say no

 

now if only jonny greenwood played the music hall here or something,

[rose 10]

cale,

surely you've heard the velvet underground heh

[pattersonk092 16]

well yea, but never heard the name john cale until now. 

[Tomnz11 0]

Oneohtrix point never is there too. Its like my dream festival

[Bluebelle 0]

got my ticket!

[pattersonk092 16]

when you go tell jonny to come to portsmouth, nh

[tomfool 4]

link is down