The Bus Driver popped up again in my iTunes, and this time, it sounds like a contemporary version of the jazz composer Horace Silver. A slow, slightly ominous beginning leads to a spirited romp by the end.
The pre-recorded material is constructed solely from samples of the pipa, a Chinese instrument that is conventionally played by cultivated young ladies performing elevated music for the delectation of the upper classes.The title of the piece comes from something I read yesterday in a profile of the American troublemaker Al Sharpton in this week's (2/18-25/02) New Yorker:
"The bus driver didn't change his mind, Rosa Parks changed hers."
The piece is dedicated to the memory of Samia al-Rumn.
New Sounds program stream including the work. NewMusicBox PDF score. Sharpton New Yorker profile.
Prior Beglarian aworks post. Prior aworks post which describes Kyle Gann's MP3 page where he responded to the Critical Conversation with examples of composers influenced by pop music. Unfortunately, the MP3 page is no longer available.
But Kyle has just started an online radio station that has this work, among many other "downtown" composers. Look at his blog for a link to the radio page.
Posted by: Scott Spiegelberg | September 04, 2004 at 12:38 PM