Subscribe to this feed
<$9.07.2007$>
The Sound of Silence
| The sound of silence rings deep within my head. It's the sound I hear when my thoughts are raging like a white water rapid.  It's the cool breeze I hear within me when my soul is at peace. It's the mental crickets I try so hard to ignore while meditating on a whispered answer from God. Vocal rest is as vital to a professional singer as physical rest is to a pro athlete. Miles Davis stressed the importance of space in music as he explained his transition from bebop to cool. As a young violinist studying in Massachusetts' Berkshires, I learned the importance of the musical rest in great classical compositions from brilliant conductors like the Boston Symphony's, Seji Ozawa. Think of Beethoven's Ninth - Da da da daaaaa... (Rest) Da da da daaaaa... (Rest). The rest is critical to the integrity of this great theme. If audible sound is my exhalation than silence is my much needed inhalation. Silence frightens some of us but I crave its warm womblike embrace. When I first wrote the instrumental CD Divine Ascension it was because I needed a break from the sound of my own voice. There are times when the voice hits me like a bone chilling rain - a winter storm. I have heard lyrics to songs that are quite near painful to my ear. Today I heard a "song" called "Read a Book". I found myself wishing the authors had as great an appreciation for silence as I do. This was sound in the form of lyric that was as close an approximation to excrement as I've heard in quite some time. They were insightful enough to pitch reading to young people yet their intellect failed them miserably when it came to message delivery. Perhaps they are deaf and are spared the agony of their own insult to the ears. Don Imus must be enjoying the laugh of his life as he plays and replays this self-degradation disguised as music played out on BET. I have no idea whatsoever what BET execs are thinking. I am not so idealistic that I don't support controversy in art. I also support art as an effective tool used to address and chronicle sensitive cultural issues. What I cannot support is "art" used simply and gratuitously as a tool to offend and this piece is offensive. It is unfortunate but true that our culture suffers a gross imbalance of art for profit versus art to communicate and to a much lesser extent, art to beautify. In the movie Bowfinger, Eddie Murphy's character Kit Ramsey very clearly distinguishes between a film and a movie. "This is a movie, this ain't no film." A film maker makes art, a movie maker makes money. I get it! For those who created the "Read a Book" piece, I recommend a time-out. For those who thought it would be a clever piece to air, it may be time for a career change. For those of you who pay for cable so you can enjoy programming like BET, the executive's of which apparently thinks it's o.k. to pollute our homes with this garbage, call your cable companies and complain. For those of you who think there's nothing at all wrong with it; on the count of three... one, two, three… inhale... now hold it. Article also published in Dallas Weekly |
