Although I had to leave early for an evening assignment, I managed to catch the first few hours of Jen Stock’s ambitious, impressive Sound Art happening in Washington Square Park yesterday. Three movements of Carl Stone’s typically delicious Acid Bop, a skittering, juddering blast of jazz timbres gone all wacky, got things off to a lively start. The invaluable vocalist-composer Joan La Barbara warmed up with some involved glossolalia, then presented her Urban Tropics Revisited, a surround-sound piece that briefly transformed a bright, breezy New York afternoon into a humid day in Miami, parrots included. Paul Lansky’s hypnotic Ride surrounded the audience with gorgeous, sweeping timbres — something like a Steve Reich vibraphone chorale surfing a Robert Fripp soundscape, with dense, chattering spoken asides. Sadly, I had to leave as the natty Los Angeles laptopper Daedalus was launching a set with a deeply funky backbeat, and missed everyone else.

Darcy James Argue circled the periphery, shooting photos. Morton Subotnick leaned against a wall nearby; Raphael Mostel moved from one seat to another. Ian Moss, of Capital M renown, was on hand to help out. Intensely creative jazz pianist-composer Ursel Schlicht pedalled up and stood listening for a spell. Other naggingly familiar faces I couldn’t quite place. A small but attentive core audience sat in plastic chairs or on the ground; I stood in the back, unable to keep still given that all
three of the big pieces I heard had strong rhythmic components. Curious onlookers smiled, pointed, shook their heads, snapped photos or just kept walking.

As usual, the crowd participation and general environment provided unanticipated bonuses. One of three young women who walked behind me during La Barbara’s introductory workout said to her friends, "We could do that!" A few minutes later, two men stopped for just a moment; "I love New York," one said to the other. A cantankerous gentleman plopped down on the pavement during Urban Tropics Revisited, shouting his own improvised rejoinders at the top of his lungs. (He could also be heard raving about comic books and Bin Laden, or so it seemed, during the Lansky piece.) I couldn’t tell if the cicadas that swelled in song during one part of Ride were part of Lansky’s mix, but they were unquestionably part of the music, as was a distant acrobatic troupe whose drumming got its audience clapping loudly in rhythm from time to time.

All good fun; congratulations to Ms. Stock, who plans to create more such events. And on that note, I’ll share notice of another free-of-charge event coming up on Tuesday in SoHo, via a press release I received from the remarkable Japanese-American sound collagist Aki Onda:

Outside/Inside : A Day of Field Recordings & Feedback
at Starbucks Salon (76 Greene Street. Bet. Spring & Broome Streets)
Tuesday, September 12
12 pm -10 pm
76 Greene st (between Spring and Broome)
curated by apestaartje & gen art

12 -2:30 pm  Phonographers Meeting +- (Ben Owen, Sawako & Civyiu Kkliu)
2:30-5 pm   Koen Holtkamp
5-7:30 pm  Aki Onda
7:30-10 pm   Greg Davis

Outside/Inside focuses on various sound artists and musicians who utilize enviromental recordings as a main element in their compositions and improvisations. The day will feature long form live performances by four diverse artists/groups including NY Phonographers Meeting +- (feat Ben Owen, Sawako & Civyiu Kkliu), Koen Holtkamp (Apestaartje, Mountains), Aki Onda (Softl, Improvised Music from Japan) & Greg Davis (Kranky, Carpark) + a few special guests.