El Toque de Silencio - The sound of silence (2003):
Juan Talega dies in 1971

Juan Talega was a singer whose roots were in Alcalá de Guadaira, but he spent his life in Dos Hermanas, a small town just outside of Seville. His rough, no frills, gypsy voice is one of the darkest and most haunting voices in the history of this ancient art.

Juan Talega, who was born in 1891, never sung professionally until he was in his seventies and the soleares, siguiriyas, and toñas were said to have been his favorite styles. 
He was the nephew of Joaquin El de la Paula, a man that would teach Juan Talega the secrets of the orthodox flamenco song. Joaquin el de la Paula was gypsy cantaor who lived his life in a small cave near the castle in Alcalá de Guardaura, singing for pleasure and rarely for money, but he was to introduce a style of soleá that is still performed today.

Joaquin was an exceptional flamenco legend, molding the song into his own creation, the lyrics being spontaneously invented as he sang His cante was passed down to him through generations of singers, and Joaquin and his brother, Augustin Talega, passed them on to Juan.

Juan Talega spent the majority of his life working as a horse and cattle dealer and only sang at juergas and intimate gatherings; but word of his singing spread through the surrounding towns of Seville and he became one of the most revered singers of the old styles of Alcalá. 
Juan Talega won the 1959 Cordoba Consurso de Cante Jondo in the toñas and soleares sections, and he was also one of the judges that resided over the third Llave de Oro contest in 1962. But he was said to be uncomfortable in these surroundings and was only really at ease with intimate private gatherings. 
Antonio Gala who witnessed one of Juan Talega’s first stage appearances wrote “ Juan Talega with his facies leonina of an age old leper, was there on stage, cornered, sidestepping, cleaning the dry sphinx of his face with a large handkerchief. He was there and he was not.

Juan appeared at many of the festivals in Andalucía accompanied by guitarist Diego del Gastor, who said that Juan’s fabulous siguiriyas and soleares would leave the audience breathless.

Juan Talega sang styles of siguiriyas that he learned from his father Augustin, and these siguiriyas could be traced back to Diego el Fillo. Agustin Talega was a man who knew more styles of toñas than any other singer alive in his time and this contributed to Juans vast understanding of the cante jondo.

Juan Talegas voice had a ghost like echo of his genealogical past and his martinete and soleares de Alcalá are shatteringly eerie.
Towards the end of his life he would be found sitting on an old chair in the street outside of his home in Dos Hermanas, an olive cane in his hand, which was used to beat out the ryhthm to his song.

Singers would come from miles to listen to his mastery and to steep themselves in the old secrets of his cante. Juan Talega died in Dos Hermanas in 1971.

Reference: http://www.andalucia.com/

El toque de silencio (The call for silence)

Oh dear Merzbow – you that suffer deeply when animals are sacrificed. Oh Merzbow and the Matanza are not for each other, acute sordid sacrifice which often – in vain – the culprit of pain … Start the generator or grab your hopeless knife not like a matador piquet but a grotesque instrument that … Oh Merzbow the serial violations of animal rights and the odd consideration to the … Oh the Matanza and the noise they make. Gas is the end of a night or the start of a life … Prune the picks? Catch @saw “cut ‘apply the electrodes ,..,.,…,..,. Like a futile dissection of 78 abandoned souls at purgatory! Oh Merzbow my friend – you that … Above . The knife vs the electrodes


Odes to Merzbow 1a – La Matanza by LopezDoNaDo

Oh Merzbow, you that have transcended the limit of distortion until the imitation of free birds – no soul can reflect in a mirror after confining free birds – they claim that … Serial highly organized cells like onions under the microscope but laking nuclei – like small cell carcinoma of the lug; Acute is the knife and amperes shall be delivered since it is more human and highly serial like a code of conduct in a … With the institutional approval … The cage is in the past and gas expands up to the limit of … 78 eight cells times 78 sheds times 78 arcanes is not a cabalistic number to be proud of. Oh Merzbow I empathize and dwell on the sound of your theoretical birds – /Oh Metzbow, there are lines within the dreams of animals – they look like cognitive flowers and are not visible to them. It is shamefully ignored that these geometries belong to sound realms. I was one that had to be there – I could no sample the noise they were making upon the … Prepare the electrodes and get a shower because it is practical

Odes to Merzbow 2da: The Confined Birds

I recently implemented a physical contraption that I deliberately named E.U.R.A.Z.Z.I. – a CV controllable eurorack conversion of ciat-lonbarde’s tetrazzi organus. E.U.R.A.Z.Z.I. was instrumental on interpreting my 2003 graphic score and composition entitled “Sonnet”. This composition is based on the juxtaposition of, (i) numerological findings and (ii) musicality features, both systematically extracted from the poem “Sonnet” by Federico Garcia Llorca:

Federico Garcia Lorca - Sonnet

   I know that my profile will be serene
in the north of an unreflecting sky.
Mercury of vigil, chaste mirror
to break the pulse of my style.

   For if ivy and the cool of linen
are the norm of the body I leave behind,
my profile in the sand will be the old
unblushing silence of a crocodile.

   And though my tongue of frozen doves
will never taste of flame,
only of empty broom,

   I'll be a free sign of oppressed norms
on the neck of the stiff branch
and in an ache of dahlias without end.

Sonnet (2011)

ONE 
I was in the vicinity – El galeno saw me fall ‘2’ days ago - I had a seizure whiles in the offing – in the room of hearts or picas – cannot bring to mind. Galeno came out in the waiting room, which also had hearts and saw me trying to walk – my stance was aberrant and inconclusive. I couldn't plan the first trance/stance because my left leg developed a weakness in the territory of the alpha dermatome – that that not prpoisense - it was turned in and very puny – not with an air of consolation and the committee arrived and dr, well. Todd’s Paresis. 


Todd's Paralisis: Focal Defect

TWO 
It was turned pigeon toed and I am walking on my – birds rushed against 2 diametrically opposed windows – shattered all bones and tinted the glass like frost - with my knee completely bent. It lasts anywhere from 27 minutes to an 20000 seconds or an a half and a quarter because 6 birds died – perhaps Todd’s or lack of aerial proprioception – i care if bones cannot be accounted anymore and the lack of fusion with frost or metal is imperfect. It only happens after my bigger seizures. (a) we have told. (x) every single bird. (n) one of my neurologists. (f) my right leg is fine. (q) does yet every bird has failed to transcend (xr). (Tao) Todd's Paresis. (l) Never before. (phi) no other said anything. (int) How significant is this? (real) Todd's Paralysis? 


Todd's Paresis: Room-Hearts

This piece belongs to a series called pseudo-seizures. I generated an extensive series of soundsamples based on patients’ descriptions of their auras. 

*,.,,,.,.,§¶ª¶§∞*,.,,,.,.,§¶ª¶§∞*,.,,,.,.,§¶ª¶§∞*,.,,,.,.,§¶ª¶§∞ 

In a nut shell, the following is a prosaic deconstruction of the physiopathology associated with temporo-parietal seizures with aura. In my opinion a knowledge of this biology is fundamental so to empathise with epileptic patients. I highly recommend reading this some-how-non-sense-paragraph before listening … enjoy the music. 
“auras – from – 80% of temporal lobe seizures + common feature — simple partial seizures +++ precede complex partial seizures of temporal lobe origin -~ “auditory hallucinations” :: ‘buzzing’ sound – ‘voice or voices’ or muffling or ambient or harsh sounds. ?neocortical temporal lobe epilepsy vs ?other types of temporal lobe epilepsy. ->Following the aura, a temporal lobe complex partial seizure begins ->> wide-eyed ->>> motionless stare ->>>> dilated pupils ->>>>> behavioral arrest, ‘oral alimentary automatisms’ ‘lip smacking + chewing. Manual automatisms too. or unilateral dystonic posturing of my limbs – could be one or more. most auras and automatisms last a very short period—seconds or 1-2 minutes. The postictal phase may last for a longer period (several minutes, perhaps 14.21 minutes). By definition, amnesia occurs during a complex partial seizure because of bilateral hemispheric involvement – so - enjoy your postictal travel. 
Yours truly, LopezDoNaDo.com
credits
released 22 July 2011

Pseudo​-​seizure III - Postictal State

Had the super pleasure to perform at Cathy Milliken's Project whist her visit to Brisbane. Details of the program are as follows.

Program notes - Memorial
Cathy Milliken Project
Composition/Improvisation

Instrumental students (from New Music Ensemble) meet with Music technology students (from EAR Ensemble) and a student from the Griffith film school for the realization of "Memorial" and "Traces" by Cathy Milliken. Together, they investigate and sculpt the possible sonic and visual realisations in this new form of open ensemble work.  The instrumental students also present their composition "Renga" based on their own texts.

The scores of "Memorial" and "Traces" both sonic and visual realisations are a tribute and in memory of those who lost their lives in the Tsunami and Earthquake in the Tohoku region, Japan in March, 2011. They were created from images of personal effects photographed amongst rubble in the Tohoku area during a visit in October 2011. The visit was facilitated by the Tokyo Wonder Site, Japan.

Many thanks to the Crossbow festival, in particular Vanessa Tomlinson,  as well as Lloyd Barrett, Andrew Brown, Cameron Hipwell and Danielle Bentley for this invitation and for making this project possible.

Many thanks to all participants for your wonderful curiosity, generosity, openness and musicianship.

Cathy Milliken
Repertoire for 12th May, 1.30-2.30pm:
Memorial - Cathy Milliken
Traces - Cathy Milliken
Renga - Performers*
Performers:
Carey Ryan- Filmmaker, Realisation of "Traces"
(Griffith Film School)
Ian Ahles*- Guitar
Mitch Albury*- Percussion
Marielle Allen*- Horn
Matthew Brennan*- Percussion
Callum Farquharson*- Percussion
Ellen Harrison*- Viola
Jo Lagerlow*- Flute
Sam Mason*- Saxophone
Kyla Matsuura-Miller*- Violin
Campbell McInnes*- Horn
Madelaine Southwell*- Flute
EAR Ensemble – electronics:
(Director-Lloyd Barrett)
Jesus Lopez-Donado
Timothy Fairless
Sophie Jung
Mitchell Poloni
Sedelle Wagner
Holly Wheeler

Memorial

Renga

Traces

While studying music theory/composition at the Music Conservatory of Caracas Jose Angel Lamas, Dr. Jesus Lopez-Donado received his BSc (Hons) in Electronics Engineering from the Simon Bolivar University (Venezuela) in 1997, later, his Ph.D. in artificial intelligence applied to signal processing from the University of Ulster (UK), in 2003 and his postgraduate certificate in education from the same institution in 2004. He has exhibited several installations and performed with a number of experimental bands. In February 2000 he joined the School of Information Engineering at the University of Ulster as a lecturer in multimedia and bioinformatics. He then emigrated to australia and became an A/Prof at USQ. He has being associate editor in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and an invited editor for the IEEE Transactions’ series and the journal of computational creativity. His research interests are in,computational creativity (biological complexity applied to music), bioinformatics, medicine and generative music. He has published over 30 articles, one edited book (available here) and one monograph (available here). Pursuing more humanistic goals, he undertook post-graduate medical studies (2007-2010) at Griffith University Australia and now practice as a medical practitioner. He believes that, despite an ubiquitous demand for specialization in modern society, the idea of a modern homo universalis (polymath) is still fundamental and achievable by fully integrating artistic, humanistic and scientific endeavors within a sole ideological framework.

LopezDoNaDo

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