Jane, Jackson and Me

[Barrett Dorko]

Sometimes I throw sound around the band like paint and other times I feel as if I was carving silence like a sculptor.

Jane Ira Bloom

Flipping through the jazz section in the library’s CD section I found Chasing Paint; an album by Jane Ira Bloom. On the cover it says she “meets Jackson Pollock.”

At first, I misread “paint” and thought sure it said “pain,” and that’s what caught my attention. (An inventory strip had obscured the “t”) I’m also familiar with Pollock’s work. As it turns out, the artist was able to create fractal patterns manually, merging the skill of his hand, astounding vision and the unpredictable flow of dripping paint. (Ironic, huh?)

Looking further into Bloom’s work I realized my mistake but feel that things like this happen because my unconscious wants me to notice something. Then it wants me to write about it after a trip to Google. Such is my life.

The quote above from Bloom went right through me. Odd as it may seem, I try to find some order in the chaotic nature of my patient’s presentation through seemingly random comments and unexpected silence. Their behavior is only predictable to a certain extent and it’s only when I create the proper context that it might be ordered in a fashion that relieves their pain. This doesn’t mean that I impose some movement upon them but rather that I allow them to flow in a natural fashion.

Maybe I’m chasing their pain. And maybe Bloom’s playing in the background will help both of us.

[Barrett Dorko]

I liked this.

[Bas Asselbergs]

I have always liked this about some jazz:
the smooth and what I call really good stuff always appears to be simple - yet it is hugely complex to make it sound that way.

And what I like about "old style jazz" like dixieland (including Firehouse Five, High Sierra, Black Eagle, Benko etc) is the crackling spatters of instruments that can be followed individually or "tuned out" to hear the whole.
A side note: the old style is well known for its tradition of instrumental solos; a temporary attention to detail much like therapists do, except most do not return to the whole.....

[byronselorme]

I heard this study mentioned on a classical radio station 2 days ago. Seems very relevant to your writing Barrett.

What you wrote just now reminded me of it Bas.

There is a long held theory that the subconscious mind can recognise patterns within complex data and that we are hardwired to find simple patterns pleasurable. Dr Nicholas Hudson used ‘lossless’ music compression programs to mimic the brain's ability to condense audio information. He compared the amount of compressibility of random noise to a wide range of music including classical, techno, rock, and pop, and found that, while random noise could only be compressed to 86% of its original file size, and techno, rock, and pop to about 60%, the apparently complex Beethoven's 3rd Symphony compressed to 40%.

So the more our subconscious is able to compress music that sounds complex into simple patterns the more we enjoy it. Interesting.

[Barrett Dorko]

Wonderful study; the sort of thing that may be referred to off-handedly but appropriately while lecturing about simplification of any complex concept.

For a long time I've tried very hard to shorten what I write or say. Now I find that I shorten what other people are saying.

If I do that out loud they really don't care for it.

Gotta remember that.

[byronselorme]

Another interesting one on music compression. Hope it isn't distracting from your point Barrett.

[Barrett Dorko]

Not at all Byron.

Isn't there a connection to the game Name That Tune here?