Credibility Pursuing Incredibility
Mountain View Community School of Arts and Music
Seriously studying jazz for the first time, frustration with the disorganization of scales and modes encourages thinking about a comprehensive scale catalog, which eventually becomes MUSIC POSSIBLE A Digital Analysis of Tonality
Thanks to Bay Area jazz educator Peter Spitzer for his work, and several informative classes since.
A subject within himself, the perfectly coordinated Virgil broke out from the dusty methods of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), so was rejected by the middle mass. Phil knew Virgil, and assurred me he was “crazy as a loon.” His concert at Winterland San Francisco (complete with light show) was a great moment for me. (And on the record, you can hear my friend John Messerschmidt scream.) The Bach stuff was actually a minimization of his talents; I wish I could have heard him play modern French.
I wouldn’t say I modeled myself after Fox, but he sure had an influence; I generally practiced organ four hours/day
San Jose State University
Phil let me take organ as a non major. I was deep into Bach, Franck, Tournemire, Hindemith, Durufle, Messiaen—that whole school. He knew the Durufles, M-C Alain, Virgil Fox, and everyone else.
[Died shortly after, heart attack. Too young. Link Simpson Memorial pipe organ]
[link playing for FNM]
VietNam war Protests. McCarthy volunteer
Student Government: Robert’s rules of Order became my favorite book; became Parliamentarian and politician, culminating in winning Student Body Vide President at year end.
Quit band (with Duke’s return).
With no use for piano around the department, I tried to find a quiet piano repertoire which didn’t really exist. You had Satie and Gershwin’s second Prelude. Though happy to improvise privately, there was nothing to do publicly.
Ironically, my pacifist studies reminded me or Dr. Albert Schweitzer. I recalled a textbook story of how he maintained his organ practice in Africa using but a graphical slab of wood. The local library had his collection of Bach. THey may well have been 78s because there were a lot and one piece per side. Between the colorless English organ, primitive recording and reproduction there is still a lesson for those that think fidelity is foremost; through the dark murky caricature of sound nevertheless musical though and logic was communicated; with the poor fidelity but motivating me to find the real source.
Not content to merely play organ—and suspecting I might not be turn out great—I ended up studying their design to the point of later becoming an apprentice organ builder. And having to choose between staying with that or going to U.C. Santa Cruz in Philosophy.
And of course there is more than casual connection between the organ-building informing my later synthesis career.
All because of a schoolbook story and that someone had not yet thrown out the old Schweitzer Bach albums for the Library Sale.