VU Photo Thread
- Sheila Klein
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Re: VU Photo Thread
That's neat, where did you find it?
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Re: VU Photo Thread
Does anyone know if Cale actually attended the summer school? He played in the performance of Satie's Vexations later that year, but I'm just wondering if he encountered Michael Gibbs in his composition studies. I don't recall Cale ever mentioning the name, but Gibbs moved to England and recorded several jazz albums (and sometimes had a guy called Jack Bruce playing bass). Maybe it's a lost connection or maybe it never happened.gazatthebop wrote: ↑09 Aug 2020 16:23I think this is pretty special. Cale enrolled at Tangelwood, one of just 40 overseas students July 1963
It's a good find though.
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Re: VU Photo Thread
Yes Cale attended the summer school in July and August 1963 in Boston before moving to NYC.
It's a common misconception he studied viola and piano, he didnt. He was there on an orchestral composition course.
At the end of the course Cale performed a piece at the gala concert, this is where he smashed the axe into a wooden table to get the sound of a sinking ship. He tried getting the sound with his viola but it was ruining the varnish. The song Cale played he gave a Welsh title to, which roughly translates to "All that came before is shit". Having been stifled at the summer school (his compositions were deemed too violent) he was out to have the last laugh and he did.
It's a common misconception he studied viola and piano, he didnt. He was there on an orchestral composition course.
At the end of the course Cale performed a piece at the gala concert, this is where he smashed the axe into a wooden table to get the sound of a sinking ship. He tried getting the sound with his viola but it was ruining the varnish. The song Cale played he gave a Welsh title to, which roughly translates to "All that came before is shit". Having been stifled at the summer school (his compositions were deemed too violent) he was out to have the last laugh and he did.
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- Head held high
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- Joined: 20 Feb 2012 13:33
Re: VU Photo Thread
Gibbs was in Boston 4-5 years before Calethreechordwonder wrote: ↑10 Aug 2020 21:29Does anyone know if Cale actually attended the summer school? He played in the performance of Satie's Vexations later that year, but I'm just wondering if he encountered Michael Gibbs in his composition studies. I don't recall Cale ever mentioning the name, but Gibbs moved to England and recorded several jazz albums (and sometimes had a guy called Jack Bruce playing bass). Maybe it's a lost connection or maybe it never happened.gazatthebop wrote: ↑09 Aug 2020 16:23I think this is pretty special. Cale enrolled at Tangelwood, one of just 40 overseas students July 1963
It's a good find though.
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Re: VU Photo Thread
Indeed he was. I ask because Gibbs appears in the student list just below Cale.
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Re: VU Photo Thread
When Cale played his gala piece it was subtitled "music for four hands". Someone was playing piano whilst Cale worked the strings from inside the piano, where he was also hiding an axe. That other pianist has not been identified and could be him
- iaredatsun
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Re: VU Photo Thread
Nice find. I'd like to have seen them live at this time. It looks like another small indicator that Cale's sense of self and public image was growing to the point where his departure from the VU was inevitable.
underground, overground
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Re: VU Photo Thread
Cale having more musical ability plus Betsey Johnson, with Lou around the odds were stacked against him. Shame he didn't have more confidence