Malcolm Goldstein

Saw him @ Cafe Oto last night. Some amusing shenanigans durng the last piece a couple of ppl came round for a drink and were stopped...I thought they locked it, or at least put a sign; then another couple came in as he was beginning the penultimate piece and they seemed to be thinking about staying, then thought better of it like five seconds after he began.

Anyhoo this guy had some odd opinions: he won't call a piece freely improvised but an open improvisation. Then you find out he and John Cage were friends and it all became clear. He had a way of playing that would alternate between extremely light gestures, by the end I was watching how he'd bend his knee, how that flowed right up to his arms so as to gently use the bow to strike the violin, and then circularly do it again and again, ever so gently...tai-chi violin playing.

In other passages he'd wildly fiddle away, Jimi Hendrix-style shreddin' and burnin'.

Hadn't heard of the guy much before - his compositions weren't all that but I wonder what else is about, who has he worked with etc.

I saw him give a lecture/demonstration at Temple University back in the 80s and someone from the audience said something like: why do people listen to that Brian Eno stuff instead of music like yours, a comparison which only seems odder and out of the blue as the years go by. I find what I've heard of Goldstein (including said performance) to be unlistenable.

At least he seemed to be enjoying himself.

You don't like much improv do you...it was that mixed with compositions and some 'singing melodies to myself' too. Just to spice it up, you got to.

No it's not as though I like free improv in general. I was more open to it back in the 80s when I saw him however, even if I ultimately didn't find myself enjoying it much when I heard it.