“Journeys are the midwives of thought” said Alain de Botton. Anytime we come into contact with something new, we put it into the context of past experiences and sensations. This, done consciously can be revealing as to what we think about, how we go about it, and why.

Visiting a new city, I begin with researching what cultural attractions the city has to offer before making some kind of plan of what I’d like to see. What a city contributes to culture is what it uniquely has to offer. These unique differences beg the question “Why the difference?” as well as stimulating passible answers in our head and further questions. It could be anything to a certain square or market to a certain painting in a museum or a style of architecture to all manners of people that stimulates our desire to see, hear, smell, taste, and learn more – in other words: travel more.

De Botton’s use of the word “journey” here is accurate because, at least in my world of traveling, you haven’t really seen enough of a city unless there’s blisters on your feet. I’ve hiked many a city, spending most of my traveling days on my feet wandering through neighborhoods one by one, museums, boutiques, wondering which restaurant to wander to next. My thoughts in this state can not be written down. Mostly it’s a matter of what catches my eye- maybe a red telephone booth on streets reflecting white with rain or a hand spun hand dyed hand knitted crop top, or giant tapestries depicting events too numerous to register at once. Other times, more of a small investigation takes place. For example, I read the plaque next to a piece of art I want to know more about or take special care to visit someplace I heard of and want to learn more about and experience for myself.

My favorite act of curiosity in the city is people watching. The best place for people watching in the city is escalators: either looking at people passing you on the left as you stand on the right or the people on the escalator going in the opposite direction. Although this necessarily takes place on a journey because I’m not from a city, I do not experience thoughts during this activity of the curiosity of people. I don’t form opinions or develop plans while I am doing this although perhaps towards the end of the trip I may remark “this is a very well dressed city.” Maybe when I return home I’ll be better dressed. However, most of my brain’s activity in the city is taking it all in and processing new images, smells, sounds, whatever.  I suppose I’m less of a thinker than de Botton because personally journeys create more subconscious inspiration than thoughts.

I leave for Montevideo in two days now. Technically less than two days, to be specific. The tickets were officially booked about two days ago since there was a last minute change of plans thanks to my lovely loving family. Thankfully, they helped with the last minute securing of a room in a student house (full of medical students I understand), a ride from the airport, musical contacts, and information about classes I want to take while I’m there such as Spanish, Salsa, and piano. Much thanks to my grandfather’s friend, Enrique Graf, a concert pianist from Montevideo who is well connected especially with the composers there.

Just let me pack my suitcase and Montevideo, here I come.

There are in our existence spots of time. When time slows down, and pure beauty takes over the mind. For instance, when driving through Yosemite National Park a few years back, I could not really focus on any one thought in particular. Elation filled my chest, and I had never felt as truly centered. To this day, I can look back on my memory and recount the blissful experience. Moments like these remind us that we are more than just drones going about our daily lives; we are human beings. But these moments should not be put aside just for grandiose and wild experiences. If we allow ourselves the ability to actively observe and take in our surroundings, we will be happier, more active people. Observing ones surroundings should not just be a hobby, but a constant practice, building neurological pathways within the brain that will allow your brain to work in new ways that you did not realize it could.

In class on Tuesday morning, we took a class from Ratna Roy on Orissi Rhythms. She discussed with us how integral dance is to developing the mind, and how children in India have a dance class in school as well, which has shown to improve math and science test scores across the board. The reasoning for this is that working the brain in a creative form such as dance, one is using parts of the brain that they have never worked before, building new ways of thinking and interpreting information. When we were dancing, I tripped over myself constantly. There were so many different patterns that we had to learn, and by the time that I felt that I had the hang of the footwork, she would introduce the arm movements and I would look like a flailing blow-up character outside of a used car lot. I really couldn’t keep up.

Another interesting point she brought up was about people thinking that you have to be born a  musician or an artist to be able to create art, as well as being able to spend most of your time doing this. She said that much of this ideology stems from British imperialism, where in India they made dancing illegal. They use the dance to communicate ideas between each other, and this threatened western power. By outlawing dance, they took away other art forms too, for art in India is all interconnected. Singing does not come before dance or vis versa; they commune hand in hand.

Being able to create adds a special place in ones life. It shows them that they are capable of becoming more than their own earthly body, and that they can transcend into sound, images, and stories. Not only is this important for an individual, but it is important for a community to thrive. This is how imperialism came to despise the arts, for they were something that was not straight forward, however it gave people enough power for them to feel threatened.

As humans, it is healthy for us to view the world as De Bottons’ artist, one who takes life i. In order to get the most out of life, we must pay close attention to everything. We let too many beautiful things pass by without any notice, due to stress and the fast paced environment of the twenty first century. By focusing on our environment, we can see our world in different ways than we have before, and when we create with our own hands, we can really notice the subtleties within concepts and landscapes, and we can come to understand how truly beautiful yet fleeting the world around us is. While this can be viewed as a morbid balancing act, I would say that it is quite the contrary. Death is a beautiful force, one that all  living beings must face, and without it life would be a complete bore. Our daily tasks would become pointless in the grand scheme of things. But some people do view life in this way. They fall into complacency, and don’t want their mental walls that they have built around what life is, what social standards have set them to believe, or what to expect next to come toppling down. Because, at the end of the day, life is a complete mystery, and to act like it isn’t is just a ploy to fool oneself. Not to say that I have any answers to how to live ones life. Everyone has their own path. But, how much life are you truly living if you let preconceived notions control you?

While I was on lunch break at work, I looked through the local newspaper and found a listing of the “Top 10 ShowsAround Philly This Week.”

At number one is Dave Manley & Boots Greene performing at 8:00 p.m. April 8th (tonight) at a venue called World Cafe Live.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT DAVE MANELY:

Philadelphia based Guitarist/Composer/producer/educator Dave Manley has worked with major artists ranging from neo-soul, world, and Jazz. Touring and Recording with artists Such as: Dj Jazzy Jeff, Jill Scott, Music SoulChild, Jeff Bradshaw, Carrol Riddick, Herbie Hancock, Raheem Devaughn, Chiwoniso Maraire, Kindred The Family Soul, Dave Chappelle among many others. Dave co-wrote the song “Still Here” on Jill Scott’s Words and Sounds Vol. One, released in August of 2004, was featued in Jill Scott’s “Live In Paris” DVD as well as performing in Dave Chappelle’s “Block Party” Movie. Dave has also performed on “The View” “Ellen”, “The Tonight Show”, “Jimmy Kimmel” “The Tavis Smiley Show”, The Today Show Philadelphia and New York.
His early experiences include performing in the Detroit area with Dr Morris Lawrence and his Afro Musicology big band, (Dr. Lawrence was prize pupil of Sidney Bechet), as well as members of the original Funk Brothers Motown House band. Dave has since worked and lived in Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia and New York City.
Soon after arriving in Philly in the mid-nineties, Dave broke ground working with international Dj’s King Britt and Josh Wink.
Over the years Dave has demonstrated his expansive knowledge of musical styles from Jazz, R&B, Rock, Electronic and Latin music.
Dave is currently recording his group “The Indigenous Trio’s” first record. The group formed after meeting Cuban born Drummer- Percussionist, Francois Zayas and bassist Jason Fraticelli.
In between touring and recording, Dave has also held a position as an adjunct professor at Eastern University Music School for over 10 years where he teaches Jazz improvisation and Private students.”

The link below is a video of Dave Manley playing at the Grape Room on 12/22/2015. I would describe the performance as a soul/ska/progressive rock performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UO2rl2lE-g The World Cafe Live is located at  3025 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104.

ABOUT BOOTS GREENE:

“Eric ‘Boots’ Greene born Eric Tyrone Jr. in Georgetown, South Carolina has been a hidden commodity within the music industry for years. Raised in the city of Philadelphia, he was influenced early in his life while watching his father play the drums in the church. While Boots mastered the skills of playing the drums at the age of 15 he also learned music production. He was considered a musical prodigy by his peers in the music industry at this time.
At the age of 15 Boots went on to produce his first album as producer/ & composer of the entire gospel album for Tarra Scotton and Strong Tower on the independent label Zopro out of Pennsylvania.
His career in the music industry as a musician began to take on a life of its own. Hanging out at Jazzy Jeff’s studio, in the Philadelphia area, he met many older friends that were already established R&B musicians who had the connection that was needed to get his foot in the door. He was offered his first big gig with one of Philly’s finest, Ms. Jill Scott whom he toured with at the age of eighteen for two years. Since that introduction to the industry he has toured with such well-known artists as; Floetry, Kelis, Common, Pharrell Williams (N.E.R.D.), Patti Labelle, Kid Cuddi, Skylar Grey Jay-Z, Sean “P-Diddy” Combs, and currently tours with Wiz Khalifa.
As a producer, Boots has comprised a library totaling ten albums where he has been the lead or sole producer, including the latest album for his production work for Def Poetry Jam’s “Black Ice” on the album Death of Willie Lynch.

“I have toured the world with many artists. Now, I want to step out and let the world hear me, the artist and my music.””- World Live Cafe’

ABOUT THE VENUE

 

 

 

 

 

The venue has two levels. Opening act, Boots Greene, and Dave Manley played downstairs, a local artist named “Lady Lamb who wasn’t listed on the venue’s website, played an acoustic set on the second (street) level.
When you enter the venue, the first thing that you see is a giant mural that is faces the entry way in a stair case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you go down the stair case to reach the second level, a second mural is painted on the right side in the lobby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both murals were created by the local artist Paul Santorleri. You can find more of his artwork at http://www.paulsantoleri.com.

ABOUT PAUL SANTORLERI

“Birthplace -Philadelphia, PA, 1965

Currently resides, Philadelphia PA

Received a BFA (Painting) from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, in Philadelphia and Rome, Italy (1987), and an MFA (Painting) at the University of Arizona in Tucson (1991).
Also at the Skowhegan School of Art in Maine on a scholarship (1991 and 93)
Artist in residence at the Banff Centre, Canada, the MacDowell colony (Peterborough, NH), twice, also at Altos de Chavon, Dominican.Republic, Fundacion Valparaiso, Spain, and Villa Montalvo in California.
My work is included in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania State Museum, the corporate collections of Wyeth-Ayerst, Standard and Poor’s, McDonald’s, Moorfeed, Rohm and Haas, among others.
I have numerous public works commissioned by the City of Philadelphia (MAP) and the city’s Percent for Art Program: I’ve completed 30 mural commissions, including murals /mosaicsfor the Philadelphia Zoo, Sunoco, Rohm and Haas, and the Philadelphia Free Library where I did a fresco commission for the Walnut Street Branch (Percent for Art Competition) 2004, and a stained glass mosaic at the Rodriguez branch (2006) also 2 murals at the University of Pennsylvania’s WXPN/World Café Live. also a 3story mosaic/mural relief at Mural Arts Program headquarters at the Thomas Eakins’ House
Grants received from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (1992 & 2004) also from the Independence Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, (2002) and the Brandywine Workshop (1998), MacDowell fellowship 98 &92
Some of my latest group exhibits include , The Noyes Museum, in NJ(2 person show), L’Annotazionid’Arte, Milano, and Galeria Aunkan, Barcelona, Spain, and also at the Spector, Projects and Qbix Galleries in Philadelphia, and at Robert Miller Gallery NY, PRIMO Piano Gallery, Lecce ,Italy: “Effemera Meravigliosa”
Recent Solo exhibits: Thomas Eakins’ House Philadelphia,: 08, RED Gallery, Hull, UK Nov..- Dec 07; the KENTLER International Drawing Space, Brooklyn, NY Sept-Oct 2007;; the Arts Center in Troy, NY 1/07; the PAINTED BRIDE ART CENTER, Philadelphia, 2005-6 and 1997; also at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE, 2003; and at the Projects Gallery, Philadelphia, 2005; the Spector Gallery, 2000; the Philadelphia Art Alliance, , 2000.

I recently presented work as part of an annual festival at CESTA, in Tabor, Czech Republic. The semi permanent installation in an 18th c. smokehouse is still on view at the Art center.”

 

I have recordings from both Boots Greene and Dave Manely, however, I am experiencing technical difficulties uploading them to Word Press. I will post them shortly.

There are in our existence spots of time,

That with distinct pre-eminence retain

A renovating virtue…

That penetrates, enables us to mount,

When high, more high, and lifts us up when fallen.

-William Wordsworth

 

Wordsworth was a man who appreciated the beauty of nature. He sought it out as a way of restoring peace to his soul, believing that nature was a “necessary antidote to the evils of the city” (Botton, 196). During his time things were changing rapidly. With the Industrial Revolution in full swing, cities and their populations were expanding. As a result, many people, such as the Transcendentalists (Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson…), sought solace from the increasingly fast-paced lifestyle of the city by returning to nature.

Botton wrote at length about human admiration for nature. On page 144 he described his experience under oaks in the Lake District while it rained: “From under their canopy, rain could be heard falling on forty thousand leaves, creating a harmonious pitter-patter that varied in pitch according to whether the water dripped onto a large or small leaf, a high or low one, one loaded with accumulated water or not. The trees themselves were an image of ordered complexity…” Such scenes as these are what Wordsworth meant when he wrote about “spots of time.” They speak of forces which are beyond our comprehension and leave us in awe.

It’s not surprising then that those who sought nature often found an “emotional connection to a greater power” (Botton, 169). In the first chapter of his book, Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

 

“I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental: to be brothers, to be acquaintances, — master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance. I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature.”

What Emerson describes resembles a spiritual sense of the sublime, something which Botton elaborates on greatly in his sixth chapter. I bought a used copy of The Art of Travel. On page 163, the first page of the aforementioned chapter, the previous owner highlighted “I set out to the desert so as to be made to feel small,” and aside it wrote, “Trees!” I was reminded of the Evergreen woods. Having been raised on the east coast, the trees there seem alien and beautiful. Their trunks stretch high, and their limbs seem languidly twisted, coated in vibrantly green moss. As a part of my study, I plan to visit the Olympic National Park where the trees grow much bigger, and I don’t doubt that I will feel humbled by their size and age. While I’m not sure I’ll find the same spirituality that Emerson describes, I do think we are drawn to nature’s majestic indifference as it reminds us of our own temporariness.

However, while it is important for us to appreciate the beauty of nature, we must also not forget about the beauty of our own creations. Botton seems aware of this when, on page 181, he wrote about an oil refinery “whose tangle of pipes and cooling towers spoke of the complexity involved in the manufacture of a liquid that [he] was used to putting into [his] car with scant thought for its origins.” In chapter four of his book, Walden, Thoreau marvels at a train, writing “…when I hear the iron horse make the hills echo with his snort like thunder, shaking the earth with his feet, and breathing fire and smoke from his nostrils (what kind of winged horse or fiery dragon they will put into the new Mythology I don’t know), it seems as if the earth had got a race now worthy to inhabit it.” It is perhaps easier for us to take our own achievements for granted because they represent those elements of nature which we have already mastered. Our technologies are the aspects of nature which we have molded to our will.

We are at once a part of and separate from nature. While we are but small parts of it, our will is distinct. The “will” of nature, something which we tend to embody in the image of the divine, is “a defiance to man’s will” (Botton, 164). Nature may be seen in this way as a challenge which is not so different from a blank canvas. As I move forward in my study, I’ll be interested to carry Botton’s thoughts on nature and art with me, testing them against the theories other philosophers have generated over the centuries.

 

 

Work Cited:

 

Botton, Alain De. The Art of Travel. New York: Pantheon, 2002. Print.

Emerson, Ralph W. “Chapter I: Nature.” Nature. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2015.

Thoreau, Henry D. “Chapter 4: Sounds.” Walden. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2015.

 

 

 

There are in our existence spots of time,
That with distinct pre-eminence retain
A renovating virtue, whence—depressed
Or aught of heavier or more deadly weight,
In trivial occupations, and the round
Of ordinary intercourse—our minds
Are nourished and invisibly repaired;
A virtue, by which pleasure is enhanced,
That penetrates, enables us to mount,
When high, more high, and lifts us up when fallen.

-from The Prelude by William Wordsworth

 

Alain de Botton highlights the preceding section of The Prelude by William Wordsworth in The Art of Travel. De Botton explains that “we may see in nature certain scenes that will stay with us throughout our lives and offer us, every time they enter our consciousness, both a contrast to and relief from present difficulties. [Wordsworth] termed such experiences in nature ‘spots in time’” (de Botton 151). I have a vague memory of one such spot in time from when I still lived in Uganda. I was about 5 years old and I accompanied my father on a work trip. On the way we stopped by a section of rapids in the Nile and I can still recall that image (although probably embellished by time) of the swiftly moving waters.

Bujagali Falls, Uganda

Much like nature, music has the ability to create these ‘spots of time.’ We often use music as a means of communicating a message where words would not be sufficient to convey our true meanings and intentions. Wordsworth wrote to a student in the summer of 1802 that “’a great Poet…ought to a certain degree to rectify men’s feelings…to render their feelings more sane, pure and permanent, in short, more consonant to Nature’” (Wordsworth qtd. de Botton 145). I have often found music and dance to have a similar effect on me.

Wordsworth proposed that nature could “dispose us to seek our in life and in one another ‘whate’er there is desirable and good’” (de Botton 144). I have often found this to be true. Spending time in the forest usually allows me to clear my mind of much of the clutter that often develops when I am steeped purely in urban life. I wonder what the results would be if we were able to make our urban environments more harmonious with the natural environments that surround them. I am inclined to believe that this would help improve both the living conditions within the city as well as the creative capacity of the city’s community.

De Botton states that “if we are to accept (even in part) Wordsworth’s argument, we may need to concede a prior principle holding that our identities are to a greater or lesser extent malleable, changing according to whom—and sometimes what—we are with” (de Botton 145). This is another claim that my personal experience (although I do not wish to claim that my experiences speak for everyone or even anyone else) seems to corroborate. The people we spend time with, the music we listen to, the visual art we see, among the many other interactions we encounter in our lives all have an effect on our identities and the way we perceive the world.

Wheat Field with Cypresses by Vincent van Gogh

De Botton also discusses the ways in which Vincent van Gogh was able to change perceptions of a place through his artwork. By selecting the features he accentuated in his paintings, van Gogh was able to draw the attention of the viewer to those aspects of a scene which he connected to the most. This in turn has made viewers of his artwork more receptive to similar scenes in the natural world. De Botton goes on to say that “art cannot single-handedly create enthusiasm, nor does it arise from sentiments of which nonartists are devoid; it merely contributes to enthusiasm and guides us to be more conscious of feelings that we might previously have experienced only tentatively or hurriedly” (de Botton 209). Experiencing works of art can help open our eyes to new ways of looking at the world.

While I am in Kampala I hope to explore some of the ways in which the art created there inspires new ways of seeing. In addition to the time I spend in the city, I am going to spend some time in the many natural landscapes of Uganda. The works of art I see in the city will help inform the way I view the natural landscapes and in return the natural landscapes will help inform the way I experience the works of art.

I want to end this post with one of my favorite poems by Wordsworth:

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

 

Works Cited:

Botton, Alain De. The Art of Travel. New York: Pantheon, 2002. Print.

Wordsworth, William. “The Prelude.” The Complete Poetical Works. London: Macmillan and Co., 1888; Bartleby.com, 1999. www.bartleby.com/145/. 4/7/2015.

Wordsworth, William. “The world is too much with us.” The Complete Poetical Works. London: Macmillan and Co., 1888; Bartleby.com, 1999. www.bartleby.com/145/. 4/7/2015.

 

Image Sources:

Bujagali Falls, Uganda

Wheat Field with Cypresses by Vincent van Gogh

This week I have been slowly adding and checking things off my list of to-dos. It feels as though no matter how hard I try to prepare everything for this trip, there will be something very important I will forget to do…. But I’m starting to realize that It probably won’t matter. If I can get into and out of the country and am able to access money while abroad, I will probably be just fine.

In this weeks reading of Alain De Botton’s The art of Travel, I was interested in the bit that focused on beauty, as that is something that has come up frequently over the course of my studies in Musical Cities. De Botton writes about John Ruskin in chapter 8 and his views on beauty.

“Ruskin’s interest in beauty and in its possession led him to five central conclusions. First, beauty is the result of a number of complex factors that affected the mind both psychologically and visually” (217).

As travelers who will be writing about our time in a city that is new to us, or is a place we have yet to look at as critically as we are about to, we must not pull only from the visual side of beauty but also the psychological side. This is crucial to what Ruskin calls word painting, which he thinks we are all capable of. From what I understand, word painting is just a written form of the beauty one sees in something. Our failure to word paint a result of our not asking ourselves enough questions and not being precise enough in analysing what we have seen and felt.

“Second, humans had an innate tendency to respond to beauty and to desire to possess it. Third, there are many lower expressions of this desire for possession (including, as we have seen, buying souvenirs and carpets, carving one’s name on a pillar and taking photographs). Fourth, there was only one way to possess beauty properly, and that was by understanding it, by making oneself conscious of the factors (psychological and visual) responsible for it. And last, the most effective means of pursuing this conscious understanding was by attempting to describe beautiful places through art, by writing about or drawing them, irrespective of whether one happened to have any talent for doing so” (217).

I think Ruskin’s last point is the most important to me as an artist who often struggles with the thought that my work isn’t good enough to share with others. Or that I’m not painting with my words clearly enough for others to see the beauty I see in a landscape or an object. But thinking like that misses the point entirely. What Ruskin desires for us all is that through drawing and writing (and making music), whether we are traveling or not, we gain a better understanding of beauty and are better able to see critically.

“A Dominant impulse on encountering beauty is to hold onto it, to possess it and give it weight in ones life. There is an urge to say, “I was here, I saw this and it mattered to me.” (214) So in most cases when traveling we take photos to preserve the beauty we see. But Ruskin thinks that if we are not looking critically at whatever it is and are just taking snapshots and moving on, that really isn’t a good to way to preserve the beauty in things. It allows us to become lazy in our seeing. So instead of the camera taking the place of our critical seeing when traveling, use it as a tool to enhance our ability to see and to capture even a small part of that beauty in the moment.

A wonderful Definition of beauty we came across in conversation this year in class:

-Beauty is to recognize your existence in something.

 

I wrote this cartoon to one appeal to the audience for those who may find my explanation hard to read or can are bored by it. I assure though that it won’t! An second the cartoons conversation is a believable and truthful one, we find beauty in those things we like to do and after reading the last chapter it seems we as humans are innate to using travel as a worthwhile and life changing thing. Which gave me the thought of we think of travel as a beautiful thing.

For example in my last paper I explained how travel is taken as a median of our lives and is need for further growth in life. I agreed with the books jargon for it spoke truth because we do journeys and travel to use the experience to then reflect and give lessons to others for who may visit in the future. It also explained the journeys experiences as having a different impacts on different human beings. Point is I sure did enjoy the fact that with the other half of the book I began to see that the concepts in page 105 concepts were being represented in pages 157 through 176 as a very in depth thought about your environment and what it means to you.

It gave me the same perspective after reading over the description of beauty by De Botton and I soon found that the travel descriptions were all related to teaching us this learning environment of traveling being used as a tool. A tool that is used to gather information to discover the unknown for all its possibilities and to come back learning something new about yourself through prosperous life learning. Thats what this book has been speaking to me for the past two weeks of reading over it. I’ve gained insight and knowledge beyond my own comprehension.

 

 

 

 

There are in our existence spots of time that are lead by nature itself. Life can easily be delegated by the push of the wind, flow of the river, beat of the drum, a moonlit smile, rhythm of the traffic, and pitter patter of the rain. “Natural scenes have the power to suggest certain values to us…act as inspirations to virtue” (Botton, pg. 144, 2002).

Exposure to new environments brings exposure to new smells, sights, tastes, sounds, and emotions giving a culture it’s identity. This is the strength that gives many the desire to travel. To be apart of something new and strange and step outside of everyday life. These are the times that should be pursued and not pushed back because of lack of money, fears of traveling, discomfort of leaving something stable, etc. Sometimes when these fears and worries are addressed by traveling it increases inspiration because the chances of new experiences are high. “…had Baudelaire undertaken a guide to his own city he would have recommended the flea markets, the whorehouses, and the cafes as the most important places, from a spiritual point of view-which was the view of a person suffering from an oppressive inner life. In a crowd he lost himself-and the loss was precious to him” (Sennett, pg. 123, 1990).

Inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime if the time is right for the individual. Traveling is exciting and part of that excitement comes from the unknown and the small fears that can happen anywhere, even in someones hometown. The use of catharsis as a form of stress relief can be done by addressing these fears through poetic movements, music, dances, and performances.

Many inspirational artists that I have come across have either cross culturally collaborated with artists from many different countries or use techniques and instruments that allow a specific timbre to shine through, that is richly recognizable with other cultures and time periods. This is a stylistic pattern that is appealing to me and apparently many others as well. A few just to name: Paul Simon, John Lennon, Vince Guaraldi, Mountain Man, Alison Krauss, Kingston Trio, etc. have all accomplished different styles that are particularly unique and identifiable to a certain culture, time, and place.

There are a few important aspects to remember when it comes to other cultures music is the instruments used, the form that it takes and the influence it has on others. For example a cantata, a sonata, work songs, call and response songs, ragtime piano and big band or swing time music.
All these can run together but can also be seen outside of their original origins. Claude Debussy has a couple of ragtime pieces (Golliwog’s Cakewalk and Le Petit Nègre) that were made a little after Scott Joplin had composed some of his most famous ragtimes and two-steps. Swing time/War songs were being adapted in Berlin through the American radios (Berlin: Symphony of A Great City, 1927).Work songs/field hollers have very specific styles and rhythms that usually contain a call and response and that can be seen in numerous Appalachian, Americana Folk, and Folk Jazz bands currently playing.
Some of these bands are featured at The Rhythm and Rye many come out of Portland, OR (Hillstomp, and Fruition) others from Olympia/Steamboat Island, WA (Oly Mountain Boys, Rooster Crow, Pine Hearts)

The main idea that life can be lead by nature, certainly seems to be prevalent  in the Pacific Northwest with the mighty collective sound that bursts through the Cascade range and has been classified as Cascade Mountain Music.

On the topic of different genres of music and different forms taken depending on the location and history, we engaged in a performance the Indian Orissi rhythms and experienced the many guidelines that makes the Orissi music distinguishable.
Raga: expressive mode that changes depending on the Tala (time cycle)
Alpana: free flowing exploration of Raga
Gamaka: Ornamentation
Brikkas: Virtuoso outburst that break up the original patterns
Tanam: Rhythmic exploration of Raga
Kriti: Pallavi (the blossoming), Anupallavi (secondary contrasting section), Charnam (tranquil section, returns to palate at the end).

Just as Ghanian music and dances relate back to reality and make reference to nature so does Orissi. Both keep the tradition strong in making folk/ tribal songs and dances that can be passed down and collaborated with any traveler.

There are in our existence spots of time that impact us in a way that creates a lifelong memory and sometimes a change in our way of being. In The Art of Travel, De Botton speaks to the nature of “sublime landscapes” and how their qualities can serve a religious purpose of humbling oneself. I believe that this […]