You choose your own worlds, according to the picture you‘ve painted in your mind. This happens all the time, f.e., while listening to music you love. Even in the little world of Mana, you have to leave an infinite number of compositions outside your box. Take Greg‘s latest opening of his musical treasure grove. Though we have a lot in common, it‘s interesting to see big differences. I lost my interest for Morton Feldman long time ago, though I know about the magic of repetition, entrancing textures etc. But when it comes to these special virtues, I put on different records, with comparable side effects but a sound language I prefer much, much more. Morton Feldman leaves me stone cold. Also, I always like when Mr. Whistler digs deep into one artist‘s discography, as it happened recently with Bill Frisell or Marc Copland. Didn‘t do this for a long time. Why? Nobody gets the 360-degree treatment. The „only quite nice albums“ fall aside. On the other ear, it may be a trip of a kind to immerse yourself in one composer‘s horizon (for a while). I lost my interest in David Sylvian, never had a knack for Olivier Messiaen, not one song of U2 or Coldplay or Queen will ever cross my way again unless drunk on a faraway beach – and, please, no oldies by the likes of Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, or the first two Roxy Music albums! I never had the wish for a second encounter after the first cut with Ferry and Associates was NOT the deepest. The list of what falls out of the way is endless. The question is: what stays when you never sang a praise of Beethoven‘s last string quartets, and other so-called milestones of Western culture? Your life any poorer? Nope. Even the highest peaks of music history can turn into useless garbage in your very own garden of awe and wonder. You can test your own compassion now: Dadawah‘s „Peace and Love“ sends more shivers down my spine than any of the other stuff of these lines, and I’m far away from being a rastafari. And the special thing with Andy Sheppard‘s „Romaria“? Apart from chemistry, it the ability to move so close to pure kitsch without crushing into it. So, yes, this is stunning. And, in a literal sense, I‘m only looking for music that brings me through the night (and into the light), in my long „nighthawk“ hours.
