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* * * * * * * * * Glenn Kotche 7 The Thunder That Smokes I’m obsessed with rhythm. Traditionally, melody and harmony have long reigned supreme in the historical appreciation and analysis of art music, but rhythm remains the most natural of musical expressions and oddly enough, also the last and least to be intensely explored. This began to change dramatically in the first part of the last century when a new generation of composers saw the limitless potential of this often overlooked aspect of music, art, and nature. They saw rhythm and, more specifically, the percussion family as a rich source for future investigation and musical possibility, while redefining the traditional notions of harmony and melody in the process. Nearly every important musical breakthrough since then has relied on rhythm as a chief component of its identity. Swing, rock, minimalism, electronic music, and hiphop all owe their infectiousness to the rhythmic qualities that make them unique. The music of John Luther Adams shares that quality as well. A great example is the drum quartets that play such an integral part in his seminal work Earth and The Great Weather: A Sonic Geography of the Arctic. Adams started as a drummer in a rock band. Although most critical analyses cite different qualities regarding his unique contribution to contemporary music, I feel his relationship to rhythm is at the core of his achievement of what every musician and composer aspires to—finding one’s own sound. It is frequently said that his music evokes the sounds and elemental qualities of nature, with an affinity for Alaska’s cultures and landscape. Some of Adams’s early compositions were partially inspired by the melodies inherent in nature (such as songbirdsongs). But it was through the rhythmic qualities of his music that new realms of discovery opened up for this composer—replete with a new set of unanswered questions to pursue. He followed these questions, and the results landed him in a unique place that he can call his own. John Luther Adams utilizes rhythm and harmony in such a profound and unique way that many recognize his contribution as a starting point—the beginning of a new chapter in contemporary music. The rolling, dramatic sweeps of intersecting events and the serene stillness that are inherent in his music are both reasons so many equate it with the natural world in which Adams chooses to live and work. I agree. And I love those characteristics of his music. thund e r th at smok e s * 117 I also, however, find a particular fondness for his active, compact, and fervent rhythmic writing. The drum quartets in Earth and The Great Weather can stand independent of the whole as fresh and exhilarating sonic places that also provide a foundation by which his subsequent work has been and continues to be influenced. These pieces are, in my opinion, a creative trailhead for the path that John Luther Adams continues following today. Instead of offering meticulous, mechanical insights into the fascinating musical world that John Luther Adams has created, I’ll address the mystery that’s inherent in his music. To me, the elusiveness of his music offers a sense of hope, wonder, and possibility. I won’t even write about the inherent bravery of this music; its freshness is enough for me. I don’t want to get too involved with the details of Adams’s formal influences either. Most readers of this book will by now know his affinity for painting and visual art. You will also be aware of the impact that composers such as John Cage, Harry Partch, Edgar Varese, Henry Cowell, Conlon Nancarrow, James Tenney, Lou Harrison, and Morton Feldman have had on him. We also know that his home—Alaska—and its native cultures have had a profound effect on his development and thereby his creative output. I learned after becoming a fan of his music that Mr. Adams and I happen to have many parallel influences and interests, one of which is an appreciation of the rhythm and music inherent in nature. This includes the practice of making field recordings. We have both learned a great deal from the drumming of other cultures and the synthesis of these with our respective musical experiences. And of course, we both have rock-and-roll drumming in common as well. Therefore, the points that I’m about to discuss may be less analytical and more personal than some: my experiences undoubtedly reflect how I interpret his. I am never...

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