Arts
Excerpts from a Manifesto by Brightmoments on Mixcloud Put it on a Record In the spirit of the spirit that guides us through this holiday season of syncretism and magic, myth and legend, ritual and renewal, cold fact and smoldering truth—this month’s edition of the Feed is dedicated to and excerpted from a “Call for an Archive of Afro and Astrosonics.” We will attach that call, but in preface and conjunction, the words and music included herein place our direct gaze onto some of the rare and out-of-print recordings of some underknown poets who work as musicians and publish their writing in the sleeves of records, as well as musicians who solicit poets and poetry and make it indispensable to their ensembles. We survey key recordings in this tradition and visit entire concerts that have been devoted to such work. We astral project ourselves into a level of our consciousness we often repudiate when pampered by the stark contrast between words and silence that characterizes a lot of poetry readings, in hopes of invoking the questions: what would it be like to have to memorize and improvise our written work for performance, to reinvent it each time we read for an audience based on the energy between ourselves and instrumentalists? How would we go about recording our books of poetry if given the opportunity to so, or even required to do so by our contracts, what equipment would we use, would we collaborate or make these solo albums? All of this this in time for our forthcoming 2012 Festivus special poetry album featuring The Roots and Harry Connick Jr… But for real, we’re puttin’ it on a record, we’re seeing sounds, we asking ourselves what the future of recorded poetry and collaborations between poets and musicians can be, should be, is already, we’re reclaiming the inevitability of this work. With love.