Musical seclusion success stories

Subject: Musical seclusion success stories
From: Jack Campin
Date: 26 Mar 20 - 01:35 PM

Anybody got anecdotes about musicians who got shut off from everybody else for ling periods and came out of it playing better?

There are lots of literary works written in jail cells but I can't think of musical analogues. I don't think Leadbelly was one of them, as he was a star of the jail community - somebody left in solitary with a mouth organ would be more like what I'm looking for.

Subject: RE: Musical seclusion success stories
From: Jack Campin
Date: 28 Mar 20 - 06:40 AM

Nobody?

Not looking good for my plan to learn the tanbur...

Subject: RE: Musical seclusion success stories
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 28 Mar 20 - 08:45 AM

Jack

I'm sure there's a story by Ray Fisher about Bert Jansch staying in their flat. IIRC he was not very good when he arrived but when she came back a year later after touring he'd got good! (I may have the exact details slightly wrong - it's in one of the books about the early 60s folk scene. I don't think it was in Dazzling Stranger - Bert's biography, but it might have been).

It doesn't say how isolated he was though!


Mick

Subject: RE: Musical seclusion success stories
From: cnd
Date: 28 Mar 20 - 05:25 PM

Canadian pianist Glenn Gould is kind of a double-edged sword here. Here's an article about it: https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/16/books/a-journey-into-musical-isolation.html

Here's a list of 5 albums recorded in self-isolation (link. Albums are:
- For Emma, Forever Ago — Bon Iver
- Nebraska — Bruce Springsteen
- OK Computer — Radiohead
- McCartney — Paul McCartney
- Exile On Main Street — The Rolling Stones

Subject: RE: Musical seclusion success stories
From: GUEST,Pseudonymous
Date: 28 Mar 20 - 05:45 PM

I've still got Exile on Main Street in my vinyl collection. I've been using old vinyl to exercise to while in at least 12 weeks' isolation. I'd forgotten I'd got that till you mentioned it. Along with 'High Tide and Green Grass Greatest Hits' and the first 2 Beatles LPs. Amazing stuff I haven't listened to in years. Motivates me to do some exercise while it's on. I'll dig that one out next week maybe.

Hmm. Glenn Gould. Not quite my sort of Bach.....

Subject: RE: Musical seclusion success stories
From: Jack Campin
Date: 28 Mar 20 - 07:49 PM

Another composition one: Jacques Prevert let Joseph Kozma stay in his flat to hide from the Nazi occupation. In return Kozma wrote the tune for Prevert's poem "Autumn Leaves".

Subject: RE: Musical seclusion success stories
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Mar 20 - 09:16 PM

supposedly Luis Riel wrote that beautiful song about writing a letter to his sister in prison.

Subject: RE: Musical seclusion success stories
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 28 Mar 20 - 09:37 PM

Didn't Conlon Nancarrow retreat to New Mexico with his player piano to write his outrageous studies?

Mick

Subject: RE: Musical seclusion success stories
From: Jack Campin
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 02:32 AM

He went to Mexico City to get away from McCarthyism. He wasn't isolated from anything except America.