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Date:         Wed, 27 Jan 1993 23:05:46 EST
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From:         Sonia Kovitz <skovitz@MAGNUS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU>
Subject:      Tripping Out in Masuda-Land

The ALL-too-kind Sonia speaks of my pieces:

>Listening to Mike Masuda's compilation of his own music is like opening up a
>magic trunk in a fairy tale.  In the blink of an eye an enthralling kingdom
>stretches out in all four directions.  Voices (in various electronic
>alterations but I like Mike's unadorned voice best), guitar, bass, infinite
>varieties of percussion, all mixed with equal parts feeling, mastery, and a
>panoply of x-the-unknown synth effects.  Here is a MAJOR talent, a beautiful
>soul blossoming like a flower, or actually like a whole wild and glorious
>garden.  Mike's tape reminds me of a quote (that I only half-remember and will
>have to track down) by Rabindranath Tagore: "The world spoke to me in...? and
>my soul responded in music."  Mike, to say that you are AMAZING is the
>understatement of the year.
          *
Garsh... :)
          *

Wow, thanks Sonia for the uplifting commentary!
Like I said on the tape, these are demos, so they are not quite polished yet.
(When are they ever "done"?)
Like my big inspiration (John Lennon circa 1965-66), I have a
  problem accepting my voice the way it is--which is why I like to
  DO things to it to make it sound like *other* people.
I feel strange, because I rarely let others listen to my music;  I'm
  musically speaking a very shy person.  I thought that maybe if I let
  Sonia and a handful of others hear a sampling of it, it would boost
  my spirits.  Just hearing the positive feedback from Sonia has made me
  very happy and made me want to carry on with other ideas with more
  drive.

>Some stuff is hilarious: "The Gigolo's Tale" ("no one gets laid in San Jose"),

Actually this tune was thumbed down by my previous band, because
of its utter vulgarity.  Of course, people do get laid in San Jose, but
it never seems to happen for me lately.  Bummer...

>the funkorific groove-throb of "Wimp Rap" ("I'm a scrawny little man with a
>little mind...

This tune grew out of a silly little jam that my friends and I did for fun.
At that time, there were rappers rapping about how much better they were
than other rappers, and I thought I could make a diametrically opposite
angled rap focusing on the "meek", getting off on being so wimpy.

>pop: "Silhouette," "Heartbreak and the Nosy Boy," "Innocent Dreams," and also
>some bouncy pop with a hot raunchy riff: "Janell."

Well, there are stories behind each of these.
I won't go into details now, because I'll eventually rewrite them on a
separate post.  My influences show, though: Kate Bush, Beatles,
Zeppelin, and Motown, respectively.  There's a lot of other pieces
I've done, but they are still too cheeseball to be considered for
peer review--perhaps later, when I have learned how to play the
instruments a little better will I attempt to re-do these sketches.

>Among my favorites are the extraordinarily beautiful extended meditative/
>contemplative/eastern jams: "Tibetan Highlands" (bone-soul-shaking drone),
>"Gabriel's Nightmare" (an extremely engaging picaresque/psychic/musical/
>mystery/travel narrative), "A Raga for Sarina" (lush and gorgeous), "Twilight
>Zephyr Moon" (many-layered mind-blowing solar-plexus-opening suspension of
>time), "Kilimanjaro" (spacious, quiet, expansive, hypnotic; sounds like tuned
>drums; I loved the lyrical and restrained yet insistent bass throb; I think
>you posted that this one was for me; if so you sure hit the mark), "Andean
>Diversion" (resonant and bewitching Peruvian pipes), and "excerpt from
>composition with Electric Mbira" (authentic and moving).

A lot of these "parallel world" music compositions that I've done were
done in a trance-like state of mind, where I let the music come through
on its own without preconception.  It takes me about 15 minutes to
half an hour of "foreplay" (setting the sounds and the rhythm) per track
before letting it go.  Musical channeling... what a concept.
A lot of the stuff was done on the Casio CZ101, which is excellent in
making simple bass tones and neato sitar-like washes ("TZM" is all Casio).
The Peruvian pipes is an aurallusion--the melody was played on a standard
recorder.  Marco has seen it.  It's got a cork on the end to alter the
lowest note from a C to a B to fit a pentatonic modal scale.
"Raga for Sarma" uses Casio for drones, and an acoustic guitar/sitar
played with an E-bow, to get a secondary colortone addition.
"Kilimanjaro" was done with a Korg Poly 800II (also simple to program/great
tones) to produce the soft Gamelan-like belltones in 23/16 over which
the stream-of-consciousness notes are played (I cheated, using only
the black notes...oops).  I recorded that one many years ago, but I
dedicate that one to Sonia, seeing that she enjoys BASStones.

>"Fly Away" had wonderful lyrics and dramatic situation, but I didn't like the
>electronically distorted voice on this one.

I agree.  It's a tad cheeseball to hear the Mickeymousean voice on that one.
It still makes me cringe, but I included it because it has that
backwards ping-pong ball introduction...
At that time, my voice was still quite awful, so I "covered up the
evidence" with a pitch adjust on the tape recorder (record the voice slow,
then playback at normal speed--the "Camille" thing that Prince did on
_Sign of the Times_ and the Lennon-voice on "Lucy In the Sky.."

>"The Old Man and the Poppy Fields"--your singing is perfect on this one!

Funny you should say that, cuz
I sang that one when I had the worst flu I ever had.  My voice was
quite rancid and raw, but I thought the song was appropriate for it.
I wish I could sing like that always, without the flu.  The Cat Stevens/
Peter Gabriel hybrid there...

>Loved that rockabilly guitar on "Shake a Leg"---ooweee.

My Beatle-in-cheek impersonation, complete with Harrisonesque solo.
It took me about 30 takes to get that solo.  I had just bought my
Strat at that time, and I was all thumbs on it.  It sounds easy, but
I sweated like crazy playing that damn solo over and over....(:0


>One of the most utterly distinctive and FASCINATING songs is "A Personal
>Psalm."  I can't even fully grasp the rich play of musical references here,
>but I swear that's an Elizabethan drumming pulse holding down the bottom while
>a gradual gathering, a glorious assemblage of harmony, speaks a parable in
>many voices.  Mike, this is truly INSPIRED.

Thank you Sonia.  Originally it was supposed to be a simple madrigal piece,
but I decided to make it more deep and prolific.  It's almost preachy
in its +/- comparisons, but in a way, it's a ballad
with allusions to predestination, individual choice, karma,
living in the shadows of others or seeing the light, and
Old and New perspectives on the importance of the exo- and endo-saviour
concept--all in one song.  All this and the "I will assist you,
I will protect you, I will comfort you" chorus makes it a neat
package deal.  The end sounds like a funeral march, with the snares, but
what IS death?  It IS rebirth from one perspective, or an outgrowth, or
moksha (a la Marco).  The guitar has a simple riff that repeats itself
and keeps the song in time, and the handmade bass drum (basically a
plastic bucket with a drum head fastened to it) provides the procession
with the appropriate motion.

I'm glad you liked it Sonia.  Marco's next to hear his compilation.
Right now, I'm working on Marsha's, Michelle's, and Mick's compilation,
each individually put together.  Lots of M's there.....

I want to eventually put together an album to release on CD, but I'm
afraid I am too poor right now, so I can't EVEN think of doing that.  But if I
do, I will certainly count on their input to see what should and should not
be released...

For the ALLMUSIC compilation, I chose "Gabriel's Nightmare" and a new
version of "The Old Man and the Poppy Field" (complete with electric
tabla sounds from the Casio).  It's a little longer than the five minutes
alotted, but I figure that since "Gabriel's Nightmare" is only 3:30ish
minutes long, I can possibly get away with a new six minute version of
the "Old Man..", complete with extra words.  I hope.... :)

BTW DO people put out CDs recorded on cassette four tracks?  That would
be a challenge, wouldn't it?  You can't possibly get a "pro audio" sound,
but to get it as close as possible would be rewarding in itself--instead
of relying on top-notch equipment.  Hmmm...  ;)

Heck, the Beatles did it with less.  Modern music is spoiled rotten.
We have it too easy.

Also, does anyone know what's going on lately with Yusuf Islam (aka
Cat Stevens)?  Did you know that Peter Gabriel played flute on
"Katmandu"?  _Mona Bone Jakon_ is a great album.  Stevens has such a
great storytelling/singing voice.  Put out in 1970!  Paul Samwell-Smith
did an excellent job at producing this album.  "Troubled" leaves
chills up and down my spine.  Iff (IF and only IF) Yusuf Islam ever
came back out to play some of his old tunes, who would go to see him?
I would certainly be there.  That whole "scandal" with the Rushdie
thing doesn't bother me at all.  In the end, it's his music I want to hear.
It touched me.

>****************************STANDING OVATION*******************************

I bow to your majestic grace as the limelight burns a hole in the back
of my mind.  With a tear of rejoice in my winking eye, a smile begins
to poke around the corner of my nose.
I thank you my grace, for taking audience with me.

Mike.
    Tripping Out in Masuda-Land
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