If an artists’ work is a composite of influences from others, Beth Anderson’s Namely inverts that notion, creating a work from the names themselves of her influencers. The album consists of 65 short pieces, each using the name of one of Anderson’s varied influences as source material. Anderson applies a generative procedure to each name to create a text-sound poem that is performed as a vocal piece by the composer.
The collection of names reveals the intermedia nature of Anderson’s work — from the artist’s mother, to composer Julius Eastman, to Fluxus “founder” George Maciunas, to Other Minds’ very own Charles Amirkhanian. Each piece functions not only as a musical piece, but a work of concrete poetry, as author Jeremy Bushnell explains in his detailed liner notes essay.
In twisting up these familiar names, Anderson utters strange combinations of familiar words and creates new ones. By weaving a web of her own influences, Anderson is charting a map from which to navigate the rest of Anderson’s deep catalog, a necessary tool for understanding an artist whose work spans from text-sound poetry, to proto-No Wave, to near-baroque minimalism. Namely begs the question: What would a similar list of 65 influencers on a different composer look like? And how would the composer translate those 65 names into a work of their own?
Anderson’s answer is at once loud and clear and deeply confounding. Namely is a work that invites a deeper dive, so jump in.
Beth Anderson (www.beand.com/) is a poet and composer of new romantic music, text-sound works, and music theater events. She has composed an opera, an oratorio, three off-off Broadway musicals, several downtown music theater collaborations, music for orchestra, voice, chorus, tape, instrumental solos with and without electronic modulation, and a large amount of chamber music, in this country and in Europe, on radio and in concert. She joined Ear Magazine on V.1#5 in May 1973 and took it to NYC where she ran it 1975-79. Her all-Beth Anderson recordings are out on MSR (The Praying Mantis & The Bluebird, 2012), Albany (Quilt Music, 2004), New World (Swales & Angels, 2004), and Pogus (Peachy Keen-O, 2003). 1750 Arch and then Other Minds (2003) includes Torrero Piece. Her other music is on Capstone, North/South, Newport Classics, and Opus One. She is her own publisher along with Antes/Bella Musica in Germany. Born in Kentucky, she studied primarily in California with John Cage, Terry Riley, Robert Ashley and Larry Austin, at Mills College and the University of California at Davis. She has been awarded an Aaron Copland Fund for Music grant, many Meet the Composer grants, a National Endowment for the Arts grant, and a Foundation for the Contemporary Performance Arts grant.
…every one of these pieces is a gem unto itself; and playback technology will now allow every listener to set his/her own strategy for appreciating the many delights of this album. Stephen Smoliar, The Rehearsal Studio blog
Read the complete review.
Namely is just damned fun to listen to, and if you’ve grabbed Lovely Music’s Robert Ashley reissues, I’ll bet you’ll be into this, too. Joseph Neff, The Vinyl District
Read the complete review.
“…artfully patterned and performed with rigour, plus Anderson’s sparkly humour.” Julian Cowley, The Wire
Namely (2020)
by Beth Anderson
Total time: 55:52
01 John Adams
02 Alvin Ailey
03 Charles Amirkhanian
04 Laurie Anderson
05 Marian Anderson
06 George Antheil
07 Robert Ashley
08 Hugo Ball
09 Bruno Abrantes Basseto
10 Johanna Beyer
11 Elizabeth Blair
12 Jaap Blonk
13 Boudewijn Buckinx
14 Thomas Buckner
15 John Cage
16 Ruth Crawford-Seeger
17 Stefania de Kenessey
18 Julius Eastman
19 Kyle Gann
20 John Giorno
21 Tony Gnazzo
22 Martha Graham
23 Percy Grainger
24 Lily Greenham
25 Brion Gysin
26 Sten Hanson
27 Lou Harrison
28 Sorrel Hays
29 Bernard Heidsieck
30 Jennifer Higdon
31 Scott Joplin
32 Alison Knowles
33 Richard Kostelanetz
34 George Maciunas
35 Jackson Mac Low
36 Colin McPhee
37 Enzo Minarelli
38 Meredith Monk
39 Charlotte Moorman
40 Pauline Oliveros
41 Yoko Ono
42 Frank Oteri
43 Nam June Paik
44 Florence Price
45 Steve Reich
46 Terry Riley
47 Paul Robeson
48 Ned Rorem
49 Arnold Rosner
50 Nathan Rubin
51 Frederic Rzewski
52 Michael Sahl
53 Eric Satie
54 Kurt Schwitters
55 Charles Shere
56 Ethel Smyth
57 Naomi Sparrow
58 Laurie Spiegel
59 Gertrude Stein
60 Virgil Thomson
61 Remedios Varo
62 Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven
63 Anne Waldman
64 La Monte Young
65 Pamela Z