Comments for R.J. Rutstein

Comment on Music for Maya by Ron Rutstein

Ron Rutstein — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:44:52 +0000

Clarity young lady! You did a great job describing specific parts of songs and what you liked about them. But only on Mercy, Mercy, Mercy do I know that you actually liked the song. There will be many songs of which you like part, yet not like the whole thing overall. Indeed, there will eventually be songs that I call your attention to a specific part; however, for now I want to know which ones you like enough to listen to beyond this exercise. This way I can be sure you are getting some enjoyment from it, which is the most important thing.

Comment on Music for Maya by Maya

Maya — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:32:29 +0000

Hi Uncle Ron,
I really enjoyed the Julian “Cannonball” Adderly song. Whenever I’m practicing with my band we do 12 bar blues and take turns improv soloing. Usually in e or a pentatonic. We’re a bit limited in 12 bar blues considering we don’t have a horn section, which would probably enhance the blues jam by a lot, but sadly, not many 12-year-olds are great saxophonists, trombonists, or trumpet players. We still have a great time playing it though, and it sounds good enough. The guitar solo was very interesting on Magnum Opus in that it wasn’t particularly melodic, but it somehow still worked very well in the song. Every instrument had great parts on Journey from Mariabron. The piano in particular sounded really great. It sounds like they’re throwing in a harmonic minor on the intro to roundabout which I like a lot. As for the rest of the song, it’s got a nice melody and kind of funk piano part with the acoustic guitar part in the background which sounded really great together. It sort of reminds me of the police a little bit. Thanks so much again for doing all of this.
Best,
Maya

Comment on Last night at Tanglewood by Ron Rutstein

Ron Rutstein — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:01:28 +0000

Unfortunately the risk with any type of music that is largely improvisational is that the mood of the players on a giving night becomes translated into the music. I hope that my experience at this fall’s concert is different.

Comment on Last night at Tanglewood by David Tedder

David Tedder — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 06:01:12 +0000

*Pat Metheny, sorry…

Comment on Last night at Tanglewood by David Tedder

David Tedder — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 06:00:35 +0000

Pat Petheny was the only concert I ever actually fell asleep to, at the Hollywood Bowl about 15 years ago.

Comment on Behind My Eyes, by Li-Young Lee by R.J. Rutstein » Upcoming Posts 1/8/10

R.J. Rutstein » Upcoming Posts 1/8/10 — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:22:57 +0000

[...] for so long, and it is still an often read book outside of college classrooms. I also picked up Li-Young Lee’s first two books of poetry and can’t wait to dive into them, as well as a copy of Paul [...]

Comment on Bunches of Novels About Books? by Ron Rutstein

Ron Rutstein — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:48:30 +0000

Louise,
Thanks for your input on this book. I have to agree, the book disappointed, but I thought it might appeal more to a female audience. I am actually glad that is not the case, because good literature should have a broader appeal. I also felt that, stylistically, it was trying to recall a past while in a present setting. I also had a problem with the setting of the Strand yet with only a handful of employees. Any bookstore described with multiple floors and departments requires a large staff to run it.

Comment on Bunches of Novels About Books? by Louise

Louise — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 22:23:54 +0000

I just finished “The Secret of Lost Things” and was disappointed in it. My first reaction is that it doesn’t approach in dramatic interest any of the works quoted within. In fact, it rather reminds me of how I used to write term papers – substaintiating my hypotheses with quotes from my subject(s). It is also poorly edited – in the first description of Pike, he is taking books from a pile on the left and placing them on the right when he is done. Two pages later, he is taking books from the right. . . I also thought that the author was heavy handed. She summarizes every thought that Rosemary has, rather than leaving the reader to come to one’s own decision based on the actions or internal dialogue. I got tired of Rosemary’s fixation on Oscar, which, based on how he treated her and deserted her, she should have at least recovered from by the end. Her failure to resolve this issue, I thought, detracted from the claim that the book was a coming of age story. There was also a timeless quality for me – based on the language, (and the very poor salary) I at first felt that the novel was taking place in the mid 20th century. However, the details about Pearl’s sex change, the fact that Rosemary wears trousers, changed my mind. The late 20th Century details and the lack of real time placing information was jarring for me. Finally,I love the Strand so making that connection, which I did with the first description, was a treat.

Comment on Freud’s Last Session, by Mark St. Germain by Ron Rutstein

Ron Rutstein — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:46:13 +0000

Ah, but “The Int. of Dreams” would have to be a series. One dream each night?

Comment on Freud’s Last Session, by Mark St. Germain by Ralph Hammann

Ralph Hammann — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:36:50 +0000

Well-written, Ron! We will agree to disagree. As you know, I found the staging to be silly and think you are being gracious in describing it as a dance. To me it is a director trying to invigorate words that don’t really need it – or shouldn’t in this case. I would not wan to listen to “Civ. and its Discontents” — but maybe I’d listen to “The Interp. of Dreams”…