Saturday, April 12, 2008

Reciting the makings of you

It's quite the thing how context can define music. Recently, I commented here on the intensity of the dancistic qualities of Curtis Mayfield's, Curtis. I'm now simply listening to the album, and although as I write this the intensity of polyrythmic explosions are building, there is such a clear and powerful message contained in the music through the blazing interrelations of lyrics and sonicality.
"We people who are darker than blue
don't let us hang around this town
and let whatever they say come true
we're just good for nothing, they will figure
a boy's grown up, a shiftless jigger
Now we can hardly stand for that
or is that really where it's at
Pardon me brother, while you stand in yr glory
I know you won't mind, if I tell the whole story
Pardon me brother, I know we've come a long, long way
but let us not be so satisfied, for tomorrow can be a...
an even brighter day"-Curtis Mayfield; Curtis, We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue

These lyrics encapsulate a place where the mind and body can converge into a deeper understanding of the human condition, and they also clearly relate to me personally how easy it is to simply intake one small aspect of reality. I'm bridging here beyond simply music, but it occurred to me that when I was simply trying to dance as exercise in possibly building towards a place where I could daily intake the spiritual extasy of movement as meditation, I was missing a crucial element of the power of music, which can be to bring together wild bodily intonations with the 'rational' as we (I) discover the convergence of that intense experience that is powerfully lost movement with the neocortical flashes of understanding that accompany the Samadhi experience. It's all about harmony or, as a neuropsychologist might say, expanding gamma sychrony (high level correspondence of electrical brainwaves in the various systems and sub-systems of the brain).
My pet theory is that in this state of internal, mental resonance we (maybe just me) filter out less of what we don't want to hear or are not capable of fully understanding, and we (again I'm just generalizing because I'm a philosopher at heart) open our minds to the Daoistic formless form, which is simply the no chaser reality where judgements are just impediments.
Ultimately what I'm trying to say is: Know yr own filter and don't be afraid to get meta with yr mind.
"Familiar music, familiar sound
Does mute your thoughts...for the underground
Lonely sight, for any turning light
Future prophesy...for the mask you see"-Curtis Mayfield;Curtis, Underground (Demo Version)