31: Interest

By the special request of an old friend, today I listened to a live album by Nils Frahm, called Tripping With Nils Frahm. This album falls into an interesting category for me. There is not a shred of doubt that Frahm is an amazing talent. He plays a solo concert on all forms of keyboards here, and the music ranges from quiet introspective almost drone like washes, to synth-pop-club-based excursions. There are wonderful piano ballads, and some lovely compositions. And yet, I will almost probably never just put this on as a record (yes… group of files) to listen to. And yet, it was (as was suggested) a spectacular piece to listen to under the lights. So, do I like it? Yes, I suppose so, in the context in which I listened today. And I bet, with a properly quiet and reverent crowd, it would be amazing live. I understand there’s a movie made, and I will seek that out and watch it - because I think that context would bring something out that otherwise is missing for me. I don’t think it's invigorating enough even to serve as background music to a scrabble game, which is odd… Because, as I said, it was a fabulous sensory experience - and maybe that is just what is needed for me to enjoy music like this to its fullest.

Last night a reader commented on an old post (number 26, for those keeping track) and asked me what my thoughts on current events were now, several weeks after. I’ve promised not to get overly worked up about politics anymore (especially on the blog), but it’s a good question and deserves an answer. The short and sweet is that I’m not at all surprised. This was all telegraphed. No, not even telegraphed, but explicitly stated. And I’m still awaiting a good answer to my question, which is (in case it needs to be repeated): How can you consider yourself a decent human being, and still support the rampant cruelty that is happening around you? How many thousands of people have lost their jobs? How many thousand (or more) people are stressed about their finances and medical health? While the chosen few are getting richer in front of your eyes? Let me add that I understand the need to address the overspending of the government. I understand that there is waste and fraud and bureaucracy that would be best fixed. I’m in favor of addressing that. But I’m not in favor of appointing loyalists and lackeys to do it. None of this is being done well, or with empathy. I’m disgusted by our congress and by our judiciary, who are sitting back and letting our country be taken over by some really terrible people. I call on all people who voted for this regime with some misguided notion that costs would go down and that life would be better for the common folk to mobilize and ensure that this never happens again. And I will state again, for the record, that the Democrats suck. They need to get their shit together and come up with a platform that speaks to curing the sociological rift that exists in this country, or we will no longer be able to have a “United” States of America. We might already be beyond repair. The world may be beyond repair. Look at yesterday’s election results for Germany. Reader, I hope that helps!

Today's listen was an extremely interesting one. Khu.éex’ are an indigenous band, formed in the pacific northwest. I was drawn into their orbit because of the participation of Bernie Worrell, who was one of my favorite musicians. Chances are, he’s one of yours too - but you might not know it. He’s so prolific that he’s probably worth an entire post on his own. Perhaps that will happen soon, now that I think of it. Bernie has performed with Parliament/Funkadelic, Bill Laswell, Talking Heads and more - along with releasing many albums under his own name. In various incarnations, I’ve seen him live many times, and he’s never short of wonderful. There’s an excellent documentary about him called Stranger, which you can watch on YouTube. Khu.éex’ is Bernie’s last project before his untimely passing from cancer in 2016. Just as an aside here, Bernie died broke. While I’m certain of very little in this life, I’m sure of this: If anyone deserved to be well paid for his contributions to music, it was Worrell. And yet it ended up being up to us, his fans, to support his medical treatment because he had no insurance (as many musicians and artists don’t). It’s super sad.

So, much of Worrell’s contributions to Khu.éex’ were posthumous. I don’t really know all the details on how it was done. I know that the album I listened to today, which is called WOOch, is the last of the archive, and will go down as Worrell’s final album. (Although his estate has released a final solo Bernie Worrell album and Bill Laswell has released several archival recordings as well.) The Native American Indigenous people do not often get the credit they deserve for their contributions to the culture of this country. They’ve gotten the short end of the stick in many ways! However, some of those wrongs, at least culturally, are being addressed. I urge you all to rent or buy the movie Rumble. It’s an astounding documentary about the indigenous influence on modern American music.

WOOch (called that because Worrell’s nickname was Woo (or the Wizard of Woo) is a really unique album. Old school funk interspaced with native chanting drum circles and poetry. A really great listen, which made me think and groove all at the same time. There’s a track on the album, the ten minute instrumental track Residential School that wordlessly articulates the horrors those children must have experienced in those awful programs, both in the USA and in Canada. It’s dark as hell. Wendy and I went to a lecture by an elderly First Nations woman when we visited a town on the Hudson Bay in Canada. Her story of being ripped from her family and the long term trauma that she went through was horrible to hear. The darkness of the track is a perfect soundtrack to the horror of that trial, and could easily be renamed to cover something more current as well as, sadly, very little has changed in the way we treat others in this world. Good stuff musically today!

Tomorrow I have a consultation with a clinic to discuss stem cell treatments. I’m kind of excited about that. More news as I know it.

Like Steven Wilson and Bill Laswell, both discussed ad-nauseum in these pages, Denmark’s Jonas Munk is a bit of a musical explorer. Over many differently named projects, he has explored jazz, ambient, folk, trip-hop and more. Today I listened to the latest release from his, perhaps, best known project Causa Sui. This one, recorded live last year, is called Loppen 2024. Causa Sui is a heavy psychedelic jam band. Using the standard guitar, bass, drums, keyboards lineup of many rock bands, they weave fuzz and wah laden guitar based excursions into the ether. It’s perfect music for the lights, and for zoning out to at 5:30 AM. I don’t do any recreational drugs (any longer) but I imagine that this music, seen live, would be perfect for an acid or MDMA journey. As it was, I was transported along with the band into their psychedelic excursions, which feature great playing from all members - but no flash at all. Much of their output is similar, and I’m looking for musicians of this caliber to branch out a little more. However, Munk has so many different projects that I suppose I’m being a tad unfair.

I had my call with the clinic yesterday morning. I learned, sadly, very little new. There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s - even on the foreign black market. (To be fair, this clinic is completely legit, but doing treatments that are as of yet still banned here in the repressed USA.) This place offers full room and board for two people, and an intensive regiment of stem cell and exosome injections (and infusions). For nearly 30,000 USD. And for this they’re speculating a delay in the progression of the disease of just under a year. Now, at some point, that might seem worth it, but it does not at this point. My hope is that in a few years, and before I become irredeemably demented, that treatments will not only delay but reverse symptoms. Fingers crossed. I’ve decided that I am going to pursue Exosome treatments though. They’re expensive, but not in the 30K range. I just have to find a clinic for them. I know of three, semi-locally now, so it’s a matter of choosing. I’ve already reached out to two of them, and am awaiting replies.

Today I will visit my neurologist. I’m not looking forward to it at all. I’m still really angry with his lack of care, and with his inability to look at alternatives. But I want a few answers that he can give. My latest MRI shows a few small anomalies. I want to know what that means. And I want to know if my brain is shrinking or static. I would love to have a new PET scan (which I know I won’t) to see if there has been remission in the amyloid plaque that is slowly going to kill me. I’m really curious as to why that benchmark is not frequently checked. (MRIs are only to determine if I’m getting brain bleeds from the Leqembi infusions, not to assess the progress of the disease. But they should be measuring the overall shrinkage of my brain - if any.)

This morning I listened to the first recorded effort from one of the best bands you've never heard. The Necks have made over 30 albums since their first release in 1988. Sex was not only their first album, but also the first I ever listened to. Over a 56 minute piece of music, anchored by a steady bass, pianist Chris Abrahams plays his signature sparse piano, rarely kicking into anything approaching a theme or melody. This is true improvisation. A Necks concert will always be something new, and a new Necks album will (within the framework) sound different from the last. I saw them once during one of their rare US sojourns, at a loft in Brooklyn. Part of that show is archived here. I went with my jazz purist Aunt Joan, who really enjoyed it. This is true trance inducing music - I should have thought to include it in my trance post the other week. The thing I remember most from the show is the near telepathic nature of the musical connection. The way I understand it, is that one of the trio is the leader for each track performed, which are usually in the area of 40 minutes to an hour long. There are no preconceived rules or themes to be addressed. The show I saw consisted of two hour long sets. Thankfully nobody in the audience talked or even moved, which really allowed one to zone out into the musical space. The first piece stopped on a dime. There was no nod, or hand gesture or anything like that. It was just over. And I remember my Aunt gasping in shock with the abruptness of the move. And despite the rather uncomfortable nature of the folding chairs in the room, I barely moved for the entire set of sets.

So, Sex (the album, not the act) is based on a bass riff that barely changes over the course of the track. In fact the music was so steady that the lights barely moved either. There are subtle drum additions, and occasionally what sounds like a wind instrument, but I can’t be sure. Overall, this is an exceptional piece of music, and a great place to get started with a great band. You’ll find them in the jazz section of your local record store (presuming they’re astute enough to stock it). But it is not Jazz. Or is it? Some of their albums in later years incorporate electronics and other musical instruments, but this one is pure. And despite barely making the lights flicker past their default, it was a perfect sensory experience.

Good god, I had an awful visit with my neurologist yesterday. Not because there was any bad news, but because there was no news or interest at all. My MRI was OK, and he was prepared to send me on my way. As always, I ask about progress on treatment options and on ways to measure myself, and as always he says that he is completely uninterested in any of the clinical trials that are happening until they get to phase 3 (which is when they’re actively seeking FDA approval). He’s not interested in stem cells or exosomes or TAU protein studies. And he’s not interested in even seeing if there’s any quantifiable improvement in my brain. And yesterday, I felt he was smug about it. You ask this every time, he said. The answer is the same. You don’t need another MRI for 6 months, so I’ll see you then. One of the anomalies in the brain scan has been there forever, he said - and the other is a sinus issue to be taken up with my PCP. So, I’m out. I have an appointment in May with a new neurologist in Boston. It’s a bigger trip, but I want a doctor who is on the same exploratory page as I am. I don’t know if this Boston guy is him, but I’ll try. I really think I’d be a great patient to have. I’m interested, and I’m taking charge of my care. Not content to rest on anything. Its my life we’re talking about here, and I’m going to do any- and everything I can. In that light, this afternoon I have a phone consultation with a Naturopathic doctor who, as I understand it, offers exosome injections and other boosts. I’m very interested in what she has to say. I’m also awaiting a call from another stem cell/exosome clinic, so I can compare treatment and cost.

Thanks for reading. I think I have an interesting music project planned for the next post. Stay tuned!

Dy