39: Ethnomusicology

It's been an eventful couple of weeks since the last posting. That and I’ve had bronchitis (or some variant thereof) and been generally unable to focus on anything. With that said, I made an interesting musical discovery early on in my listening by trawling through my Bandcamp wishlist (when I hear of something that seems interesting, I wishlist it for later listening and maybe eventual purchase). The album was called Howl, by the short lived (I think - they only released this one live album, otherwise I know nothing about them) French band Rêve Général.

The band is essentially a classical string quartet, augmented by two electric guitars and a drummer. This is a really busy eclectic mix of music, which was perfect for me that morning, and really made the lights do their due diligence. This is the kind of music that my wife absolutely hates! And to be franc (see what I did there?) I rarely listen to stuff like this. But for some reason, it worked for me that previous morning.

Medically, I had my sleep endoscopy last week, while dreading its potential cancellation due to my illness. However, they let me do it (but it did mean I could not medicate when I really needed to!). The good news is that I qualify for the next procedure, which is to implant a small pacemaker-like device in my chest called Inspire. Hopefully this will finally put this issue of Sleep Apnea to… rest… (sorry). I’m quite concerned about my lack of sleep as it is being well reported that a good night's rest is essential for brain health. I, as mentioned previously, do not handle the CPAP well (or at all) now, and I don’t think it's a sustainable option as dementia sets in. So the Inspire, which works internally and seamlessly, seems to be my best and only option at this point. I’ve actually already heard from the surgical scheduling unit, which might mean that my insurance has already approved the procedure. Fingers crossed. I don’t have a date yet, but I do have follow up appointments scheduled. Go figure.

I met with a representative from the local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. She’s invited me to speak at a few events coming up in the next few months, which I'm eager to do. Anything I can do to help others who are saddled with this disease to navigate the intricacies of this diagnosis and the pathways to better health, I will do. It would be a boon to me as well. I’m going to my first early stage group meeting in a few weeks. That should be an interesting experience for me. I’m still waiting to hear from the national organization about the advisory position.

We saw a couple of interesting concerts this past week. First up was Vieux Farka Touré. It was an interesting show for a time - but ultimately the problem with it was that it ended up all sounding pretty much the same. We stayed for the whole first set, and weren’t really regretful of our attendance, but wouldn’t be following the band around à la a deadhead. Later that same week, though, we had the absolute privilege to see Ruthie Foster, who might be the legitimate successor to the throne currently held by Mavis Staples as the queen of soul music. Ms. Foster performed in a beautiful 200 year old chapel at a university near me with a full band in a free concert that lasted just under two hours. It was exhilarating and all other kinds of wonderful - even if the hard wooden pews left a lasting impression on my buttocks. This was everything that live music should be - and what had been lacking in the last few shows I’d been to. Laughter, band interaction, audience interaction, storytelling, eye contact and great music played by great musicians.

I had infusion number 18 last Monday. That’s now 36 weeks that I’ve been taking Leqembi, and around 44 weeks since I was diagnosed. I am pleased to report that I don’t feel any worse - in fact I might be feeling a bit better. I can’t specifically cite the cause of these good feelings - it could be Leqembi, it could be the sensory stimulation, it could be the NAD+ or Exosomes, or it just might be the fact that I’m really focused on feeling better. In any event, I’ll take the win when I can!

Earlier this week, Wendy and I went to a small roundtable (rectangular, actually) discussion/lecture on the music of Ethiopia in the 1500s. It was focused on the music of the Jesuit church and the various influences that local African instrumentation and culture might have brought to the standard church music and to classical music in general. With the addition of slave labor from India bringing in those scales, instrumentation and tonality, and the Portuguese influence from Goa on the local church architecture and the resultant room characterization and tonal definition, it sounds like it would be an interesting music to hear for sure. Unfortunately this is a completely lost sound. There is no written record and thus no modern recordings to hear. Terribly sad to say the least.

I did learn, however, of the works of Jordi Savall, who specializes in (among many other things) non western interpretations of historical works. This morning I listened to one of his works called Istanbul, which pits the classics of the late 1600’s through the lens of Turkish instruments and modality. This is something I’m going to spend a lot more time on. I’ve just ordered a set called The Routes of Slavery, which I’m super excited to hear and see. This music promises to follow the music of the slaves over 444 years, through Africa, India, Portugal and even South America. I’ve spent a lot of time in my life listening to the music of the Routes of Slavery through the United States over a few hundred years, and I’m eager to hear more. It promises to be enlightening, sad, and potentially an excellent listen. In the lecture we went to, the presenter played us a few pieces from the set showing the interspersion of the classical choral work with the tabla and strings of India. This kind of stuff is right up my alley - I’ve been looking for something new to whet my ears, and this might just be it! That’s a huge thing for me! It doesn’t happen often.

We just bought tickets to another interesting, and new, show coming up in August. Roomful of Teeth, a renowned vocal group will be performing. This is a really unique take on acapella singing, and incorporates the vocal stylings of many different cultures. (They were accused of appropriation for their use of throat singing at one point - which I’m not sure I agree with. Music, as Jordi Savall and many others have shown, is an inclusive art. Without the incorporation of another culture’s music, music as we know it will certainly become stagnant, and the world would be a far lesser place. We’d have no rock n roll, blues, jazz, country music or really anything, without the shared knowledge and multiculturalism of musical exploration and adoption.) Nevertheless, this should be an interesting, and also different, show for us. Expanding the palette, both musically and intellectually (we'll be attending more lectures in the future as well. We’re surrounded by universities that are generous with their knowledge) is something we’re excited to do. Keeping the brain stimulated is the order of the day.

I’ve been collecting music since I was four years old, first on Vinyl, and then later on CD, and now via digital download. I bought my first CD many years before I had my first CD player - because I had never seen the music before. It was called Now And Then by Van Der Graaf Generator. I bought my first CD player in Santa Fe, New Mexico two years later - and that was the first CD I played on it. I say all this because yesterday I had something happen that has never happened before. As I mentioned, I bought a set called The Routes of Slavery from Amazon. It arrived, as promised, in one day. Excitedly I opened the package, prepared to play the enclosed DVD of a concert. There was a huge crack in the DVD. It was unplayable. I flipped over to the back of the book that contained the 3 discs (and a really interesting text in many different languages) to look at the 2 CD music set. Amazingly, each CD was halved. Literally, each disc was broken in half (there was one labeled disc 1 and another labeled disc 2). The other halves were not anywhere to be found. Not loose in the box, or on my floor. They simply were gone - probably on the floor of the Amazon warehouse. Quite disappointing. I’ve returned the set, and ordered a replacement, which should arrive tomorrow, so let’s hope this is a better copy. It really couldn’t be worse!

In final medical news for the moment, I have my Inspire surgery scheduled for next week! It’s a long recovery process - with significant soreness and healing needed. There will be two incisions - one on my chest to implant the device, and another in my neck to situate the wire. It will take over a month from the surgery date to even turn the device on - and then it could be months of testing before they get the settings correct. But still, it’s a huge step in the right direction for me, and I’m really looking forward to getting it done!

We’ve signed up as a team (Team Alzblog) to walk at the next Walk To End Alzheimer’s. Funding is desperately needed in order to advance research into a cure. With the current administration clamping down on medical research funding, it looks like private donations will become the best way to continue this essential work. Our team donation page is here: https://act.alz.org/site/TR?fr_id=18644&pg=team&team_id=958751

Please donate if you can. The walk is not until October, so there is plenty of time. I’ve been asked to speak at the rally as well!

Thanks for reading,

Dy