By wpengine November 22, 2002
The best improvisational work is something that couldn’t have been created in a compositional setting, just as the best collaborative work is something that couldn’t have been created by any one of the artists alone. This new EP goes even further, combining the best of collaboration and improvisation to create something truly compelling. In addition to Sonic Youth, the recording features the European free jazz collective I.C.P. and noisy electronic artists The Ex. The results, considering that the bands met and recorded without rehearsal in just two days, are remarkable. Throughout the EP, the distorted guitar lines of Thurston Moore and Jim O’Rourke mesh with unrestrained sax and trombone blowing from I.C.P. The playing is unstructured, but the players all seem to have a sure grasp of what they’re trying to create, and the give-and-take between soloists is fascinating. This cohesiveness reaches its peak on the final track, “X,” which almost sounds composed in the way it clings to a steady base. But the way that SY’s guitarists and I.C.P.’s horn section trade interlocking solos is all spontaneous, and is the best demonstration here of just how good both collaboration and improvisation can be. Archived article by Ed Howard
By wpengine November 22, 2002
Yesterday’s Student Assembly (S.A.) meeting focused on the issues of renewable energy and international student visas, both considerations central to the University. Kyoto Now! Gregory Andeck ’03, a representative from Kyoto Now!, offered a resolution that would establish an endowment for environmentally friendly programs. In 2001, the University signed an agreement with Kyoto Now! that would require it to reduce its carbon monoxide emissions to 7 percent below what they were in the ’90s. However, according to Andeck, with the additional construction of such large projects as Duffield Hall and the Life Science Building, the campus is growing too quickly for the University to meet those goals. The resolution will encourage Cornell to create an endowment that will attempt to solve this problem by first focusing on the possibility of wind energy purchase. Energy The short-term goal of Kyoto Now!, according to Andeck, is for the University to purchase 10 percent of its energy from wind sources. “If Cornell were to set up an endowment for renewable energy it will make Cornell the largest purchaser of wind energy in the country,” Andeck said. Utilizing wind energy for 10 percent of the electricity budget would cause only a 1 percent increase in the budget as a whole. It would also establish Cornell as a leader in environmental conservation, Andeck said. Later, the endowment would be used to fund other renewable energy programs. According to Andeck, the administration has reacted positively to the proposal. The next step would be to find alumni donors to the endowment. Assembly members approved this resolution and also another resolution drafted in support of international students whose study has been disrupted or suspended because they have had difficulties obtaining visas. Brendan O’Brien, director of the International Students and Scholars Office, discussed the situation with members. “It’s been a difficult year,” O’Brien said. Over the last year, according to O’Brien, international students have been subjected to increasing scrutiny by the government. Cornell has approximately 3,200 international students and 1,000 international visiting faculty and researchers. So far, no students have been denied a visa because of security reasons, but around 20 to 30 students have experienced extended delays. “Ever since the terrorist attacks, the scrutiny has increased manifold,” said Stuti Mandala ’04, vice president for finance. According to Mandala, restrictive policies have made the process of obtaining a visa much more difficult for students than in the past. One Assembly member, Brandon Ashley ’06, questioned why the S.A. should trouble itself with the plight of only a small number of students. “It’s a small number, so you can say it’s not a big deal, but when you’re one of those students, it is a big deal,” O’Brien said. Josh Bronstein ’05, vice president for internal operations, agreed. “We are not the same without those twenty to thirty students on campus,” he said.Archived article by Mackenzie Damon