Rotary Perception

"There was once a word used---swing. Swing went in one direction, it was linear, and everything had to be played with an obvious pulse and that's very restrictive. But I use the term 'rotary perception.' If you get a mental picture of the beat existing within a circle, you're more free to improvise. People used to think the notes had to fall on the center of the beats in the bar at intervals like a metronome, with three or four men in the rhythm section accenting the same pulse. That's like parade music or dance music. But imagine a circle surrounding each beat-each guy can play his notes anywhere in that circle, and it gives him a feeling he has more space. The notes fall anywhere inside the circle, but the original feeling for the beat isn't changed. If one in the group loses confidence, somebody hits the beat again. The pulse is inside you. When you're playing with musicians who think this way you can do anything. Anybody can stop and let the others go on. It's called strolling…."
---Charles Mingus, Beneath the Underdog var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-18066032-2']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[tomwiebe-blog]

A Truism on Flickr.

The really interesting stuff in life is usually happening directly opposite of where everyone is looking.

[tomwiebe-blog]

D.O.A.'s new lineup ain't taking no crap from no one. on Flickr.

Sorry for the continued lack of new pictures here on flickr, I haven't forgotten you! Been busy as stink working, living and making pictures. I couldn't let this one pass though! It was a real honour to be asked to do new promo pictures for D.O.A. this past week. While most of you know me as a jazz nut, punk rock is deep in my bones too and I've been a huge fan of Vancouver legend's D.O.A. and front man Joe Keithley since I was but a lad. As you can see, things got off to a bit of a rocky start but, once I could move my jaw again, things settled down and we got along great! The new lineup featuring my old friend Paddy Duddy on Drums and Mike Hodsall on bass is screaming good. They land in Europe later today for a whirlwind summer tour. If you're in Europe, check out Sudden Death Records for dates and do try to catch them if you're nearby.

[tomwiebe-blog]

36 of my Favourite Albums

[tomwiebe-blog]

Everything's Coming Up Rainbows. on Flickr.

Rainbow over the Port of Vancouver this afternoon.

[tomwiebe-blog]

Pyongyang of the West on Flickr.

Via Flickr: The Great Leader paid a visit last winter.

[tomwiebe-blog]

A Rare Visitor on Flickr.

Via Flickr: The CGS Bartlett refuels at the neighbourhood Chevron station. Not often you see a Coast Guard ship in Burrard Inlet since Stephen Harper decided that the busiest harbour in Canada was less deserving of a Coast Guard outpost than Selkirk, Manitoba, located some hundreds of miles from the ocean. We've so far been incredibly fortunate in that there's been only one notable incident resulting in a death in Vancouver's waters that likely could have been prevented if the Coast Guard Station was still open in Kits.

[tomwiebe-blog]

So Long Koala Punk on Flickr.

Via Flickr: No, he's not going anywhere. Still doing just fine but, today it became pretty obvious he's outgrown the moniker. Koala Punk just isn't the right moniker for a young man who can't wait to get out of Kid's Only Market to take a tour of his uncle's university darkrooms. It's most definitely not applicable to a kid who can spend an hour sitting on the seaside debating the merits of dip pens vs brush pens for inking his sketches. And, it's certainly not appropriate when he goes and buys those pens to try out. With his own money. We talked about it and settled on KP. He's not quite ready to leave childhood completely behind it seems.

[tomwiebe-blog]

Great Day in the City on Flickr.

Via Flickr: Not so much on the North Shore but, they're pretty used to that by now!

[tomwiebe-blog]

Lincoln Premiere on Flickr.

Via Flickr: The owner of this classic old boat was thoughtful enough to park it in front of a colour coordinated wall. If not for the shrubbery, I might not have even seen it. Huzzah!

[tomwiebe-blog]

The Shortest Month Gives Way on Flickr.

Via Flickr: The days are getting longer, the sun is shining a little brighter when it does, people are wearing a layer or two fewer. Generally much rejoicing as we close out February and head into March. For my part though, I'll miss the long shadows the sun casts in the winter months, not to mention sunrise at a civilized time.

[tomwiebe-blog]

4 Years and 2 Olympics Later on Flickr.

Via Flickr: Finally, a shot of the 2010 "Winter" Olympic Cauldron lit up in the snow.

[tomwiebe-blog]

Pro Eto Revisited on Flickr.

Via Flickr: A modern take on Aleksandr Rodchenko's photomontages created to illustrate Mayakovski's opus 'Pro Eto'. Teetering right on the edge of incomprehension. (as all good art school projects should). Of course, not entirely true to the spirit of the original. Rodchenko cut pictures out of magazines whereas I took all of these myself. As far back as 1988 and as recently as last week.

[tomwiebe-blog]

Aleksandr's Perspective on Flickr.

Via Flickr: In the spirit of Rodchenko. Neopan 1600 developed on Clayton F76. Damn, I like this combo. Pity I didn't discover it years ago, only have a few rolls of Neopan left. :-( A project for school, emulate a favourite photographer. Of course, I picked the guy with the collages. Will be hard at it with my scalpel and glue stick tomorrow. Some info on the Russian master for those not familiar with his work. Well, for those not familiar with his name. Half a dozen or so of his images have been so widely used that it's pretty inconceivable that anyone hasn't seen them before! aleksandrodchenko.wordpress.com

[tomwiebe-blog]

Time to take the skeletons out of the closet on Flickr.

Via Flickr: The last time I made prints in a darkroom, this guy was fat and jolly as was the newspaper he's reading. Lots of people still connected to the internet via modems and fax machines were still a thing. The first viable DSLR's were just about to start shipping and nobody talked about analog photography because photography was still, for all intents and purposes, wholly analog. Fortunately, it turns out that printing is just like riding a bike. Not a skill you lose over time. Was able to pump out contact sheets for the last 65 rolls I've shot and do a couple prints for good measure in just under 4 hours. The darkrooms at Emily Carr are very nice to work in and the Kreonite for RC prints has got to be the cleanest paper processor I've ever seen. Looking forward to spending a substantial amount of time there over the next few months. Have also gained a new appreciation for my Fuji GW-670iii, having never made an actual silver print from it before. My Canon scanner does not do the negatives justice at all.

[tomwiebe-blog]

Blue Monday on Flickr.

Via Flickr: And I still find it so hard To say what I need to say But I'm quite sure that you'll tell me Just how I should feel today www.ctvnews.ca/health/blue-monday-the-most-depressing-day...

[tomwiebe-blog]

30% off crack.

[tomwiebe-blog]

Rough day to find a tow truck on Flickr.

Via Flickr: Careful out there, it's almost like being in Canada!