Terry Riley performance

I had the great pleasure of hearing Terry Riley's recent performance of Indian ragas yesterday at the Community Music Center in Portland. I've been a big fan of Terry's music over the years, especially his work with Kronos. This performance featured Terry accompanied by a small ensemble of tampuras, percussion instruments, and vocalists. I had never seen a performance of classical Indian music before, and was amazed by the vocal virtuosity of Mr. Riley. The universality of the music was highlighted by this small group of American performers who performed with such great feel, spirituality, and expertise.

I couldn't help but think about how the influence of Asian music helped formed the basis for minimalism, which is often identified as an American founded musical movement. I love the idea that non-western music is constantly influencing our culture, leading to the creation of distinctly American musical forms and sounds.

Check out Terry Riley's website for more information.

Here's a cool video with an excerpt of Terry's landmark minimalist work, "In C."