Preparations of our four (St Celfer, Nina Sobell, Sachiko Hayashi and me) have been three hours long. When 6 pm was coming, we had to move our devices out of the center of the stage to give a place for the preceding music collective: Regina Außerwöger, Stefan Krist and Didi Kern. They had been preparing only one hour because their music is only acoustic. They use among other: violin, cymbal, voice (Regina), drums (Didi), puzon, objects and second voice (Stefan).

At 8 pm they started and… I began to have a big smile on my face! They were so good that I was happy that I had an occasion to listen to their performance! Their playing was more complex, more variable structure with more unexpected changes than my favorite Qba Janicki with his Soundboard! Maybe they play less emotional and complex music than on my favorite album „Autolysis” (Qba Janicki in collaboration with Obsequies), but this album had been prepared for many months! This Austrian trio made a high abstract music on live after only three rehearsals! They had been understanding themselves without giving signs, by the music at the real time – as if they were connected to each other! Sometimes something went wrong with theirs instruments, but they solved these disorders perfectly. I was happy that I could be a witness to their very original musical conceptions!

After their bis, our four from four countries (America, Poland and Japan through Sweden) move devices to the center of the stage. John had an untypical and very smart conception of our show – every part was supposed to have ten minutes long and every part was announced. Program of our four was very complex and many possiblilites of mistakes and transparency. This type of showmanship was necessary to prevent the audience from getting confused.

The first part had two songs played by John with my yawrats animations. The first song was his more traditional „Fifty One”. The second song was his very abstract „Jasm”. I heard many versions of this song but I didn’t recognize it (many of his St Lives’ song are fully improvised)! The first part of this song was emotionally cold and a bit unpredictable, but it was transformed to very moody, light and optimistic music… This was my initial, minimal goal of traveling to Vienna! When I heard 3 months earlier that my maestro, teacher and friend come to Europe – it was obvious to me that I’ll go to his performance! The journey from my city to Vienna takes 14 hours by bus, but I would be happy if he talked to me for a few minutes after concert… and then, shock – I was invited to play solo and with his support!

The second part was a collaboration of Nina Sobell with St Celfer. Nina was playing on the piano and on the digital piano on a tablet, and St Celfer accompanied her with his Step 4D improvising Eclectic Floating Radii sound sets (as I understand).

The third part was mine! John announced me as Fluffy Crumb from Poland who doesn’t speak English but communicates with him by music and Google Translate!

Explanation: my English Speach is so weak that when John told some woman that I write well in English, she began to laughing and she was thinking that it was a joke. John on any occasion warned people that I don’t speak English… and shame on me – that’s true… I have a big problem to distinguish and separate native English noises called words. My mind is also too lazy to make the correct choices of subtle English language differences… and I know little words in English… Since a long time I say that I’m a monoglota – languages are not my talent… Additional problem is that I made not only language mistakes but also mistakes of real time thinking…

When I started to play on my elephonias I forgot to turn on my mixer and I had to start again… I played one of my sequences… too short… when I was rubbing the balloon – I forget ideas… the second sequence on the elephonia was also too short. Sometimes I was blowing directly to the microphone (not to elephonia)… Last „song” I played was an improvisation when elephonia was triggering Step 4D.

Explanation: elephonia is a sound generator, or in a sense a musical instrument.. Its construction consists of a piece of rubber attached to a pipe. I blow into the pipe and I stretch it so much that it makes horrible sounds (my nephew called this instrument „pierdziawka” – something like a fartener). My music is based on the horrible squeaking of balloons and for two years of my career I didn’t think I would be able to play my music live because the creacing of balloons was too short. John’s proposal motivated me to think hard and invent elephonia.

All my performance I had a void in my mind… and… … After two days… Fluffy Crumb still doesn’t know how his performance sounded. Some people were laughing at the beginning and after the show I heard „Good stuff”, „It was very funny”… My comrades told that all was good, but I can’t believe them – Nothing went as I intended. I got very great but short applause… I can write here that in my opinion music as entertainment (like a joke) can also be great music… It is not a problem for me to be a stock of laughing if people enjoy it – I’m just a fluffy crumb.

Explanation: The motto of Vekks is „Don´t fear mistakes. There are none. (Miles Davis)”. It’s a very nice and well-organized place open to any experimental music. It’s a pity and a shame that I haven’t found a place in Poland that could host such a great musician as St Celfer! Thank you so much, Georg! You also gave me the opportunity to take my first flight!

The fourth part was made as a collaboration between Nina and Sachiko and St Celfer… Two movies created by Sachiko with Artificial Intelligence as a tool are very complex and affect emotions – gave me a very interesting experience, even though films are not my passion… First background song was made by Nina Sobell which showed themself as a very talented Sound Art artist despite she is mainly is a contemporary sculptor, videographer, and performance artist! As she told me, as a source she used songs of birds and insects. I guess, that these sounds were more processed than Fluffy Crumb processed their balloons. Second background song was made in cooperate Nina and St Celfer (a soundtrack made by Nina that was recorded and played by the Step.4D which St Celfer improvised). I’ll be honest – after all that long multimedia and interactive experience, I wasn’t mentally able to listen to the second background track in detail and I can’t wait to see the recordings.

The last part was an interactive performance invented by Nina. She gave the audience sheets of paper and they had to record on their smartphones rubbing their fingernails for a minute and a half… Then – the sense of concept was discovered… Everyone had to play their record… Everyone in the audience could hear an unexpected, interesting 3D drone sound in the whole room!

My original goal was to be on St Celfer’s performance, to see his Step 4D in action and to talk with him few minutes. I exceeded my goals many times over!

Summary

… During this 5-day trip to Vienna I gained:

• the experience of passive and active participation in the St Celfer’s concert,
• a joint visit to the painting exhibition at the Vienna Belvedere with John and his wife Bia (I got to know the rich knowledge of John, who has a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting),
• meeting the extremely nice Nina Sobell,
• meeting Sachico Hayashi with unusual, common with me interests (philosophy),
• rich musical experience and increased ability to listen to abstract music,
• experience of cooperation with the former coach and director of coaching organizations John MacDougall Parker,
• knowing my limitations and possibilities,
• respect in the family, 🙂
• finding a nice place for a family vacation,
• a subject to this long post.

… It cost me:
stress, frustration and anger – I hate traveling, and making new friends causes me a terrible mental burden – for several days I analyze every mistake and inaccuracy in what I said. Of course it was worth it – leaving the comfort zone is necessary in life… I had my great life adventure