The Rest is Noise

The Rest is Noise is a my newest source of inspiration from the blogosphere.  It is also the title of an award winning book. I first found out about Alex Ross from my music professor, Jeanne Golan. She gave us an assignment to read through a collection of his essays on music for The New Yorker and write a paper in response.

The long articles I have read from The New Yorker archives are transformative and profound.  He puts difficult music in historical and current social context, making it easier to understand, listen to, and appreciate.  Jennifer Homan’s tome, Apollo’s Angels, is a great example of the dance version of this, but the dance world needs a writer at a major publication who is operating on this level with this much affection for the art form. I am not talking about a critic and I am not talking about a number one fan, but rather a discerning member of the community. This is how you build audience, awareness, and appreciation.  Any takers?

The blog has a wealth of information about music ranging from the arcane, at least to me, to fun tidbits such as Thomas Mann’s Favorite Records.  I am currently updating my playlist after coming across Ross’s list of his favorite records. So glad to find a new place for musical inspiration, besides Pitchfork and year-end best albums lists, and learn something more about music with which I am already familiar.