CD Review: Mat Maneri - Pentagon

You know those little plastic puzzles, the ones where there's one tile missing and the point is to slide everything left/right/up/down until you've got the 'solution' (words, picture ...whatever) in place?

Yes? Well, I've always hated those things. In fact, I don't like any puzzles. They're supposed to be fun, an interesting and engaging challenge. Honestly, all they do is make me feel stupid. This extends to any and all games. Jigsaw puzzles. Crosswords. Video Games. Board Games (OK. Exactly one counterexample here: the RPM Version of Trivial Pursuit... but nobody at home'll play it with me, so it doesn't really count). Sorry, nothing there. They make no sense to me. Their 'meaning' is opaque.

One of the many problems with not having a 'game gene' (and perhaps less important than having to deal with the stunned looks that accompany the refrain "What? You won't play Pictionary with us?") is that I can't use the act of puzzle construction as a parallel to the listening experience. Think about it. You first encounter a piece of music and it takes a while, maybe even several whiles, for the 'picture' to emerge. So even though I've never put together a jigsaw puzzle, I imagine the thrill of discovery to be similar.

Except... that the 'what' of music is different for every single listener. When I hear a violin pleading against some dissonant chords, I may think of a damp breeze blowing the curtains back in the front window of an abandoned country house. On the other hand, you may hear nothing more than some meandering notes.

This whole music vs. game-playing idea has been floating around the back of my head recently. The other night, in the middle of a listening & writing session, I flipped on the TV. The idea was to check to see when/if it'll ever stop raining around here. For whatever reason, I am unable to remember where the Weather Channel lives. Click (QVC). Click (Texas Holdem). Click (Texas Holdem). Click (something in Spanish, all women partially clad). Click (Texas Holdem). What the hey?! Has Poker invaded the planet or what?! After stumbling onto the correct channel (the rain-ending answer: maybe) I put Mr. TV back to bed.

Article Author: Mark Saleski

Mark Saleski is a writer and music obsessive based out of the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. He is an editor and writer for Jazz.com. He also writes reviews for Blogcritics.org and produces the weekly feature The Friday Morning Listen. …

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