Wednesday Performance with Aaron Ximm

Aaron Ximm’s performance on Wednesday was very similar to what Glenn Bach did on Tuesday. Aaron played a series of his recordings that he interconnected with other recordings. All of the sounds combined together created this lasting song that was controlled by him. I found that the best possible way for me to really listen to all of the sounds was by closing my eyes. This way my sense of hearing was heightened and I was more in tune with what I was listening to. At times I couldn’t tell the difference between the two recordings he was playing because I heard them as one recording. Each new sound was different and with every new sound my imagination wandered to different places. Each memory differed based on what sound, or sounds, I was listening to. I think that that is Aaron’s goal; he wants his recordings to give the listener a sense of nostalgia. This way, the experience is different for everyone.
I also find it interesting how often we ignore the sounds around us. Aaron seems to capture those everyday sounds that most people would ignore. When talking about his piece Guantanamo Express he says, “I believe that the piece is also musical in ways that derive uniquely from the use of field recordings as a medium. In particular, I believe that there are aspects of arbitrary sounds and soundscapes-sound that until recently was dismissed as “noise” in the derogatory sense-that work on us at something very like the visceral level that traditional musical materials do” (Ximm). Very often what we might think is noise could very well be used in one of our favorite songs. It’s the difference between what society tells us is noise and what is music. We have to allow our ears to be open to all sounds and see the potential for possible music. Aaron is open to and listening to all sounds and therefore sees the potential for music in these sounds. What we define as music is really open-ended however I found his work to be musical.