Five Bullets 6.2.23
This week: Atmospheric Sounds, Rewilding, & Makaya McCraven
Hello and welcome back to Circles In Space for Five Bullet Friday, where each Friday I share interesting stuff collected during the week.
If you’re new to Circles In Space, I wrote a bit about myself and this newsletter.
Good morning and happy Friday all! It’s a new month and summer is almost here. Today we’re expecting temperatures in the mid 80s with sunny blue skies here in New York City.
This week I’ve got a bit of everything but I’m most excited to share music from Makaya McCraven who I’ve been aware of for some time but hadn’t really listened to until lately, and now I can’t get enough! This goes back to the philosophy/mantra/worldview behind Circles in Space - I might orbit around something for a while but maybe it doesn’t grab me until years later (read more about this philosophy on my website).
A Note: sometimes I post articles which are behind a paywall. While I suggest paying for access to publications you genuinely enjoy reading, you can get around most paywalls by using this webpage archiving tool. I’m sharing this because sometimes you just want to read an article before committing to a subscription!
I hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter.
What’s on your reading, watching and listening list this summer?
THIS WEEK’S TOPICS:
History: On June 2, 1875, Alexander Graham Bell inadvertently made the very first sound transmission while working to improve the telegraph, prompting Bell to instead create a voice transmission device. Bell is considered the creator of the first widely successful telephone while Antonio Meucci is acknowledged as the telephone’s inventor.
Science: Acoustic research balloons detected some unknown sounds in the stratosphere. The solar powered hot-air balloons floating at 70,000 feet are used to capture acoustic data including infrasound (inaudible to humans) for detecting terrestrial phenomenon including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and thunderstorms. Scientists are deploying the balloons with the goal of using them to study Venus’s seismic activity from it’s atmosphere. Here on Earth, a network of balloons detected a large earthquake from 2000 miles away. Some of the sounds in the above article’s recording are explainable, like waves crashing, while some are still unknown to scientists.
Nature: Scotland could be the first rewilded nation. After humans came for natural resources, only 5% of Scotland was covered by forest. Today, the country is rebuilding ecosystems by planting native trees and plant species as well as reintroducing animal species hunted to extinction including beaver, wildcats, and possibly even wolves. Several nonprofits and organizations are leading the charge and focusing on large swaths of land, including Cairngorms National Park where landowners have begun a 200 year process to restore the river and forests. This movement shifted from preserving specific habitats to instead rebuilding entire landscapes to return the forest to it’s former glory.
Movies: Jonathan Rhys Myers portrays Sir James Brooke, the Rajah of Sarawak, in the adventure drama Edge of the World (2021). The film is an engaging look at how the wealthy Brooke came to rule a kingdom in Borneo, defying British colonial aspirations in the region and suppressing piracy, headhunting and tribal disputes. Although this review says otherwise, I found Myers’s narration and the unexpected Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now aspect surprisingly intriguing.
Music: “You’re listening to spontaneous compositions…that basically means we’re just making shit up.” This week I’ve been digging into jazz drummer Makaya McCraven’s catalog with his 2015 album In the Moment. The album was created from 48 hours of live improvised performances at a Chicago club over a 12 month period. The result is free, organic music which seamlessly layers melodic jazz with displaced hip-hop beats and sampling. Improvised jams, club noise, and McCraven’s shout-outs to the audience (including asking everyone to make a wish at 11:11pm) give the recording a very ‘live’ and distinct DIY quality. McCraven is joined by Chicago musicians on guitar, vibraphone, keys, bass, and horns, all supported by McCraven’s solid but tasteful percussive pulse.
Got something to share?
That’s all for this week!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great weekend.
Until next time,
KW
Margaritaville