John Cage is the one person I happen to have known on this list of artists. A memorable afternoon spent with John is documented in Beginning Composition.

I did sit adjacent to Laurie Anderson in the audience during a John Cage Festival held at Symphony Space in Manhattan in the eighties, my girlfriend reprimanding me for staring a few times.

Thursday Afternoon by Brian Eno, first heard in 1985, was an important influence in my musical life, referencing that album in the title, Thursday Evening, featured on the Polynesian Woman album.

Inner Visions by Steve Wonder is one of my favorite albums of all time. I was once at a reception for him at a Los Angeles hotel in 1997, but we didn't actually meet. Meeting the widow of Sammy Davis Jr. on that occasion was memorable, her confiding fascinating and moving details of their life together.

Chinese Legend was played by Martin Perlich on KUSC FM, including enthusing about my usage of musical timbres from a wide range of foreign lands, and the unique cover art design. Martin would later interview me twice on KCSN FM. Earlier in his career, Perlich interviewed Aaron Copland, Darious Milhaud, Leonard Berstein, Pierre Boulez, Steve Reich and Frank Zappa.

Pandit Jasraj, Ravi Shankar, Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy, Lee Konitz and Joel Chadabe were among others also taken by Chinese Legend. A dance performance at UCLA was centered upon the album, too.

- Michael Robinson, February 2021, Los Angeles

© 2021 Michael Robinson All rights reserved

Michael Robinson is a Los Angeles-based composer and writer (musicologist).