From Library Journal
In 1971 a music studio and educational center sprang up in Woodstock, New York. Over the course of 15 years it became a cultural center and mecca for musicians throughout the United States and, occasionally, the world. The founder of the Creative Music Studio was Karl Berger, a Berliner who hooked up with Don Cherry in Europe and migrated to New York City in 1966 as pianist in Cherry's band. Berger, with a doctorate in philosophy and music aesthetics, evolved a method of teaching musical structure that could be applied across all types of music. Artists from jazz, classical, and world music traditions were those most likely to be drawn to Berger's studio. A list of well-known artists would include Cherry, Jack Dejonnette, Anthony Braxton, John Cage, Carlos Santana, and Nano Vasconchellos, among many others. This well-written and -researched history of the Creative Music Studio conveys the importance of this unique institution. Ultimately, however, its narrow subject limits the book's appeal; appropriate for comprehensive music collections.?Tim Laborie, St. Joseph's Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Music Universe, Music Mind: Revisiting The Creative Music Studio, Woodstock, New York is the account of a unique study center for music, which brought together some of the world's finest musicians during the years 1971 to 1984. The telling of the Creative Music Studio'[s history in the words of these musicians (many of whom were interviewed for the book) is what makes Music Universe, Music Mind such fascinating reading. Music is a universal phenomenon, a product of the minds of people of all cultures and all time. And teaching music according to the elements that are common to all musics and all peoples is what the Creative Music Studio was all about -- going beyond styles, beyond traditions to a whole world of musical expression that is too often neglected by today's commercial music industry. Music Universe, Music Mind is an insightful and thoughtful addition to all music school and community library music reference collections. -- Midwest Book Review
