Bach Inventions set to jazz, a symphony based on the digits of pi, stone carvings in marble or limestone, a cartoon manatee named Hugh, and the Burt St. Boys ( a family jazz ensemble) are some of Lars' current endeavors. Celebrate Pi Day March 14th, (3/14) at 1:59PM The Europeans will not be able to celebrate this day because they intelligently spell the date with day, month and year, unless they add a 31st day to April. No wait, it could be the third of January at 4:15 --hmm. You see, the digits of pi (3.14159265358979...) are spelled out in the moment on 3/14 at 1:59pm, year 2653. I wonder what life will be like then. Well, anyway, here's a snippet of what life is like now. ...as of April 2, 2012 An unbelievable year! After getting Pi Symphony performed, not only in Omaha ( June 2010) and Ruse, Bulgaria (November 2010) I set about creating the two videos that are movement one and movement II of Pi Symphony with scenes from the incredible trip to Bulgaria. The day that I got the CDs back from the orchestral recording, began the odessy of the copyright dispute. I registered Pi Symphony in 1992 for two reasons. At the time, there was no internet, and the digits of pi had been around for a couple of hundred years. Mostly known to mathematicians, not the general public. I mostly wanted to document when I wrote Pi Symphony. Secondly, knowing I am an unknown composer, I knew I would be showing my work to people to try to promote it and get a performance. To me, it is obvious that the melody of pi, simply mapped, is a wonderful thing, but I knew, there may be out there, an unscrupulous composer who might pretend that he had this idea as well ( after seeing my work). All I can say is, I am very glad I did copyright my work, and I still believe that a melody is just a melody, and a math constant does NOT have a particular melody ascribed to it. It has been very painful to hear people who believe the lies that I am somehow attempting to 'copyright pi'. It is a terribly interesting philosophical question, but certainly not the type of thing that one should be told to 'f*** off, get cancer and die' over in comments on ones work. The question of how 'right' it is to take others intellectual content really puts a nice new wrinkle on the story of Pi Symphony. I actually sent a very nice and complimentary note to the 'mathemagician' who doodles her way into the hearts and minds of unsuspecting minions. She repaid me with a most evil attack. I feel sorry for her. One day she may understand how hurtful her ill-informed attack was. When I wrote this piece, back in 1992, I never dreamed it would be so difficult to get something performed. I started this website, www.pisymphony.com, to keep my idea alive. Many have helped by purchasing synthesized versions of Pi Symphony. Thank-you. It worked. It has been a very exciting series of events. The CD is called, "Pi Symphony: The Ruse Performance". It is available in the Music Store on this website. To show that a melody derived from a number really ought to be protectable, I wrote an amazing piece. It is called, "Power Of Two(the binary waltz)". I will say that it is a piece that I cannot protect, and anyone may copy without even crediting me -- because of the judge's ruling in Portland. Please let me know if you think this is fair, but try to control your anger that I presume to be the first and only one to have done this melody. By the way, it is copyright protected, and I am still proud of that seemingly useless certificate. The Power Of Two ( the binary waltz ) The latest Burt St. Individuals' CD , called "Sunday Sessions", Came out early 2011. We're working on the next set of 'Tunes' and our focus has shifted from 'gigs' and practice, to practice and recording. Over the past several rehearsals, we have laid down seven tracks. The quality is really great, and our our work is paying off. The time in eastern Europe working with an orchestra and capturing thousands of images has culminated in a couple of YouTube videos and the audio will also be available soon on a CD called "Pi Symphony: The Ruse Performance". Here is a link to the YouTube videos from our adventure. Pi Symphony,Movement I: "Pi and 'e'", The Ruse Performance Pi Symphony,Movement II: "The Circle",The Ruse Performance The house is begun.I have learned this year that good things can come from bad things. Really good things can come out of really bad things. Feel free to roam around here in my 'Creative warehouse' If you decide to make a purchase of a CD, just visit the Music Store and ask for Lars. I have been cleaning it up a bit, and straightening out the displays. It really is the best way to buy music, directly from the artist. You can email me here if you like. I love to hear from people who read my page. Previous What's New A Toothpick Bridge Project I started another Toothpick Bridge Project with my son, Alek. Here's a link to a page describing our efforts. Since we have posted this, I have helped people all over the world with questions about toothpick bridges. The Pi Symphony. The Pi symphony is an orchestral work whose melodic content is derived from the transcendental number Pi. The base of the natural logarithms, 'e' is also used as a melody. One goal is to get a performance of The Pi Symphony. By purchasing an electronic version of Pi, Your name will appear on the first page of the master score for all time and you will get a CD of the synthesized version. If you want to be a part of the Pi Symphony, use the e-Mail link to contact me You can purchase a copy of the Pi Symphony with confidence from a secure credit card site that is every bit as wonderful as some south american river sites, only there is no ridiculous mark-up, so you pay alot less ( and enjoy it more! ) Other CD music releases are available as well, all in the tiny virtual music store whose link is in red. Or, buy a CD now and receive the sythesized rendition of Pi Symphony Buy a CD now ! $15.00 Stone Sculpture For a couple years now, I have been pursuing stone sculpture. I am concentrating on realist portraits in limestone. Check out some examples. An accurate representation can take up to 8 hours of 'sitting' which happens in roughly three sessions. The result is a life size 'head' which usually weighs about 100 lbs. in solid limestone. Why not get a head? Stone is cool. Altered Inventions. Altered Inventions was released in August of 2002. It is a collection of Bach 2 & 3 part inventions arranged for jazz. Many are performed in altered time signatures and recorded digitally with classic jazz instrumentation - Piano, Bass, drums, flute. Check out the samples. This collection of songs is packaged with a cover design using a stone self-portrait. 'Altered Inventions' The Burt Street Boys When my son, Alek, was about 12, he started playing the bass, and Adam, my 5-year-old began keeping time. Together we are: The Burt Street Boys, a be-bop jazz trio. After playing our first professional engagement in May 2003, the playlist has grown and the boys' talent has too. After playing three sets nearly every weekend in the lobby of a large lodge retreat for about three years, we now play concerts and regular jazz gigs. In 2008, Helen, then 14, starting working with us on the clarinet and alto sax, and in 2009, we made a slight change to the band name, Burt Street 'Boys' became The Burt Street Individuals. Here is a very 'web quality' video of one our practise sessions from summer of 2003 'Stayonit' 'Moondance' 'Darn That Dream' 'Barbados' Scrapple from the Apple...ala 2007 A little ditty Alek and I wrote the other day Here's a current JAM Video 2007 Daily Jam...feb.4.2008 Daily Jam...feb.5.2008 Franks Lesson...feb.6.2008 Daily Jam ...feb.26.2008 Daily Jam ...Apr.29.2008 This is just a little 7/4 jam with my favorite drummer, Hootie. ( aged 11) In 2006, I invited the daughters to join us (we still are called the Burt St. Boys) on clarinet, cello and flute for a concert in Omaha. A rare vocal, a song I wrote when my brother was dying a cancer. It's called I Already Miss You I guess there is no question about it, people want to hear a voice, even mine once in a while. I wrote this song of thanks, which I can say was written for quite a few influences in my life. Who Can I Thank, But You. My son, Alek, is doing some writing and playing. Here are a couple of his songs that he plays, quite matter-of-factly. Never Fall In Love Black Cat Beast... Long ago in high school, there was girl named Mary O'Keefe... A today it is her birthday... Happy Birthday Take one Happy Birthday Take two Happy Birthday Take three Happy Birthday Take four.... ...had to stop playing because Emma just had her wisdom teeth out and needed quiet. Hugh The Manatee 'Hugh the Manatee' is a cartoon character who is the personification, or should I say 'Animation' of humanity. If Hugh symbolizes the slings and arrows of humanity, his many supporting characters are those slings and arrows. Polly Tickle , Albert Ross, Ida Clair,Miss Apres Hensen, Rosetta Stone, and Terrence ( a dog) are just a few of his many friends.