Musicians too are birds of a feather
It feels good to know that birds’ melodies are often very similar to free-form jazz.
By ET Bureau |
iStock
It is a pleasant coincidence that a few days before the 100th birth anniversary of the American saxophonist and bebop legend Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, a biologist at an American university has averred her research shows birds also are prone to warble improvised melodies, not unlike free-form jazz.
That birds do not merely sing for their supper or other such quotidian tasks is heartening; it is another matter that the researcher has used the musical comparison not just because of the spontaneity of the birdsong but also because they do so apparently to get a ‘high’.
Her research has shown that random musical compositions release feel-good chemicals in their brains — endogenous opioids — so birds busk first thing in the morning, to jazz up the rest of their day. That birds given synthetic opioids also burst into boisterous free-form melody, not unlike famous jazz artists of yore with known predilections for such boosters, appears to have influenced the researcher’s allusion.
Intoxicating melodious improvisations dependent on the time of day and mood are reminiscent of the Indian classical music tradition too. It is not uncommon for individual musical interpretations to give performers — and listeners — a perceptible high. Despite differences in species, modes, notes and all that jazz, musicians are, indeed, birds of a feather.
That birds do not merely sing for their supper or other such quotidian tasks is heartening; it is another matter that the researcher has used the musical comparison not just because of the spontaneity of the birdsong but also because they do so apparently to get a ‘high’.
Her research has shown that random musical compositions release feel-good chemicals in their brains — endogenous opioids — so birds busk first thing in the morning, to jazz up the rest of their day. That birds given synthetic opioids also burst into boisterous free-form melody, not unlike famous jazz artists of yore with known predilections for such boosters, appears to have influenced the researcher’s allusion.
Intoxicating melodious improvisations dependent on the time of day and mood are reminiscent of the Indian classical music tradition too. It is not uncommon for individual musical interpretations to give performers — and listeners — a perceptible high. Despite differences in species, modes, notes and all that jazz, musicians are, indeed, birds of a feather.
Sir Roderick David Stewart or Rod Stewart loves kitbashing and scratch building. In simpler words, the Hall of Famer is heavily into model railroading. He has a 1,500-square-foot model-train layout in his Beverly Hills residence, which is a model of New York’s Grand Central Station.
The singer traces his interest in trains back to his childhood in London. He never had a train set, but British Rail operated not far from the shop his parents ran.
(Image: rodstewart.com)
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