Persistence of Memory

Persistence of Memory is the latest documentation of the always-fascinating ongoing encounter of two remarkable musical minds, keyboardists Bob Bralove and Tom “T.C.” Constanten, also known as Dose Hermanos.  Though both came to prominence associated with the Grateful Dead, Tom as keyboard player from 1968 to 1970, and Bob as an engineer, programmer, and occasional performer from 1987 to 1995, this music is Dead-like only in its wide-open, wholly improvisational exploration of a vast musical universe with only one rule:  does the result, said Bralove, “feel like Dose?”

Their playing, thought Tom, felt as though they were Sinbad the Sailor going out to explore the seven seas of music.  “And we found a lot of sea creatures to consort with.”  “The history of most musical cultures,” he continued, “is the story of the emergence and evolution of a code, a ‘way it’s done,’ pointing the way to successful outcomes. From time to time someone would come along with an inspired vision, usually requiring a rewriting of the rules.  From the start, the Dose Hermanos approach has been to get as close as possible to 100% improvisation all the time. To interact musically, and then see where it leads.” The result is, to quote Earle Brown, “not a composition that is performed, but a performance that is composed.”

The amazing thing, Bob added, is “how willing listeners have been to come along for the ride.”