ABSTRACT
Before I begin in earnest, I would like to lay a shaky groundwork for a more developed philosophical study of the reconceptualist tradition in curriculum that this book might anticipate. This might begin to suggest some directions from this future idea and should explicate its speculative present in relation to some of my past work. These directions also indicate a transition in my thinking. Musically speaking, the idea of a “transition” alludes to my favourite album by John Coltrane, Transition. In this album, Coltrane’s saxophone does not sing the same primal solos as his later work nor does the melodic phrasing of his earlier period stand out. He is in the midst of a transition. In the title track, there is the constant presence of piano played by McCoy Tyner, thrusting chords with almost no decay in their vocalization. Against this pressing piano, Coltrane seems to be seeking something, chasing after someone, speculating a blue avant-garde. This admittedly loose sense of a blue avant-garde is a refrain I’d like to hold on to.
