ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book talks about John Wyre who used some of his free time to visit the local antique shops in search of unusual musical instruments, especially bells and gongs. John had been collecting bells of Asian origin for some time. John's temple bells came into play for a moment in one of the distortions, the fast and tricky xylophone passage from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. In May 1971, at the prodding of composer Warren Benson, the first NEXUS concert was presented in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Around the time of the York University workshops, NEXUS also crossed paths with Paul Winter and his consort of wonderful musicians. The creation of music is exactly the kind of step taken by John Cage in his compositions of the 1930s and 1940s.
