The performance featured several more bizarre interludes, including another phone call (this time with the artist physically present), a recording of a conversation among the band members, and a video of Moran writing in a journal while narrating his entry. The goal of these diverse tidbits was to emphasize the improvisational nature of music and expose Moran's creative process while adding a visual element to the aural stimulation of the music.
Moran cited Adrian Piper as the initial inspiration for "Milestone," stating that Piper's works aroused a love of visual medium that during the creation of the show developed into a desire to explore the boundaries between artist and audience. With this goal in mind, Moran added to his musical performance snippets of behind-the-scenes happenings and explanations of his musical development that ranged from stories of his mother's note-taking during his piano lessons to disagreements with college jazz professors.
Though parts of the performance's non-musical interludes were amusing, the overall effect fell flat.
The opening telephone scene was completely useless and the potentially funny Suzuki improvisation with an overlaid track of pencil scratching was far too long, grating on the ears to the point where I was no longer merely irritated by the noise (it's assumed intent), but instead, ready to run screaming from the theater.
The recorded band conversation also had potential, but it was lost in discussion of completely irrelevant subjects such as the merits of different cocoa contents in chocolate. The silent presence and lack of interaction between the band members on stage also made the conversation more than uncomfortable.
The narrated and videotaped journal proved effective as it actually discussed part of Moran's creative logic with a multi-media feel -- but the impact of this section was lost in the disjointedness of the rest of the performance.
These disjointed extras also detracted from the truly masterful and innovative jazz sets that displayed the comfortable interaction and musical creativity of the artists. Though the focus managed to remain somewhat on the jazz, the show would have been better served by cutting out the extra scenes and allowing the main point, the music, to come through.
