Re: Let's cause a scene!

[Tim Nelson <psychle62@yahoo.com>]

--- Dave Stagner <dave@spnz.org> wrote:
> I suspect many of you are in the same boat. Do you
> play alone because you like it that way, or because
> no one else will play with you?

I think a lot of us probably do both.

But, as I noted in that 'instrumentalist vs. looper'
thread a week or two ago, the approach differs
considerably. When I play with a larger group of
musicians, I tend to try to keep my parts much sparser
to help do my part to keep the cacaphony under
control. This usually means that I do a lot less
loopage, or often none at all if that's what the
situation calls for.

In a looping situation, though, I'm wearing more hats
simultaneously, and that calls for an entirely
different mindset.

I think my favorite situation is improvisatory looping
with one other musician, especially if we're not
playing the same instrument. I enjoy the interplay,
bouncing ideas off of each other, hanging back to let
the direction mutate... Playing alone there's no
interpersonal feedback; sometimes this works well for
me, but other times it can be disconcerting when the
improv-muse bails. Playing in a larger group where
several people are layering loops can quickly get out
of hand unless the players are extraordinarily
disciplined and/or there's someone acting as
bandleader/conductor and/or there's some
pre-agreed-upon system like Zorn's COBRA or something
like that.

I'm an hour north of Boston; anyone (especially a
percussionist or a bassist) wanna collaborate?

-t-


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