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Yeah, it's a really hip selection. One section that
I didn't have time to "transcribe" from the book (heh heh) is where one of the
members of Joseph Hollbrooke (Bailey's improv ensemble)...I think the bass
player? describes why he fell out of love with free improvisation. It is very
interesting. He makes some great points, though not enough to compel me to
action.
Kris
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The
long passage from Steve Lacie is my favorite. "Jazz got to so that it
wasn't improvised anymore. A lot of music that was going on was really not
improvised. It got so that everybody knew what was going to happen and, sure
enough, that's what happened. Maybe the order of the phrases and tunes would
be a little different every night, but for me that wasn't enough. It reached a
point where I, and many other people, got sick and tired of the 'beat' and the
'4 bars' - everybody got tired of the systematic playing, and we just said
'Fuck it'."...some people are interested in carrying on an old tradition and
they can find their kicks in shifting round patterns and they are not in any
rush to find new stuff. They can rummage around the old stuff their whole
lives. People become obsessed with not just maintaining a tradition but with
perfecting it...[cut] "And you have to keep it going otherwise you lose that
freedom. And then the music is finished. It's a matter of life and death. The
only criterion is - 'Is this stuff alive or dead?'".
I really like
that quote--it sounds like a good
read!
Charlie
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