Re: Terje Rypdal was ECM guitarists

["Christo Jota" <chris@christojota.de>]

I mentioned it in a similar way some time ago in our list:

Sometimes I have recorded improvised material. When
I listen to it, Iīm thinking: "oh wow, thatīs great. I should
not miss this tune. Then the next step is to rehearse it and maybe
even play it live in concerts or put it on an official Christo Jota-release
or so. Maybe playing it a bit different but using the character of the
track.
By this way it becomes a CJ - composition that I can add to
my programme.
This means itīs thin line between improvisation and composition.
Have a nice day!
Christo
www.myspace.com/christojota

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick Walker" <looppool@cruzio.com>
To: "LOOPERS DELIGHT (posting)" <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2009 1:25 PM
Subject: Re: Terje Rypdal was ECM guitarists


> Per wrote about John Abercrombie's ECM sessions:
>
> */"They simply set up the main rule as "improvise
> everything but adapt your playing to make it sound as if it were
>  composed music being performed". I only heard about this recently but
>  have always loved that attitude for my own playing and I think many
> actually use this method to generate music that is afterwards
> published as compositions."/*
>
> Cool you mentioned this approach,  Per.
>
> Bill and I have played improvisatory instrumental music together and
> separately since the mid
> 1970's and we've always used this particular approach to mask that
> we were playing improv.  In the early days,  we were, of course,  just
> playing things like jams based off of Santana,  Allman Brothers,  Led
> Zepellin,
> Who, Hendrix and other groups.    But we would play these really long
> gigs at college parties where, because we didn't have a singer in our
trio,
> we had to play recognizable stuff.........danceable stuff.........and be
> able to stretch
> our sets out for several hours because we didn't have that much material
> worked up.........<blush>.
> In those days there was such a tradition of extended jams in rock and
> roll and funk so
> it made perfect sense.
>
> ***********************************8
>
> I think Schoenberg is attributed with this quote,
>
> "All composition is very slow improvisation"
>
> I always tell my students
>
> "All improvisation CAN be very quick composition"
>
> I think that using the most avant garde and experimental musical
> techniques that one can bring
> so called 'difficult' music to mass audiences by using very simple
> forms and techniques like 'call and response',   'response and call',
> different simple forms found in most simple forms of popular music like
> ABAB,  ABAC, ABCB,  ABAC,   and then compound forms
> using the same strategies.
>
> I remember distinctly, the first time I heard the Art Of Ensemble of
> Chicago
> play the track 'Theme De Yoyo"  with Fontella Bass singing lead.
>
> This track was a straight up R&B horn band romp but playing
> traditionally for 7 bars and then suddenly, playing completely
> "out"  for one bar,  coming in , perfectly , on the downbeat to start the
> chorus over again.
>
> It was so funky................and so ,  
>well......................OUT!!!!
>
> ....had a huge impact on me.
>
> Rick
>