Jazz for aficionados

Frogman, Improvise means to create and perform spontaneously or without preparation.  Improvise comes from the Latin word improvisus, meaning "unforeseen, unexpected." Think about when something unexpected happens to you — you have no choice but to react in the moment, or improvise.

I'm sure he, (meaning my musician friend), practiced so much that he could visualize his instrument in his sleep during his formative years. Why do so many musicians play with their eyes closed? That's because they don't need to even see the thing their playing, even when it's as complex as a "Koto". I saw June Kuramoto play the Koto most of the night with her eyes closed; she was playing improvisational jazz better than on any records I have of "Hiroshima"; with her eyes closed, I even have pictures.

You see classical musicians practicing morning noon and night; I'm sure it must be necessary; but if you are going to be improvising, playing new music that you have in your head, what are you going to practice? When improvising, each note you play, depends on the note someone else played before you; that's why good jazz musicians sound so good, because if you play a wrong note, someone else can play a note that will make it sound good, and it all comes out sounding beautiful.

Although you keep harping on the "fact" that my friend did not practice when he was performing at least three nights a week; the elephant here is "improvisation"; that's the ability to create "spontaneously"; either you got or you don't, but no amount of practice will enable you to do this.




Enjoy the music.

This Morning's Listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT37-5IE4yE


Cheers

Here it is, all the way live HIROSHIMA! I am 100% into this including the Tibetan aspect at the beginning.


                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxImZTT1AEY


I wanted you to see the beautiful June Kuramoto on Koto. I'm sure you can find a better picture if you like what you hear and the audio is not the best; that gal can git down on that Koto when she wants to. I saw them in the 80's at a free concert in the Botanical Gardens, and they played like I've never heard them on any records; they were feeling it, and there was a large responsive audience; that can put high energy into any group.



      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jme2Z0HIzQU

                 

  (she was more beautiful in 1980, it don't last forever)



                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU3oPGanY3I


There is nothing on you tube that will provide an example of that evening, they were feeling good and just jamming.






Enjoy the music.

Rok, thanks for your valiant effort as peacekeeper.  Those are good definitions.  But the issue is not the validity of subjectivity.  Inherent in its definition is the idea that personal feelings are part of it.  It makes my point.  I have no issue with O-10 feeling that this or that is better FOR HIM.  My point is simply that there ARE aspects of music that can be judged objectively.  But first one must be willing to learn and understand the language of objectivity that relates to music; those pesky nuts and bolts.

O-10, I am not harping on anything.  I believe it is you who is harping on the subject of objectivity.  I don't know who your friend was nor know anything about his success (or not) in music.  I don't mean to be so blunt, but concerning this issue I am afraid that you don't know what you're talking about.  Of course, every musician can go through periods of little or no practicing; but, I assure you that eventually it catches up with him and it starts to show in his playing.  And, no, Louis was not talking about his formative years.  Bird practiced incessantly, so did Trane and on and on.  In fact, as a humorous footnote; it is the bane of every hotel when a touring jazz band would/does come to town with the endless complaints from guests about the practicing in the rooms.  Yes, the creative process happens in a player's head, but the chops need to be exercised and ideas developed and translated from the abstract to the physical and executed.  C'mon O-10, you seem to have created this bubble with your own personal reality of what it's all about.  I respectfully encourage you consider that your reality needs a little tweaking if it's going to be presented as anything but just your own.  Regards.

Hiroshima Live EMMY WINNING VIDEO

In what 'category' did they win this Grammy?

Cheers