Subject: Re: improvisation
From: Al Mattes (alm@magi.com)
Date: Tue Sep 17 1996 - 10:17:27 EDT
>In message <960808120330_174167981@emout19.mail.aol.com>,
>Dolphy5948@aol.com writes
>>
>I would be curious to know who here works in the
>realm of improvisation. It seems that there is a definite 'distaste"
>for any
>form of electronics in most "improvised cricles" with the exception of
>such
>luminaries as Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, and Roscoe Mitchell.
>
>.......SNIP
>
>>They say that the two ideas do not mix but I do disagree!! Any comments
>>would be welcome.
For many years I was a performer with the CCMC, a Canadian band that
utilized many kinds and types of synthesizers in improvised performances. I
was both a guitarist and bass player and used a Buchla music easel as well.
Later I graduated to Don Buchlas digital system and still own one of his
first digital keyboards ( I also still own an easel) In later years I used
a guitar to drive a synthesizer and various midi gear.
All of the music of the CCMC is/was synthesized and I am proud of the
records, tapes and CD's that we produced. We have performed in Amsterdam
and utilized some of the early technology that comes from Steim. We have
performed with Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Misha Mengleberg, and many other
musicians both in Canada and in Europe. it is noce to see that others are
including improvisation as a real outlet for ea music.
As the President of the CEC I remain fondest of real time performances and
to this day one of my greatest pleasures is remembering a friend and former
teacher Richard Teitelbaum in full flight performing on his analogue Moog.
With patch cables draped carelessly over his neck and hands flying the
normally inactive Richard was a sight to behold as he created his music in
response to senesory inputs from others around him.
>
>I am a composer/performer of electroacoustic music who "works in the
>realm of improvisation" frequently. I have been privileged to work with
>many of the leading British free improvisers, eg Barry Guy, Evan Parker,
>Alan Tomlinson, Vanessa Mackness, and many other improvising musicians
>such as Melvyn Poore and Simon Desorgher.
>
>I take a very different approach to the interactive computer work of
>George Lewis and others. I work principally with live processing of
>other musicians' sound, but I see the processing as an instrument in its
>own right. I think of myself, and encourage the other musicians to think
>of me, as simply another player in the group. But I play an instrument
>that builds on what they are doing and invites them to respond by
>playing what will work with my processing. Yes, there is an ethos among
>many improvisers that they must be totally in control of their own
>sound. I am gratified that more than one musician has confessed to
>revising that view after working with me. .....End of commercial! ;-)>
>
>An important strand of my current work is developing new ways of
>controlling live processing so that my response can be as immediate and
>subtle as theirs. In 1997 I will undertake a project at STEIM,
>Amsterdam, in collaboration with Barry Guy and Evan Parker, to explore
>further possibilities. I hope to begin developing new interfaces for
>performance.
>
>All my current work is based round the IRCAM Signal Processing
>Workstation, which I consider to be the only currently viable system for
>this sort of work (champions of other systems are invited to fire off
>salvos at that!). I will give one example of a processing model that I
>am finding extremely fruitful at present.
>
>I have implemented a delay line that can be played by a DrumKat MIDI
>controller (I trained as a percussionist as well as a composer). Sounds
>played into the delay trigger a timer; a stroke on the DrumKat reads the
>time from the last sound and sets the delay to that time, so I can
>replay the instrumentalist's sounds at will. The replay is fed to a
>Hilbert Transform frequency shifter, with different offsets keyed by the
>different pads and various sets of offsets selected by footswitches. I
>also have a footpedal control of delay feedback. I have used this solo
>(I improvise vocals as input) and in duets and ensembles with other
>musicians. Interestingly it has also fed into my pre-composed music. My
>recent piece "The Garden of Forking Paths" for Guitar and ISPW uses a
>version of this instrument in one section.
>
>I will close with a question. I see the computer as an instrument -
>while some others see it as a performer. Which of these views of the
>computer, or indeed which other views, do cecdiscuss subscribers find
>most useful in their work? In particular what do other improvisers
>think?
>
>
>Lawrence Casserley
>
>--
>Lawrence Electronic Operations -Tel +44 1494 481381 -FAX +44 1494 481454
>Signal Processing for Contemporary Music -email leo@chiltern.demon.co.uk
>
>
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