Oxley is a terrific technician, has been most of his performing life, and his chops in this vid are dead on. I have known a couple of very fine technical percussionists ala Oxley. This improvisation does have a framework. Glad I came across it.
Most people don't realize that Derek Bailey also has a technique for this style of playing. His playing is heavily centered around a three combination sound of open string, harmonics, and string rack played at the same time. Also, if this was in a horror movie no one would be saying anything bad about it. They would think its perfect prosody for a horror film creating evil, chaotic sounds. However, take away a movie and your left with this sound, suddenly everyone thinks its just noise.
Christian Hoen, improvisation is improvisation. Wes Montgomery never played his jazz solos the same ever. Just because Wes maybe more tonally pleasing does not mean that Derek Bailey music should not be considered improvisational. Try to realize that Derek Bailey is playing avant-garde jazz and not limiting it to just harmony and pitch, but also sound. He is improving on sound as well.
They are making statements, and reacting to those statements. Even when one musician plays solo, he is reacting to his previous idea. A certain sound, or combination of sounds, produces a feeling in the mind of the musician, which in turn, suggests the next possible idea. It's all about being in the moment, and yes, they are listening to each other. Probably much more intensely than many rock musicians normally do.
Everything you said is a perfect description of what is happenning there. I do not agree only with the comparisson with Rock, as `` intensely `` is a term based on relativity. An `` intensimeter `` was not invented yet. It is based in human feeling, impressions. And why there is always a comparisson with Rock ? Why rock bothers some jazz, free jazz or any non-rock style lovers ? Forget it !
Thanks for the comment. I mentioned rock musicians only because I have played in many rock bands in the past (thankfully no more), and grew more and more frustrated with so called musicians who couldn't improvise, and didn't listen to each other. They only listened to themselves, and were often involved in a battle of volume levels. They just learnt the songs by rote in the rehearsal room, and I had to do the same. If anyone deviated from this, a train wreck would often occur. I know there are rock musicians who can improvise, and do it well (outside of the blues form), but in my experience are not common. Rock music doesn't bother me at all- I've just moved on.
Thanks, Jon. Well, you were talking, first, about intensity. Now, you talked about improvisation and ability to be able to improvise. Two different aspects in Music. Also, let's not forget that you are talking, also, about your own experience, which may be extremely different from other musicians.Rock is not and never was based on improvisation. Of course that, in the past, we had some great improvisers, like Hendrix or Santana ... and many others in the 60's and 70's. But that is not the main focus of Rock and Roll. Jazz musicians are trained, since they are `beginners ` as musicians, to improvise, to understand and realize the forms, to tell a story inside different forms, different structures and time signatures, to feel complex harmonies, etc ... Rock musicians, only few know few things about all these aspects. So, we can't compare musicians who were prepared to do different things inside different music styles / languages / purposes / complexities. All said, in terms of improvisational skills, they can't be compared. But, as I already said, INTENSITY is not defined by improvisational skills. There are hundres of jazz musicians who improvise very well but are not INTENSE. There are hundreds of Jazz musicians who only learned the licks, phrases, they emulate the masters. As the same thing happens in Rock, Pop, Classical, etc ... And the same thing happens in Rock; and, maybe, much more oftenly in Rock, you will find emulators. But, again, you were talking about INTENSITY. Many musicians are very `` simple `` when playing, maybe many are even very `` poor `` improvisers, but they have DEEP, VERY VERY VEEERYY DEEP intenisty when playing. For example : brazilian Milton Nascimento.
@guitarbr0 I was there and certainly did not ask for my money back, I wished in fact I could give these guys more money for their courage, bravery and "avant-garde"-ness!!!!!!!
People who don't feel that 'improvisational music' is valid or authentic should stick to whatever it is they think music should be and leave the fully engaged listener to explore the sensation of a deeper sonic reality.
I challenge anyone who's an accomplished musician to play so freely as that. That to me is the really interesting thing about these guys is the way in which they can forget everything they know and totally break with convention. It may not be beautiful like a Mozart symphony, but music? Definitely.
@thatsmypeanuts Well, maybe. We´ll never know as he never replied. And it is a fact that too many people try to put down many music styles that they do not understand or appreciate, so my mind is prepared to that, to interpretate almost everytime as if the person is trying to make an irony, specially if the person makes a ' not so clear ' comment. To me, this guy made an irony with Bailey and Oxley. I accept: maybe I can be wrong, maybe. Thx.
@freeavantgardevideos If you read all commentaries on this video you will see that many are making stupid ironies or commentaries, for example, one asked where is the ' one ' here and another guy said he would ask for his money back . I think that nowadays too many people are extremely worried with criticizing, loosing their free times with that.
yeh ! sometimes peoples who have zero interest in a style try to listen to it and having bad opinions !I don't eat Italian pasta dishes so I don't care about it! would never go to a pasta place to eat there and criticize the food ! ??
I saw these guys play in a quartet with Pat Metheny and Bill Bruford; I found Derek's playing revelatory and Pat's hackneyed and overly dependent on gimmickry ........
@nashvilleraidersfan Stupid joke / comparisson. In he 80´s dozens of essential metal bands from the NWOBHM played in very very small clubs in England for 20, 50 100 people, bands which are extremely important to Metal as Metallica - and very few people know them. If playing in huge arenas is proof of something, Lady Gaga should be considered bigger than Slayer. Justin Biebber should be bigger than, let´s say, Anvil or Diamond Head or Blitzkrieg.
They do not seem to be listening to each other. Tony does not use silence as much as he should he seems to keep up a constant racket. Some free music is very good but not this in my opinion.
if this song is transcribed and if tey are playing this song exactly like this every time i will consider it art. if its just improvisation...well then its just shit. sorry
