I have been on twitter a bit over a decade. Many of the interesting things I’ve tweeted have ended up on TT or DTM. However, when I downloaded my Twitter archive, I was surprised at how much I’d forgotten.Transitional Technology is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I meant to say that the way that the way the well worn “Miles Standards” were treated ( and recorded thankfully) on the PN sets were certainly not planned out (at least I don’t think so)and so that is about as close as you can get to “pure improvisation” on a familiar harmonic structure as I can think of.
Of course is jazz improvised. It’s not 100% pure every time (no structured music is) because you learn licks, patterns etc to play over changes using a specific musical vernacular but, how you order that information on any given tune at any given night is what makes it different from any non-improvised music where the arrangements and solos are always the same. Night after night. That’s what makes jazz so exciting. Hearing a master play a well worn standard or one of their original tunes for the umpteenth time and hearing how they approach it is part of its charm.
One of the things that really drew me into wanting to learn how to play jazz was hearing Miles Davis at the Plugged Nickel and wondering what in the hell they were doing. If that’s not improvised music than I don’t know what is. I could say the same about Ornette Coleman’s Atlantic recordings. However if you think about it, Miles at the Plugged Nickel is more improvised than Ornette’s “The Shape of Jazz to Come’ simply because the repertoire of the Plugged Nickel was music that Miles had been playing for several years by that point but
Some improvised music and improvising musicians sounds more organic than others. As an example, Sonny Rollins to my ears sounds more organic in his approach to soloing than say, Sonny Stitt. Charlie Parker, Wayne Shorter, Dewey Redman, Joe Henderson, John Scofield, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley are some other examples of soloists who sound like they are coming up with fresh musical ideas in the moment that don’t sound as “worked out” as some of their contemporaries. Of course this is my opinion and everyone else will feel different.
I meant to say that the way that the way the well worn “Miles Standards” were treated ( and recorded thankfully) on the PN sets were certainly not planned out (at least I don’t think so)and so that is about as close as you can get to “pure improvisation” on a familiar harmonic structure as I can think of.
Of course is jazz improvised. It’s not 100% pure every time (no structured music is) because you learn licks, patterns etc to play over changes using a specific musical vernacular but, how you order that information on any given tune at any given night is what makes it different from any non-improvised music where the arrangements and solos are always the same. Night after night. That’s what makes jazz so exciting. Hearing a master play a well worn standard or one of their original tunes for the umpteenth time and hearing how they approach it is part of its charm.
One of the things that really drew me into wanting to learn how to play jazz was hearing Miles Davis at the Plugged Nickel and wondering what in the hell they were doing. If that’s not improvised music than I don’t know what is. I could say the same about Ornette Coleman’s Atlantic recordings. However if you think about it, Miles at the Plugged Nickel is more improvised than Ornette’s “The Shape of Jazz to Come’ simply because the repertoire of the Plugged Nickel was music that Miles had been playing for several years by that point but
Some improvised music and improvising musicians sounds more organic than others. As an example, Sonny Rollins to my ears sounds more organic in his approach to soloing than say, Sonny Stitt. Charlie Parker, Wayne Shorter, Dewey Redman, Joe Henderson, John Scofield, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley are some other examples of soloists who sound like they are coming up with fresh musical ideas in the moment that don’t sound as “worked out” as some of their contemporaries. Of course this is my opinion and everyone else will feel different.
Very satisfying read. Thanks. I have never twitted, by the way, and don't think I ever will.