Home » Jazz Articles » Book Review » Being Here: Conversations On Creating Music
Being Here: Conversations On Creating Music
Being Here: Conversations On Creating Music Radhika Philip
461 pages
ISBN: 13:978-0-989-488006
Radio.org
2013
New York has been the incubator for much of the most dynamic music in the history of jazz. For Bombay-born anthropologist Radhika Philip, witnessing one gig in Smalls was a life-changer. Seduced by the energy of the performance, the thrilling improvisations and the musicians' joyous communication, Philip was inspired to interview some of today's greatest improvisers and composers in order to better understand what exactly makes them click. In these candid conversations, 25 leading musicians shed light on the multiple processes involved in improvisation and composition.
Certain common threads link the narratives of interviewees such as guitarists
Bill Frisell
guitar, electricb.1951
Ben Monder
guitarb.1962
Henry Threadgill
woodwindsb.1944
Steve Coleman
saxophone, altob.1956
David Binney
saxophone, altob.1961
Brian Blade
drumsb.1970
Uri Caine
pianob.1956
Mark Turner
saxophone, tenorb.1965
Lawrence "Butch" Morris
cornet1947 - 2013
Jason Moran
pianob.1975
"Music is not about style, it is about a certain reality and truth that goes into the music," says bassist
William Parker
bassb.1952
John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
Thomas Morgan
bass, acousticIt's probably no coincidence that bebop doesn't register strongly on the radars of these musicians: "Playing bebop in a jam session now doesn't have the same significance it had in the forties," says Shaw Jr. III.
Economic considerations also play some part in the reluctance to embrace—or outright rejection—of the jazz label: "I am trying to diversify and place my music within an art context that opens up an entirely different financial bracket," says pianist
Jason Moran
pianob.1975
"Being here," it seems, also implies "being there" a significant proportion of the year—a reflection of just how marginal creative music is, even in New York.
Philip's subjects acknowledge being inspired in varying degrees by jazz's iconic figures without feeling constrained by the weight of the tradition or bound by stylistic considerations: "You have to keep yourself open to different influences...because that is what makes you grow," affirms drummer
Kenny Wollesen
drumsThis openness to all music is explained by Blade thus: ..."the generation that I'm part of...is post so much. When I was coming up jazz was no longer popular music. Swing music was almost forgotten." The advent of soul, funk, pop and singer-songwriters, Blade explains, expanded musicians' horizons and their willingness to experiment in different genres: "I've never had these boundary lines placed around me."
The principal thrust of Philip's interviews, however, revolves around the creative process and the intent behind the music. Broadly speaking, Philip fires the same questions at her subjects whose answers are expansive, engaging and revealing. Improvisation, often perceived as the cornerstone of jazz/creative music is a key focus of Philip's investigation and the interviewer elicits some fascinating thoughts from the musicians on what's involved in playing free and the relative merits of improvised versus composed music.
One of the most thought-provoking responses comes from Frisell: "I think people mistake freedom. Making some sort of loud, edgy noise, which I still do sometimes, doesn't have anything to do with freedom. That Nashville (Nonsesuch, 1997) record—people said they thought I was playing it safe because the music didn't have dissonance or distortion and all this stuff... for me to go to Nashville and play with guys I didn't know was much more dangerous and edgy and adventurous than going to the Knitting Factory and playing a bunch of noise with people who I had been doing that with."
In attempting to describe music-making, particularly the on-stage communication, improvisation and self-expression, the musicians draw on a wide and colorful array of metaphors including magic, acupuncture, sex, heart surgery, sailing, healing and, time and again, meditation. Nearly all describe the element of mystery and there's no fast-track: "Hard work goes into it," says Blade. "A lot goes into it. Honestly, it does come from all the time you spend at the instrument."
Only two women are interviewed—pianist
Maria Schneider
composer / conductor
Jane Ira Bloom
saxophone, sopranoOther issues that have long dogged jazz, those of the pressure to conform {..."some of the music that I was making was purely about how hip it was"—Jason Moran) and elitism (..."don't try to make it worse by coming over to our territory"—pianist
Robert Glasper
pianob.1978
What also emerges from this tome are the challenges, as Mark Turner puts it, of processing "fifty more years of music than musicians in the fifties had to..."
The wide-ranging material in these 450 pages provides a certain amount of guidance for musicians who are serious about their craft as well as plenty of insight into the creative worlds of some of the most celebrated of contemporary musicians. New York may be the main catalyst for creative music today but as these fascinating interviews reveal the cauldron's ingredients hail from every corner of the earth. Recommended reading.
Tags
Chris Potter
Book Reviews
Ian Patterson
United States
New York
New York City
Radio.org
Bill Frisell
Ben Monder
Henry Threadgill
Steve Coleman
David Binney
Brian Blade
Uri Caine
Mark Turner
Butch Morris
jason moran
William Parker
John Coltrane
Thomas Morgan
Kenny Wollesen
Maria Schneider
Jane Ira Bloom
Robert Glasper
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
Go Ad Free!
To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
New York City
Concert Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses
| More...
Buy Now
