Default Material

Joe Morris on improvisation:

Free music musicians do have default musical material that they rely on. In a group of improvising musicians, those default solutions can vary and those variables require adjustment and negotiation for a good collective result. Having the skills to accommodate those variables makes a player more versatile, which opens more possibilities for new music to happen. (Perpetual Frontier, 2012, p. 25)

Playlist, Week of 2015-05-24

Still absorbing the recording of the gig in Nashville. Very intense! Also, Rodger just sent me files for the 100+ minutes of studio recordings we did before the show; looking forward to digging into that!

Playlist 2015-05-25:

*Derek Bailey and Eddie Prevost: 2002-08-20 London (CDR)
*Ornette Coleman: The Great London Concert (side 1)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2015-05-15 Centennial Park Black Box Theater, Nashville (mp3)
*John Coltrane: The Prestige Recordings (discs 10, 11, 12, 13)
*Whit Dickey: Coalescence
*Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society: Barbeque Dog
*Last Exit: Iron Path
*Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House: 2011-08-06 Lisbon (CDR)
*Ingrid Laubrock/Dan Peck/Tom Rainey: 2012-05-11 Moers (CDR)
*Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House: 2014-09-16 Koln, Germany (CDR)
*Plymouth: Plymouth
*Plymouth: 2015-03-06 Amsterdam (CDR)
*Wayne Shorter: Schizophrenia (side 1)
*Wayne Shorter: Odyssey of Iska
*Animal Collective: 2008-07-19 Pitchfork Music Festival (CDR)
*Beatles: Help! (2009 mono remaster)
*Can: The Lost Tapes (disc 1)
*Cassiber: Beauty & the Beast (side 2)
*Deerhoof: Green Cosmos
*Deerhoof: 2014-03-09 De Kreun, Belgium (youtube > mp3)
*Deerhoof: La Isla Bonita
*Gentle Giant: Free Hand
*High Llamas: Buzzle Bee
*Daniel Ponce: New York Now!
*Various artists: Zombies/Ra/Trip Misc. (cassette compilation)

Reading List, Week of 2015-05-24

I am going to be reading this one for a while. In the meanwhile, only the last third left of The Crippled God!

Reading List 2015-05-25:

*Erikson, Steven. The Crippled God (reread/in progress)
*Schmidt, Michael. The Novel: A Biography (in progress)

Free Improvisation

Free improvisation is not a style of music. It is a process used to make music. (Joe Morris, Perpetual Frontier, 2012, p. 48)

Photos and Video of Nashville Gig

Chris DeLine
The show at the Centennial Park Black Box Theater went really well! Really nice crowd, surreal projected live drawing behind us. After a nice opening set from Matt Endahl (solo Fender Rhodes) and the resolving of a few technical difficulties, we tore things up for 50 minutes, building to a great crescendo that left me breathless (literally....for some dumb reason I forgot to have water handy and I was breathing really hard when it was over!). Rodger's take on the show is here. Some nice photos are here, and they also did a nice video of the first 7 minutes or so...it cuts off just as we were getting warmed up! Overall, it was an overwhelming evening, and Rodger sounded stupendous. We kept it going, and it went by like a flash.

Playlist, Week of 2015-05-17

Great music for driving through the back roads of Tennessee late at night.

Playlist 2015-05-18:

*John Coltrane: The Prestige Recordings (disc 9)
*Miles Davis: 1970-08-29 Isle of Wight, UK
*David Murray: Lovers
*Tom Rainey Trio: 2013-10-19 Brooklyn NY (CDR)
*Sonny Rollins: Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2 (Blue Note)
*Sonny Rollins: The Best of the Complete RCA Victor Recordings
*Sonny Rollins: The Impulse Story
*Slobber Pup: Black Aces
*Cecil Taylor Feel Trio: Two Ts for a Lovely T (disc 3)
*Animal Collective: Centipede Hz
*Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
*At the Drive-In: Relationship of Command
*Clash: The Singles (disc 2)
*Daft Punk: Discovery
*D’Angelo and the Vanguard: Black Messiah (selections)
*Deerhoof: La Isla Bonita
*Earth Wind & Fire: Faces (selections)
*Earth Wind & Fire: Raise! (selections)
*Bob Marley and the Wailers: Easy Skanking in Boston ‘78
*Yani Martinelli: Bubble Station
*Marvelettes: Deliver: The Singles 1961 - 1971
*Modest Mouse: The Fruit That Ate Itself (selections)
*Carla Thomas: Sweet Sweetheart: The American Studios Sessions and More
*Various artists: Brill & Broadway: 75 Hits from the Original Home of Songwriting (discs 1, 2)
*Various artists: Bollywood "Music From the Third Floor" (CDR compilation) (disc 14)
*Various artists: The Sock Hop Collection (discs 1, 2, 6, 7)
*Brian Wilson: No Pier Pressure
*Steven Wilson: Hand. Cannot. Erase
*Wire: 154
*WSAM: 2008 (CDR compilation)
*Yes: Time and a Word

Reading List, Week of 2015-05-17

Reading List 2015-05-18:

*Reading Mystery Science Theater 3000. Shelley S. Rees, ed. (finished)
*Erikson, Steven. The Crippled God (reread/in progress)
*Schmidt, Michael. The Novel: A Biography (in progress)

Friday in Nashville

I know this is my third or fourth posting about this gig, but I wanted to make sure you see all the nice things Rodger has to say about it over on NuVoid. Needless to say, we are both extremely psyched about this! The music will be free, and the event is free...so come on down!

Playlist, Week of 2015-05-10

Love the combo organ/two-guitar sound here! Beautiful stuff.

Playlist 2015-05-11:

*Various artists: Music for Merce (1952- 2009) (disc 4)
*Anthony Braxton: 4 Compositions (Ulrichsberg) 2005/Phonomanie VIII (disc 4)
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (Moscow) 2008
*Ornette Coleman: Something Else!!!!
*John Coltrane: The Prestige Recordings (disc 8)
*Chick Corea: The Vigil
*Tadd Dameron's Big Ten: 1949-02-19 Royal Roost, NYC
*Tadd Dameron's Big Ten: 1949-02-26 Royal Roost, NYC
*Tadd Dameron's Big Ten: 1949-04-21 WOR Studios, NYC
*David Fiuczynski: Planet Microjam
*Coleman Hawkins: 1947-06 NYC
*Joe Morris/Agusti Fernandez/Nate Wooley: From the Discrete to the Particular
*New Ting Ting Loft: 2015-03-23 “The Scent of Inevitability” (wav)
*New Ting Ting Loft: 2015-04-13 “Honestly, Back and Forth” (wav)
*New Loft: 2015-05-02  “Noise Facts” RVA Noise Fest IV, Richmond VA (wav)
*Paradoxical Frog: 2011-06-10 Vision Festival, NYC (CDR)
*Plymouth: Plymouth
*Tom Rainey Trio: 2012-12-30 Brooklyn NY (CDR)
*Sam Rivers with Paul Bley & Scorpio: 1972-12 Studio Rivbea, NYC (CDR)
*Beatles: With the Beatles (2009 mono remaster)
*Deerhoof: Apple-O
*Deerhoof: web site mp3 compilation (CDR)
*Deerhoof: Bibidi Babidi Boo
*Deerhoof: Runners Four
*Mike Elder/Harry Forrest/Greg Jordan/Sam Byrd: 2015-04-17 (wav)
*Flying Lotus: Los Angeles
*Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys (side 2)
*Jimi Hendrix: 1970-05-30 Berkeley (1st show) (CDR)
*King Crimson: Live at the Orpheum
*Lake Street Drive: Bad Self Portraits
*Mars Volta: Amputechture
*Negativeland: 1989 Amherst MA (CDR) (disc 1)
*Sly Stone: I’m Just Like You: Sly’s Stone Flower 1969-70
*UYA: 1989-10-03 Like Crystal (wav)
*UYA: Once Read
*Various artists: Purple Snow: Forecasting the Minneapolis Sound (disc 2)

Reading List, Week of 2015-05-10

On to the big finale!

Reading List 2015-05-11:

*Erikson, Steven. The Crippled God (reread/started)
*Erikson, Steven. Dust of Dreams (reread/finished)
*Morris, Joe. Perpetual Frontier: The Properties of Free Music (finished)
*Reading Mystery Science Theater 3000. Shelley S. Rees, ed. (in progress)
*Schmidt, Michael. The Novel: A Biography (in progress)

Upcoming Nashville Gig

Hard to believe it's almost time for this event! I understand Rodger has been busy acquiring new guitar-related toys. If you're in Nashville, please come check us out!

New Loft at RVA Noise Fest IV

Good time at the RVA Noise Fest IV last weekend. Ting Ting Jahe's set was a loud groovy gas. For our set, as New Loft (Jimmy and me), we decided on a three-part structure for our 15-minute slot: 5 minutes of circular breathing and constant pulse, 5 minutes quiet, 5 minutes loud. It worked out well, I think; check out the set here, or right below. I only had a snare, a can, a Chinese cymbal, a bell, and some chopsticks. Playing with just a snare always feels so naked. I just kept my head down and had at it.

Playlist, Week of 2015-05-03

Definitely check out the new Colla Parte disc on Bandcamp. First half is studio, second half live. I was at the live show (at Pyramid Atlantic), and it's all wonderful! The addition of Rich's son Kevin on drums adds some nice textures.

Playlist 2015-05-04:

*AMM: 1988-01 BBC Maida Vale Studios (CDR)
*Daniel Barbiero and Jimmy Ghaphery: The Convergence of Parallel Lines
*Colla Parte: Periplus
*John Coltrane: The Prestige Recordings (discs 6, 7)
*John Coltrane & Friends: Sideman: Trane's Blue Note Sessions
*Miles Davis Sextet plus Earl Coleman & Ann Hathaway: 1946-10-18 Radio Recorders Studio, Hollywood CA
*Billy Eckstine and His Band: 1946-10-05/06 Radio Recorders Studio, Hollywood CA
*Herbie Fields Band with Rubberleg Williams: 1945-04-24 WOR Studios, NYC
*Illinois Jacquet All-Stars: 1947-01-07 NYC
*Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House: Strong Place
*David Murray Quintet: 1976-10-13 NYC (CDR) (disc 2)
*New Loft: 2015-05-02 “Noise Facts” RVA Noise Fest IV, Richmond VA (wav)
*Tony Oxley: It Cuts Through: A Tony Oxley Mixtape (CDR compilation)
*Plymouth: Plymouth
*Sun Ra: 1979-08-14 Squat Theatre, NYC (CDR)
*Larry Young: Of Love and Peace
*Colin Blunstone: One Year
*D’Angelo and the Vanguard: Black Messiah (selections)
*Deerhoof: Bibidi Babidi Boo
*Deerhoof: 2014-03-09 Berlin (youtube > mp3)
*Earth Wind & Fire: Faces (selections)
*Earth Wind & Fire: Raise! (selections)
*Mike Elder/Harry Forrest/Sam Byrd: 2015-03-20 (wav) (selections)
*Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys (side 1)
*Jimi Hendrix/Band of Gypsys: Live at the Fillmore East (disc 2)
*Curtis Knight & the Squires: You Can't Use My Name: The RSVP/PPX Sessions
*Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly
*Bob Marley and the Wailers: Easy Skanking in Boston ‘78
*Mars Volta: Scabdates
*Panda Bear: Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
*Public Service Broadcasting: The Race for Space
*UYA: 1989-10-01 Ode to Kenny Cheese (wav)
*UYA: Improvisations 5 (1992): Pixie Swirl
*Various artists: The Scene Club: Ham Yard, London 1963-66
*Dionne Warwick: Hidden Gems
*Brian Wilson: No Pier Pressure

Reading List, Week of 2015-05-03

Only about 1200 pages left in the whole saga...getting hard to put down!

Reading List 2015-05-04:

*Erikson, Steven. Dust of Dreams (reread/in progress)
*Morris, Joe. Perpetual Frontier: The Properties of Free Music (in progress)
*Reading Mystery Science Theater 3000. Shelley S. Rees, ed. (in progress)
*Schmidt, Michael. The Novel: A Biography (in progress)