2/2/10

Sometimes I get so busy in the doing (and kind of lose myself in THAT place) that I forget to step and do things like this (write in a blog).

It's nice to have a flow going. Not feeling the need or the desire to stop and analyze.

It is good to be able to pull up and take a break for a minute just to make sure the "boat is still on course" though. The "drift" is strong and sometimes deceiving.

August 22

Ever play a tune or a classical piece and notice that there is a spot in the music that you always feel kind of uncomfortable? During your improvisation you ever feel there are a few measures that you always feel awkward or confined? But, you've been playing this song for months or even years. Why are you still feeling restricted in the same place? Have you avoided isolating that spot and spending days or weeks working that spot out? Technical studies could easily be created and practiced to eliminate the awkwardness. My real question is why do we avoid the problem areas? Even when we are completely aware (and most likely everyone around us knows as well) of the problem area, we continue to avoid it. Why don't we attack that area? That small place in the music seems to take on a power of it's own. Maybe we completely avoid playing the whole piece of music just because of a few measures. How can fear be created like this in our heads?

August 19

http://sivers.org/desperate2

A follow-up post by Derek on the question of the effectiveness of desperation as a potential plan of attack on the road to success.

Desperation conjures up images of fear for me. Scarcity....
For me, it might cause me to do negative things with my energy. Actually, becoming like a black hole instead of projecting good energy out onto the project.

August 18

http://sivers.org/desperate

In this post, Derek raises an interesting point about setting-up the context
that you operate from on your way to finding success for yourself. I'm not sure (after reading the post) if desperation is the word for Branson's style of forging ahead. I'm more inclined to use the word commitment. His level of commitment to his projects is extraordinary. Playing as if his life depends on it.

August 17

http://sivers.org/steps

Derek highlights a very important point. I've noticed for years in Japan while in the company of people studying Japanese and/or English. Some seem to really enjoy learning a new language, never really speak about the difficulty and progress rather quickly. Others are always talking about how hard it is to learn the language and how much time it takes. Consequently, they never seem to make much headway.

August 14

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrence_McKenna
http://deoxy.org/media/McKenna

My buddy Curtis turned me on to McKenna today. Woke-up, came in and sat dow at the computer and there were the links sitting in front of me in a chat box.

August 13

Am currently involved in "Japan Music Week" and the Jinnan Jazz Festival. Already, the creative juices are starting to flow. Feels good!

Search for Japan Music Week on FACEBOOK for more info.

August 8

"When you play jazz, you have to live it. You know, those notes mean something. They don't just come from your brain, they come from your heart and soul too. So I think in order to have that heart and soul, you have to experience life. So I relate my music to my life and my lifestyle. You can't separate the two."

Woody Shaw interviewed by Louise Gilbreth 106.7 Jazz Masters WRVR

Listen to the Woody Shaw interview here

August 7

Can't say enough but, don't want to say too much about this interview. Lawrence says some priceless things. I would put some quotes here but, there are simply too many. Young creators really should listen to this (many times) and older creators should listen to get "re-grounded" into the things that drew them into the creative world in the beginning.

Lawrence Williams Interview (video

Art of Lawrence Williams

August 4

Lightning in a Bottle: Creating, Presenting, and Preserving Jazz

A great performance by Odean Pope and his Trio followed by an hour of discussion about the creative process and improvisation. Odean makes some special comments about inspiration and the role that plays in his improvisations and compositions.

Philoctetes

"The Philoctetes Center for the Multidisciplinary Study of the Imagination was established to promote an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of creativity and the imaginative process."

Philoctetes - Home

At 1:34:00, Shoenberg and Pope talking about the composition process.
__________________________________________________________

Listening to Pope's band, I'm reminded of my experiences teaching at summer jazz camps and/or beginning improvisation classes. Over the years, I noticed time and time again young students of improvisation become paralyzed and unable to play because of their fear of chord changes. Some of the most successful ensembles I've had were started by playing "free." I might have the bass player play a pedal note or ask the drummer to start playing some kind of a groove. It's always amazing to see/hear how creative these young people are. I want them to get a taste of creating, to get the experience (without limitations) of improvising. It's possible later to slowly introduce songs that incorporate chord changes/scales and more complex harmonic language.

That being said, I often play with musicians who've been playing for years and dislike or feel uncomfortable with "free" improvised music or "free jazz." I think that is part of the reason that young players are afraid to enter the world of improvisation. The "educational system" in the world of improvisation seems to throw a lot of rules and complex ideas at young people that don't have a clue. The result: fear.

Recently, taught an ensemble of young players. They are a few years into the "indoctrination process of chords/scales and learning the bebop language. I happened to have a book of some of M.C. Escher's works in my horn case. We spent a few minutes looking at some of Escher's work and I asked them to improvise one of his designs. They seemed a little apprehensive. So, I asked them to imagine that we are in the studio and doing a soundtrack for a documentary on Escher's life and work. We have been handed a copy of this design and the producers want us to come up with some music to put behind this scene....NOW. It was amazing how creative this ensemble became. I was in shock. In that class we played some standard jazz and funk tunes but, when they created this free improvisation of a design by Escher, it was by far the most beautiful and sensitive playing they had done in weeks!

August 3

Went to Miyakojima in Okinawa last year. Maybe it's just about time to go there again. Miyakojima is a tropical paradise, actually closer to Taiwan than the main southern Japanese islands. I didn't see any evidence of over-development there. Lots of wide-open spaces, sugar cane farms, beautiful white sand beaches and quiet. I'll have to say, in the past few years, except for my occasional trips to West Virginia or west of Tokyo to the Japanese alps, I felt the most inspired to create while on Miyakojima. I just love nature. That's it. Period. Very difficult for me to feel inspired living in the city. I guess I can create anywhere and under a lot of different conditions. But, if I had my preference......

August 2

The Power of Nightmares
(parts 1-3)

Another documentary presenting more ideas on the process in which "the system" has guided our thinking and perceptions of society and the world around us. With this constant attack on our senses and thinking, I wonder how the growth of creativity is stunted and/or limited?




http://www.archive.org/details/ThePowerOfNightmares

August 1

"Trumpet player Clark Terry summarizes the creative process as "imitate, assimilate, innovate". Listening to other musicians can give you ideas you may wish to develop further, and being able to successfully duplicate what they are doing is one step toward being able to express yourself. Next, you must understand why the things you are playing sound the way they do, so that when you want to create a particular sound, you will know how to achieve it. The theory presented in the following sections can help you structure your thoughts, and can also help you identify the sounds you hear. However, analytic processes are an aid to the creative process, not a replacement for it. Two analogies, one with language and one with mathematics, should help make this clear.Trumpet player Clark Terry summarizes the creative process as "imitate, assimilate, innovate". Listening to other musicians can give you ideas you may wish to develop further, and being able to successfully duplicate what they are doing is one step toward being able to express yourself. Next, you must understand why the things you are playing sound the way they do, so that when you want to create a particular sound, you will know how to achieve it. The theory presented in the following sections can help you structure your thoughts, and can also help you identify the sounds you hear. However, analytic processes are an aid to the creative process, not a replacement for it. Two analogies, one with language and one with mathematics, should help make this clear."

Jazz Fundamentals - Marc Sabatella
http://www.outsideshore.com/primer/primer/ms-primer-3.html

July 30

New Experiences
When I talk with students about creativity, I like to emphasize that it is so important to try new things and have new experiences. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant or expensive. While I've been in Karuizawa, I've been trying some new food, going for walks, and taking photos. Today, I even tried a couple of local beers.

July 29

Saw this amazing site today riding along in the bus from Tokyo to Karuizawa. Fortunately, I had my camera on the seat beside me and was able to grab a quick shot of this beautiful green valley.

I had been feeling really stressed for days before this trip. As soon as I saw this site and was able to get a photo, all of the tension and stress left my body. Amazing. It was such a simple thing that brought transformation. and it happened so quickly and effortlessly.

As I dig deeper into this "creative process" project, the more I find it's really the uncomplicated, effortless things that seem to create and/or bring me back to a state of "flow."

July 28

The Future of Music on NPR
Great interview with David Kusek (Berklee College of Music)
Click on the above link and listen/download the interview.

As independent musicians, should we make CD's in the future? Just record tracks and sell them online? How to build a base of people interested in our music? Record deals? Do we need the major labels anymore? Just use the recording as a promotional tool, as a business card? Wondering where the creative process plays a part in all of this. Branding?

July 27

James Cameron talks tech, "Avatar" at Comic-Con

"I think it's really more of a bonus at the moment that you sit down and watch the movie that you feel more immersed in it and more physically present. I actually think 3D engages more areas of the brain, just the way we process 3D images. It makes you more aware and more present as you're watching the film because there's more brain activity."
James Cameron talkstech, "Avatar" at Comic-Con

Interesting comments. As time goes on, I look at the way movies, TV, etc are used to deliver messages/info to the masses. It's intriguing to me that those in the industry are trying to find more ways for us to be totally immersed in the media experience.

Soylent Green
A dystopian movie from 1973 that presented material about a 2022 overpopulated world in which most of the resources had been exhausted. They've been planting the seeds for quite a while....^_-


Clark Terry - "Storyteller" (video interview)

Probably my biggest influence on the trumpet and in jazz. Always noticed that Clark Terry and others in his generation have been great storytellers with or without their instruments. I can remember sitting around campfires listening to my Grandad tell stories for hours. I just couldn't get enough of that. This week, I'll be looking into storytelling and storytellers and thinking about how that shows up in making music, improvisation and the creative process in general.

Tom Wujac Speaks at TED

Brain Chow Post 6/6/09 re: Wujec

July 19

Today

Couple of hours of trumpet in the morning (SLOW-SLOW-SLOW)
Singing tunes..Strayhorn, Monk, Ellington..and some standards

Long walk

Movie
Dark Knight-Batman
Started watching the dvd (about half). Friend of mine told me that the propaganda and "predictive programming" is so up in your face. Try to finish it tonight (7/20).

July 18

Long gig today (12 hours) at one of THE most famous luxury item stores in the world.
I say that only because as I was playing, it was AMAZING watching people. That's all I can say....just AMAZING.

Had a lot of "breaks" during this gig today so I got to do some reading. Read a lot of interviews from the Jazz Weekly website.

Fireside Chat With Dave Holland
Fireside Chat With Tom Harrell
Fireside Chat With Lester Bowie
Fireside Chat With George Coleman
Fireside Chat With Anthony Braxton
Fireside Chat With Billy Harper

July 13

Trumpet
Doing a lot of extremely slow practice. Trying to mentally hear everything and then sing before playing. Used to do this kind of thing when I studied with Marc Copeland back in the 1980's. What a great teacher he is/was!!! I'm finding now that a lot of his ideas are similar to Ran Blake's. The past few days, I started thinking about my experience with Ran Blake. It was really an intense few days in his workshop as it was an equally intense couple of years studying with Marc Copeland. I really know now that for various reasons (most of them silly) I've gotten away for doing a lot of things that I was working on daily during and after my time with those guys. Time to get "deep in the shed" again!!!

Marc Copeland: An Aesthetic Manifesto
Interview With Marc
Official Website

"Music is an aural art. Let me repeat, music is an AURAL ART."

Ran Blake - The Primacy of the Ear

"It is the ear’s strengths (and limitations) which are the most important elements in the creation of an individual style, not the ability to reproduce memorized, virtuosic licks at roller-coaster tempos. When musicians have this skill, along with imagination and perseverance as well as the ability to communicate, they are blessed. In our school curriculum it is the ear which is ignored in favor of analysis, reading of scores, and especially technique (although sometimes these pursuits are not mutually exclusive)."

Ran Blake - Third Stream and the Importance of the Ear
from the College Music Symposium, Journal of the College Music Society
Volume Twenty-One, Number Two
Fall 1981

Primacy of the Ear (pdf)
Third Stream and the Importance of the Ear