Unfinished

By Creative Music Guild

Inspired by a riveting panel discussion with musicians & dance-makers on intersections between improvisation and composition at the 2013 Improvisation Summit of Portland, this book expands the conversation to fourteen musicians & choreographers. The Creative Music Guilddesigned a series of questions and asked musicians and choreographers, local Portlanders, and nationally acclaimed artists to take part in the discussion. Participants were asked to “choose-their-own-adventure” in their responses, giving answers of any desired length to any number of the questions asked. Fourteen artists, soloists and performing groups from diverse genres connected with The Creative Music Guild exchanged ideas and shared insight into their process and work. 2013 Participants include: guitarist and improviser,Marisa Anderson; choreographers, Linda Austin and Tracy Broyles; improviser & composer, John Butcher; sound artist, Loren Chasse; as well as luminaries and charmers, Ben Goldberg, John Gross, John Gruntfest, Buke and Gase, Catherine Lee, Tatsuya Nakatani and Nate Wooley.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Creative Music Guild
• Release date: Dec 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311809445

Creative Music Guild

The Creative Music Guild is a Portland, Oregon all-volunteer, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote experimental, improvised music by presenting concerts, workshops and other events that bring together internationally recognized musicians with local performers, audiences and music students of all ages. For over twenty years, the CMG has been a leader in cultivating Portland’s experimental and improvised music.

Book preview

Unfinished

Copyright 2013 Creative Music Guild

Published by Creative Music Guild at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter One: Ben Goldberg

Chapter Two: Buke and Gase

Chapter Three: Catherine Lee

Chapter Four: Gino Robair

Chapter Five: John Butcher

Chapter Six: John Gross

Chapter Seven: John Gruntfest

Chapter Eight: Linda Austin

Chapter Nine: Loren Chasse

Chapter Ten: Marisa Anderson

Chapter Eleven: Nate Wooley

Chapter Twelve: Tatsuya Nakatani

Chapter Thirteen: The Tenses

Chapter Fourteen: Tracy Broyles

About the Creative Music Guild

Connect with the CMG

Preface

Inspired by a riveting panel discussion with musicians & dance-makers on intersections between improvisation and composition at the 2013 Improvisation Summit of Portland, this book expands the conversation to further participants and into print. Creative Music Guild board members designed a series of questions and brainstormed a list of musicians and choreographers, local Portlanders, and nationally acclaimed artists to take part in the discussion. Participants were asked to choose-their-own-adventure in their responses, giving answers of any desired length to any number of the questions asked. Fourteen artists, soloists and performing groups from diverse genres connected with The Creative Music Guild exchanged ideas and shared insight into their process and work.

Acknowledgements

Infinite thanks to participating artists for generously taking the time to share their thoughts and for giving our audience an intimate view into their work, to KBOO’s Daniel Flessas for moderating the panel discussion that inspired the book, and to the Creative Music Guild volunteers focused on this project. Evan Lindorff-Ellery designed the layout and cover. Alyssa Reed-Stuewe was project lead. Ben Kates, Catherine Lee & Danielle Ross conducted interviews. Dominic Billand took exquisite care of our publicity & social media. All of us edited to make the book better.

All proceeds from this book will benefit the 2013/2014 season of The Creative Music Guild.

Ben Goldberg, photo by John Rudoff

Ben Goldberg

Ben Goldberg is a clarinetist and composer based in Berkeley, CA who founded the renowned New Klezmer Trio in the 1990s. Ben has studied at Mills College, where he worked with, among others, Pauline Oliveros, and studied privately with Joe Lovano. He has also been the recipient of two Jazz Performance Grants from the National Endowment of the Arts among many other awards. Ben recently brought his group Unfold Ordinary Mind to Portland to play a Confluence Series show opened by Portland’s Blue Cranes. You can learn more about Ben Goldberg’s music at his website: www.bengoldberg.net.

Describe your practice regimen.

I have developed a few exercises that put me in touch with some basic skills – creating a melody, strengthening the groove, expanding harmonic conception – and I play these every day. Over the years, I have found that the same thing is rarely the same.

How do you use improvisation in your music?

I don’t like to use the word improvisation much (back in the days of New Klezmer Trio I used to say if you find yourself improvising, stop!). I would rather pay attention to playing. So whether a part is written down or not, let’s bring the music to life in the best way we can.

How have you developed your vocabulary for your instrument? Or for improvising?

A classical foundation has been essential. Beyond that, I am always trying to get better at listening.

How do you define good for what you do?

If it feels good, it usually is good. When I am listening to something I recorded (this used to be very difficult for me) I like when it sounds like I took a chance, tumbled down the stairs, and kept going.

What genre do you consider your music to be, and who is your musical community?

My musical community is all the people in the room when someone (perhaps myself) is making music. And then talking about music. And then playing some more.

Who or what do you feel most influenced by in your work?

Right now I am influenced by my feeling of wanting to reach out and connect