MC blog: Speaking of, and speaking in, the groove

Friday, February 06, 2004 9:02 PM

Speaking of, and speaking in, the groove Jazz as conversation Without music, there would be no reason to row: Music provides deeply felt rhythms, emotional motivation, longing and fulfillment, a context, a sense of direction, a confluence of ideas. And, when you're in the (jazz) groove, a progressive conversational exploration, a challenging yet playful sharing and elaboration of themes. I really love listening to the call and response, the testifying, the musical conversation that at is the heart of jazz and blues (for me). It requires a common language, and the willingness to explore and take risks and traverse uncharted territory. Improvisation, that's what I'm talking about. I can recognize it, I can deeply appreciate it, but I can't yet produce it with my bass clarinet: I rely on the written notes on the score/chart in front of me. Certainly, there is room for exploration and varieties of interpretation of the written score. I just can't leave the page and fly. But wait! Check out the metaphor of jazz as conversation. I'm comfortable using English words as building blocks for spoken conversations, which are always exploratory improvisations. When we talk with one another, we are not reciting something on a page in front of us. What gives us the courage and the freedom to undertake such risky spoken explorations? It's the sharing of a common vocabulary and a common context. The vocabulary is something we practice regularly, without thinking, and without even recognizing it as "practice". And, just as experiencing life in a common environment gives us a basis for conversation, I'm developing a sense of shared context by listening to a lot of jazz. So it can be done. I just need more familiarity with my instrument of musical speech, and with the building blocks and vocabulary of scales and arpeggios, phrases and patterns. This will give me confidence. But I also need to try some simple conversations along the way. You can't practice a language with nothing more than listening to tapes and repeating scale exercises. You've got to spread your musical wings and flap, fumble, and fall, if you want to eventually be able to soar! These are some of the thoughts running through my head as I contemplate taking jazz bass clarinet lessons in the near future. -------------------------------------- Music is the river of the world! Everybody row! Everybody row! -- Low_Reed, inspired by Tom Waits and a world full of music makers