a r t i s t : Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis & Roscoe Mitchell
t i t l e : Streaming
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : PI Recordings
g e n r e : Jazz
r l s. d a t e : Mar/2007
t r a c k s : 05
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 101,1 MB
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Any new recording by Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis and
Roscoe Mitchell would be a notable occasion, but a recording
by all three together is a genuine historical moment. All
three are members of the Association for the Advancement of
Creative Musicians (AACM). Muhal Richard Abrams (piano and
percussion), a founder of the AACM, is a hugely influential
musician who has been responsible for vastly expanding the
boundaries of jazz. Roscoe Mitchell (saxophones and
percussion) is well known as the founder of one of jazzÆs most
recognized groups: The Art Ensemble of Chicago. George Lewis
(trombone and laptop) is a MacArthur genius grant recipient
who is influential in his use of computer electronics. The
three have worked together in the past, recording on each
otherÆs albums such as LewisÆ Shadowgraph (Black Saint, 1977),
MitchellÆs Nonaah (Nessa, 1978) and AbramsÆ Spihumonesty
(Black Saint, 1980). The trio most recently played together at
the 2003 Venice Biennale and that concert provided at least
part of the impetus for the three to collaborate again as a
trio.
So how to describe this music? As George Lewis wrote in his
liner notes for the CD, ôWhat we hear are particular moments
in time, in which improvisative musical experience proceeds
directly from manifestations of trust and openness, and from
visions of new models of community.ö ôTrustö and ôopenö are
two words that Lewis often goes back to when describing the
creative process behind this music. Unlike the composed pieces
found on the trioÆs previous recorded works, the five pieces
found on this CD were openly improvised û each piece is a
spontaneous creation. There were no prior agreements as to
tempo, timbre, volume or length ù any such rules would only
restrict the open flow of ideas. The AACM draws a clear
distinction between improvisation that is ôopenö as opposed to
ôfree.ö Perhaps itÆs just a matter of semantics, but ôfreeö
improvisation as a genre is often thought to be an act of
solipsistic self-absorption, where connection to your fellow
musicians takes second place to the indulgence of the ego.
ôOpen,ö on the other hand, as George explained to us, implies
boundless possibilities. Because there is a tacit agreement to
converse in a non-hierarchical manner, each musician is
entrusted to not impose his will in a manner that is
destructive to open dialogue. With this trust, the dialogue is
truly open û open for each musician to move around in space,
use silence, softness and sustains without fear of someone
else crowding in to fill your space. As George said, ôOpen is
not a practice, but a possibility. All you are required to do
is to bring your own experience, concentrate on whatÆs at hand
and be prepared to evaluate, come up with solutions, view
ideas from multiple perspectives and state ideas from multiple
points of view.ö
How then can a listener experience this music? It certainly
would be difficult to listen to this music in a casual way.
Because there are no familiar guideposts, the listener must
concentrate to understand the dialogue. Who is leading with
the exposition of an idea? How do the others respond? Listen
for the mobility from one idea to another and the tension that
is created when one musician is ready to move on and the
others want to stay on point. Listen for texture, the use of
space. Listen for how the musicians relate to one another,
sometimes with deference, other times like friends engaged in
a vigorous discussion. Just listen to the first couple of
minutes of the first track ôScrape.ö George is the first to
make a statement, soon joined by both Roscoe and Muhal, each
trying to get a word in edgewise. After a brief pause, Roscoe
lets loose a cry, after which all three scramble to make their
point. Roscoe then takes the lead in his statement, only to
let go when Muhal reenters with a stentorian rumble. When one
listens in this way, what is revealed is music with
unpredictable dramatic twists and turns, like an operatic
dialogue without cliches.
Streaming joins Pi RecordingÆs releases from The Art Ensemble
of Chicago, Henry Threadgill, Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony
Braxton and The Revolutionary Ensemble in our continuing
commitment to document the music of the AACM. We are proud to
have Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis and Roscoe Mitchell
join that esteemed group.
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01-Scrape [10:03]
02-Bound [11:02]
03-Dramaturns [18:28]
04-Soundhear [16:36]
05-Streaming [17:35]
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73:44 min