tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post8489141337680039960..comments2023-12-04T09:29:06.375-08:00Comments on Casa Valdez Studios: Openers, Limiters and Pairs of OppositesDavid Carlos Valdezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-71195570735588387482007-09-28T09:38:00.000-07:002007-09-28T09:38:00.000-07:00agreed. ive never heard of mr. tauber. i just read...agreed. <BR/><BR/>ive never heard of mr. tauber. i just read a little bio of his and ill definitely have to check him out at some point. he even played in the knoxville symphony. we probably both lived there at the same time. <BR/><BR/>bestmatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08829817330252270877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-47477019048892708512007-09-26T10:51:00.000-07:002007-09-26T10:51:00.000-07:00I totally agree with you. I didn't mean to suggest...I totally agree with you. I didn't mean to suggest for a second that free players aren't helped by know harmony.<BR/><BR/>I only meant that it is possible to play free jazz without knowing any music theory, reading, ect. There are still many free players who are very creative players and know little harmony. I know several fantastic players like this myself. These guys have big ears and highly developed concepts.<BR/><BR/>Of course my favorite free player is Garzone, who is able to switch back and forth between Bop and outer space in the blink of an eye.<BR/><BR/>I love playing totally free and have played a lot of free Jazz. I never feel like I'm as comfortable <BR/>as when I'm playing more structured Jazz, but it's a lot of fun. It seems even harder to make it really work. The combination of players has to be just right in order to really get things off the ground, unlike more traditional Jazz where at least you can limp by with standard tunes. Everyone has to be totally listening. <BR/><BR/>I haven't really had a rewarding free experience since Jonas Tauber moved back to Switzerland.David Carlos Valdezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-66994609015762745962007-09-26T08:50:00.000-07:002007-09-26T08:50:00.000-07:00i think playing free can use the "nuts and bolts" ...i think playing free can use the "nuts and bolts" of music just as much as playing bebop. alot of folks, especially these days, that can or do play "bebop" play free too and its not like they throw away all of their discipline. people like tony malaby, kurt rosenwinkel(with his band human feel), pat metheny, dave douglas, john zorn, eric dolphy, george garzone, john coltrane, etc......some folks never really learned to play changes but they still have an understanding of the "nuts and bolts" like scales, harmony, voice leading, etc..ken vandermark, ornette coleman, bobby bradford, dewey redman(early years) etc...<BR/><BR/>granted there are alot of people that do play free that never studied but this does not account for an approach in its entirety. <BR/><BR/>i would also say that to play free well regardless of knowledge requires a type of discipline. the discipline of concentration, connectedness, listening, choice. (these are of course not limited to free playing) to play free well is hard! there is not an immediate frame work or direction. it is discovered and shaped on the spot and when it works and is done well it can be as revelatory as listening to bird.matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08829817330252270877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-40797538852081834152007-09-25T17:53:00.000-07:002007-09-25T17:53:00.000-07:00I once mentioned that I found much of Coltrane's m...I once mentioned that I found much of Coltrane's music to be a 'hard listen' and the folks were stunned. How can great music be a hard listen? But then, they weren't jazzoids or sax players were they. ;o)The Dissonancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09160734938372753738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-34344073761117012412007-09-25T12:24:00.000-07:002007-09-25T12:24:00.000-07:00That’s another can of worms. There is such a huge ...That’s another can of worms. There is such a huge range of music that I would consider free. If I was more of a free player myself I’m sure my definition of Free music wouldn’t be as broad. Braxton is definitely Avant-garde,but I know that has a very particular about the way he describes his own music. Neo-Classical-Pan-Afrocentric-modernist , who knows?<BR/><BR/>I find Braxton fascinating because of the incredibly deep philosophy that informs his music. He is a true genius and a great musician.<BR/><BR/>Do I like to listen to his music? <BR/><BR/>Not for extended periods of time.<BR/><BR/>Still, he is brilliant.<BR/><BR/>Some good books about Braxton that I would suggest reading:<BR/><BR/>Forces in Motion: The Music and Thoughts of Anthony Braxton<BR/><BR/>New Musical Figurations: Anthony Braxton's Cultural CritiqueDavid Carlos Valdezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-47505138019999449192007-09-25T12:03:00.000-07:002007-09-25T12:03:00.000-07:00Good to hear you're working hard!Don't worry that ...Good to hear you're working hard!<BR/><BR/>Don't worry that your creativity will be stifled.David Carlos Valdezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-75891171041529052712007-09-25T10:14:00.000-07:002007-09-25T10:14:00.000-07:00what do you mean by free music? just curious-woul...what do you mean by free music? just curious-would you consider anthony braxton free? <BR/><BR/>mattmatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08829817330252270877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-65125206400463097722007-09-25T08:14:00.000-07:002007-09-25T08:14:00.000-07:00I'm not using it as a rationalization for anything...I'm not using it as a rationalization for anything. In my case, I'm practicing more than ever at it, but I have a long way to go before I have learned enough discipline, so the comparison doesn't really apply. That's what I'm working on. You disagree with the idea in and of itself and that's fine.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04593485659519759984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-3048100564412169522007-09-25T08:02:00.000-07:002007-09-25T08:02:00.000-07:00Maybe in your mind you've rationalized not being d...Maybe in your mind you've rationalized not being disciplined by thinking that if you do you'll lose some of your individuality and creativity.<BR/><BR/>In fact, you can become disciplined at being creative. Being disciplined about studying the nuts and bolts of music can free up your ability to be a creative improvisor.<BR/><BR/>If you have been disciplined enough to learn all your scale for instance then you will be guessing and hoping for the notes that you want to play. Discipline allows for self expression, it allows you to overstep the limitations of 'the-box'.<BR/><BR/>If you're too lazy to do the work it takes to play Jazz well then you'll be playing your own music, by yourself. It's true that many highly disciplined players aren't super creative or unique, but being disciplined isn't the same as being unimaginative (the opposite of creative) or rigid.<BR/><BR/>To me, the amount of discipline a player has is not related in any way to how creative they are. You can have a highly creative free player who never practices and is just a natural creative artist.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately Free-Jazz isn't the same as Be-bop, which takes a highly disciplined person to do it well.<BR/><BR/>Some pairs of opposites are related<BR/>to each other, like structure-chaos<BR/>and discipline-laziness.<BR/><BR/>No discipline? try Blues or Free music...David Carlos Valdezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-26829206344502920102007-09-25T07:27:00.000-07:002007-09-25T07:27:00.000-07:00My thinking was, there's a certain think-outside-t...My thinking was, there's a certain think-outside-the-box factor that discipline takes away from. Discipline is not the same as work ethic. It should not necessarily be the basis for your pool of ideas, at least not all the time. Sometimes you need to break the mold. You need the balance between the two.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04593485659519759984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-24013154044409081542007-09-25T06:40:00.000-07:002007-09-25T06:40:00.000-07:00I would say that Discipline goes with Laziness and...I would say that Discipline goes with <BR/>Laziness and Creativity goes with Conservative.<BR/><BR/>You can be highly Disciplined and highly Creative at the same time, so how could they be opposites?David Carlos Valdezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338319345488366328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13630144.post-37740888504638566242007-09-24T22:20:00.000-07:002007-09-24T22:20:00.000-07:00Here's one:discipline, creativityHere's one:<BR/><BR/>discipline, creativityUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04593485659519759984noreply@blogger.com