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Part 2

Could you take me through the process of improvisation on the basis of one of your performances that's particularly dear to you, please? Where did the ideas come from, how were they transformed in your mind, what did you start with and how do you refine these beginnings into the finished work of art?

I love how everything came together on History Gets Ahead of the Story – my new record with Jeff Lederer and John Medeski. We play mostly bassist/composer William Parker’s music. We had our tunes decided but no concept of arrangements, we all made suggestions, were open and honest about what was working and what wasn’t, and we listened to each other.

The idea for the session came about several years ago when I was playing my last gigs with my trio featuring William Parker and Matthew Shipp. It was born out of a conversation before a gig one night with William and it grew as I opened the idea up to Lederer and then Medeski. Once we got to the studio, there was some organization in the order we recorded the tunes but it was just the three of us feeling free to create which is my favourite way to make music. Plus, the studio had goats!

Jeff was really such a huge help in getting the project finished and realized into a complete work. His ears and openness really helped guide this from the beginning. It’s one thing to have an idea, it’s a whole other thing to get it realized!

There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?

Honestly, I do what I feel is my most creative work when I’m under the pressure of a deadline. To me, there is no motivator like the imminent threat of disaster!

I do practice and exercise which I think helps me be in tune with my body and mind but I can be easily distracted without a deadline. If my kids need something or if I should be working on something and find a million reasons to get up or water the plants or get something to drink or any number of things. Sometimes I feel like a dog who suddenly sees a squirrel.

To tune into my creative side a little more easily, without the pressure of a deadline, I sit and breath. I center myself and open up to what I hear, what I feel and what is around me. I can be more creative and spontaneous when I connect with my awareness.

How do you make use of technology? In terms of the feedback mechanism between technology and creativity, what do humans excel at, what do machines excel at?

I actually don’t use technology or at least handle it directly in my music. I totally see the use but haven’t wanted to invest the time into learning how to use it. My kids fix my phone, it makes me feel like I’ve turned into my parents.

Production tools, from instruments to complex software environments, contribute to the compositional process. How does this manifest itself in your work? Can you describe the co-authorship between yourself and your tools?

I utilize note flight, which is a music notation program, for my composition work. It is pretty basic and my older son has been showing me how to use it. He comes to the rescue quite often when I feel like I’ve broken something.

Other than that, I try to sit at the drums first to come up with a rhythmic idea and form. The next step is to put some limitations on myself, like a handful of notes to start an idea, and see how it can work within the framework.

I find that working with some predetermined limits inspires me and helps bring out my strengths. It forces to get the most out of the tools that I have.

How do you see the relationship between sound, space and performance and what are some of your strategies and approaches of working with them?

I see sound and space as connected. You have to be able to hear where the note ends to give the space the strength that it carries. I often think about how the sound and space work together in a conversation – the give and take between people. I see that very much with the musicians I get to work with. As we bring that into performance, we are inviting the audience into that conversation and that vibration. It is a shared experience and exchange of energy.

Our sense of hearing shares intriguing connections to other senses. From your experience, what are some of the most inspiring overlaps between different senses - and what do they tell us about the way our senses work? What happens to sound at its outermost borders?

I’m fascinated by the combination of hearing and the sense of touch. As a drummer, feeling the difference between what sounds are produced by my hands or sticks or brushes or any of the implements that are at my disposal.

There are times when I’ll sit at my drums and build sounds starting with my finger tips and try to play as loud as I can, and really feel the energy transfer between the drums, my fingers and the sound I am producing. I allow it to have the energy move from arm or leg into the drum and then back up into my body. It creates a loop that gives the sound feeling throughout my whole self.

Sound to me is very much like the ocean – the sound comes in and the sound dissipates but it never fully goes away. There is a vibration that maybe slower or quieter but the end of that one note feeds into the vibration of the next note or sound. It pulls away but it invites you into the next wave.

Art can be a purpose in its own right, but it can also directly feed back into everyday life, take on a social and political role and lead to more engagement. Can you describe your approach to art and being an artist?

My approach to art and being an artist is to bring joy, and spark something. Selfishly, I look for that joy to be sparked in me first and I hope that people are getting something from the music I am putting into the world.

I totally understand and value the way many artists can make social and political statements with their work but that is not something I try to do with my work. It is important for art and artists to make a social and political statements that they believe in. I believe in joy, love, and unity and that is the statement I want to make with my work. There is plenty of negative feeling in the world, especially lately, and if there is something in any of my body of work that makes me or someone else smile or comforted in that moment, then my music has done what I have set out to do.

When I listen to Jeff Lederer launch into a long sustained note on the tune Corn Meal Dance from History Gets Ahead of the Story, I smile and laugh every time. That is the feeling I want to evoke with my work.

Art Blakey used to say that “jazz washes away the dust of every day life.” For me, that can be applied to all art and music. It rejuvenates me.

It is remarkable, in a way, that we have arrived in the 21st century with the basic concept of music still intact. Do you have a vision of music, an idea of what music could be beyond its current form?

Music will continue to grow and evolve and change, and that is my ultimate hope for it. If the music stagnates and people stop seeing the value of music, it will die.

Beyond the physical aspect of media holding recorded media, my hope is that we are able to get back to live performances. That, to me, is where the power and connection of music really comes alive. I have had more life changing experiences when I am taking in music and part of the energy from the performer and other people enjoying what we are all a part of.


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