Free Improvisation
 

Here's an improv between Melt Banana and Mr.Bungle I really like, sounds like neither:

Melt Banana + Mr.Bungle part A:



Melt Banana + Mr.Bungle Part B:



I would also recommend John Zorn, Fred Frith, Sun City Girls(not on albums but you can find some crazy **** of them doing stuff live), Boredoms(sometimes), Melt Banana lite(Melt Banana with only electronic noise), Anything with Yamataka Eye, Mike Patton, Keiji Haino, Peter Brotzman, Chris Cutler, Hanatarash(again, Eye does his fair share), Tatsuya Yoshida, Hijokiadan(Warning: REALLY disturbing show), Merzbow, etc.

Here's a fun one by Merzbow:

The likes of Zeena Parkins, No-Neck Blues Band, John Butcher, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Lol Coxhill, Joëlle Léandre, AMM, Nihilist Spasm Band and Art Ensemble of Chicago are gold.

There are some great bands around too, like Sunburned Hand of Man, Vocokesh and Sapat, who approach it from a contemporary psychedelic rock angle. Quite a few current psych-folk acts incorporate free-form into their music as well

Double post, apologies, but how could I forget the awesome Limbus 4?



The Cosmic Jokers material is great too.

Yes! Another Parkins fan! To be honest, even among the improviser/avant audience she for some reason falls between the cracks. Ridiculously underrated talent:



I also really like her work with Elliot Sharp(who is vastly overlooked as well). I should probably also add Karou Abe, and Evan Parker to the list I haven't already, as well.

I once took a very long lesson (entire day) with Bern Nix from Ornette Coleman's group (the grandfather of Free Jazz), we talked about the mechanics behind Harmolodics, Ornette's theory of Free Improv.

Instead of playing things that we already know and patterns rehearsed, he imparted to me the concepts behind letting everything you know just go, keeping your technique poised for free-flow thoughts and interaction. Distancing yourself from your expectations, allowing there to be a Collective Consciousness within the room, within the musicians, the surrendering of Ego.

I realized how difficult it was to maintain this type of improv, it was brutally honest, to yourself at the very least, you can't lie to yourself, you know when you are 'really' free-formin' and when you were not.

Clomeim by the No-Neck Blues Band is a must I'd say, whilst People in Sorrow, Les Stances a Sophie, Phase One and Bap-Tizsm are my favourite AEC albums... Though I've only delved into about a quarter of their huge discography.

This is really cool!"

I never liked it until I started unintentionally doing it with my group. Maybe improvisational music is the true essence of what many would consider music for musicians.

I always just considered it idle jamming, which invariably happens in every band's practice room until the lead singer starts whining...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freebase Dali (Post 1125026) I always just considered it idle jamming, which invariably happens in every band's practice room until the lead singer starts whining...

Technically, yes. Well... just as long as the members aren't completely falling back on any specific timbres, rhythms, etc that are associated with other genres, then yea... But... often times free improvisation requires a lot of thought and attention enable to make a decent recording or live performance. If you're unable to do this, then the music will end up being dull and repetitive.

I also meant to ask why is it that Group Ongaku never receive the credit they deserve for helping create free improvisation. Frequently, I encounter people citing aleatoric compositions (music centered around chance operations) and free jazz as being the predecessors to the genre even though Group Ongaku were making free improvisational music around the time when free jazz's inception. As far as documented music is concerned... they invented free improvisation.

I find it's like a transcendental meditative exercise where in retrospect you can tell when your conscious mind 'shuts off' and you're able to experience the music in the moment, being everything and nothing at once and existing with the sound of your note in the moment.

As you mentioned, getting over the Ego is the biggest challenge. It's the distinction between a situation like Freebase Dali mentions with a typical rock band farting out randomness until the singer starts whining and a group of musicians creating something special. I find a lot of musicians are hung up on their ego, it limits the musical risks they're willing to take for fear of saving face.

As for Group Ongaku, I think it's splitting hair at this point. From what I gather they started around the same time as Ornette Coleman was solidifying his philosophical approach to music. Being on opposite sides of the planet in an era before instant communication I think it's more of a combined random synergistic approach to a new style rather than any sort of copycat action.

Though I'd suggest digging for a pre-1959 clip if you're going to make the claim they invented the style.

Sorry you're right, I was thinking more in terms of the free improvisation that was already taking place within Jazz at the time as opposed to the more modern avant-garde style of free improv they present.

it's just not following any "box" or scale

it contains element of chromaticism, and atonal scales

i base my free jazz on Trout Mask Replica, usually