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Routine Investigations: the University of Leeds, School of Music 2005

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Routine Investigations: the University of Leeds, School of Music 2005 Routine Investigations: Expanding the Language of Improvisation through Interdisciplinary Interaction. Matthew John Bourne The University of Leeds, School of Music 2005 I confirm that the work submitted is my own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of PhD in Performance. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. THESIS CONTAINS CD/DVD for hear ... all who music 2 Acknowledgements For their support: Janeand John Phipps, Geoff and Judith Wills. For excellent and astutesupervision: Luke Windsor. To Boris Cruse for the transfer of `Un Chant d'Amour' from DV tape To DVD. To friends and musicians and those who have tolerated my existenceover the years: Jonny Flockton, Mike Osborne, Christophe de Bezenac, Richard Ormrod, Amy Walker, Jonny Flockton, Petter Fadnes, Chris Sharkey, Stephen Drury, John Zorn, Tony Bevan, Dave Kane, Steve Davis, Dave Black, Riaan Vosloo, Sam Hobbs, Mark Creswell, Marc Silver, Steve Beresford. To those responsible for providing platforms: Steve Shepherd & BBC Radio 3, John Cumming & Serious International Music Producers, Jean-PierreBissot, Xavier Lemettre, The British Council, Geoff Amos, Peter Luxton, Nod Knowles. And finally, to the girl who laughs in her sleep and makes sense of all the rubbish that comesout from time to time... 3 Abstract The focus of this PhD has been to explore new ways of expanding the language of my improvised solo piano performancesthrough the investigation of, and immersion in various forms of creative media. I have combined this interest with an exploration into textures found largely in contemporary classical music scoresand recordings, and more specifically selected contemporary classical piano compositions. By extracting the principles of their construction in an intuitive manner, I have developeda number of models and exercisesfor developing similar textures in an improvisatory context'. Thesetextures are then melded with fragments of music and film dialogue and executedin live performancesettings. The recordings and the accompanyingcommentary are structured in a chronological format, and, when used in tandem provide a detailed record of the research whereby the reader is taken through each work in a step-by-step(and in some casessecond-by-second) account. After examining a few of the works in detail, the discussion assumesa much broader approach in illustrating how the methodology has progressedtoward embracing a variety of performance contexts, including working with other musicians in a number of creative settings and also the opportunity of designing a soundtrackfor a silent film. This researchdocuments the evolution of an intuitive methodology that is in a state of constant flux, which continues to have a life beyond the duration of the researchperiod. The main achievementof the outcomes of this researchwas developing a disciplined, self- analytical and flexible strategy by which to plan and executeoriginal musical works. 1 documented Thesetechniques are with recorded examplesas a separatelexicon found in the Appendices. 4 Contents 6 Prologue 7 Introduction Part I 9 Methodology 15 The Recordings (forAmy Walker, Magic Mirrors, Bath Solo) Part 11 29 Blood 30 Veils ofArdour 32 Whatever Happened to Jack Jones and the Early Recordings of Johhny Mathis? 38 Imagery 41 Violent Crimes Part III 45 Un Chant d'Anwur 48 Bourne & de BezenacDuo Whole Universe in 3 Minutes Jazz... 50 The - or, the Future Sounds of 51 Frequency of Performance & Random Procedures: Long Beach, Cannes & The Molde Concert Part IV 54 Conclusion 59 Epilogue Appendices 60 Appendix I- Lexicon of Techniques 62 Appendix II - Works Reference List 69 Appendix III - Frameworks 72 Appendix IV - Recordings & Table of Contents 75 Bibliography 5 Prologue `Think If from about it. it comes inside you, it is automatically valid - it just may or may not be good Becauseif it is not communicating in some way, its pleasure is as short-lived as a quickfuck in the back room. It doesn't mean shit'. 2 Mike. How WeEat our young, in Patton, Zorn, John (ed.), Aracana and Music (New York, Granary Books, 2000), -Musicians 6 Routine Investigations: Expanding the Language of Improvisation through Interdisciplinary Interaction. Introduction It has been my intention since hearing a recording of my first solo performance3to establish an individual performance language. The principal focus of this research has been in developing an improvisational performance vocabulary. Originally I had planned to investigate the principles of various creative disciplines as a direct means of inspiration in formulating new models of performance. It soon becameapparent that forcing a particular direction or `overloading' the researchby looking into too many disciplines could lead to the outcome becoming far too varied. Instead, what has occurred throughout the research period has been the application of diverse ideas drawn from selectedmedia. The resulting performances have been recorded, and along with the analytical and contextual commentary provided in this text, I have documentedthe steady evolution of an intuitive methodology that continuesto be executedin a variety of performance settings. Since each work was influenced by the outcomes of the previous one, the commentary is structured to reflect this process.It is not intended to function as a self-sufficient academicdocument, its purpose is to provide a commentary of the recorded works and serve as a means by which to communicate the methodology that has informed the works in question, not as a means by which to communicatethe works in the absenceof the recordings. I have chosen to divide the commentary into three separateparts, discussing the works chronologically. This approach seemsthe most appropriate way of documenting the researchas it has occurred over the three-year period. Part I of the commentary will focus on articulating the fundamental aspectsof the methodology on a generic level, structured under three headings:Preparation, Execution & Analysis. Using this structure,each work is discussedindividually before moving onto the next. It is anticipated that by the end of Part I the reader will have become familiar with the fundamental aspectsof the methodology insofar that discussionof subsequentworks in Parts II & III will assumea broadercontext. The Lexicon of Techniques found in Appendix I is a summary of various piano developed techniquesthat have been over the course of study. The lexicon will draw upon 3 John Zorn Mike 0504012030-for and Osborne recorded at the Perrier JazzAwards Final 2001. 7 scores,and recorded examples to illustrate the origins of the various techniques. This part of the commentary will pool many elementsin support of a constantly developing approach to an individual performancelanguage. A Note on the Recordings Many of the recordings in this folio have been recordedlive from the mixing desk at each venue, either direct to CD or to Mini Disc player. Therefore the sound quality for each is very different. Those which were recorded by the BBC (1912011047 -for Amy Walker and 2605021500 - Bath Solo) and The Molde Concert display superior recording quality compared with the other works in terms of the balance between the level of the piano and the samples.Works where the sound is imbalanced one way or another are nonethelessof sufficient quality by comparison and the reader will be able to refer to the above works as a guide. Suggestions: How to use this Document The commentary has been constructed in such a way as to follow the recordings chronologically and it is suggested that the reader should either use the recordings in conjunction with the text, or first listen to the recordings alone and then use the commentary as a companion to revisit the works in more detail. The commentary is not intended to function without the recordings. Appendix II: Works ReferenceList contains a full list of all Visual Media, Sound Recordings and Scores& Musical Referencesused in each of the works. 8 -I- Methodology Preparation Visualisation Much of the preparation for these works concerns mental visualisations of certain physical, musical and verbal combinations that become the fixed elements in the basic structure of a temporal framework. At present, the main subjects of these visualisations include references to a diverse catalogue of films and musical works. The ability for my memory to recall, pool and connect seemingly unrelated but specific fragments of dialogue or musical quotes together, could best be described as a `file-card' system. This is a process that occurs very quickly - either whilst at the piano, listening to pieces of music or watching films. They can also arise through everyday conversation, as the interaction with others somehow allows for a diversity of mental connections to be made. However, these connections are neither purely `aural' nor `visual' mental pictures. The visualisations form a complete picture that emulates particular performance settings where I am able to anticipate audience reaction, visual/musical intensity and aesthetically assess whether or not articulating the particular gesture has any lasting personal emotional resonance. This is by longevity idea it is how usually confirmed the of the - how many times replayed and long it remains at the forefront of my thinking. This is how I intuitively differentiate
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