Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation
Improvisation rattles some listeners. Maybe they're even suspicious of it. John Coltrane's saxophonic flights of fancy, Jimi Hendrix's feedback drenched guitar solos, Ravi Shankar's sitar extrapolations – all these sounds seem like so much noodling or jamming, indulgent self-expression".Just" improvising, as is sometimes said. For these music fans, it seems natural that music is meant to be composed. In the first book of its kind, John Corbett's "A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation" provides a how-to manual for the most extreme example of spontaneous improvising: music with no pre-planned material at all. Drawing on over three decades of writing about, presenting, playing, teaching, and studying freely improvised music, Corbett offers an enriching set of tools that show any curious listener how to really "listen", and he encourages them to enjoy the human impulse – found all around the world – to make up music on the spot. Corbett equips his reader for a journey into a difficult musical landscape, where there is no steady beat, no pre-ordained format, no overarching melodic or harmonic framework, and where tones can ring with the sharpest of burrs. In "Fundamentals", he explores key areas of interest, such as how the musicians interact, the malleability of time, overcoming impatience, and watching out for changes and transitions; he grounds these observations in concrete listening exercises, a veritable training regime for musical attentiveness. Then he takes readers deeper in "Advanced Techniques", plumbing the philosophical conundrums at the heart of free improvisation, including topics such as the influence of the audience and the counterintuitive challenge of listening while asleep. Scattered throughout are helpful and accessible lists of essential resources – recordings, books, videos – and a registry of major practicing free improvisors from Noa«l Akchote to John Zorn, particularly essential because this music is best experienced live. The result is a concise, humorous, and inspiring guide, a unique book that will help transform one of the world's most notoriously unapproachable artforms into a rewarding and enjoyable experience.
About the Author
John Corbett is a writer, producer, and curator based in Chicago who has written extensively on jazz and improvised music. A regular contributor to DownBeat magazine, he is the author of several books, including "Extended Play: Sounding Off from John Cage to Dr. Funkenstein" and "Microgroove: Forays Into Other Music".
Reviews
"I wish I had this book twenty-five years ago! A hyper-insightful and thoughtfully organized book that also happens to be thoroughly entertaining, A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation is an essential read for anyone interested in the complex yet accessible world of musical improvisation" – Glenn Kotche, drummer and composer, Wilco
"Corbett is one of my absolute favorite music writers because he has the rare ability to combine two diverse strains of this benighted craft, bringing together the deep musicological knowledge, heavy-lifting reportage, and crystalline prose of Peter Guralnick with the unbridled passion and joy of Lester Bangs, even when he's writing about a topic as allegedly difficult as improvised music. He never fails to open new vistas for this music lover, and he is guaranteed to do the same for you" – Jim DeRogatis, cohost of Sound Opinions
"This book is a small marvel. A deceptively simple guide, it is clearly the product of decades of serious listening. There are few books – about any form of music – that pack more ideas and more insights into such a short space as this one, and yet it remains light, lithe, immensely readable, enjoyable, and practical. It is an excellent, accessible introduction to an art form that is notorious in its reputation as difficult listening" – David Grubbs, author of "Records Ruin the Landscape: John Cage, the Sixties, and Sound Recording"
"A much-needed book for the open-minded listener – a well-written volume from jazz critic John Corbett – and one that's bound to widen your ears to a whole new realm of listening! The book's pocket-sized – maybe so that you can sneak it into a club when visiting a free jazz concert – and it's written in a style that's both personal, but very directive – with a full understanding of the complexities that come into play when listening to improvised music, and a guide towards facing some of the more difficult challenges involved! Corbett clearly loves this music, but without any sort of high ideals – none of the too-cool-for-school modes that are usually standard with the avant garde, and instead this very down to earth approach that shows the listener that they've got all the tools needed to enjoy the music themselves. The goal here (one we can totally endorse) is to bring the listener face to face with new and challenging sounds – but in a way that allows them to instantly contextualize them too – yet without having to carry years of jazz or musical experience into the process. The book is divided up into easy-to-digest sections – and penned with a surprisingly warm style too" – Dusty Groove
