Is there a place in Gramophone for Jazz and Improvised Music?
Tue, Jun 29 2010, 9:40PM
The inclusion, in the new issue, of a review by Philip Clark which includes comments about musicians associated with jazz and improvised music prompts me to wonder if a page of the magazine might be devoted to this area of music each month. A search of the archive shows that it was once a feature of Gramophone, with Charles Fox writing about such great players as Anthony Braxton and Derek Bailey. Philip Clark would be just the person to write about this music as he is well aware of the worth of musicians such as those he mentions in his review ( Wadada Leo Smith, Eddie Prevost etc.) as against those deemed to be 'acceptable' to a classical audience (Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett etc.).
Tue, Jul 13 2010, 2:05AM
#2
RE: Is there a place in Gramophone for Jazz and Improvised Music
Surely, if you want to read about jazz, you can buy a jazz magazine?
Sun, Aug 1 2010, 5:28PM
#3
RE: Is there a place in Gramophone for Jazz and Improvised Music
Although part of me would love to fill the zine with reviews of AMM, Derek Bailey, John Butcher, Anthony Braxton, Sunny Murray, Cecil Taylor et al, actually I'm with Martin on this. The music is too big and important to be shunted into one page of Gramophone. And for readers who want to keep up with new releases/ideas/concepts within free improvisation a good magazine exists anyway: The Wire (www.thewire.co.uk), a publication I also write for.
That said, I believe Gramophone should recognise how free improv intersects with composition and, moreover, how the practise of improvisation operates as a critique of the culture of composed music. When I've written about the music in Gramophone, that has usually been my motivation.
John Butcher, when I interviewed him for The Wire in 2006, stated his position as follows: “Free improvisation is here in opposition to other music. It doesn’t all co-exist together nicely. The fact that I have chosen to do this implies that I don’t value what you’re doing over there. My activity calls into question the value of your activity. This is what informs our musical thinking and decision making.”
...which gets straight to the heart of the matter!
Sat, Aug 7 2010, 9:52AM
#4
Is there a place in Gramophone for Jazz and Improvised Music?
Having been a reader of G for many years (45 in fact,with some older issues acquired 2nd hand) I remember when G used to review pop,jazz,film music,and spoken word issues. For people with a vague interest in these things,G was very useful.
G was quite good for technical reviews too,with the likes of John Borwick and Percy Wilson displaying their expert knowledge to guide us to selecting suitable equipment,and they were never wrong,unlike the present crop of hifi 'experts' who put appearance on the same level as performance.
Sedgley.
Mon, Aug 9 2010, 10:07PM
#5
RE: Is there a place in Gramophone for Jazz and Improvised Music
John Butcher, when I interviewed him for The Wire in 2006, stated his position as follows: “Free improvisation is here in opposition to other music. It doesn’t all co-exist together nicely. The fact that I have chosen to do this implies that I don’t value what you’re doing over there.
It actually implies nothing of the sort. Free improv doesn't have intrinsic value judgements -- quite the opposite.
But the fact that John Butcher thinks it does speaks volumes about his approach to music.
Mon, Aug 9 2010, 10:06PM
#6
RE: Is there a place in Gramophone for Jazz and Improvised Music
And for readers who want to keep up with new releases/ideas/concepts within free improvisation a good magazine exists anyway: The Wire (www.thewire.co.uk)...
Hmmm...
"The cello was destroyed (turned into powder) in front of a live audience... The powder was used to fill jars of approximately 250ml, labeled, numbered and sealed. The performance took place during the 2009 INSTAL festival in Glasgow on 21 March." [ http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/4729/ ]
Interesting concept of 'music' :-)
The difficulty is that the other genres of music you mention justify the same weight of consideration and exploration as classical, and so to give a page or two to them would be at best merely scratching the surface. What we do recognise is that the dividing line between, in particular, contemporary music, and improvisation, jazz, sound art and so on is a healthily fluid one. Where we feel it's a natural step into other genres, it is a step we often take, but classical music (the term a discussion in itself of course) is the starting point.
Editor, Gramophone