FREE IMPROVISATION

Though I have been interested in free improvisation off and on since the mid-1970's, and have written several compositions based upon recorded improvisations, I did not seriously devote myself to the art form until 1993. Composition and improvisation require different philosophical outlooks, and it was a commitment to the underlying philosophy of improvisation that accounted for this reexamination.

The real difference between free improvisation and jazz, or any other type of improvisation, is that it is completely free of preconception and planning. The intention is not so much to compose in real time, though this does happen occasionally, but to follow the inspiration of the moment wherever it leads. My original impetus was to pursue improvisation as a spiritual practice, but it soon became an important facet of my creative life and a major contributor to my artistic vision.

After a few years, I decided that I needed to produce a recording, both to solidify my personal commitment, and for the practical and artistic experience. I also felt that the music I was producing through improvisation was quite different than the music I had composed and, other than live performance, a recording was the only way to present it to the public. So, after choosing some recorded improvisations from 1996-97, I produced Dreamcatcher in 1998.

Dreamcatcher was a critical success and was nominated for a Grammy, but not very commercially successful. After doing some research on the recording of free improvisation in the US, Europe, and Japan, I realized that most recordings were available only on CD-R from the artists themselves. This made more sense to me, so the next several recordings are available only from me on CD-R.

Snowmelt was recorded during an inspired week off in the spring of 2001. I tend to record in spurts, and then not record for months or sometimes years. The nature of improvisation is that during any particular month's time, most of my improvisation will have a similar flavor. After a while, I will notice similar patterns in my playing and will no longer be able to discern the quality effectively, so I have to, at that point, stop recording.

But unlike composition, improvisation evolves very quickly. After several months, my improvisation will sound noticeably different. My mood and my inspiration will also change. So even though I could, conceivably, record every day if I wanted to, it is not very effective. My recordings, then, become more like chronicles.

After Snowmelt, I decided to record differently, to produce shorter pieces. In 2003, I produced two CD's, Cricket Cages and Dandelion Seeds. I recorded Floating Leaves from various sessions in 2005-06, and in 2007, I recorded Cascades of Fog and Frozen Geysers.

I like to think of piano improvisation as Japanese Sumi-e India Ink Brush Painting. Like the paintings, the piano produces a large variety of suggestive tones and shades, but the actual color is always the same. All the notes of the piano have a sharp attack and begin to decay as soon as they are struck. In spite of this sameness, the piano can be lyrical or sprightly, lush or sparse, stark or suggestive.

Because of this analogy, I wanted the covers of my CD's (those done after Dreamcatcher) to be done in black and white. My daughter, Kari, who returned from Japan in 2008, has professionally redone my covers for me. She used a wide variety of interesting techniques and variations on the black and white theme. I particularly like the fog dragon!

The CD's may be purchased via download from CD Baby effective January, 2010: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/GlennStallcop/