Developing Artistic Practice in A Small Jazz Ensemble
Developing artistic practice
The word ‘development’ implies a constant search for new perspectives and efficient methods in improving an idea. In the case of my own practice, this has been challenging but rewarding, relying much on either self or collective learning: self-learning in terms of researching the principals of music making, both as a composer and as an improviser; collective learning in terms of putting into practice the fundamentals of music: melody, harmony, rhythm, form, and space, to create a musical performance in collaboration with others, in this case, a small jazz ensemble. This particular situation in which I have been allowed to ‘play’ has lent itself to an opportunity to learn and to experiment as a composer, improviser, and as a leader.
Artistic practice may at times involve not knowing what the result will be, searching, feeling, hoping and anticipating the discovery of new knowledge. It is revealed as information or through lived experience, occurring as a cyclical process: self-learning and collective learning. What does this process look like for an individual or for the collective? What does its application look like for both the composer/player/leader and participating musicians in the small jazz ensemble? Artistic practice reveals itself as the words suggest: the daily study of how one’s own thinking, imagination, and application of information can potentially change or remain stable in the face of seeking new ideas and perspectives of one's creativity.
Arts practice is much like developing familiarity in a relationship. As a relationship develops one learns to establish boundaries, communication skills, and the ability to work together as a team in order to find a successful outcome. One could use this analogy in reference to developing one’s own practice which involves constant awareness, observing the creative process as it occurs, using problem-solving skills and memory by referring to prior knowledge and experience as a reflexive practice. The reflective process contributes towards developing one’s practice through assessing successful strategy. Assessment can be seen as a pragmatic approach, much like scientists working on a hypothesis, only the creative musician never really finds a finite answer but seeks to improve the process of exploration in the hope of improving one’s learning capacity.
Initially, when I was confronted with writing my first composition, I was overwhelmed, not knowing how to put on paper my ideas. I was young and lacked the information necessary for putting together a musical canvas. One can have the gifting’s of the imagination but without information, this potential lies dormant. Of course, one could say the same in regards to absorbing and assimilating information into an outcome; creating can only occur with exploring the mind’s potential as imagination. As a composer/ player/ leader, this motivation for learning and application is a direct consequence of the desire to write and perform jazz as either a composition, improvisation or instruction in terms of leadership in the group performance. Initially, compositions were written as a method to support an understanding of the fundamentals and relationships occurring in music. This could also be seen in reverse: using my creativity in writing a composition helped reveal the inherent material which formed the basis of music fundamentals.
If one would assume that the average person knows very little in regards to the playing of an instrument or the creation of a musical performance, and knowledge of theory required to develop one’s skills, then what would the next step entail? It is quite easy to find resources in the technological age we find ourselves in today through the accessing of information on the internet. Books, web pages, and videos on ‘do-it-yourself’ projects are easily accessible, however, if this all were to disappear tomorrow, what would be the most reliable way in which to build such skills required of an improvising jazz musician/composer? One answer would be to return the foundations of the art form, the ‘aural aspect’ and library of recorded musical material as an LP record, cassette, CD, MP3, or live streaming; and the ‘oral tradition’ of learning within a community of experienced musicians who pass on relevant information needed to self-learn and develop one’s skills and ability.
Small jazz ensemble composition as ‘experiment’
Developing practice as a composer/player/leader for a small jazz ensemble can be a lonely place! Lonely because one is working away at one’s craft, like any other, as a solitary practice. Not so lonely when one is involved with others, practicing one’s craft as participatory practice. The challenge is maintaining one’s momentum, seeking out areas which improve one’s art and craft. In my case, I return time again to the fundamentals of music: melody, harmony, rhythm. These areas are explored as a form, in a structure as a device for performance and also for learning. More often than not this is done as a composer or improviser. The composition aspect involves creating scaffolds, platforms for exploration as an improviser. The same is said in reverse, as an improviser, scaffolds are created to build a canvas as a composition for performance, interpretation, and discovery. A library of resources is acquired in between, that is; past, present, and future experiences in build knowledge with the ear working on existent theory, contributing to new understandings and possibilities. As a jazz musician, this is predominately done through transcription and listening of artists, and the investigation and study of musical scores. In other words, how can one incorporate, assimilate, understand, and develop ideas from the corresponding relationships between transcription and library of experiences as listening, intuition, and intellect to the fundamentals of music and theory and vice versa? How can this process then be applied to personal practice and that of the working members/participants of my ensemble?
A small jazz ensemble is a collective of individuals with the common goal to present an efficient and effective interpretation of a composition; the improvising musicians have the potential to create a dialogue, using their skills and imagination to tell a story, much like the actor brings out their own experiences through their character in the performance. The unfolding experiment in regards to the composition’s conception as a score, it’s rehearsal, arrangement, and presentation as a performance is both a physical and metaphysical process. It is the act of deciphering and applying information inherent in the score; as well as the interactions and contributions which take place with participating musicians as a performance.
The aesthetics of a small jazz ensemble performance are conducive to change and inquiry due to the nature of their size. Much like a conversation taking place around the dinner table, improvising musicians share and contribute. As a leader, one sets the theme for the night, however, due to the nature of improvisation, those involved engage in different spheres due to their backgrounds, with the probability of the discussion returning to the original idea. The idea which prompted the discussion is like a jazz experiment, a process revealed by Wayne Shorter’s comment, “Jazz means I dare you”. This is a good quote, relevant to many fields, prompting one to consider solutions to a problem, developing efficient and effective methods in seeking out answers, not only based on intellect, using information at hand, but looking beyond the horizon, using intuition and imagination as a means of discovery.
The small jazz ensemble is ideal in this regard as it is a group of individuals coming together, contributing ideas and various perspectives using information and imagination as a team to problem solve; in this case, the problem is finding an answer to arranging and presenting ideas, both individually and collectively. Experience and memory play a great deal into developing and interpreting the small jazz ensemble composition. The varying experiences and memories stored by participating improvising musicians mold together to form a unique experience. Miles Davis explains this circumstance well, telling the story of process, formation, and teamwork of his second great quintet. He refers to the idea of osmosis as a metaphor for describing how this particular group of musicians responded creatively as a unit.
I’m fortunate to have worked with some outstanding improvising jazz musicians throughout this study. These musicians have excellent technique on their respective instruments and bring a wealth of knowledge, contributing to a positive interpretation of my compositions. The history of music listening, life experience, social interaction, and relationship with one another is also a significant factor in the success of the musical performance, and as a leader, it is my role to manage a sense of control and freedom within the ensemble, allowing a space for participants to contribute, collaborate, and explore their imaginations. It’s interesting how the number of participants in a group impacts the outcome. For instance, with a conversation between two people, it is assumed there is sufficient space for communication, listening to one another’s thoughts, feelings, and understanding each other’s perspective. As this number increases one would assume more time is necessary to allow a space to be generated for hearing, communication, perception and so on. As the numbers increase more order is required, allowing a platform for interplay, collaboration, and teamwork for participants to contribute to developing the group’s potential.
Unity in a small jazz ensemble can require sacrificing one’s intentions and ego in order to obtain the optimum result. When commenting on the formation of his second great quintet (Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams), Miles Davis mentioned how Shorter was the “intellectual musical catalyst’, a reference to his compositions as a platform for exploration. Davis also mentions the connection between members as something like ‘osmosis’ (movement of nutrition and sustainability from one plant form to another). Davis uses this metaphor to describe the required depth of understanding for a musical performance amongst participants; a unique character trait and skill which ‘adds’ to the experience and shared as an adventure. This experience could be seen as both tangible and intangible. Tangible in terms of the musical results, intangible in terms of the relationship and interactions between those participating.
Can one tell a story of how the small jazz ensemble composition unfolds from its beginnings until its completion? From my perspective, one can only observe. It may not be the same for all but I am certain there are common characteristics which underpin the process. The level of liberty, the approach taken by the composer/player/leader in allowing the performance to unfold in combination with musical skill and various experiences amongst participants fluctuates, however, my history of performing with this particular approach has made the overall experience more enjoyable and successful. The unifying factor has been the potential of group members to add to the performance as improvisers and arrangers of musical material contained within the score. Combine this aspect of music making with the relationship dynamics between musicians, where everyone understands each other’s strengths, weaknesses, character traits, shared listening experiences, musical knowledge, histories within a jazz community, and the creative potential of the compositional performance should be a success.
The word ‘development’ implies a constant search for new perspectives and efficient methods in improving an idea. In the case of my own practice, this has been challenging but rewarding, relying much on either self or collective learning: self-learning in terms of researching the principals of music making, both as a composer and as an improviser; collective learning in terms of putting into practice the fundamentals of music: melody, harmony, rhythm, form, and space, to create a musical performance in collaboration with others, in this case, a small jazz ensemble. This particular situation in which I have been allowed to ‘play’ has lent itself to an opportunity to learn and to experiment as a composer, improviser, and as a leader.
Artistic practice may at times involve not knowing what the result will be, searching, feeling, hoping and anticipating the discovery of new knowledge. It is revealed as information or through lived experience, occurring as a cyclical process: self-learning and collective learning. What does this process look like for an individual or for the collective? What does its application look like for both the composer/player/leader and participating musicians in the small jazz ensemble? Artistic practice reveals itself as the words suggest: the daily study of how one’s own thinking, imagination, and application of information can potentially change or remain stable in the face of seeking new ideas and perspectives of one's creativity.
Arts practice is much like developing familiarity in a relationship. As a relationship develops one learns to establish boundaries, communication skills, and the ability to work together as a team in order to find a successful outcome. One could use this analogy in reference to developing one’s own practice which involves constant awareness, observing the creative process as it occurs, using problem-solving skills and memory by referring to prior knowledge and experience as a reflexive practice. The reflective process contributes towards developing one’s practice through assessing successful strategy. Assessment can be seen as a pragmatic approach, much like scientists working on a hypothesis, only the creative musician never really finds a finite answer but seeks to improve the process of exploration in the hope of improving one’s learning capacity.
Initially, when I was confronted with writing my first composition, I was overwhelmed, not knowing how to put on paper my ideas. I was young and lacked the information necessary for putting together a musical canvas. One can have the gifting’s of the imagination but without information, this potential lies dormant. Of course, one could say the same in regards to absorbing and assimilating information into an outcome; creating can only occur with exploring the mind’s potential as imagination. As a composer/ player/ leader, this motivation for learning and application is a direct consequence of the desire to write and perform jazz as either a composition, improvisation or instruction in terms of leadership in the group performance. Initially, compositions were written as a method to support an understanding of the fundamentals and relationships occurring in music. This could also be seen in reverse: using my creativity in writing a composition helped reveal the inherent material which formed the basis of music fundamentals.
If one would assume that the average person knows very little in regards to the playing of an instrument or the creation of a musical performance, and knowledge of theory required to develop one’s skills, then what would the next step entail? It is quite easy to find resources in the technological age we find ourselves in today through the accessing of information on the internet. Books, web pages, and videos on ‘do-it-yourself’ projects are easily accessible, however, if this all were to disappear tomorrow, what would be the most reliable way in which to build such skills required of an improvising jazz musician/composer? One answer would be to return the foundations of the art form, the ‘aural aspect’ and library of recorded musical material as an LP record, cassette, CD, MP3, or live streaming; and the ‘oral tradition’ of learning within a community of experienced musicians who pass on relevant information needed to self-learn and develop one’s skills and ability.
Small jazz ensemble composition as ‘experiment’
Developing practice as a composer/player/leader for a small jazz ensemble can be a lonely place! Lonely because one is working away at one’s craft, like any other, as a solitary practice. Not so lonely when one is involved with others, practicing one’s craft as participatory practice. The challenge is maintaining one’s momentum, seeking out areas which improve one’s art and craft. In my case, I return time again to the fundamentals of music: melody, harmony, rhythm. These areas are explored as a form, in a structure as a device for performance and also for learning. More often than not this is done as a composer or improviser. The composition aspect involves creating scaffolds, platforms for exploration as an improviser. The same is said in reverse, as an improviser, scaffolds are created to build a canvas as a composition for performance, interpretation, and discovery. A library of resources is acquired in between, that is; past, present, and future experiences in build knowledge with the ear working on existent theory, contributing to new understandings and possibilities. As a jazz musician, this is predominately done through transcription and listening of artists, and the investigation and study of musical scores. In other words, how can one incorporate, assimilate, understand, and develop ideas from the corresponding relationships between transcription and library of experiences as listening, intuition, and intellect to the fundamentals of music and theory and vice versa? How can this process then be applied to personal practice and that of the working members/participants of my ensemble?
A small jazz ensemble is a collective of individuals with the common goal to present an efficient and effective interpretation of a composition; the improvising musicians have the potential to create a dialogue, using their skills and imagination to tell a story, much like the actor brings out their own experiences through their character in the performance. The unfolding experiment in regards to the composition’s conception as a score, it’s rehearsal, arrangement, and presentation as a performance is both a physical and metaphysical process. It is the act of deciphering and applying information inherent in the score; as well as the interactions and contributions which take place with participating musicians as a performance.
The aesthetics of a small jazz ensemble performance are conducive to change and inquiry due to the nature of their size. Much like a conversation taking place around the dinner table, improvising musicians share and contribute. As a leader, one sets the theme for the night, however, due to the nature of improvisation, those involved engage in different spheres due to their backgrounds, with the probability of the discussion returning to the original idea. The idea which prompted the discussion is like a jazz experiment, a process revealed by Wayne Shorter’s comment, “Jazz means I dare you”. This is a good quote, relevant to many fields, prompting one to consider solutions to a problem, developing efficient and effective methods in seeking out answers, not only based on intellect, using information at hand, but looking beyond the horizon, using intuition and imagination as a means of discovery.
The small jazz ensemble is ideal in this regard as it is a group of individuals coming together, contributing ideas and various perspectives using information and imagination as a team to problem solve; in this case, the problem is finding an answer to arranging and presenting ideas, both individually and collectively. Experience and memory play a great deal into developing and interpreting the small jazz ensemble composition. The varying experiences and memories stored by participating improvising musicians mold together to form a unique experience. Miles Davis explains this circumstance well, telling the story of process, formation, and teamwork of his second great quintet. He refers to the idea of osmosis as a metaphor for describing how this particular group of musicians responded creatively as a unit.
I’m fortunate to have worked with some outstanding improvising jazz musicians throughout this study. These musicians have excellent technique on their respective instruments and bring a wealth of knowledge, contributing to a positive interpretation of my compositions. The history of music listening, life experience, social interaction, and relationship with one another is also a significant factor in the success of the musical performance, and as a leader, it is my role to manage a sense of control and freedom within the ensemble, allowing a space for participants to contribute, collaborate, and explore their imaginations. It’s interesting how the number of participants in a group impacts the outcome. For instance, with a conversation between two people, it is assumed there is sufficient space for communication, listening to one another’s thoughts, feelings, and understanding each other’s perspective. As this number increases one would assume more time is necessary to allow a space to be generated for hearing, communication, perception and so on. As the numbers increase more order is required, allowing a platform for interplay, collaboration, and teamwork for participants to contribute to developing the group’s potential.
Unity in a small jazz ensemble can require sacrificing one’s intentions and ego in order to obtain the optimum result. When commenting on the formation of his second great quintet (Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams), Miles Davis mentioned how Shorter was the “intellectual musical catalyst’, a reference to his compositions as a platform for exploration. Davis also mentions the connection between members as something like ‘osmosis’ (movement of nutrition and sustainability from one plant form to another). Davis uses this metaphor to describe the required depth of understanding for a musical performance amongst participants; a unique character trait and skill which ‘adds’ to the experience and shared as an adventure. This experience could be seen as both tangible and intangible. Tangible in terms of the musical results, intangible in terms of the relationship and interactions between those participating.
Can one tell a story of how the small jazz ensemble composition unfolds from its beginnings until its completion? From my perspective, one can only observe. It may not be the same for all but I am certain there are common characteristics which underpin the process. The level of liberty, the approach taken by the composer/player/leader in allowing the performance to unfold in combination with musical skill and various experiences amongst participants fluctuates, however, my history of performing with this particular approach has made the overall experience more enjoyable and successful. The unifying factor has been the potential of group members to add to the performance as improvisers and arrangers of musical material contained within the score. Combine this aspect of music making with the relationship dynamics between musicians, where everyone understands each other’s strengths, weaknesses, character traits, shared listening experiences, musical knowledge, histories within a jazz community, and the creative potential of the compositional performance should be a success.
