by yoni » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:43 pm
Whew! Been busy, which I like. Last night did a duo gig with Amin at a chic/funky Tel Aviv nightspot, a new place where lots of young hipsters go. Talk about foxy ladies! I had to close my eyes playing so as not to get distracted...
Amin and I jam so intense, whether slow, fast, accelerando, deccelerando or rubato, that most players eventually leave us alone onstage if they join us jamming. Not that we want this at all - but most players just can't keep up. I can barely do it myself. The music can shift so greatly and often so suddenly in dynamics, tempi, mood and so on, that reflexes and focus must be super sharp, crystal clear.
Such is the challenge of total improvisation with hot players who love it. Amazingly, once one gets secure in this musical searching, and once chemistry clicks, the pieces sound like set compositions. In fact they are composed - spontaneously.
We always laugh when people ask us who writes the music. Same happened with gigs with my dad, who told me he found improvisation to be the forte of modern music.
Like Amin, he would play live only in a situation of spontaneous composition, would take no directions or instructions from anyone. My old man was able to read, do solfege on the spot transposed from any instrument to guitar; he composed, arranged, all that crazy stuff... But when it came to performing live, jamming was his thing for the last 30 years of his playing. One incredible recording he did with drummer Elvin Jones was a total improv, after just ten minutes of their initial meeting...
Well, last night the young hippies and hipsters were in shock. But a good kind of shock. Amin shredded his violin bow in about 15 minutes; luckily he had another one with him. I was told I was also on fire. The music traveled moods and miles, from the Mid East to Europe, India and beyond, with shades of classical, all kinds of ethnic, often ultra-dramatic, and just some fun and wonderful playing.
We play soon at the yearly "Sulha Feastival", a festival here for peace between Middle Eastern peoples.
Then I'm off to Chech for a week again, hired to play in an international festival of Gypsy music. There will be a day of Gypsy jazz, a day of traditional Gypsy music, and I forget the heading of the other days...
Last time I was there I showed a short video clip with Amin - the people were blown out, as are most who see our shows, and they offered to bring him to Chech as well for this festival. But Amin has family obligations with his wife in late pregnancy, and he can't make it this time. Oh well, we'll keep trying. I got to get some business sense and get this act off the ground - it's that good. Up til now haven't had much business sense at all - seems all my brains went into my hands and my...
Ooops.
All the best to you all,
Yoni