Page 11 - Memories of the Maestro 9.11.21

Full band free improvisation with everyone experimenting at the same time was reserved only for the
musical impressions of mass confusion, hysteria or conflict.

More organization was necessary for the full band to explore improvisation as a unit. We needed to
organize our musical ideas around a common texture or emotion. In an attempt to relate our music to a
common experience, we decided to improvise our musical impressions of a storm requiring the sounds of

wind, rain and thunder. Wind sounds could be produced by blowing air through instruments and teeth.
Musical impressions of the wind could also be given by low woodwind trills accompanied by dynamic
fluctuations similar to gusts. Rain was a more difficult problem, but it was finally found that by tapping
fingernails on the bells of brass instruments, a fairly authentic rain sound could be produced.

Thunder sounds were solved by the use of a large piece of suspended sheet metal. The excitement of
lightning and thunder could be musically approximated by random sforzando-piano tones emitted
sequentially through the band for the rolling effect of the initial sheet metal thunder clap. Other aleatoric
indiscriminate pitch effects were investigated such as the sequential half step motion of random trilled

tones which generated great energy [while] full band cluster chords created wild dissonances.

After rehearsal of these improvisational elements we noticed that musical continuity was still missing from
our sound painting. We needed some actual thematic material to tie our effects together. During rehearsal
one day, we asked our lead saxophonist to improvise a storm-like motive for thematic material. He played
four tones consisting of an ascending half-step followed by an ascending skip of a fifth and a final

descending half-step. This could be played in any rhythm, transposed to any level, fragmented, played in
inversion, retrograde, or retrograde inversion. In addition combinations of these developments could be
used at the same time. This theme had many possibilities and could be played in a mysterious manner or a

bold flourish, or practically any conceivable way for the desired momentary effect.

As interesting as this theme was, we thought one additional theme for the aftermath of the storm would
give more variety. The aftermath theme was improvised by our first trombonist and consisted of four tones
descending by half steps. This theme could also be developed and used with and against our first theme.

Recalling the effectiveness of small group free improvisation and realizing
this was not musically satisfying at the full band level, we decided to form

a freely improvising trio to be used with and against full band passages.
The trio consisted of an alto saxophone, an oboe, and a French horn. This
addition was extremely successful and our sound painting began

employing elements of the concertante principal with conversational and
antiphonal effects between the trio and full band or sections of the band.
Trio improvisation was more effective when the participants knew which
one had foreground or responding roles during the exploration of feely

improvised material.