2 new Youtube/Mayspace Videos: Live in Hamburg

[damonsmith]

The Youtubes are here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6_UzxFwHac
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgvpEAjl-JA
the Myspace videos on on my link below.

Birgit Ulher -Trumpet
Ariel Shibolet - Soprano Saxophone
Scott r. Looney - Laptop
Damon Smith - Double bass
Live improvisation in Hamburg 12/20/06
The Double Bass I am Playing was the Late Peter Nikklas Wilson's.
He was a great Double Bass Player and Musicologist known for Books on Sonny Rollins, Ayler and Ornette and recordings with Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker and others.

[kurtsnyder]

I'm sorry... maybe I'm missing something, but that sounds like the worst bunch of noise I've ever heard. I think my 8 year old nephew could "play" the sax and trumpet better. I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but it just seems like a bunch of scratchy noise.

[dwbentley]

Yuck!!!!! Is this a joke?

[Reuben]

Ragged, but inspiring. I liked these clips quite a bit, but the sound-quality of the recordings does leave a LOT to be desired. Someday I have to play with Birgit. She just gets better and better.

[Alex Spradling]

Where does one study laptop

[rprowse]

Toilet please

[damonsmith]

It is awesome to get criticism like this these days. Normally you only read about people like this in Ornette's Biography!

[Reuben]

So much for the supportive brotherhood of bass!

[Alex Spradling]

Originally Posted by damonsmith

It is awesome to get criticism like this these days. Normally you only read about people like this in Ornette's Biography!

I heard a story about Ornette from my theory teacher. Apparently he was just starting to get into the plastic sax thing and he was playing at some bar, when some guys came up to him and said "There's a girl out back who loved your set and wants you to play for her." So Ornette being a guy and all goes skipping out into some alley with his sax, where he gets cornered by 3 goons. He knows whats up so he holds his sax really close to his chest, but they beat him up and destroyed it.


but seriously, Laptop?

[neal davis]

I enjoyed it damon, and really in the type of music we play I'm glad you are getting these reactions because it means you are doing something right. And yes laptop I've seen many musicians using then including Herbie Hancock and Brecker on the last tour as well as VJ Iyer.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by Alex Spradling

but seriously, Laptop?

-Mr. Looney holds a degree in composition and electronic music from Cal Arts.
Electronic music has been around for decades, what rock have you been under?

[Alex Spradling]

Originally Posted by neal davis

I enjoyed it damon, and really in the type of music we play I'm glad you are getting these reactions because it means you are doing something right. And yes laptop I've seen many musicians using then including Herbie Hancock and Brecker on the last tour as well as VJ Iyer.

Brecker was a virtuoso sax player, Hancock is a virtuoso pianist/keyboardist.

brecker will not be listed in history books has Saxophonist/Composer/Laptopist

[Alex Spradling]

Originally Posted by damonsmith

-Mr. Looney hold a degree in composition and electronic music from Cal Arts.
Electronic music has been around for decades, what rock have you been under?

I don't know, the Jazz Studies rock?

How do you improvise on a machine that has to be programmed?

[neal davis]

maybe an ewi ist? what ever tools they use to help themselves create music it is great. if it were not for using new technology or trying new things out in jazz we would all be playing tuba in new orleans style bands

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by Alex Spradling

I don't know, the Jazz Studies rock?

How do you improvise on a machine that has to be programmed?

-He has a keyboard (meaning Piano type keyboard not the one we are typing on, though he obviously has that too) and some other controlers, the mouse, etc.
I am just a bass player and don't quite get it, but as I understand it the laptop stores and processes sounds and samples.
I do know his reaction time is as quick as any improvisor. he reacts with his sounds just like I do with mine.
As Reuben can attest he is a fantastic pianist, getting in to electronics was partly his response to not having pianos at the venues anymore.

The great trombonist Geoge Lewis actually made comupter programs that improvise on their own.

[christ andronis]

Originally Posted by damonsmith

The great trombonist Geoge Lewis actually made pomupter programs that improvise on their own.

..yeah..but will they run on a computer???

[Thomas Stone]

quote:

"How do you improvise on a machine that has to be programmed?"

Alex, on macs there is a drop down menu from system preferences and on pcs you have to reboot in administrator mode.

[Alex Spradling]

Originally Posted by Thomas Stone

quote:

"How do you improvise on a machine that has to be programmed?"

Alex, on macs there is a drop down menu from system preferences and on pcs you have to reboot in administrator mode.

Is the blue screen of death equivelant to having a bad night? Spotty intonation?

alex

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by Alex Spradling

Is the blue screen of death equivelant to having a bad night? Spotty intonation?

alex

- Actually, I think so. An interesting point since you mention techinque is that the technical standard for double bass players is far higher in the field of free jazz and improvised music than straight ahead jazz.

Very few get by without classical training and you very rarely see that baseball bat left hand.
Most have solid arco skills and can play jazz tunes at a pro level.
Most can interact on an equal musical level with other instrumentalists.

I only mention it because I find it interesting that straight jazz players have an attitude about being able to "Play", and then so many bass players get by with sub-standard technique.
Obviously, I love jazz and have my favorite players, so I am not passing a negative judgement on all jazz players or anything like that.

Just pointing out a little irony I have noticed over the years!

[rprowse]

Programme music