01/02/2013 12 Moons

Location: Home studio (Clinton, WA)
Instrument: tenor saxophone

Notes:

During this improvisation I worked to create an atonal bass line with interruptions in the meter by rhythmically opposing melodic figures. I start out with small interruptions and gradually begin to length the melodic phrases. 

I’m currently exploring the use of rhythmic phrasing that does not have a steady meter beneath it. When I hear the great Albert Ayler exploring sound color, it feels very rhythmic to me despite not being grounded in steady time. With this piece I tried to juxtapose the concept of pre determined meter against malleable, or flexible meter.

01/01/2013 (12 Moons solo improvisation)

12 Moons Solo Project Day 1

Date: 01/01/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Location: Headlands Woods Preserve (Whidbey Island, WA)

Notes:

This afternoon I read about the Peace Pilgram (aka, Mildred Norman), a remarkable women who walked for 28 years across America with the simple message of spreading peace to others. During this time Peace Pilgram never used money, but instead relied upon the charity of others for food, shelter and companionship. In her words: “I tell you, people are good. There’s a spark of good in everybody.”

I thought it fitting to record my first piece today in nature. The ground was covered in frost and the forest was alive with the sounds of birds and snapping tree branches. Airplanes buzzed overhead, and their incessant murmuring inspired my use of a few techniques below:

1. Single fingering exploration
2. The use of double-tonguing and flutter-tonguing
3. Screaming through the instrument while manipulating my throat and tongue