Avant-garde Jazz, American Idol, and The Form of No-Form

Just returned from a Tuesday night at Hotti Biscotti where the music is free-form or avant-garde jazz - or simply "improvised music". There is quite an art to experiencing this type of music and it took me a little while to get a grip on it. I used to think that this type of music was self-indulgent and intended for the enjoyment of the players rather than the listeners. Not true. Consider this : In "conventional music" of any style, the musicians play for the audience and basically go through established forms and routines. No matter how brilliant a particular soloist is, he is always backed by the familiar patterns of that genre. Consequently, not a whole lot is required of the audience, because they can sit there and evaluate the music on comfortable, well-known terms. However, in improvised music, everything is brand new - especially to the musicians themselves. So, the audience must get involved and follow closely. Otherwise it is just noise. As listeners, we have to organize sound into patterns - however loose and vague. In regular music, most of this is done for us. But in avant/free-form/improv/blow-your-mind music YOU HAVE TO PARTICIPATE !

Another thing about listening to this music is that you realize there are very few fundamentals to any kind of music in the first place. There is tonality and rhythm. These two units are about all there is to The Form Of Music. In Zen Buddhism, there is a concept called "the form of no-form" and I am always reminded of this philosophical insight when listening to challenging and bold music. All is in the elements and when you scrutinize it closely, there is no form, but "no-form".

Which, improbably leads me to American Idol. No, I'm not going to trash that show. I merely want to point out a humorous link between one of the smallest audiences possible (like improv-jazz) and one of the largest in the world (American Idol). On tomorrow night's show (2/21/07), America and the world will hear a young woman named Leslie Hunt. She is the daughter of Steve Hunt - a Tuesday night regular behind the drum-kit at HB. Yes, the musical torch has been passed from father to daughter and Leslie will attempt to catch the attention of a has-been studio bassist, a smarmy British guy and a chick who's either really crazy, or really smart. Or perhaps, my idea of a perfect woman. No idea what song Leslie will sing, but here's hoping she knocks it out of the park.

Anyway - we wish her well and have our TiVo's set on STUN.