Music Ezine | Articles Interviews Reviews - Indie Musicians / Edward Keazor

Latch Music's Ezine #19

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* "The Zine" content is contributed by Dave Latchaw and colleagues who use the Internet to promote their musical projects. You can check out previous issues at "The Zine" Archives.

In This Issue

Article: "Playing Free" by Dave Latchaw
Guest Artist: Edward Keazor from "Ikenga" - From the heart.
Featured Web Site: smeltzercartoons.com
Featured Web Video: Jazz Online
CD Pick: The Keith Jarrett Trio "Inside Out"

Playing Free

by Dave Latchaw

Playing Free needs to be included in the process of the evolving improvising musician. So much time and focus is spent on learning the harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary to play over tunes, that playing free can easily be ignored. Playing free is often not explored because it makes the musician vulnerable, it's like playing music without the net. Not having the harmonic and rhythmic structure of an established tune exposes to what degree the musician has their musical language together, and whether they have the confidence to go where they haven't gone before. Spontaneous composition is the ultimate goal of the improviser, either over an established tune or just Playing Free. Anyone who improvises has to take the time to understand the fundamentals of harmony and rhythm to improvise over tunes, it's just part of developing the language to expand one's voice. The study of improvising can be such an academic process that the ability to be inspired from within can be lost in the process. Playing free forces the musician to dive into their personal creative voice which can be scary to the improviser who relies on the harmonic and rhythmic structure of a composition for their inspiration.

Playing Free makes one have to improvise from a different place. One doesn't have the luxury of going through "this scale works here", "this scale works there". The free player is dealing with different, abstract, subtle energies where everything is possible. The vulnerability of playing free makes the musician have to dig deeper into their core being and explore raw untapped areas of their creativity. This makes it possible for purer music to come out in their playing. Through the process of digging deeper, the musician will go back to an established tune and bring a new inspired freedom to that tune, and their playing.

Playing Free is not an excuse for not knowing your harmony. Free musicians sometimes get so wrapped up in the process of playing free that they forget to spend time learning to play changes. Playing outside the changes does not instantly make you deep. There is a difference between art and jive. Free music does not always have to be atonal either. Free musicians sometimes forget to explore the tonal side of playing free. With time and study anyone can learn their harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary, and this study will keep expanding one's abilities to achieve greater degrees of sophistication. Harmony and rhythm are languages where the more you know, the more you can say. The combination of both disciplines, playing over structured tunes and playing free, are essential for the complete expression and growth of one's musical abilities.

One should explore Playing Free in both solo and group situations. In the solo situation, it allows one to get more connected to the expressive capabilities of their instrument. When playing free, the musician is forced to be inspired by sound and their own internal spirit, your axe is just a device you use to bring your soul to the creation of music. Tapping into the "soul", the "zone", the "continuum", or whatever you want to call it, always makes for more interesting music. Playing free as a group will make the group even more in tune with each other because of the demands of creating without pre-determined material. The group has to be more sensitive to each other and more attentive, because every possibility is available at any moment. It is the group's sensitivity to the flux of energies that will make the music cool or not. Through the demands of playing free, the group can bring a whole new level of cohesiveness to pre-determined music.

A good place to try and start playing free would be with rhythmic ideas. Tap your fingers on a table top and explore the rhythmic possibilities you can create. Then notice the subtle difference in the pitches that you can create on that table. Then move on to your axe, and try some ideas which include pitches. If you're challenged by playing completely free, try it in stages. Start with playing free using just one mode or pentatonic scale, and explore the various possibilities it brings. It's very possible to create some of the same elements that tribal folk music started from. Try it with your friends, you can have blast creating spontaneous music on the fly in group situations.

Free music is an acquired taste for most listeners. A lot of listeners dismiss free music because they have to be engaged in a process of digging into the subtle abstract energies of the music to appreciate it. The general public do not want to work that hard! As a musician, don't get caught up in the dismissal of free music and playing free. Remember, it's a tendency with most people to criticize what they can't do or don't understand. Give Free Music a listen and give it a try. The worst thing that could happen is you might like it.

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Edward Keazor from "Ikenga"

#1 Where can people find out more about you and your music on the Internet?

We have a page on Stationmp3.com, also www.peoplesound.com/Ikenga, you can also find info on Ikenga at www.ubl.com as well as www.jazzservices.org.

#2 Where did the name "Ikenga" come from, and how has the band evolved since the beginning days as "The Rhythm Project" in Lagos, Nigeria?

The name Ikenga is sourced historically from an ancient carved wooden symbol found in Igboland in West Africa, symbolising man's spirit of endeavour, truth, justice and unity. The band has evolved largely from the early experimental stage of modern Jazz cover sets to a deeper sound fusion borrowing from ancient rhythms from Africa (mostly) and other parts of the world and combining with the influences of the styles the members of the band were comfortable with ranging from Jazz to Psychedelic. We're still experimenting restlessly, because we believe there's so much music out there you can't (shouldn't) as an artist pigeon-hole your creativity.

#3 What was it like to perform at the World Football Championships?

"The World Junior Football Championships Lagos 1999". It was a great feeling, it was a fair crowd, I must say and there were nerves, but the guys had been so anxious for a major platform of expression, we swallowed up the feeling. There's nothing like the feeling of appreciation of your talent and work (although money isn't bad alongside that I assure you). Although we had done quite a few large concerts prior, this was a global stage and established us in the eyes of our local audience. I'm still on a high, 2.5 years later.

#4 How do your compositions and arrangements come together?

I listen to any and everything, from Bachmann Turner Overdrive to Bach, from Steppenwolf to Steps (sorry I take that back), Shaman chants to Fela Kuti, basically anything under the sun, although I remain influenced by Nigerian composers Fela Kuti, Celestine Ukwu and Harcourt Whyte as well as Papa Wemba,Van Morrison, Bruce Hornsby and John Coltrane. In simple terms, with our heads full of all this music and life itself, we sit down and create, at times it comes off at times it doesn't, there's several lengths of Adat Tape which shall stay hidden for the good of mankind.

#5 How would you describe your music?

I would describe Ikenga's sound as a positive and yet emerging musical experiment, we haven't gotten where we're going yet, although with some luck major label will probably sign emerge across the horizon, sign us up and completely screw up our creativity and stifle our artistic drive (every musician's dream!).

#6 What do you want people to get from your music and your live shows?

We would sincerely want people to leave our shows or switch off the Hifi feeling that they've listened to some really good music, that they can feel that creative effort has gone into our work and most of all that the initial curiosity has been justified and hopefully exceeded.

#7 How has the Internet changed your musical activities?

In simple terms. its opened up our music to the widest audience possible, we've built bridges that otherwise would have been non-existent, we have not been hurt by the Internet.

#8 What future projects and activities should people be looking for?

We intend to tour extensively to promote the album and consequently shall go back and create more music, working with an even broader spectrum of Artiste, whatever comes up along the line shall be dealt with as it comes up.

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smeltzercartoons.com

Steve Smeltzer is not only a brilliant drummer, he's a great cartoonist. Steve now has a home base for his cartooning activities. At smeltzercartoons.com you can see a list of his clients, such as Good Housekeeping, Readers Digest, The Saturday Evening Post and more. At the Gallery you can see more of his work. Steve also does wonderful musical cartoons. A few of my favorites were in our Zine issues 6, 7 and 8, as well as Sweetwater Sound's music calendar. If you scroll down the page at Sweetwater, you can link to the whole year's calendar of toons. Check out Steve's work at smeltzercartoons.com, you'll really enjoy it.

Jazz Online

Jazz Online is definitely a cool site. They offer a great selection of video performances to check out. Of course, my personal favorite is the solo version of Chick Corea playing "Spain". Also featured is Chick Corea's band "Origin", performing Chick's tune "Wigwam". You can see Brad Mehldau performing "Exit Music", Joshua Redman doing "Summertime", Kenny Garrett "2 Down & 1 Across", Monty Alexander "Stir It Up!", and more. The video quality is good and consistent. You will need Windows Media Player. Good for Jazz Online to make available such great performances to watch! Click here to check out the vids.

Related Sites

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The Keith Jarrett Trio
"Inside Out"

This has to be one of the greatest piano trios ever. The three of them have made music together in some configuration since the late 60's. In 1983 they decided to record standards. This was a bold move because at the time no one was really recording those tunes. Since all three are master improvisers they can just call tunes and play, which makes the music sound fresh and spontaneous. Their efforts brought new life to the classic jazz standards. Their first release was Standards Volume 1. Inside Out is The Trio now exploring the free side of jazz. The three of them experimented with free playing in the 60's, but now they bring many more years of experience to playing free, which enhances their level of intuitiveness for group musical explorations. You can hear the influence of the blues come out also in this recording, which is very interesting in a free context.

Click here to learn more about "Inside Out"