John Akomfrah and Janna Levin in conversation as part of Longplayer Assembly. Towards the end of their conversation they exchange thoughts and words about jazz and improvisation and conversation and ways of being in the world that go meta and become a sort of awareness of the improvisational qualities of this and all conversation. It’s magic.
Their remarks about jazz begin at 22 minutes.
A freestyle transcription follows.
JL:
Jazz by rights should be awful.
[…]
JA
I am very influenced. Influenced sounds like I am trying to transpose what they do into our field. It’s not that at all. It is just that when you are — a word that came up a lot in our last conversation was proximity — when you have this proximity to something, there is a way in which its aura and glow leaves a sort of imprint on your soul, really, you know. And jazz has definitely done that. Especially its examples, what I call its charismatic examples. The sense in which it says that in the process of trying to do something, elisions and ellipses, accidents and chance encounters, that all of these can be woven into a sort symbolic order, form. Right? Things don’t loose their discordant —
JL
Their shape…
JA
Yes, loose their shape, just because they have been forced into this unity.
JL
It’s literally like conversation.
JA
It’s a kind of ongoing conversation.
JL
Like what we’re doing.
[They both laugh.]
JA
Indeed.
JL
That is why it is so strong.
JA
We do that by being absolutely, intensely, listening to each other to sense where the moments and gaps might appear in order to say something. Right?
JL
Yeah. And also — I had my intention to do this but this — I just want to respond to it instead. Right? That is the whole improvisation. You don’t go there having prepped what your bass slapping solo is going to be. You might do that in case it’s a bad set. But if it’s a good set, somebody is going to do something that is going to make you think in that moment — how do I want to respond to this moment. And that is exactly what this wonderful experience is to meet you. I could not prepare this conversation.
JA
You know, if anyone wants to know what makes the music we clearly both love important — one of the sessions I really recommend is the Miles Davis Group 1964 playing at The Plugged Nickel. […] across five evenings they basically play the same stuff. But. And this is the major but: every night the same standards are played and yet they never sound the same. They have an aura of sameness but actually deep listening your realize Herbie Hancock doesn’t play the same chords in that track at that time as he did yesterday or the other … And it’s this fantastic interplay — of embrace of the uncertain — which I just love about it —
JL
And also the fearlessness. Just the fearlessness of making a mistake. The fearlessness of improvising. It is so brave. And basically as human beings that is what we are asked to do all the time. […] What we really love is improvising. That’s thrilling. You know?
JA
I think there are very few metaphors or examples that lead us into some deep insight into what we are and why we are. And improv at its best for me offers one of the greatest examples of who we are and what we are. Because, because, it’s about affecting a kind of position vis-a-vis another human being, another sentient being, which is as influenced by what they are doing as it is by just the moment that is happening, the environment in which it is happening […] these things matter and every great improvisatory moment is a kind of affirmation, if you will, of what it is to be a human being.
And so for day 2913
03.12.2014