Photography: William Shannonhouse

I’ve been remiss for several weeks, months in writing about the weekly goings on at ImprovFriday, a New Music community on the Ning social network that is going on it’s three or four something year in steady active recorded musical artistry being produced each and every weekend without fail. ImprovFriday which can be accessed at http://improvfriday.com started as a hash tag on Twitter with initial energy of James Combs (aka J.C. and not the one in LA or Ohio ) encouraging friends/fellow artists to produce a track of spontaneous music done on Friday. The idea evolved to a gathering of artists and then and I’m minimizing here, found a formal home on Ning which I joined about two years ago now through a friend/fellow artist from the Loopers-Delight community, Jeff Duke, maker of ‘other music’.

Each weekend as mentioned beginning just before the weekend, Thursday afternoon at 4pm PST and going through Saturday evening at 6pm PST, the ImprovFriday community holds a formal event ‘thread’ encouraging all interested to post new musical works ideally created within current time of the event under Creative Commons distribution, to the ImprovFriday site for world listening. The regularity of twenty-five to thirty artists from the community has gotten so tight and cohesive that the work produced though produced isolated, when heard together and many tracks get ‘mashed’ together, sound amazingly connected. In the last few months the work which has never been purposely curated or will be curated has evolved to occasionally be guided by a suggested ‘theme’ such as recent ones, politics, islands, fragile, voice and others. Then after a few weeks of ‘themed’ we will have our historical ‘free for all’ meaning anything goes which even on themed the option for anything goes is still there.

I referenced the term ‘mash’ earlier. Mash for the uninformed means in terms of music, sound, to take several audio works and layer them together in an audio mix and in turn they become a new compositional piece. Staff member Steve Layton often produces several amazing mash pieces in a given thread. One done this weekend that I really found moving was City of Glass Spires which featured works layered together of Chris Vaisvil, Kavin Allenson, Shane Cadman and Steve Moshier. This piece to my ears blended a sense of aural fantasies on Neptune’s waters with the Wizard of Oz glass slippers and it echoed the feeling of the whole weekend event.

Though the bulk of the work produced each weekend is aural occasionally a video piece is put together as in the case of one done this weekend by Kavin Allenson and photographer William Shannonhouse, celebrating the magical planet aligning recent date of November 11, 2011 or numerally spelled ’111111′.

Benjamin Smith’s initial traditional acoustic piano piece indicative of the thought and development that often goes in to each artist’s work on ImprovFriday, starting with an idea and evolving often growing an entire journey of exploring.

And now an invitation to check out all the work produced this weekend (November 10 – 12, 2011) on ImprovFriday. Follow this link http://improvfriday.com for one contiguous musical stream and join us regularly beginning each pre-weekend Thursday at 4pm PST.

Jim Goodin

High Plains

First Paul’s comments…

As in weeks past, I’ve let the random number generator pick some of the pieces posted this week.  Lots of good things to hear!



Steve Layton 
- Playing Monomaze – Strong opening – almost Moshier-like – and then a sudden switch to something quiet and subdued.  Now a definite beat and electronica at 1:00.  Shots, explosions – game-like in a way; more JP Kervinen influence here.  A convincing game track.



Shane W. Cadman – 
Piece062411 – Lovely clarinet playing here – seems to rise out of the tuning of the band.  Some beautiful passage work.  Dark, mysterious – like being deep in the woods at night.  Well crafted.



Adam Kondor – 
BeginningOfTheEnd – All the way from Thailand, Adam is writing for a woodwind ensemble consisting of piccolo, oboe and clarinets.  Agile, bright sounds with darting movement and lots of fast runs and trills.  This will be a good workout for the players!  Lots and lots of what woodwinds do best.  Interesting harmonies and texture.  A work in progress, according to Adam.  



Steve Moshier – 
Glass Blizzard – Very evocative title.  High-pitched shards of sound but surrounded by warm moving tones and some gentle clanking.  Fairly tame for a Moshier – maybe next time we will get ‘Glass Storm’  



Joel Sutton – 
Escape by Train – Short staccato bursts – like telegraph code, accompanied by soft strings and a booming bass.  At 1:50 the telegraph doubles in speed, then returns to its original rate.  A sort of tension here – like we are waiting for the last train out.  Intriguing.



Jeff Fairbanks – 
hy – Dreamy, dance-like with a nice off-beat rhythm and floating passages. Develops nicely as layers of new sounds are added. Pleasantly addictive.



Steve Moyes – 
Ducktrain – Sounds more like a train than a duck…  Nice chimes.  Announcements, talking – a busy place!  Now a clarinet – the train seems to be moving.  Is that a duck call at 2:30?  More clarinet, voices – a strange trip!  



Peter Thörn – 
The Joy Of Travelling – Airport announcements – now I’m thinking there might be a bit of sarcasm in the title…  Point taken!



Norbert Oldani – 
Passacaglia #1 – Soft, gentle tones that drop off suddenly into distortion, then recur in a sort of pattern.  Goes through a series of registers and various processing levels.  A sort of ‘circle of fifths’ but in different tuning schemes, I think.  Instructive of the possibilities.

Jim Goodin – 
Trains (Soliloquy for Steve Moyes) – Love those violin loops!  A solitary sound, despite the several layers – the texture is consistant and in keeping with the title.  A feeling of stasis – waiting for a coming train, perhaps.  Restful and introspective, even a bit mournful – tried stretching a piece of this for a mix this week. 



Kavin Allenson – 
Slojourn – High plains music – you can feel the sky and endless horizon.  Evocative and reflective.



Chris Vaisvil – 
Seeing the Doctor – The voice of a hypnotist – we are learning how to relax.  Some ominous music builds underneath.  At 4:30 the voice becomes fully electronic and a steady beat builds.  At 5:00 we have vocal singing added.  By 6:00 it is straight-ahead with guitar and by 11:00 we are in full game mode.  A sense of being under anesthesia, I think.  Quite a trip – I’d hate to see the bill! 



Roger “ErocNet” Sundström – 
The Giants Arduous Journey – Echoes of Wagner – Fafnir and Fasolt lumbering onto the stage to collect their loot!  Suitably ponerous and thunderous footsteps here – truly giant.  Very convincing!




Some Non-Random Thoughts – 

Thanks to Jeff Duke, Jim Goodin, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen and Steve Moyes for playing live for us this week – great job as always!

Congratulations to Steve Layton on his successful escape from Florida to Dallas. 

Good to see Adam Kondor and Ken Palmer back among us. 

Congratulations to Peter Thorn on his new album ‘In Touch’ on Alonetone.  If you are releasing a CD collection be sure to let us know! 

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the ImprovFriday Fund Raiser last week – we have made our goal and will be able to pay ning fees for 2012.

 Looking forward to a long weekend here in the US so bring your best to us next week!


Paul Muller

And as a special guest, review notes by ImprovFriday’s Chris Vaisvil.

Steve Layton
Playing Monomaze => this is such a trip – feel like I’m in a game.

J.C. Combs
Internal Excursion => I’m assuming Paul’s Extreme strech – very cool ambience.

Jérôme Poirier
#00CED1 => I like wide range of sounds you get out of your bass.

Shane W. Cadman
Piece062411 => an interesting collection of sounds – metallic and organic.

Kenneth Palmer
Imagination => this sound slike the title. Really an excellent dreamy
realization!

Adam Kondor
BeginningOfTheEnd => would be quite excellent performed by a flute choir.

Steve Moshier
Glass Blizzard => commented already – some very classic electronic sounds

Joel Sutton
Escape by Train => suspense!

Jeff Fairbanks
hy => enjoyed!

Steve Moyes
Ducktrain => cool soundscape.

Peter Thörn
The Joy Of Travelling => Nice field recording!

Norbert Oldani
Passacaglia #1 => using the ring modulator (it sounds like) was an excellent idea! – enjoyed!

Bruce Hamilton, Jon Bash, Kramer Elwell, Austin Richey, Todd Smith, Jordan Watson
mind-melds improv excerpt => sounds very advant guarde – which is great in my book!
mind-melds excerpt 2 => much of the same but the opening sound slike it is occuring at a carnival.

Richard Sanderson
Pivothowl => hard to say what I think of this because it is so far off the
beaten path – but in a good way. Is that guitar feedback – or are you makng your water pipes sing?
Trickleglint => mad accordian?

Paul Muller
Simple Piece for Two Pianos and Two Cellos => I can’t remember if I commented on this already or not – I will say I really enjoyed it.
High Plains Soliloquy (Feat. Jim Goodin) => excellent drone.

Jim Goodin
Trains (Soliloquy for Steve Moyes) => Is this violin through a looper pedal? Very cool idea / sound.
Parellel Lines => nice middle eastern flavors

Benjamin Smith
Ben.improv.Jun.19.2011 => wow! this is excellent!! Drama, anger!
Ben.improv.Jun.20.2011 => very mysterious sounding.
Ben.improv.Jun.23.2011 => aggitated.

Kavin Allenson
Head West => this is really great! I love the very classic slide sound you
have here and the piece is very bluesy cool.
624Anum (feat. Chris Vaisvil) => thanks for adding me!
Slojourn => Nice combination of textures here. Is that violin over the guitar? Later on it sound like a ebow – I presume a looper composition.
IF624262010 (is this a unique piece or a part of soljourn?)

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström
Traveling String => very interesting collage
Finger Walking => obviously involves a steel string but I’m not sure what you are doing.
Forward => not sure if it is thunder or wind on a mic
Fetter Zither = This I quite enjoyed seeing how I also own a zither (which I assume you used)
summer cottage => I like this odd – prepared string instrument
The Giants Arduous Journey => really cool – I especially like the huge string sound.
Hy Slojourn (Feat. Jeff Duke & Jim Goodin, Jeff Fairbanks, Hussam Jefee, Kavin Allenson) => A nice journey!
Improvouting (Feat. Jérôme Poirier, Adam Kondor, Benjamin Smith) => spooky!
Galactic Trip (Feat. Steve Layton, J.C. Combs, Kenneth Palmer, Steve Moshier, Norbert Oldani) => my fav of the mashes.

And now my thoughts. Paul and I had some unforeseen crossover of tracks reviewed but naturally a mix of insights that hopefully will make for positive reads.

J.C. Combs – Internal Excursion – thinking industrial and steam press, going through District 9 the first time and yet suddenly at Cannon Beach, wind and the waves late evening.

Chris Vaisvil – Roadie Demo – nice reflective melancholy excursion on new inspiration.

Roger Sundstrom – Hy Slojourn (Feat. Jeff Duke & Jim Goodin, Jeff Fairbanks, Hussam Jefee, Kavin Allenson) – Improvouting (Feat. Jérôme Poirier, Adam Kondor, Benjamin Smith) – Both wonderful evolving scapes like journeys through time, passages. Hy weaves from playful to solitary from circus to haunt. Improvouting grooves from lyrical exploring to wandering through an arcade near the boardwalk as a storm approaches. Great to have Adam return who is in this mash/mix.

Peter Thörn – The Joy of Traveling – The sense of being in Europe to an American who has never seen the continent, the sense of the travel the sense of confusion, the sense of commentary, all an interesting stretch of moment in the life aural snapshot of being in a traveling place and yikes our car might get towed! Nice environmental Peter.

Benjamin Smith – Ben.improv.Jun.23.2011 – pensive at first like dropping random yellow pigment on to the canvas as the pressure and intensity grow on the keys. Bartok grows to processed layerings of argeggiated lines and intense pounding clusters to maddening repetitive to stellar early morning quiet and the birds outside my window.

Chris Vaisvil – Just Zither Me – my fav of your mix, Chris. Organic, simple and letting the instrument carry you.

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström – Finger Walking – Roger great texture, feeling of prepared not prepared. Evolves like traveling the fingerboard in an operative way, akin to tapping about looking under things, discovering sounds. Cool.

Kavin Allenson – Head West – Kavin okay this one is on the money man, love it, you’re always on the money but this one is okay on the money. Resaonator or close, slippery slopes and the blues seeping out of the Mississippi or Rio Grande. Congrats on the ‘Best Guitarist’ category Kavin.

Norbert Oldani – Dense Forest Trip – Birds Chirp – (Mix of 3 tracks – all improvised using Reason) Dig the exploring Norbert. Wave forms from expansive to pointed droplets of rain. Nice expansive fat tones on the end. This is more vast in depth Norbert, nice piece.

Steve Moyes – Ducktrain – Inventive scape between the solitary reflective mournful zaphoon and the feeling of so many in a small space, traveling through memories, seeing Jude and Richard live on the stage finding the joy in the tragedy.

Paul Muller – Simple Piece for Two Pianos and Two Cellos – Lovely and wonderful Paul. Haven’t heard you do thins in while though your new directions are great in ambient. Love the flav of this though.

Bruce Hamilton – mind-melds – improv excerpt featuring Bruce Hamilton, Jon Bash, Kramer Elwell, Austin Richey, Todd Smith and Jordan Watson. In preparation for a performance an alchemy of ideas emerge. Structure with freedom launches new vision. Reminds of Lee Noyes a bit Bruce. mind-melds excerpt 2 – A briefer statement from the same pre-performance session, ideas are jelling. Great mix of percussion and ice like tones like weaving through a clock shop, growing density in this. Like to hear the final on Sunday.

Ken Palmer – Imagination – Welcome back Ken! Man there is so much subtly in your work, particularly here. The clanging percussion like wind chime sounds floating over musicians wandering and settling in to an orchestra warming up. Spontaneous tuba sounds are the glue that binds in this.

Richard Sanderson – Trickleglint – Preparation of ideas, subtle tones and percussive hits as if playing a marimba with the hands. Your title reminds me of Robin Williamson for some reason.

Shane W. Cadman – Piece062411 – Lots of mysterious color in this Shane. Impressive for junior high clarinet player(s), lovely color. I’m playing a bit these days after years of not, lots of great intrigue in the reedal tones as are rising here.

Hussam Jefee – A State of Contemplation – Reflective blend of hand percussion, our and harmonic which drifts off nicely in the piece’s close. Hussam your our sound has a lovely authentic traditional indigenous sound.

Adam Kondor – Beginning of the End – Wow traveling in Thailand which I hope was wonderful Adam, I’ve often hoped to travel through South East Asia, but equally so we’ve missed you, great to have you back. Brings to mind Paul Hertz in these lines in your piece who we’ve not heard from in some time as well. Also feels delicate and takes on some of your ‘traveling’ influence from Thailand maybe. Welcome home and ‘home’ here in IF Adam.

Steve Moshier – Glass Blizzard – Steve you have these cool sounds that you use throughout all the work I’ve heard you do, they are haunting and ghostlike, darting in and out in character, no less in Glass Blizzard and captures the sense of crystalline clear glass, as if sliding about in sock feet.

Joel Sutton – Escape by Train – Traveling west as in looking for gold in another time. I hear the sound of geiger counters seeking signs of mineral deposits. Perhaps we are in a mine descending down perhaps we are on the moon, looking for lunar treasure. Nice feeling Joel.

Thai Electric by Adam Kondor

Jeff Fairbanks – hy – Jeff you can’t write sad man, your pieces sound so darn happy and playful and that’s wonderful. Slightly novelty at times but joyfully with a big old smile as in this piece, sounds like we’re just off on a splendid adventure somewhere, full of all the good things. Cool beat and color.

Steve Layton – Playing Monomaze – On leaving Florida perhaps. Nice explosive hits in this circled with sparkling synth cymbal like splashes indicating anticipating summer rains breaking the heat of west Texas. Maybe this piece has nothing to do with any of this but it’s cool and wishing you and the misses best in the new home of Dallas Steve.

Jerome Poririer – #00CED1 – catchy title Jerome, dig it! Nice exploratory solo bass work, jacoesque clusters and tight twisted like notes at times. Would be cool to see you and Gerald take something like this and improvise off each other, would dig it. I like dig it.

Paul Muller – High Plains Soliloquy – As the plains stretch across the heartland and the huge skies about so as a manipulated interpretation of my piece Trains (soliloquy for Steve Moyes) by Paul.

For Paul and I thanks for checking out this edition of WhatsNewAtImprovFriday with a rundown on the recent ImprovFriday music event. Remember to check out the ImprovFriday Radio Podcast series, member artist releases and all the goings-on on the ImprovFriday website where you can join us as either participating musician or listener. Special thanks to all the member artists who joined in the recent fundraiser to raise support for the upcoming year’s hosting services. Thanks to you we as a community have met the hosting fees for our ‘home’ for the next year, yey folks!

See you next time,

Jim & Paul

ImprovFriday Radio - Jim Goodin & Paul Muller

A very special acknowledgement I want to mention, this weekend we had a support drive to raise funds for hosting fees for our ImprovFriday site for the next year. There was a great unanimity in member donations and ImprovFriday wishes to express sincere thanks for the collective response. We are indeed all of ‘like mind and heart’.

Now Muller’s Random Picks for June 17, 2011

Here are this week’s random picks – selected as usual by my trusty random number generator. A bit shortened this week – I’ve been traveling and have house guests!

This is what I heard:

Hassam Jefee – 1st time participant
First Trial 6-16-2011 – The first 20 seconds or so are silent, so give this a chance. Repetitive theme starts up with some accompanying percussion. Wow – some nice Oud playing there – Jim Goodin, call your office! Complex but not overwhelming – too short! Welcome to IF Hassam.

Jude Cowan
Summer Blue – Some nice ’50s sci-fi sounds here. Now vocals! Right on theme with some lovely soprano singing. The whirring sounds nicely follows the voice. Inventive story in the lyrics. Nicely done!

Richard Sanderson
Shade – Cool, airy sounds. A high-pitched squeal from time to time, like a subway stopping. Low humming that varies in intensity. A definite underground feel – like a train tube or tunnel. A sense of remote motion – something coming our way? Intriguing…

Jukka-Pekka Kervinen
E2cEydr – Bleeps and a sort of rushing sound. A busy-ness apparent here. Almost sounds like an animal rummaging around – the image I get from this piece is surprisingly rural!

Joel Sutton
Distant Friend – Deep humming sound, now a tapping. Nice background theme emerges – synthetic voices I think. Now the deep humming becomes more distinct as harmony – time-stretched strings? – very effective.

Peter Thörn
Pitter Patter – At first this sounds a bit like a new version of the classic ‘Dog Dish’ piece from a week or so ago. Now I get it – a light summer rain beating down on a wash tub. Now the rain comes down faster – or maybe hail? As suddenly as it starts, it is over. The summer squall!

Steve Layton
10am in Summer (feat. Kavin Allenson, Bruce Hamilton & Steve Layton, Paul Muller) – Some happy guitar and a sort of warm undertone. Now violins on top. It is mid-morning on a summer’s day and the whole world is in front of you! Reminds me a bit of Crosby, Stills and Nash without the vocal harmony. Well-crafted and on-theme.

Bruce Hamilton
zinvitation – Light stringed sound – a mandolin? Crosby, Stills and Nash? A pleasantly percussive sound that is just getting started!

Kavin Allenson
iced tea and pernod – Voices – almost chanting, and laughing. Now whistling and whispering ‘summer’. Ah, I see now – iced tea. Very much on theme – could be druids celebrating the solstice. Nicely done.

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström
Hammer – Just what the title says! But with echo and reverb – like hammering on an open pipe or tube. A low background harmony underneath adds to the atmosphere. Like the sounds of an abandoned ship adrift at sea.

Benjamin Smith
Ben.improv.Jun.12.2011 – Something new! A kind of Brazilian/JP Kervinen sound here – electronic but with a dance beat – needs a whistle . Becomes a sort of conversation towards the end – Very inventive.

Steve Moyes
Something Like Summer – Some slick electric guitar riffs that could have come from the Beach Boys – lots of echo. I see a wide expanse of empty sand by the sea in bright sunshine. Turns a bit mysterious at 3:40. Definitely fits the theme!

[Editor's add in]The complete IF catalog for the weekend can be heard at ImprovFriday June 16 – 18 2011 Event.

Non-Random Thoughts [Paul continues...] -

Thank you to everyone who responded with a pledge to our IF ning fee fundraiser. We should be able to cover 2012 with your donations.

Congratulations to sometime IF participant David Toub on the performance of his piece ‘dharmachakramudra‘ at the 5th Annual SoundOn Festival of Modern Music in La Jolla. Sequenza21 has the review.

Thanks to Steve Layton and Roger Sundström for using my piece in their mixes.

Congratulations to JC Combs, Lee Noyes, Peter Thorn and Steve Moyes [editor's note, and DigItSignal] for announcing new CD collections as follows…

Confessions of a Deviant Machine featuring Lee Noyes and J.C. Combs.

Scrapes featuring Steve Moyes cello.

Up For Grabs featuring Anders Berg bass, Gunnar Backman guitars Peter Thörn saxophone, nyckelharpa, Anders Andersson drums and Morgan Ågren (Frank Zappa fame) drums.

Cold Night Moonlight Wolf Cubs Stray DigItSignal featuring Peter Thörn saxophone, nyckelharpa, percussion, Jeff Duke guitar, electronics, Steve Moyes cello, guitar, zaphoon, percussion, Ray Istorico electronic drums and Jim Goodin violin, clarinet.

Hope to get to more pieces next week – see you then!

Paul

And for this edition of WhatsNewAtImprovFriday that’s the latest from the Internet New Music community ImprovFriday. Please remember our podcast series which can be heard/downloaded/subscribed to at http://improvfridayradio.podomatic.com. If you are interested in New Music as either musician or music lover please visit our world at http://improvfriday.ning.com and consider joining us!

Have a great week,

Jim and Paul

ImprovFriday Radio - Jim Goodin & Paul Muller

Few projects of note that have been produced by the ImprovFriday community in recent weeks are the first ever ImprovFriday Film Festival which was a huge success. Check out the video works from this event at theImprovFriday Film Festival I. With the horrific events that occurred in Japan ImprovFriday hosted a weekend long benefit event encouraging support of the relief work being done by the Red Cross. An online album to ongoing encourage support of the Red Cross effort for the Japanese people was released on BandCamp, For Japan.

I want to mention that ImprovFriday Radio podcast host Paul Muller has published a new episode review new work by several of the ImprovFriday family. Check it out on Podomatic.com at ImprovFriday Radio.

Buds by Jim Goodin

Colour by Jim Goodin

The following is our track list of the weekend from the ImprovFriday front page, additionally I’ve posted a few review notes by ImprovFriday member artist Chris Vaisvil. Thanks Chris for giving us some of your thoughts.

Jude Cowan  - 1st time participant
post-tsunami mix – Very interesting composition and view point. Welcome!!

T H - 1st time participant
04222011 – Very interesting combination of textures – modernist metallic tones against what could be a double bass or cello pizzicato. Welcome!

Bruce Hamilton
herk

Jim Goodin, Paul Muller
Jim’s 23d

Paul Muller
Prayer for Rosemarie

Shane W. Cadman
Piece042211

Jeff Fairbanks/Bruce Hamilton
gffgtp

Abysmal - Safe Package by J.C. Combs

J.C. Combs
IF422

Peter Thörn
Half a Story

Jeff Fairbanks
gf – beautiful insanity!

Jukka-Pekka Kervinen
objects/piezo #1

Kavin Allenson
4X11 – Very much enjoyed – I am honored you thought I was an inspiration!

laizzez fair

Norbert Oldani
The Dada Strain – Excellent setting for a dramatically read poem!

Sweetland

Jeff Duke and Jukka-Pekka Kervinen
twothirteen- Sounds like music one would find on Titan! I like the way complimented each other.

twothirtyeight

ImprovFriday

Kenneth Palmer
Layed Back

Isn’t That Spatial

Steve Moshier
Pyramids of Güímar

Veil of Orpheus

Veil of Orpheus

Steve Moyes
Ēostre 1

Ēostre 2

Ēostre 3

Jim Goodin
And though I Walk (peace for Mary)

In the Meadow (Part I)

In the Meadow (Part II)

Benjamin Smith 
Ben.improv.Apr.18.2011.a

Ben.improv.Apr.18.2011

Ben.improv.Apr.19.2011

Ben.improv.Apr.20.2011

Chris Vaisvil
Lost Realm of Gondolin

Broken Wings (absynth 5)

Broken Wings in Glass (Kontakt 4)

Groove 4 Shabat by Chris Vaisvil

18 edo improvisation

17 edo improv

After Creation

Steve Layton
Inside the Prism – Nice mix of sci-fi ambience and crunchy crackly sounds!

Swim in it (feat. Peter Thörn, Steve Layton, Jeff Duke, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen, Benjamin Smith, Norbert Oldani)

The Rain(feat. Jude Cowan, Benjamin Smith, Chris Vaisvil, Bruce Hamilton, Jim Goodin)

Resurrection(feat. Paul Muller, Roger Sundström, Chris Vaisvil)

Ode to a Haggis (feat. Kavin Allenson, Roger Sundström x 2, Norbert Oldani, Jeff Fairbanks)

Fiddle, Zither, Piano(feat. Jim Goodin x 2, Steve Moyes x 3, Shane Cadman, Benjamin Smith)

Psychoholic (feat. Terry Horn, Roger Sundström, Steve Moshier x 2, Kavin Allenson)

(My Son) Out the Door, off to discover America by Jim Goodin

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström
Easter Strum

Easter Journey

Easter Tone

Yellow

Sub Easter

(E)aster Guitar

Crane Song (feat. Jude Cowan, Benjamin Smith, J.C. Combs, Steve Moyes) – very suspenseful and dark. Nice work!

Bumblebees Spring Flight (feat. Chris Vaisvil, J.C. Combs, Jim Goodin)

Peace out…

Jim

Jim Goodin - Whats New at ImprovFriday - http://whatsnewatimprovfriday.wordpress.com

'Stumbled Upon' image, discovered by Lee Noyes

Welcome back to a ‘sooner than planned’ at least beginnings of another edition of WhatsNewAtImprovFriday. This publishing to announce the opening hours of this weekends event thread, begun @4pm PST Thursday afternoon February 10, 2011. A few pieces have been posted that are leading into another weekend of stellar inspired music from the creatives who gather each beginning weekend around this time and form the inner core of the ImprovFriday community of artists.

The trax represented so far along with a few comments by me…

Bruce Hamilton

unk

hoomz – …especially nice feeling. It has a subtle quirkiness that I’ve come to known in your pieces but a great sense of peacefulness in this one all around it, sort the ‘Tim Story’ thing I referenced in somebody (forgive my recollection right now) else’s work last weekend. Might be interesting to hear this piece and Paul’s spin on my piece mashed, Professor Steve maybe?

Kenneth Palmer

Pianoisms – A sporatic erratic scurry in this along with it’s ‘Saturday afternoon matinee’ ambience in the score.

Benjamin Smith

Ben.improv.Feb.7.2011.a – Ben the more I hear from you the more I hear bits of Monk going on in your playing and composing and improv all in a very modern way as this.

Chris Vaisvil

Some Time Alone – Chris there is a real ‘western swing’ weirdness in this that’s really cool among other influence. Like the later on improv that is kind of floating over a pedal tone. Good exploring of this ‘prepared’ approach.

Bowed Psaltry by Chris Vaisvil

Here is just the audio

drawn out misery

Norbert Oldani

PianoImpro of Two Motives – An opening heaviness and exploring in the spontaneous chord clusters in this both suggests visions to me of a music department head prof I had my freshman year as well as evolves to some really interesting lines with a great ending cluster, nice improv sir!

Akai Chorus – nice core feel in this. a limerick for a remix by Paul I think…

Kavin Allenson

Jimmy Page on a serious downer jag (feat. Angie Fights Crime-drums)

flagellant

radio tubes – Really enjoyed all three of these Kavin, particularly the ‘Jimmy…’ like jam and Radio Tubes is brilliant!

Drifting – Like the sun drifting over and down over PCH out to the Pacific…

Lee Noyes

Everything But Slowly The Opposite Of Music Is A Froth Of Stars – Tremendous title along with the ‘stumbled upon’ image posted on the blog here. Lee it is both like ‘froth’, things boiling and steaming, radio telescope sounds and a great sense of ‘you’!

Jérôme Poirier

Nianis ad Dusk – Of things buzzed and the stooges…

Noizeg as Totk

Noyred at Hert – Excellent exploring in directions of this nature. Reminds me of exercises my voice teacher is having me do for ‘opening up’. These are like a ‘curve’, buzzing, organic voice effects and vocalizations. Keep going j-man.

Richard Sanderson

Formelodiya

Steve Moyes

Cakes

Shane W. Cadman

Piece021111

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström

Involuntary Guitarist

Ebow Whale

Jeff Fairbanks

Ralf und Florian

Steve Layton

Urban Shaman (feat. Kavin Allenson, Benjamin Smith, Ken Palmer, Bruce Hamilton)

Aguirre (feat. Richard Sanderson, Lee Noyes, Roger Sundström, Jérôme Poirier x 3)

James Ross

Field II

Rescued and Defretted by Peter Thörn

Jim Goodin

Wayfaring Stranger

Peter Thörn

Bedroom Guitarist

Jukka-Pekka Kervinen

Bulk Finger

A ‘mash’ of James Ross, Peter Thörn, Roger “ErocNet” Sundström and Steve Moshier

Glass Menagerie – I often think about ‘mashes’ and admire those orchestrated by Steve, Paul, Roger, Adam and others, occasionally have done the large mass canvas but have not done as many selective. In sort of at a pause in generating of another of my own right now after listening to Peter’s rebirth I thought of James subtle ambience and immediately felt they should be mashed. Along the way Roger’s fit nicely and Steve’s Drifting as it did so well takes us out with the tide.

Steve Layton
[comments from Steve on these two films and scores... Not "officially" part of this week's event, I wanted to make sure to share two videos I made this week... Both use early direct-to-film animations by Harry Smith (1923-1991), and with each I simply mashed them with a track from our 2010 sessions:]

– Really enjoyed both Steve. Good ideas and work and Harry’s images remind me as posted in a comment of a sense of antiquity as well as age of modernism. Maybe it’s stop motion effect not sure but couldn’t help but on seeing the imagery thinking of ‘Forbidden Planet’.

Excellent video and score by Glenn Weyant collective inspired by tucson mountain chaos featuring: viola, piano, bells, metal, clarinet, wood and instruments of original design.

So as the weekend ImprovFriday event moves on, come join us and open your ears! I’ll update this edition as the thread develops. Stay tuned!

Jim

Jim Goodin - WhatsNewAtImprovFriday.wordpress.com

Tools of IF member, Richard Sanderson

This blog was created initially to be a mini-review/commentary posting on the compositions made each weekend thread event but due to the incredible volume of material created (always a tremendous positive to the success of this community), it’s become difficult for me to cover everything and get it posted. Early on ImprovFriday member Paul Muller and I were doing the blog in tandem. Due to Paul’s commitments it drifted to me but I’m pleased to welcome Paul back for this edition with several comments drawn from the recent thread. Additionally I have posted a few this time and between us I’m pleased to say we’ve reviewed at least one work by each participating artist this time. As always links (blue font of each song title) to the MP3 audio file are provided for each work so you may listen or download.

Lee Noyes in Performance at Radio Cegeste - DPAG

A note from Paul in fact about how he selected pieces to review this weekend.

‘I’ve been wanting to get back to making some comments on the weekly pieces but we are producing so much good material it is difficult to do it comprehensively :=) So I’m trying random selections this week.

That’s right – I used a random number generator to create a table of random numbers 1 to 50. I then listened to the Saturday 2-5-11 front page IF list in that order (skipping duplications) for about an hour.’ [editor's note: The selections reviewed by Paul are tagged as are mine.]

Hand Organ or Dulicmer and Violin

Chris Vaisvil

Bowed Hammer Duclimer With Slide and Some Vocal

ebowed, bowed, and hammmered hammer dulcimer

Various Hammer Dulcimer => titled “The Furnace Turns On – Sorry”

finger picked and slide used on hammer dulcimer – Love the lap dulcimer from my Mountain View days. Chris nice exploring in all these particularly this one that borders eastern world at times both the ‘Far’ and India with sounds of the sympathetic strings of the sitar and at times well taking me back to the square in Mountain View. – Jim.

(viola bow) Bowed Hammer Dulcimer

pathetic flute work

in harmonica’s way

Kid’s Garage Band in 17 Equal

Beauty of Embers

Disfunctional – Nice deep piano intro, now some rock guitar – percussion. A smoothly flowing piece – the piano line gets your attention and keeps things moving forward. Could be background for film or TV. Cool ending. – Paul.

Steve Layton

Weather in the Interior (feat. Lee Noyes, Adam Kondor, Ken Palmer, Timo Tuhkanen, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen, Paul Muller, Steve Moshier)

It passed right through me (feat. Kavin Allenson, Gérald DeGroote, Chris Vaisvil, Jeff Fairbanks) – Love this title and mood Steve. Excellent mash that’s right in the vogue of Twilight Zone, It Came from Outer Space and Stephen King! Great crew in this one with Kavin and Chris’s organic and Gerald and Jeff’s playful colours. – Jim.

The indigo passage (feat. Roger Sundström x 2, Benjamin Smith, Timo Tuhkanen, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen, Shane Cadman)

The indigo passage (feat. Roger Sundström x 2, Benjamin Smith, Timo Tuhkanen, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen, Shane Cadman)

Dissonance Royal Traveler (feat. Andy McCance, Jérôme Poirier, Barbara Guest)

Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sunn (feat. Steve Moyes, Kavin Allenson, Johnny & Faith, Shane Cadman) – Drifting through a chasm of light in psychedelic display. – Jim.

The Dalek Strut (feat. Timo Tuhkanen, Benjamin Smith, Norbert Oldani)

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström

Brattling – Iceberg breaking and continental drift amidst. Sounds of steam and things breaking away. Feels a bit of a sleeping giant. – Jim.

WP-Eko

Winter Ghost

Portrait of Lean North Ghost (feat. Jérôme Poirier, Steve Moyes, Richard Sanderson)

Subsistence (feat. Jeff Fairbanks, Johnny & Faith, Jérôme Poirier)

Kavin Allenson

What Do You See?

prehensile amoeba thumbtack – Well I gotta comment on this one just for the title Kavin. Heavy reverberant metallic electric here that sounds really cool, vintage and foreign at the same time. Cool scale throughout in the lines. – Jim.

Desobering Mexico (feat. Jim Goodin, Lee Noyes, Jerome Poirier, Richard Sanderson) – Well I have to comment on this one to at the least say thank you for responding to my work that was done now 4 years ago, I’m flattered. This was one of my first experiences with both fretless guitar and looping. Without sounding to ‘self-involved’ I like the organic contrasts brought to the mash with the spacial of Lee, Jerome and Richard. Really flattered you used ‘Mexico’ as a foundation. – Jim.

The Dalek Strut (feat. Timo Tuhkanen, Benjamin Smith, Norbert Oldani)

Benjamin Smith

Ben.improv.Jan.26.2011.1

Ben.improv.Jan.30.2011 – Sounds FM in tone Ben and like a captured giant creature weaving it’s neck in chaotic norm. A great groove in your lines nonetheless and your usual intensity that sings! – Jim.

Ben.improv.Jan.31.2011.2

Richard Sanderson

Solaced (Feat. Tuhkanen/Kervinen, Jeff Duke, Lee Noyes)

Holes In The Map – Tremendous subtleness in your work Richard and yet well connected tonality from space to space. Cool doploristic effect early on in the piece. I can see how your work, Lee and Jerome’s balances so well, I think of all three of you in this piece. – Jim.

Holes in the Nothing

Tuhkanen/Kervinen

AMR #1 (Lenin) – We are in a subterranean tunnel of some kind – a dull banging and movement in the background. A sort of motion is suggested by low tones and hums with a high pitch barely audible sneaking in and out – all of this produces a definite sense of tension. All of the sounds here are very delicate – never overpowering – yet subltly effective in building the mood. – Paul.

AMR #2 (Karl)

AMR #3 (Rosa)

Adam Kondor

Thurman&Vajda – Adam yey! You have returned to the fold. We have missed you and welcome home. You come up with the greatest commentary man, spoken word here and even what I can’t understand just flows. Nice ending with the bell as well. Don’t leave us. – Jim.

Double Duo – for Mel Powell

Rituel (feat. Ben Smith, Jeff Duke)

Gérald DeGROOTE

Doux Méandres – Paul Horn and memories of something I did a bunch of years ago when I first discovered ‘tape echo’ and with ‘tape’. Lovely echoing Gerald. Does remind me of those Paul Horn recordings in the Taj Mahal. – Jim.

North Bis   (feat. Richard Sanderson, Gérald DeGroote) – North Bis (feat. Richard Sanderson, Gerald DeGroote) – Low bass provides a solid foundation for a series of high, flashing sounds that weave in and out. Good use of edgy squeals and pitches here that contrast nicely with the bass line. Good to have Gerald back at IF! – Paul.

Pointblank II(featuring Steve Moshier & Gérald DeGroote)

Norbert Oldani

Dream On

Chorus for Women – Madrigal and nice and arranging Norbert. Though synth patch I assume almost real in the feel. – Jim.

Perc ++ – Highly stacatto percussion sounds with different pitches and speeds. Game-like at times. Interesting sounds but a bit short – Paul.

Bruce Hamilton LIVE at Mini-Fest

Bruce Hamilton

hamp (feat. Paul Muller, Kenneth Palmer, Bruce Hamilton)

wobes (calling you) – Really fat patches Bruce that’s making me think of Keith Emerson and Pictures… at times in this. Like the concluding moments. – Jim.

Jukka-Pekka Kervinen

ersatz

Subsistence (feat. Jeff Fairbanks, Johnny & Faith, Jérôme Poirier) – Wonderful mash Jukka! Like the angelic voicing going on with the emerging noise filtering mid-way and then the evolving to more mystical place, breaths against the almost carosel Cirque du Solei feel at end. – Jim.

Paul H. Muller

Long Key String – Just something very positive and whole in your pieces Paul. There’s some of the early Windham Hill days of Tim Story who I always thought was a very understated artist in Will’s early catalog and then there is more range of color than that. Your church and classical music love shine through and that’s true here. – Jim.

Ben & Ken (feat. Benjamin Smith, Ken Palmer)

Andrew McCance

IF – Staccato in the Pub

IF – Impatient – Andy beautiful piece and lovely touch. Sounds like you are of all the patience in the world really at least in the opening moments then it becomes a bit more edgee but that’s contrast and dig it! – Jim.

Ken Ficara

Moi – I’m now thinking what a cool mash it would have been between Gerald’s Paul Hornish piece previously noted and your piece here Ken, a thought for this next week. Tones really hang here. Wonder what all you have going on with your instruments? Delta feel in the later part, digging it! – Jim.

Enough About Moi – Good use of harmonica here (I wish we heard more harmonica). Produces an intriguing ambience. The texture builds interestingly with a series of overlapping trills. Like the recorder, the harmonica seems to be one of those over-looked instruments that can produce serious music in the right hands… – Paul.

Jeff Duke

Naive Prepared Piano – John C would have dug it Jeff. Got a feeling this is all software driven as you’ve been digging some new tools. Good space in here that could make Mr Noyes proud and speaking of… – Jim.

Lee Noyes & Radio Cegeste - DPAG

Lee Noyes

Prosoche – Attention / mindfulness according to the Web and I would say very true here as the water flows from trickle to flowing to space to wading about. I remember a drainage ditch near my house where I grew up and I would go play there. In those days it wasn’t so polluted and it was really a concrete type of reservoir sort of a mini waterway canal like they have in LA. Anyhow reminds me of that as well as going down in to the storm cellar that we had but I digress. Distant musicality appearance of the wind instrument is welcome dimension, man Lee we need cameras here to see you at work. – Jim.

Jérôme Poirier

Portrait of Plastic and Wooden Pearls – Though seemingly acoustic sounds here I can also hear it as ‘noise filtering’ in to percussive patches. Nicely woven together as you ‘paint’ Jerome. Wooden Pearls wooden nickel, wonder… – Jim.

Shane W. Cadman

Piece020411 – Glasslike and angular, guitarlike in nature and maybe it is but thinking keyboard and patches. Regardless remniscent of earthy rock guitar and world colors at the same time. – Jim.

Andrew McCance & Mel Powell (mix. Adam Kondor)

Beginning of a Sonata

Richard Sanderson

North

Paul Hertz

The Climb Above Freezing – Nice evolution in this one Paul. Starts out your ethereal present halls of the church sound but compositionally and tonally moves through modern playful at times sounds. Nice airy ending high note. – Jim.

Steve Moyes

Lean – Low droning reminds one of a large animal or big machine – lovely pitches mixing down there! Now a series of high and mid-range pitches enter providing a bit of light. The sounds becomes richer at 3:30 – nice music here. More desolate now at 4:30… Interesting flute sounds at 5:40 – a kind of high chattering at 6:30. The low drones seem to shadow each change in the texture creating an ominous foundation throughout. Well crafted! – Paul.

Steve Moshier and Liguid Skin LIVE

Steve Moshier
55 Days in Peking – More full-on Moshier. Fills the senses with moving sounds and chords – Moshier always paints a vivid picture. I tried to mix something using this but this Steve’s work is generally so complete and self-contained I have yet to succeed. – Paul.

Kenneth Palmer

Egyptian Two Step – As JC has pointed out, something of a milestone work for our friend from St. Louis. Incorporating the sounds and events in Egypt this past week this piece reproduces the uneasiness we are all feeling as we watch the news. Along with Adam and others, the political dimension here lately makes for facinating listening. – Paul.

Jeff Fairbanks

zo vo – Great vocal treatment here set against a conventional background. Very cool sounds! Too short – more would have been better – Paul.
Johnny & Faith

Strange Eon Drive One – Well crafted angelic opening that rises up like a spring from the ground, then drifts on to subtle demonic voices surfacing in the score and they drift out as the piece moves akin to a space probe in search of discovery. – Jim.

Jim Goodin

Bird by Bird Fly (Again

Soliloquy

Timo Tuhkanen

still born – Wonderful rising tone mixed with beeps and burbles. We are on some sort of cosmic elevator, the floors are flying by… Now we are in orbit trying to call home with a dial-up modem. The pitch is descending now, we are coming back – a sort of lonely feeling here. The sudden ending makes the point… – Paul.

[editor's note - further words from Paul captured from a blog posted on ImprovFriday.]

In Addition -

Thanks to Bruce Hamilton and Steve Layton for using my Long Key String in their mashups.

Good to have Adam back from the political barricades in Budapest. Nice to have Gerald back as well.

Hope JC is feeling better after his encounter with the bubble ball.

And a Few Favorites -

Everything I heard this week is of very high quality. And here are some that I thought were especially good. Keep in mind I am not listening to everything – and I have certain tastes – but these seemed to speak to me this week.

Jim Goodin – Bird by Bird Fly (Again) – A beautiful work – makes perfect use of the materials. Captures mid-winter exactly. A really fine piece!

Norbert Oldani – <a href="“>Dream On – Another in a series incorporating the spoken word (thanks Adam!). I thought the background here was perfectly chosen and the text poetic and meaningful.

Ben Smith – Improv Jan 31 2011.2 – Another great piano solo in that spare, almost European style we hear from Ben every so often. Cried out for a mix – so I did one – Paul

ImprovFriday Radio

Cheers,

Jim and Paul

ImprovFriday Radio - Jim Goodin & Paul Muller

Along for the Ride

ImprovFriday is an online experimental music community where each Thursday afternoon through Saturday night at 10:00 EST, 20-30 musical artists from around the world gather to celebrate their muse and music by publishing one to several pieces to the ImprovFriday site for public listening and further input by artists within the community.

Some of the highlights created over the weekend (Jan. 27 – 29, 2011) were Steve Layton’s mash (a remixing/layering/combining of two or more previously recorded works from the current thread) Mycenae (feat. Timo Tuhkanen, Norbert Oldani, Chris Vaisvil),
Timo Tuhkanen’s Clarinet Improvisation, Roger “ErocNet” Sundström’s Morgan Bass, Chris Vaisvil’s Hanson’s 11th Ransom, Bruce Hamilton’s Solin, Kavin Allenson’s major LARGE mash from last weekend featuring bits/pieces of everybody, IF012111, Benjamin Smith’s Ben.improv.Jan.23.2011, Ken Ficara’s In Between Airplanes (Part 1), the reunion gathering UsIt – Gaetano Fontanazza and Jeff Duke’s Industry, Norbert Oldani’sDay Dreaming PianoImpro., Paul H. Muller’s The Long Horizon, Richard Sanderson’s Mariana Crescent (January Patterns I), my [Jim Goodin] Hendrix cover And the Wind Cries (Mary), GéRald DeGRooTe’s Back From Anesthesia, James Ross’s Field, Steve Moshier’s Indecent Exposure, Ken Palmer’s Stasis, Paul Hertz’s Now is the winter of our disconcertion, Shane W. Cadman’s Piece 012811, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen’s Swiss dance, Johnny & Faith’s Marching To The News, Steve Moyes’s Returns Turn, Jeff Fairbanks’s Zo Qu, Jérôme Poirier’s mash [--,_] (feat. Roger “ErocNet” Sundström, Chris Vaisvil, Gérald DeGroote & Jérôme Poirier), and our wing commander and founder of ImprovFriday, J.C. Combs’s mash Its How It Looks (feat. Steve Moyes, Kavin Allenson).

This is just a sampling of the wonderful work created over the weekend. Come check out the complete thread of New Music at http://improvfriday.ning.com.

In addition to the recorded work ImprovFriday hosted two live video webcast concerts on Saturday (January 29, 2011), Rainer Straschill and Stephen Goodman. ImprovFriday will be hosting more live events in the coming weeks so do check the website for schedule updates and consider joining the ImprovFriday community and receive regular email notices.

A closing note, from all at the ImprovFriday community we want to acknowledge and express our sadness but tremendous thankfulness to the ‘life in music’ given by Milton Byron Babbit who passed away on Saturday, January 29, 2011, at the age of 94. Babbitt was particularly noted for his interest and work in serial and electronic composition. Babbitt became interested early on in the Second Viennese School of music composition led by Arnold Schoenberg. In 1958, Babbitt achieved unsought notoriety through an article in the popular magazine High Fidelity (Babbitt 1958). His title for the article, “The Composer as Specialist”, was changed, without his knowledge or consent, to “Who Cares if You Listen?” More than 30 years later, he commented that, because of that “offensively vulgar title”, he was “still … far more likely to be known as the author of ‘Who Cares if You Listen?’ than as the composer of music to which you may or may not care to listen” (Babbitt 1991, 17). For more on the life of Milton Babbitt visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Babbitt.

Thank you for your interest in the WhatsNewAtImprovFriday blog and for checking out all the wonderful creative music being done at ImprovFriday.

Come open your ears….

Jim

Jim Goodin - WhatsNewAtImprovFriday.wordpress.com

This present weekends (January 6 – 8, 2011) ImprovFriday music and sound thread event was tremendous. To say it overshadows the past is not fair as the connectivity of this community is too special to suggest benchmarks. However at times the ‘muse’ is flowing as one multi-textural inspired stream between all of us who gather via wire each weekend to participate by creating a piece(s) and posting for the world to experience.

Image by Chris Vaisvil

Last spring for a few weeks I tried to document each weekend by ‘mashing’ bits/pieces of all who participated. This weekend called to be documented. I titled the mash, ‘Sliding on the Dancefloor‘ and it can be heard here.

The artists in this aural document are Lee Noyes, Jeff Duke, Shane W. Cadman, Peter Thörn, Steve Moshier, Kenneth Palmer, Jeff Fairbanks, Richard Sanderson, Timo Tuhkanen, Benjamin Smith, J.C. Combs, Ken Ficara, Jérôme Poirier, Bruce Hamilton, Paul Muller, Kavin Allenson, Steve Layton, Norbert Oldani, Jim Goodin, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen, Chris Vaisvil and Roger “ErocNet” Sundström. Jim Goodin, mixer/masher.

The complete thread of work can be experienced at ImprovFriday.Ning.Com.

I hope to put together a review blog of the event later in the week for a full edition of WhatsNewAtImprovFriday, stay tuned…

Jim

Jim Goodin - WhatsNewAtImprovFriday.wordpress.com

Little Rock - Jim Goodin

With this edition of WhatsNewAtImprovFriday I’m pleased to welcome the guest comments of fellow ImprovFriday member Andrew McCance of the UK. You’ll get to know a bit about Andrew as well as read his reviews of the November 25 – 27 event. Following Andrew’s reviews I [Jim Goodin] offer my own on selected pieces of each artist from the event. I should add that several photographs with this edition are from a recent trip I made back ‘home’ to Arkansas.

First with this edition however we’re going to hear from ImprovFriday/WhatsNew/ImprovFridayRadio colleague Paul Muller in a enlightening and reflective interview article he recently conducted with ImprovFriday member artist, Ken Palmer.

A Look At the Music of Ken Palmer as told by Paul Muller…

In this article I will look at the music of one of our ImprovFriday contributors in-depth. This will be a chance to follow the work of Ken Palmer through the pieces he has posted on IF events over the past year. I hope to be able to do similar in-depth articles on other IF participants so we can know more about the artists who are part of our community each week.

Ken Palmer

Ken Palmer has been a regular contributor to ImprovFriday for a long time – all the way back to NetNewMusic days, in fact. Ken is a musician located in St. Louis, MO and has had a long career there. Ken graduated from the St. Louis Institute of Music and spent 3 years in Germany studying organ, playing with an orchestra and touring in Germany, Spain and France. Back home in St. Louis Ken joined a jazz quartet and has performed locally ever since, including appearances with the St. Louis Symphony and many other local musical organizations. Currently Ken is involved in a project to record ‘Black Mass’ by Alexander Scriabin and this means learning the music as well as editing and mixing the piece. This has proven to be quite a challenge and Ken has been working on it for the past year. Ken’s ImprovFriday page has more about his background and current projects.

With such a wide-ranging background Ken can fairly claim a variety of influences. When asked to identify his main musical style or form Ken wrote: ”I can’t really answer to a musical style or form – in all the things I’ve written be they piano pieces, songs or chamber music I’ve always approached writing simply by sitting down starting to write and then my mind’s ear leads me along.”

Ken and Milton Babbitt

An example of Ken’s jazz piano influence can be heard in a piece titled ‘Easy Listening for Two Pianos’, posted on IF during the July 23, 2010 event. This piece is quietly elegant and even with two piano parts it has the clean lines and intimacy typical of the finer music played in a club atmosphere. You can hear how comfortable Ken is with this form and it is doubtless the result of many hours of performing with a small group. Here is a link to ‘Easy Listening for Two Pianos‘, perhaps among the most conventional of Ken’s IF offerings.

Another influence on Ken’s music comes from East India. An example of this is ‘Facing East‘, posted on the June 11, 2010 ImprovFriday event. The sound here is quite different from the jazz-influenced works – full of exotic rhythms, a darting flute line and a syncopated bass drum. The bass drum booms while the flute zigs and zags, giving a definite overall Asian feel.

Another rhythmic piece along these lines is ‘Greetings From Ghana‘. In this piece there is complex drumming accompanied by a chorus that weaves a series of vocal lines around the changing rhythms. ‘Greetings From Ghana‘ was posted on the IF October 22, 2010 event.

The exotic element and more conventional forces are combined in ‘Chillin Out‘, a piece Ken posted on IF during the August 20, 2010 event. In this piece a solo woodwind takes a sort of winding, futuristic line while the rhythm and percussion sections are more regular. The piano moves in and out of the foreground and provides a counterpoint to the solo, shifting in and out of the exotic. This piece illustrates both the jazz and Asian influences operating together to produce an intriguing sound.

The jazz and Asian influences on Ken’s music are quite strong and so many of us were pleasantly surprised when some of his pieces began to reflect the more experimental works that are typical of an ImprovFriday event. The mix and mash are staples of an IF event and often these involve ambient field recordings as well as all sorts of other sounds. For the August 6, 2010 event Ken posted a piece titled ‘Simultaneity‘ that included a piano, night sounds of the forest and what can only be described as an otherworldly arpeggio. The piano provides a psychological anchor while the crickets and spaceship sounds envelop the listener in a sort of mysterious darkness. It is a very effective use of all the disparate elements to create a feeling of apprehension – like walking in the woods at night. You can hear ‘Simultaneity‘ here and I think it is something of a breakthrough for Ken in that it combines the traditional language of the piano with other sounds.

All of us at ImprovFriday have an appreciation of the work of Jukka-Pekka Kervinen and it is hard to think of an artist who is further afield from Ken’s traditional influences. Jukka-Pekka’s pieces are typically created from video game consoles and have a very strong electronic feel. And yet this work has been very influential at IF. In a piece titled ‘Stuck in a Box‘ posted during the September 17, 2010 IF event, Ken produced a piece that is just as electronic as any one of Jukka-Pekka’s game-boy creations. There are no standard musical instruments – save for a low sounding clarinet – and the piece is filled with the beeps and squeaks of electronic tones that fly about as small clouds of sound in a ghostly, empty space. It is as if we are in a different world where the conversations are held between the bits and bytes of electronic signals. Perhaps Ken intended to make a comment here, but the piece does show the effective use of electronic sounds to create a unique atmosphere. You can hear ‘Stuck in a Box‘ here.

The last piece that we will listen to is ‘Life in America‘ posted during the September 24, 2010 ImprovFriday event. In this piece Ken has followed the work of such participants as Adam Kondor and J.C. Combs by combining electronic sounds, field recordings and broadcast segments to create a commentary, in this case on life in America today. We can hear bird calls, rock and roll, a sort of broadcast announcement and electronic beeps and blips that crescendo into a great confusion of sounds. It seems like we’ve come a long way from ‘Easy Listening for Two Pianos’! ‘Life in America‘ can be heard here.

When asked why Ken participates in ImprovFriday he wrote: “It affords me a venue for sharing my creativity which heretofore was unavailable to me – cloistered living is fine for monks, and I want my music to be heard and appreciated.” I think we can all agree on that, and I would add that the chance to collaborate and be influenced by others is another big plus for being a part of ImprovFriday. Just as the music of Ken Palmer illustrates.

Learn more about the music of Ken Palmer at http://www.kenpalmer.net
.

Very special thanks to Paul for that great look in to the music and world of ImprovFriday’s Ken Palmer.

Introducing Andrew McCance

Mentioned above, joining us for this edition of WhatsNewAtImprovFriday, is guest reviewer Andrew McCance who provided commentary for the work done by the ImprovFriday event participating artists for the November 25 – 27 event. First though as with all of the ImprovFriday member artists, Andrew brings such a rich tapestry in himself to the IF community that I want you to get to know a bit about him.

Andrew McCance, a.k.a. AndyMc… lives in Portsmouth on the South Coast of England, just north of the Isle Of Wight. He started music when he was around 10 after his dad brought him an old air organ. Andrew says he played this now and then followed by soon getting an early computer, a ZX81 which led to some early programming interests. Soon followed a series of machines, the ZX Spectrum, then C64, MSX then AMIGA, which all led to more and more interest in making music and graphics.

Teenage years came and Andrew started doing live improv’s at house parties and quiet pubs. He had the chance then to go into bigger things but wasn’t overly impressed with the lifestyle that would also include so he became a dad instead.

For a while Andrew remained steady in mod music, using an Amiga and it’s 8-bit sampler, all the while immersing more into programming and only playing music for fun. After several years he moved to the PC and eventually working in Cubase. Along with other things this eventually led to joining ImprovFriday.

Andrew McCance Self Portrait

Andrew says he has always been interested in ambient, sound processing and retro analog synths going back even before his Amiga days but never fully pursued it. Since joining ImprovFriday he’s found he has found the inspiration to open that ‘envelope’ again releasing those early interests and energies into new work.

When asked to describe how he works in creating his music these days Andrew first suggested an analogy with food from the standpoint of going below the surface as in getting into the fundamental content of fine foods. He likes to start with an idea then make as much of it as he can, for example his track Blue World which had a foundation in a public domain whale sound surrounded by sounds that were manipulations of that core sound that developed to becoming his ‘own’. Blue World started from a lake photo posted on an IF event that inspired Andrew’s imagination to visualize himself diving below the water’s surface and discovering the aqua world below leading to his orca fused composition.

And now here are Andrew’s review thoughts about the work produced by the ImprovFriday member artists during the event thread, November 25 – 27.

Peter Thorn
Winter – You have captured such a crisp sound there Pete and you’ve kept it from cluttering on a loop. – Andrew.

Adam Kondor
My Fathers Voice – This is great Adam, I really enjoyed this and this is something you can truly treasure for ever. – Andrew.

Shane Cadman
Piece 112610 – This deserved a name imo. – AM.

Ken Ficara
Waning Gibbous – When I first heard this I thought oh this isn’t experimental but as it flows through to the end you hear why it is. – Andrew.

Kavin Allenson
Vortex/Jumbie – This was simplistic but to great effect, I’d only say that the talking of reverb and making of the track pulled me back out of the place I went when listening. – Andrew.

Paul Hertz
A Pumpkin of Pies – The organ on this Paul is great, I felt like I was at the back of the church listening to you recite, is it vst? – Andrew.

Richard Sanderson
– I think the way you got things sounding in reverse that actually were not in reverse is excellent, it seems so good it is hard to explain to people it’s not actually in reverse. I know you said it doesn’t sound forward when you reverse the track but I still think you should reverse the track and call it Forward. Tracks with a meaning, like an abstract of something always hear back better over time. – Andrew.

Kenneth Palmer
Happy Holidays – This is great Ken, and great playing too. An average listener maybe won’t realise the effort that goes into being able to play like that, but for us musicians it maybe more appreciated. – Andrew.

Lee Noyes
Notr**ever***sedes_revert+oN (feat. Richard Sanderson & Lee Noyes), this is great Lee. – Andrew.

AndyMc
IF Winter – I’m mentioning one of my tracks as I like it as much as the others here but I think I was a bit low on the volume on it. – Andrew.

Norbert Oldani
Three Rivers, I loved this Norbert, it’s great. – Andrew.

Steve Moyes
Legs and also Winter – Both these are great, it was the white noise in his Winter track that inspired me to put wind on my Winter track. – Andrew.

J.C. Combs
Play Before Juno and Play After Janus – I love that first one, works really well, then the second works great too and ya feel like you was really feeling it when you made it. This normally shows when you hear the patience someone had in their piece, with out it it can sound rushed and wrong. These two were up there amongst my most favourites of this week. – Andrew.

Chimes - Jim Goodin

Jim Goodin and Steve Moyes
Heard Through Walls and Throats and A Martian Looks at Earth, I really liked these three tracks guys. – Andrew.

Jukka-Pekka Kervinen
ym-glitch #1 – Once Jukka I had a Roland RA50, when using a PG1000 into it via midi it achieved a similar sound, I would sit for hours just making this type of sound, this track of yours takes me right back. – Andrew.

Jim Goodin
In the Context of Ice Crystals – The picking really does give it a feeling of ice pinging or snapping of some kind, but I get the from the picking an idea of ice, not sure if that was the aim but that’s how I feel it. – Andrew.

Long Road Out - Jim Goodin

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström
Winter and Morning Song and Happy Man (feat. Steve Layton,Bruce Hamilton) and Low Duct (feat. Jérôme Poirier) – I love ya Winter abstract Roger and also the Morning Song, the Happy Man is great, is it a mash or mix and is there any of your stuff in there? Also you are twice in the list, i had to come back to this to add Low Duct. – Andrew.

Benjamin Smith
Ben.improv.Nov.22.2010 – When I started listening Ben I first worried they were a bit forced this week, but then I got to this one and relaxed right into it. – Andrew.

Bruce Hamilton
Gerts and Phanto – Gerts is a lovely piano piece Bruce and Phanto, yet short is great, sharp and to the point. – Andrew.

Paul Muller
Scale 6 – Paul this is great m8, I love this, it reminds me a bit of Blade Runner Theme music, which is some of my all time favourite, I don’t listen to music often so some pieces stand out for me above the rest, this is one of them. – Andrew.

Steve Layton
Somersault Drums – I liked this Steve when I heard it for the first time on Facebook, it’s also sounds great in your Down the Wires Mash. – Andrew.

Chris Vaisvil
Choir and Strings Improv. and Solo Piano Improv. and Sitar Improv. and Father’s voice on a Relativistic Train (feat. Jim Goodin, Steve Moyes, Adam Kondor, AndyMc, Shane Cadman, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen) – Chris with out sounding wrong, when I listen to your works it reminds me of me, and I feel very comfortable and at home listening to your works. Sorry for the renaming here, the titles were a little long on the posts so I shorted to best I could. – Andrew.

Wow Andy, really personal and immediate thoughts on all the wonderful work created over the ImprovFriday event thread of ‘thanks’, November 25 – 27. Thanks so much for contributing to WhatsNewAtImprovFriday this edition as well as introducing yourself to us.

And now for a few thoughts of my own about some of the work from the same weekend.

The Split - Jim Goodin

Peter Thörn
Winter – Takes me back to my years in college with a then worn 1968 Volvo 144 sedan that I had, much irony here that I would own a Swedish automobile and later to have several connections with Sweden in my years that have evolved. The cold winter cranking away as the coils resist igniting, was like that in January in Arkansas Peter and there is much rhythm here in your ‘found’ experience. – Jim.

Adam Kondor
My Father’s Voice – Loved this Adam as partly it made me wish I had a recording of my dad’s voice as I gather this to you or somebodies. I have pictures and I think some video somewhere but the idea of preserving a voice for your offspring is something well thankfully for the net I have done. That said thoughtful editing as always in your pieces with some sounds of winding spring like tones as the dialog moves on, perhaps echoing an aging clock winding down. – Jim.

My Dad’s Grave – Jim Goodin

Shane Cadman
Piece 112610 – Lovely piano in a Winston style Shane led in by a gathering of sorts, voices in a room, fades to the stellar tones, suspended, reflecting and we give thanks. – Jim.

Ken Ficara
Waning Gibbous – Wow ‘Little old band…’ ringing a bit here and welcome first time participant or possible returning Mr. Ken Ficara. Feels like a street band here and nice crunch in the guitars. Also hearing Bo Diddley in this one at times. Nice fun piece to balance the darker this week. Great development as multiple guitars converge. – Jim.

Kavin Allenson
Vortex/Jumbie – The wind and tapping, a rattle on a bottle, somewhere in the West a hundred fifty years ago. A rattler passes by in the dry dust of south Texas and suddenly it feels we’re in a large hall, preparing for a religious setting or order, it is indeed a ‘vortex’. – Jim.

Paul Hertz
A Pumpkin of Pies – Nice organ tones for the holiday Paul with a sense of a processional entrance for an observance yet offers the color of a movie reel at times in it’s periods of resolve. Your middles tones have a nice airy buzzy sound to them that makes me wonder if this is a physical or digital sampled that you play each week. Nice esculating arpeggio near end as if running up the stairs, for more pumpkin pie of course. – Jim.

Richard Sanderson
No Reverse – Richard welcome, I think this thread was your first but forgive if you were at IF sooner. Great to have you regardless. I hear Bob Fripp and feel elements of his wonderful beginning in ‘Let the Power Fall’, going on as your piece begins. Fundamental hertz going on here in terms of tonal cycles all exploring the reverse envelope, a favorite place of mine to be. – Jim.

Kenneth Palmer
Interlude – Synth or angelic voices leading in with distant kettle or snare drums all giving focus to a cool plucked kalimba or African string harp growing largely intricate as it develops. The voice patch continues to underscore. – Jim.

Lee Noyes
Opa Cupa: Suspended Mouth and Tongue Pattern – The space of the vast lower hemisphere landscape as stellar and the sound of silence in between the well placed tones of Mr. Noyes. Lee this piece and many of your wonderful scapes feel as if you are in a room wondering around finding sound elements and the things that produce them that you’ve never known before and you just happen to pick them up, pluck them, hit them, all at just the well placed time. This one no less. Also feels at times like you are and Kavin are on the same stretch of the old West a hundred fifty years gone by. – Jim.

Overlook - Jim Goodin

Andrew McCance
IF – Sore Thumb – The sound of ‘well placed piano’ Andrew, lovely and intricate as if peering through curtains, looking towards the Isle of Wight. One of the beautiful things that happens on IF is by chance, by subconsciousness, by shared muse we each can strangely find each other in the pieces we produce. You have found Shane in this one and he you. – Jim.

Norbert Oldani
Piano impro. Fantasy – Lovely Norbert. Sure it echoes George Winston at times who I happened to really dig when his sparse melodic sound first appeared. Your sense of harmony gives more sophistication and this piece has a great melodic haunt to it sounding at times with color of pieces like Dancing in the Dark but returning to the more New Age alt-classical new music color typing our times. – Jim.

Steve Moyes
Legs – Wonderful distortion color all through this one. As I’ve come to know I think this is all manipulated cello which Mr Moyes does so well. This one feels like a walk through the forest at twilight, owls, birds and mystery encircles. – Jim.

J.C. Combs
Play after Janus – Drones as if planes over head flying through deserted lands in search of or feels terestrial as the piece moves through with sounds of rubbed metal. Perhaps all processed and stretched piano tones and well crafted as Professor Combs usual. – Jim.

Jim Goodin and Steve Moyes
Grapes of Wrath
- Rule of thumb in this blog is Paul and I don’t review ourselves or each other unless we are in a mash. The recent duo setting with fellow IF’er Steve [Moyes] is within reach re the rules. This was a near end section in our recent NinJam, a session of cello and violin improvisations. This section felt a mix of old world trudging as if fleeing Nazi Germany in WWII or more to my heritage of my Mom’s people leaving rural Oklahoma. The wind blows changes at the end. – Jim.

Jukka-Pekka Kervinen
Cruyingonds – Wow Jukka. From the man who came to us through the arcade, the GameBoy, the 8-bit, the graphic scores and now another surprise. Guitar echoing Bill Frisell, Jeff Baxter and probably Henry Kaiser at times as it dances about a flute voice almost if playing cat-mouse in the fields of northern Finland. – Jim.

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström
Song 101125 Nyckelharpa or hammered dulcimer or who knows in this one. Sounds are plucked and wound with really nice melodic color developing about 2/3rd’s the way through. – Jim.

Benjamin Smith
Ben.improv.Nov.22.2010 – Pensive Rhodes notes set the stage in Ben’s pre-Thanksgiving improvisation with lower tones emerging sounding like chardes of earth breaking away. The subtle intensity grows reaching a rhythmic near end conclusion of the sound of many hands trading brittle clusters as they wind down to a simple nicely muted ending. – Jim.

Bruce Hamilton
Plaque Friday – A trap kit exploring with really cool deep kettle. Feels like a ‘DeJohnette’ played feel at times and real drums but got a feeling this is all sequenced or ‘played’ drum samples which says a lot Bruce as it sounds nice and real sir. – Jim.

Paul Muller
Ben’s Winter (feat. Roger Sundstrom and Ben Smith) -
Man the sun sets all over the world or in Paul’s case it’s rising I think in the early morn of southern California but here in the east Ben’s acoustic tones are like the light gently dancing across the towering Manhattan skyline and pensive New Jersey fields and yet 6,000 miles away Roger creates in brief daylight of the Swedish winter skies, all wonderfully mashed Paul, keep exploring this journey my friend. – Jim.

Steve Layton
Songs of the South in the North (feat. Peter Thörn, Norbert Oldani, Roger Sundström, Jim Goodin, Andrew McCance, Kavin Allenson) – Cold winter there with the engine grind but warms up nicely in this mix weaving from the green land of Scandinavia to the hills of rural Virginia, colored by sophisticated piano notes flying loosely through the canvas of English descent to New England. As the engine intensifies ‘Leon Redbonish’ tones emerge from the southern region along with tribal percussive energy from across the seas again. A ‘World’ adventure in this mash. – Jim

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström
Morning Song 101127 – Really great colours Roger. Love the density in your enveloping almost baritone like guitar here, maybe detuned a bit. Lot’s of depth and space throughout this one. Thinking both Ry and Bill on this one as you often ring. – Jim.

Chris Vaisvil
Willows improvisation on a theme for solo GR-20 guitar synthesizer … – With tonal drift between the frets at times, the southern churchy sound in the trees is as eloquent as a Faulkner read on this ‘blue-tuning’ guitar snyth spin by Chris. Lots of interesting color here and in all his pieces for the day of thanks. – Jim.

It was an excellent weekend, much creativity and just frigging ‘heart’. If you just stumbled upon this blog and have journeyed this far, come see us and join us, the creativity and thought abounds on ImprovFriday.

And it wouldn’t be a WhatsNew blog edition without leaving you with the solo pieces Paul and I created for the weekend. Though we don’t as a rule provide our responsive thoughts here are our responsive tones.

Paul Muller
Scale 6

ImprovFriday Radio

Jim Goodin
Happy Thanksgiving Improv on Kitchen Girl
In the Context of Ice Crystals

In closing let me mention our ImprovFriday Radio podcast series which is easily found at http://improvfridayradio.podomatic.com as well as in iTunes by searching, ImprovFriday Radio. Each month Paul and I take turns hosting. This month the present episode up is the feature interview I conducted with ImprovFriday member artist Steve Moyes. In the hour plus Steve talks about his work with the cello, looping, his involvement in the ‘Gathering’, thoughts about music and all the colours in his worlds. Check it out at ImprovFridayRadio.Podomatic.com.

And please visit our ImprovFriday website on the Ning network to discover more about our community of creative musical artists. We are located at http://improvfriday.ning.com. Till next time, keep your ears and hearts open and happy holidays this season…

Jim and Paul

ImprovFriday Radio - Jim Goodin & Paul Muller

ImprovFriday on the 'line' by Peter Thörn

Hello again and welcome to the WhatsNewAtImprovFriday, a blog that I [Jim Goodin] publish to help get the word out about the experimental New Music community ImprovFriday that resides on the Ning network.

ImprovFriday Radio host Paul Muller and myself have for some time done short ‘highlight’ reviews of the work produced by ImprovFriday member artists. Each weekend 35 to 40 of us get together and upload music and soundscapes that were created for the current weekend event thread. The musical work is produced under Creative Commons agreement and often moves beyond it’s original state to be included in mash-ups by other contributing members.

Reviews were the original foundation of this blog and continue to be part of it. Additionally I’m in the process of trying to include other ImprovFriday created content such as photographs and feature articles as well as ongoing news, IF hosted Video Concerts and project releases like the recent ImprovFriday 2 CD release on Amaranth Records. Btw re the above mentioned IF Video Concerts, Digitsignal, the NinJam quintet that all members (Peter Thörn, Jeff Duke, Steve Moyes, Ray Istorico and myself) are also members of ImprovFriday, was pleased to be hosted recently by ImprovFriday. Here’s a link to the archive of that show which featured the film work of Toshio Matsumoto. And another ‘btw’ I should mention several ImprovFriday member releases that have sprung up in recent weeks, Col[_;,;]lages produced by Jérôme Poirier, Bleep Hertz produced by Jukka-Pekka Kervinen and Growing Towards the Sun, an EP produced from a NinJam session by Steve Moyes and myself.

Okay promotion all out of the way and now back to the WhatsNew business at hand. For the last few weeks I’ve been behind getting an edition out. Paul who has been equally busy with church music projects, one of his principal muses, had gotten reviews done for two of the October weekends and had them in my queue. I had managed to get some of the work reviewed Halloween weekend which as you can imagine, particularly inspired. Then November came in and I was in a push to get the Steve Moyes interview finished for ImprovFriday Radio which is finally up and alive and with that said, I caught up for the moment and was able to do reviews for this recent weekend. So with that running train of thought this WhatsNewAtImprovFriday looks at the the event threads for October 14-16, 21-23, 28-30 and November 18-20. As custom I’ve included links with each title so you can check out the artist’s work.

Nuclear 2 by William V. Newbold

Reviews: October 14-16

Lee Noyes
Taken to the White Bridge – Quiet beginning followed by some hair-raising metallic sounds. Very good quality in the high frequencies. Now the gong – sounds a bit like when you rub your finger on the top of a wet wine glass only deeper and richer in tones. – Paul.

Alexandra Marculewicz Adshead and Chris Becker
Sing Song Story Music Box Lullaby – Alexandra’s lovely voice comes through the processing and provides the focal point for listening. The external sounds are just like everyday distractions – when I heard the meow I went to the door and let our cat in. A sort of ‘Porgy & Bess’ feel at about 5:00… A beautiful piece. – Paul.

Peter Thörn
Stickschop – A brilliant adaption of the sound of chopping wood. It is as if we are 1 inch tall and are being buried in a flood of match sticks. The clacking of the woody pieces was wonderful in its randomness. Interestingly, when I mashed this with a drone the perception is suggested that there is an actual repeating rhythm. – Paul.

Johnny and Faith
Spamborilly and Roses – Nice big sound from J&F… Maybe just a bit like Alexandra & Chris’ piece at 1:30. Love the syncopated chimes and warm tones at the finish. – Paul.

Nuclear 3 by William V. Newbold

Paul Hertz
Double Seam – Sweet sounding organ melody – perfectly suited to the cooler October weather. – Paul.

Steve Moyes
Brighter – Xaphoon rules! Nice interplay between the droning pitches – gives it a sort of three-dimensional effect. The tone entering at 2:20 adds a bit of tension. The overtones really began to dance for me at around 5:00. Nice fadeout at the finish. A well-concieved and executed piece. – Paul.

Kenneth Palmer
Richochet/Piano and Percussion – Some good piano playing with dramatic percussion – the overall effect is like stormy weather. – Paul.

Jeff Fairbanks
ob= – Good beat, catchy tune. A bit of Jukka’s influence, perhaps? The shrill woodwinds add tension. – Paul.

Shane W. Cadman
Piece101510 – A beautiful piano solo – just right for the autumn. The raking of leaves adds atmosphere. – Paul.

Paul Hertz and Benjamin Smith
Duet (mixed by Steve Layton) – Interesting mix of Ben’s gentle angst combined with Paul’s reassuring melody. Some striking combinations of notes as well. – Paul.

Jérôme Poirier
[._,,] (feat. Bruce Hamilton, David Toub, Dave Seidel, Steve Moyes, Lee Noyes, Canary Burton, Jane Martin, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen and Jérôme Poirier (contributing artist/mixer/masher)) – Another great title – someday Jerome will have to give us the code… The segments seem to be staged – so that each becomes a little surprise. Jerome creates each beat of the piece separately rather than just process or mix continuous streams together – very elegant technique and a valuable contribution to IF. – Paul.

Andrew McCance
IF – Wood Chopper Winter (feat. Pete Thórn and Andrew McCance (contributing artist/mixer/masher)) – Chilly mix of a weather forecast and Peter’s sticks. Reminds me a bit of the descent into Nibelheim in ‘Das Rheingold’. Very atmospheric. – Paul.

Benjamin Smith
Ben.improv.Oct.14.2010 – Something new from Ben in the way of processing and bending of pitches. Steady, deliberate and strong. Interesting evolution of the rhythm – becomes almost percussive by 5:00. At 6:30 it begins to resemble one of Jukka’s pieces. – Paul.

Bruce Hamilton
fif – Wonderfully phased keyboard licks that slowly bend in pitch. Another interesting concept well-executed. – Paul.

Rails by Jim Goodin

Chris Vaisvil
Just a Bass – The king of distortion is in the house! Strong and fierce – like a dragon coming out of its lair. – Paul.

Jukka-Pekka Kervinen
tab blank – Electronica but with processing that seems to add a certain depth to it. Three dimensional and very effective. – Paul.

Adam Kondor
2×5 (feat. Paul Muller, Benjamin Smith and Adam Kondor (contributing artist/mixer/masher)) – Quite a contrast here between ben’s percussive keyboard underneath the dreamy drone. Keeping the dynamics down on the keyboard is just right – it churns just underneath the surface. The ending is perfect. – Paul.

Kavin Allenson
time trick – The sounds really pop out of the silences – clear and clean. Interesting mix. Listening to Jerome? Similar construction, I think… – Paul.

Norbert Oldani
Piano Improv. of a Japanese Mode – Like music for a puppet play – very evocative. Develops nicely and is well-played. – Paul.

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström
Droonimizimoo – Another fine drone from Roger – who is on a roll. Have enjoyed these for three weeks running. Good use of dynamics in this one. The lower pitches evolve into a wonderful cutting and buzzing sound. – Paul.

J.C. Combs
Wherever Your Imagination Takes You – Soothing electronic humming sounds contrast with an occasional high-pitched melody. Flows along like a shimmering metallic river – steady yet ever-changing. A leisurely cruise but never dull. – Paul.

Space Sunset

Steve Layton
Washed – Crackling, whirring and sundry sounds as if we are inside a small machine. Static with a sense of motion, but not of movement. – Paul.

Reviews: October 21-23

Roger Sundström and Benjamin Smith (mix by Steve Layton)
The Nighthawks – Deep, warm guitar sounds against Ben’s airy keyboard. A pensive feel to this – very atmospheric. Nicely done by all. – Paul.

Kenneth Palmer
Greetings from Ghana – Good strong beat, intriguing vocals. Exotic feel – nice harmony at the end. – Paul.

Lee Noyes
Hoppsan (or: ‘whoops’) – Buzzing, an explosion and some tapping. Crackling like a bad audio cable, some vocal fragments. Like we are inside a radio being fixed. Interesting journey. – Paul.

Benjamin Smith
Ben.improv.Oct.21.2010 – Boops and bleeps from Ben’s keyboard – been listening to Jukka maybe? Nice fast runs of scales and arpeggios. Overall sometimes a playful effect, sometimes drama and sometimes questions – like a story being told. – Paul.

Chris Vaisvil
I Gave It Up – Big sound – full string section. Lovely series of chords against a deep bass counterpoint. Lush, movie-soundtrack feel to this. Interesting chord sequence at the conclusion. – Paul.

Shane W. Cadman
Piece102210 – Interesting combination of tea kettle and drum kit. Some good cymbal work here. Did I hear a drum cadence from Band Dad? The heating of the kettle adds a sense of deadline to this – what will happen when it boils? – Paul.

Benjamin Smith and Shane Cadman (mix by Steve Layton)
The Rabbit’s Reflection – Ben’s keyboard provides a steady foundation and Shane’s drumming a fine counterpoint. Well-crafted mix. – Paul.

Peter Thörn
Luna Luna – Mechanical sounds and a low bassy string carrying a melody. Pretty good sound for wood and wire… – Paul.

Bruce Hamilton
tarkovs – Impressive series of drones complete with close-frequency beating. Plenty of volume, too – it fills your head! – Paul.

Tom Izzo
Emotobot – Flute-like electronic melody with busy background sounds that morphs into a rising humming, giving a sense of vast coordinated activity somewhere in the far future. – Paul.

J.C. Combs
Improvisation for Right Hand, in Standing Position – Pleasing single notes from the piano ring out in sequence. Quiet, introspective feel to this. Maybe a bit like Norbert’s piano piece. – Paul.

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström
Red Wave – Suble blend of sounds – expectant, vaguely sinister. Now a steady tone with percusive sound now and then – a communication of some kind? Mechanical sounds as if something metalic is being disassembled. Evokes a convincing sense of strangeness. – Paul.

Norbert Oldani
Piano Improv. 10/21/10 – A simple line arcing upward – a questioning. Just the slightest hint of Monk at 2:00! Turns dramatic at about 3:15 – a sort of roiling feel here. Quiet ending is well crafted and suitably solemn. – Paul.

Breaking Light by Kavin Allenson

Kavin Allenson
return of the spring – A definite froggy sound to this! We are beside a pond at dusk in springtime. – Paul.

Adam Kondor
querelle – Frenetic sound of orchestral elements. A bit like listening to a mirror fall and break into pieces but in slow motion – yet no chaotic. Nicely realized. – Paul.

Jérôme Poirier
Portrait of the sixth day of strike – Interesting mix of street strikers and musical elements – art on the spot and up to the minute! – Paul.

Steve Layton
The Golden Ones (feat. Chris Vaisvil, Tom Izzo, Paul Muller, JC Combs and Steve Layton (contributing artist/mixer/masher)) – Beautiful orchestral beginning – Handel-like in its majesty. The piano adds a fine counterpoint over the sustaining drone. Would be a good track for a movie spectacular. Lovely mix of chords at 3:00 to the finish. – Paul.

Jukka-Pekka Kervinen
unsold epilog – Intriguing title. Booming undercurrents, ringing sounds that slowly change – a definite sense of menace here. – Paul.

Andrew McCance
Ancient Evil (feat. Roger “Ecronet” Sundström, Grizzly and Andrew McCance (contributing artist/mixer/masher)) – Like we are standing over a deep, dark chasm – the birds screeching overhead and the wind moaning from below – but we can’t see the bottom. Convincing sense of awe here. – Paul.

Paul Hertz
The Clock Struck Thirteen – Light, yet metallic sound – very engaging. Like a wind chime, beautifully rendered. The chords form a fine background to the whirling melody. Some great keyboard work here and a lovely sound. Nicely done! – Paul.

Reviews: “Halloween” October 28-30

Halloween 'Spirit' by Jim Goodin

Bruce Hamilton
dery – Bruce excellent spooky Spike Jonesish lead in for the Halloween thread. Intense in a Monk kind of way. – Jim.

Chris Vaisvil
if20101028selfless – Chris that’s really rich and right of Hallow Eve’s ally. Really phantomish and ending chord sweep is worth the price of admission. – Jim.

Steve Layton & Peter Thörn
Baul Song – Excellent textures gentlemen. Love the contrast of the percussive plucks from Peter in parallel to Steve’s steel drum like bell tones. You guys are twin sons of different mom’s in a way. – Jim.

Jeff Duke
Doodles – Cool winds and sweeps Jeff, kind of like Steve Moshier slowed down re his Ghostbuster like sounds a few weeks ago. This one should be mashed (Mr Layton…). – Jim.

Kavin Allenson
Landers Machine Shop 102310 – Lot going on here. Like a fusion of amby and tribal beat going on in a garage recorded from a distance. At a point there is a tremendous organic kind of Peter Gabriel Shock the Monkey thing going on in the drums/percussion that I love Kavin. – Jim.

Ken Palmer
Chinese Di Zi Flute w. Percussion – So much out of Mancini and Hatari here. Exotic Asian orchestration going on almost sublimingly Ken. Def’ly an east meets on the way to west in your themes. Sits perfect against a Saturday afternoon Tarzan at times. – Jim.

Eric Gross
28 October 10 – Eric welcome to ImprovFriday. Pedal steel is new here I think re the sound and I happen to love it. Just floats about and you’ve carried that through here. Nice long John Caleish scape and I like how the the ‘steel’ voice emerges around 11 min and goes to the end. Good introduction to IF. – Jim.

Honest Abe ur Jim ur Lincoln by Callie Goodin

Peter Thoegersen
some more unbridled noise – Peter welcome back! This reminds me of Shadowfax’s spin on Brown Rice. Great street beat kind of vibe going on in that same way. The voices and synth horn steer it well. Like the way the voices return subtly near the end. – Jim.

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström
Coold Night – A long dark highway, traffic far far distance. Excellent sweeping sounds and synthetic sounding cicada’s and some other night critters. – Jim.

Andrew McCance
Horror Soundscape – Good one, somewhere around the moors there in the old country. Something is breathing in there I think meaning as a subtle critter. Excellent scream on Sasha’s part ‘dad’. Very minimal collage but quite effective in the suspense level Andrew. – Jim.

J.C. Combs
The Secret Chamber of Dr. X – Wow J.C. you commented on Friday you have your work cut out for you re being pleased with the thread performances and you did it man, excellent! Love the throb going on near and to the end. Spooky early on, a real Hallows here. – Jim.

Steve Layton
Mrs. Phasma (feat. Paul Hertz, Jim Goodin, Jeff Duke, Benjamin Smith, Steve Moyes, Roger Sundström, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen and Steve Layton (contributing artist/mixer/masher)) – Great stuff to be part of here and Steve thanks for mashing me in. This is in a very dark but beautiful place. Like looking through black light, lovely here with an edge. – Jim.

Paul Hertz
Hallowmas – Man this is rich and so subtle Paul. Really lovely. I’ve never known organ color till I’ve heard what you’ve produced on ImprovFriday. Great color and feeling throughout. – Jim.

Benjamin Smith
Ben.Improv.October.30.2010 – Great separation between the harmonic structure and the high floating melody on this one, very flute like on the high end but pointed and nice Rhodes color in the chordal clusters. Nice spooky beautiful stuff Ben. – Jim.

Ray Istorico, recent Digitsignal show by Jim Goodin

Reviews: November 18-20

Richard Sanderson – 1st time participant
Blotter – Richard welcome! Excellent to have you here. Blotter echoes a techno jungle with it’s metallic underscore and interspersed accordion voices emerging. In a sense this leads in to Shane’s junglesque scape coming up. – Jim.

Shane W. Cadman
Piece111910 – Shane this on is really rich. Has a great explored feel for Africa balancing the kalimba or vibes voice with the great sense of environmental. Very spiritual track plus the birds in the mix perked my cat’s ears up in ‘belief’. – Jim.

James Ross
Object – Eloquent James, floating and sperical with your usual sense of spiritualism. It has a sense of a suspended oblisk as in 2001. – Jim.

Kenneth Palmer and James Dillon
Trialogue – Your touch seems so incredibly lite on the keys Ken, a feeling of afar in this one and a sense of time, haunting I often hear in your work. Welcome James on his part of this collaboration. – Jim.

Bruce Hamilton
dober – Riveting Bruce. I hear the Reich energy from your recent Inadaba participation. Like the sense of how this one kind of hovers low as in a starship searching the field to land. – Jim.

Benjamin Smith
Ben.improv.Nov.19.2010Like a Rhodes on speed Ben. Dig it. Feels like an aural light show or streaming through the dark tunnel in Space Mountain as the strobing lights are blurring by you. You like several are branching out in to some new territory it seems and that’s really great to see though your pure intense acoustic tones are always appreciated. – Jim.

Andrew McCance
IF- Piano Improv. 18-11-2010 – Peaceful and tremendous touch Andy. Gentle Bill Evans space in your tones. Nice to hear you in this setting contrasting your larger orchestral works. – Jim.

Jeff Fairbanks
jo – Poppish beat and kind a feeling of a mix of GameBoy and ‘noise’. Nice rising of dissonance as the piece grows. For some reason think early Casio sounds. – Jim.

Adam Kondor
Dialektik – Adam your sense of both ‘internationalism’ and ‘nationalism’ in your mixes is amazing, this one particularly. Lovely use of Joan Baez in there or similar. Also feels like a foretelling in it’s scope. – Jim.

Peter Thoegersen
lil boys room – Very creative Peter. Playful in a ‘Johnny and Faith’ kind of groove, also cool Gil Scott Heronish bass line going on. – jim.

Johnny and Faith
Arguing Ourselves to Sleep – A sense of ‘landing’ throughout your piece J and F. Descending tones and ghostly voices hover throughout and strangely not as playful as norm guys. – Jim.

Steve Moyes
A Question About Coloured Lights – Think I can see Santa in this one Steve (grins). Lovely noise happening on this that I wonder if it’s all cello induced as I hear it in the latter parts. Sounds like some stretching as well. – Jim.

Coffee in the Mornin' by Jeff Duke

Jeff Duke
Cup O’ Joe – Love the panning in this one Jeff as always, imaging is your forte. It is in another terrestrial which is very much your sound. – Jim.

Jérôme Poirier
[,;;.] (feat. Steve Moyes, Richard Sanderson, Lee Noyes, Bruce Hamilton, Norbert Oldani and Jérôme Poirier (contributing artist/mixer/masher)) – Creative editing as always Jerome. Voice reminds me of Max Headroom from the 80′s which is timely with the GameBoy present here as well. – Jim.

Paul Hertz
Capillarity – Paul man the organ sounds so haunting and like Ken above, like you are barely touching the keys and just floating about. Really is a wide range of expression you bring to the instrument. This piece has both a sense of mystery and the circus with nice dark color. – Jim.

Tchaikovsky

J.C. Combs
Tchaikovsky in the Afternoon – Such an extended treatise going on here Chief. Distant piano early on sounds just like the ‘afternoon’ and the space stretched tones as it grows. Reverse envelope on the ending evolution is really great. Kept awaiting the ‘cannons’ btw. – Jim.

Steve Layton
Florida Invocation – What a welcome to Florida. Pensive and pointed Steve. I hear Bruce’s influence here or maybe it’s just the sunshine. Jim.

Jukka-Pekka Kervinen
quick ex #3 – Jukka your noise/game techno and other pieces have really evolved here since you joined IF a few months ago. They are always inventive and this one no less, like the noise floor among it’s space like robotic beeps and washes. Would be cool to have a video of you doing one of your pieces to see how you work. – Jim.

Paul Muller
Andy’s Object (feat. Andrew McCance, James Ross and Paul Muller (contributing artist/mixer/masher)) – Beautiful mash Paul. Two splendid textural pieces both with plenty of space in the mix joined together really nicely. Jim’s suspended mobile like floor and Andy’s sparse piano work, when the harmonies come together in this one some cool colors are happening. – Jim.

Roger “ErocNet” Sundström
Room 4 – Really delicate and spiritual Roger. Sounds of a sterile landscape ring throughout this one’s tonality, maybe it’s the northern winter skies there. Like it. – Jim.

Norbert Oldani
Bell Improvisation – Rings true and no pun intended Norbert. Wondering if this is ‘real’ or Kyma generated. Like the colors going on as the bells get thick over the synth ostinoto. – Jim.

Image by Emily for Chris

Chris Vaisvil
For Piano, Choir, Percussion and Electronics – Great balance in the ensemble Chris. Sounds like ‘Norbert’s bells’ are ringing in this one. Sounds of space the final frontier but still present organic color in the darkness particularly. Fine texture. – Jim.

Lee Noyes
9′ 23″ – Lee welcome back. Nice to hear your return imagination and sense of patience and space. Sounds like going through an airlock or decompression chamber. – Jim.

Kavin Allenson
pod mind – Kind of like modern Hendrix here Kav. I need to go back and read your post about this but wondering by the title if it was done via some of iPhone/iTouch music apps. Very cool rushing wind of a track. – Jim.

And though Paul and I don’t review each others work in the Whats New blog beyond mashes, I do post links to our solo weekly thread participations at the bottom of each publishing. Here were our works from the recent threads. Thanks for listening as always.

Paul Muller
Drone Study #9
Shane’s Drone (feat. Shane Cadman and Paul Muller (contributing artist/mixer/masher))
Mahalo Sticks (feat. Peter Thörn, Roger Sundström and Paul Muller (contributing artist/mixer/masher))
Ambient Study 3#
Andy’s Ambient (feat. Andy McCance and Paul Muller (contributing artist/mixer/masher))
Ambient Study 1
Ambient Study 2
The Horror of the Dark of Night (feat. Jim Goodin, Andy McCance and Paul Muller (contributing artist/mixer/masher))
Bells and Bones (feat. Eric Gross, Benjamin Smith and Paul Muller (contributing artist/mixer/masher))

Jim Goodin
Cave
Dandelions in Whoville
Old Colors
Chisel
The Dark of Night on Hallows Eve
Train to Budapest, Bats in the Night Sky
Dark Pool on a Moonless Night

Well once again thanks for following WhatsNewAtImprovFriday. Much good is coming from this community and though my publishing has been a bit erratic of late I’m really trying to give some needed visibility to the fine New Music that is being crafted each weekend by the 35-40 participating artists. Thanks for following us in the ImprovFriday world, I hope you feel broadened by coming along with us.

Remember our ImprovFriday Radio podcast series at http://improvfridayradio.podomatic.com. Paul and myself trade off each month with him doing an overview feature of several artists’ works from the community and the next month I take one artist and do an in-depth interview and feature of a few pieces of their music. The current episode features ImprovFriday member artist, guitarist/cellist/looper/computer musician Steve Moyes of England. Check out the episode at the above link or if you are an avid iTunes user you can search ImprovFriday Radio and subscribe to our series.

ImprovFriday Radio

Lastly come visit the ImprovFriday website at http://improvfriday.ning.com, get to know us and if you are musician or sound artist working in exploratory interesting music then consider joining and participating in our weekend music threads.

Keep the ears open…

Jim and Paul