Improvised Music

An Editorial: The Future of Improvisational Music

Text by Dawoud Kringle

Andre Benjamin (a.k.a. Andre 3000) succeeded with the Atlanta-based hip-hop duo Outkast, collaborated with Beyonce and Erykah Badu, and made his mark as an actor. In 2023, he shocked the music world by releasing New Blue Sun, an all-instrumental collaboration with Carlos Nino, where he played flute. Nothing could have prepared audiences for one of the greatest rappers in hip hop making a bold move into ambient, flute based improvisational music. And against all odds, it was a great success.

Musicians have been improvising music for thousands of years. I could (and occasionally have) write about the musical traditions of ancient and classical cultures where musicians were expected to improvise. In the last several decades, jazz, some arcane offshoots of rock music, and all variations and subgenres have established improvisation as a mainstay in its canon.

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Strawbs

The Strawbs Musical Reminder: Are you “part of a Union?” No?

Text by Bruce Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, September 9th, 2024)

“Part of the Union” Song by The Strawbs, from the album Bursting at the Seams (1973)

Now I’m a union man
Amazed at what I am
I say what I think
That the company stinks
Yes, I’m a union man.

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Phillip Ellis Foster

Album Review: Philip Ellis Foster “The Cosmos Project”

Album Review by Dawoud Kringle

Philip FosterArtist: Philip Ellis Foster
Title: The Cosmos Project
Label: Infrequent Seams
Format: Digital
Genre: experimental/avant-garde music

Stream and buy here: https://philipellisfoster.bandcamp.com/album/the-cosmos-project

In the realm of experimental avant-garde music, Philip Ellis Foster has carved out his niche.

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Some Thoughts about “Janis” by Country Joe & The Fish

Text by Bruce Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, 9/26/2024)

“Janis” by Country Joe & The Fish, from I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die (rel late, 1967)

Into my life on waves of electrical sound
And flashing light she came
Into my life with the twist of a dial
The wave of her hand, the warmth of her smile.

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Fela Kuti

Fela Kuti – the Godfather of Afrobeat – Who was He?

MFM Presents “Music Is Essential,” a Zoom Roundtable Discussion on the Legacy and Impact of Fela Kuti’s Music and Activism on the African Continent. With Special Guests who knew or worked with the “Godfather of Afrobeat”

“Music is the weapon of the future.” – Fela

Review by Heidi Johanna Vierthaler

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