Tag Archives: Improvisation

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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William Parker

MFM “SPEAKS OUT” Podcast EP40: William Parker on the Spiritual Essence of Music and Improvisation

William Parker“Music is Defined as Anything that is Beautiful, and What Makes Something Beautiful is Music”

In this episode of MFM Speaks Out, Dawoud Kringle interviews William Parker; bassist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, improviser, performer, and music educator.

Topics discussed:

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Keyna Wilkins

CD Review: Keyna Wilkins and Jalal Mahamede “Set Me Free” – Musical improvisation to the poetry of a refugee in detention in Australia.

Keyna Wilkins & Jalal Mahamede Artist: Keyna Wilkins & Jalal Mahamede
Title:
 Set Me Free
Label: Artist release
Genre: Improvisation and spoken word
CD & Digital release:  November 2021

Review by Fiona Mactaggart

“I love my tears as much as my laughter. I need my tears as they ease my pain.”

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