theWheel

theOwl

This stuff slips away from me.  A couple of years ago – on July 14, 2007, to be precise – I had a jam session at my house.  Steve Hiltner was in town from New Jersey, and we had a bit of a Lunar Glee Club reunion.  Present were Aron Kaufman, Dave Mason, myself, Steve Hiltner, and Steve Osburn.  At the end of the night we had a great improvisation – Oz was on bass, Aron on traps, Dave percussion, Steve on clarinet and I had a trumpet with a Harmon mute for a while and then my voice when the stars lined up.

About two minutes in, the groove is happening – Oz and Aron and Dave sound great in my living room, with the high ceiling – and then Steve and I get something going with the horns:

- Once In a While – Horns

» Read the rest of this entry «

theOwl

Thursday was Song Night at Oz’s.  I walked in wondering if we might find our music attracted to the current economic flux, and was not disappointed.

Present at Oz’s Music were Dave Mason, Oz, and myself.

Actually, there were three worthy songs that night.  First Oz had a little thing he had written on Mischa Mischakoff‘s Balalaika.  Here’s a taste…

Next I found a bass line and gave it to Oz while I played the piano.  Dave, of course, was on bongos.

I think the last was best.  Oz started in pizzicato on a cello with a bass line, musicalizing the idea of a “bottom up” economy.  I played trumpet with Harmon mute and sang some.  Oz sang the “Bottoms Up” line.  Dave played bongos.

It worked.

theOwl

I had a great experience on Thursday night. As many of you know, I have for the last four years been involved in hosting music sessions – jams, improvisations, compositional collaborations, whatever we call them – on most Thursday nights. I’ve been slacking off a bit lately, as I have a lot on my plate and just needed to back off a bit. » Read the rest of this entry «

A couple of Thursdays ago, Dan Ladizinsky was in town from Oregon, and music happened at Oz’s. This particular session was doubly special, as Aron Kaufman was celebrating a milestone birthday that week, and Dan had composed a tune, N’faro Manaku (anagram of Aron Kaufman?) for the occasion. » Read the rest of this entry «

What happens at Song Night at my house?

A typical night was last April 12, 2007. Dave Mason and Steve Osburn came over. Dave played bongos and Oz picked up my fretless Fender Bass.

Then we improvised new songs, which I recorded and promptly forget about, as I’ve been too distracted to transcribe the discs. Here’s one tune:

It’s good – we should write a lyric. » Read the rest of this entry «

theOwl

A cold February night in Ann Arbor. It’s Song Night at my house, and we’re just getting warmed up.

On this night, February 21, 2008, I was very fortunate to have Oz – Steve Osburn – on bass, Dave Mason on bongos, Jeff Kupperman on violin. I played the piano and sang a bit.

Here’s what happened….

Is there a song in here? With this one, I don’t necessarily think so. It’s nice, but it doesn’t beg to be revisited.

Sometimes at these Song Night sessions, a Song is born. Sometimes, the Process IS the Product.

That’s OK too.

Owl

General Chaos and the Natural Order has never been a “band” in any conventional sense. It was and remains more or less a non-binding protocol for a certain type of improvisational musical encounter in which train wrecks are always infinitely preferable to ruts, and a good time is had by all.

I suppose the one irreducible crucial factor from my point of view is the presence of Steve Osburn. I don’t know that I’m essential – I suppose that’s up to Oz. Tim Twiss has often been a factor.

These sessions have usually, but not always, happened in Oz’s Music Environment. Such was the case a few Thursdays ago on the night of October 11, 2007, when Oz and Dave Mason and I, along with some drum grooves from my computer, convened for a General Chaos session. (Somehow one does not tend to think of them as “Natural Order” sessions.)

What happens in such a session? » Read the rest of this entry «

Owl

Let us start with an audio recording.

This little improvised groove was the first of three or four improvisations that happened at my session at Oz’s last Thursday night. Present were Aron Kaufman playing traps, Steve Osburn playing Chapman Stick, and yours truly Dan Bilich playing muted trumpet, piano and voice.

I am really lucky to have guys like this show up to play music with me.

Could this music be an embodiment of the Lunar Glee Club?

It’s definitely rather seriously influenced by the Lunar Glee Club…

Will we ever develop or play this improvised piece again? Probably not, but who knows?

The Process is the Product.

Owl

Even paranoids sometimes really do have robotic dragonflies spying on them.

Last Thursday was Song Night at Oz’s.

When words are not expected to play a role in a given improvisation, I often just cast about until some musical motif begins to attract good energy. With words, I find it harder to just cast about. As a consequence, I’ve been thinking a bit about how best to kick start improvised Words with Music. » Read the rest of this entry «

by db

Dave Mason has an Anaconda by the tail, and now Oz and I have got it too. (Steve Osburn on Chapman Stick) » Read the rest of this entry «