why is jazz improvisation important?

Answer 1

Improvisation is the basis of all music, from the classics of Mozart to the wilderness of Bebop (does anyone play that now, I wonder?). For some reason that is difficult to understand or explain, an initial improvisation always has more life, conviction, expessiveness and that elusive musical quality that defines music, more than considered prepared performance does. It is something beyond the mere notes. Musicians can always recognise it. To some extent I think even a concert performance from the page sounds best when it sounds like an improvisation - something welling up from the musician themself, something self-revealing. I sometimes wonder whether some of the power of Mozart comes from the almost free improvised way he composed - in his head, and writing to papeer as though it already existed, according to contemporary reports. In a jazz group you'll hear the different instruments "talk" to each other, sing with each other. Playing jazz you can feel in flight, lose it, and find another instrument coming under you to lift you on. That speaks of a great raport, and I think that intuitive raport communicates to an audience. A thoroughly rehearsed piece, even if made up of what were originally improvisations, never feels quite the same - although it can work well as a kind of foundation from which to fly.

Answer 2

Improvisation In Jazz

Answer 3

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RE:
why is jazz improvisation important?

Answer 4

It's a celebration of the moment.
The (present) moment is where we all live our lives.
Therefore, it's a celebration of all life, and all our lives.

Personally, I think that great jazz musicians are kind of like monks from an unwritten nondenomial religion who make it obvious to us that the present moment is where life is lived. They are kind of like saints, to me.

Music is their tool, particularly the improvisations.

PS-There's more to it than what I've said. Freedom, inspiration, etc., but I don't want to try to think about it too much. Just go see a great jazz band, and you will not need any more questions or answers.

Answer 5

Improvisation is instant composition, the instant creation of a new melody.

When the improvised melody is not related to another song it is called free improvisation.

In Jazz (like in Classical music in the past) the improvisation is usually related to a song. In most cases the improvisation follows the chord progression of that song.

Source Website
http://www.jazclass.aust.com/im1.htm

Answer 6

When we moved from the modern to the post-modern era (around 1960), Improv was the basis for creating new work. This was and still is true for theater, dance and music -- all the performing arts.

Many of the artists from 1900 on struggled with the notion that our audiences had become passive and just wanted to be entertained. Artists wanted art to be engaging and reactionary and even participatory.

The art movements of that time (futurists, Dada, surreal etc) went through phases that included poetry, painting, music, dance, theater -- gosh, almost every way to communicate!

The Post-Modern era was a time of rejecting the narrative and building material based on Improv. Jazz Improv is a part of that art movement and very important.

Many artists are still involved in that art form and believe it's the most valid way to create - dance, art, music, theater, text. And the examples that you already know are easy to spot in this context -- Gonzo Journalism by Hunter S Thompson, the music of Frank Zappa and Miles Davis and those guys who spin and scratch records on turntables. The paintings of Pollock. The dances of Merce Cunningham.

We artists are mostly still in the Post-Modern era though work is still being created using narrative and the craft of other art movement. We believe that one must have a basis in technique and craft before exploring Improv. The newest Art Movement is Hip-Hop. This time not a bunch of bohemian artists in France but the street culture -- creating a new way to Improv music and impacting dance, music, movie-making, fashion etc.

Rap and Hip-Hop is very much like Jazz Improv with it's spontaneity and free-styling. I would nestle Hip-Hop firmly in the Post-Modern movement or call it a new movement, the historians will have to decide.

These are exciting times!

Answer 7

I prefer classical or rock to jazz, but I do like swing or live jazz. Ren t 'The History of Jazz' to find out.