We’re happy to be releasing these recordings under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. [More info…] We’d be very interested in hearing any thoughts you may have regarding the license (especially if you have performed at, or plan to perform at, a Stet Lab event) so please leave a comment on the relevant thread.

The December Lab was a great way to end the year with everyone playing at their best: Bruce Coates’ 60+ minutes of invention, Sarah O’Halloran was funny as hell, Neil O’Loghlan anchored the improbable ensemble, Kevin Terry rocked, Christian Martin leapt into the deep end… and even I (Han-earl Park) would have to admit that I played pretty well. It was also a pleasure to perform for an audience in such good form (it wouldn’t have been half as good without you).

A big thanks to Veronica Tadman for holding the Lab together during our recent difficulties; navigating the maze of reshuffles and negotiations. This month’s event could not have happened without Veronica and Kevin’s organizational skills and foot work. (Also a quick thanks again to the Cork Indy for their write-up.)

And thanks to all who’ve come to listen over the last year. Hope to see you again in 2009 for more real-time mutations and hybrids!

A very big thank you to Franziska Schroeder who took time to grace us with her presence, share her expertise, and demonstrate (especially to Han-earl Park who joined her on stage) exactly how good an improviser she is.

Thanks also to Veronica Tadman for organizing The Real-Time Company (for the Ad-Hoc Association) of… herself with Paul Dowling and Barry Twomey, to all who participated onstage (Andrea Bonino and Kevin Terry), and to the behind-the-scenes personnel. Kudos also to The Roundy and its staff for again hosting this left-field venture. (And a quick thanks to the Cork Indy for their write-up!)

Finally, as always, thanks to all—newcomers and old-timers—who came to listen, hangout and await the leap off the edge. We couldn’t (and wouldn’t) do this without you!

[Mike Hurley:] “I have improvised in quite a free and gestural way since I was too young to know what free improvisation and free jazz were. …Like anything there was a fair bit of ‘trial and error’ when I was learning. …One prepares for an improvised show in a similar way to which one prepares for a surprise—it’s best not to worry about it.”

…Understanding personal differences is key, he says, to a successful collaborative improvisation, particularly as the process requires collective decision making and a trust in one another’s abilities.

Read the whole thing…

Catch Mike and the Stet Lab (ir)regulars tonight (Thursday, July 10th)! [Details…]