…a celebration of the practice of improvisation in all its diversity, complexity and, perhaps, contradictions
On the eve of our highest profile event, with 13 events behind us, this might be a good time to reflect on the stuff I’ve learned (and am learning) about running a space for improvised music.
I’m indebted to those who have told stories of, and given advice on, running no- or low-budget ventures elsewhere. My [...]
The audio recordings on this site have been made available courtesy of the performers. The current handshake agreement, however, is a little haphazard, and (potentially) prone to misunderstandings. I am therefore proposing to move these recordings onto the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Normally, nothing runs through my head when improvising. Occasionally, a thought will suggest, in an unobtrusive way, “Oh, that’s quite cool, you should copy that”. Or, as when I was first messing around with extended techniques on my bass, “My luthier’s gonna kill me…” But, at this Stet Lab, for the first time, a thought [...]
It’s good, I think, to think tactically about improvisation, and group improvisation in particular. You know, however, that you’ve lost the game in improvisation when you’re preempting the music. You don’t want to be thinking this is how it should be, goddamnit, and I will fit that square piece into that triangular hole. Much more [...]
Audio recordings of the July 10th Stet Lab are now online.
There’s a lot to be said for being the odd-one-out: you can be lazy.
There’s also a lot to be said for putting two ‘alikes’ together; be it the same instrumentation, or people who share a name. Okay, AFAIK, tactically, as an improviser, that latter factor doesn’t make an iota of difference, but I can vouch [...]
“This was possibly the noisiest ‘hoedown’ ever………………………………………” —Everybody’s sub-conscious
Anyway, it began with several short burst to get things started, from the house band of the evening. This comprised Eoin Callery (mountain dulcimer), Susan Geaney (flute), Tony O’Connor (bass guitar) and Barry Twomey (guitar). A very well behaved bass player who could have crush the puny [...]
Audio recordings of the June 12th Stet Lab are now online.
To be informed of future Stet Lab events, join the Stet Lab - announce list, or subscribe to the news feed.
Stet Lab takes place this coming Monday (March 8, 2010), upstairs @ The Roundy. The event will feature the Paul Stapleton and Nick Williams.
Stet Lab featuring Paul Stapleton and Nick Williams, takes place on Monday, 8 March 2010, upstairs @ The Roundy, Castle Street, Cork, Ireland.
The next Stet Lab, featuring Paul Stapleton and Nick Williams, will take place upstairs @ The Roundy, Castle Street, Cork, Ireland, on Monday, March 8, 2010.