Stet Lab is, and has been for some time, on indefinite hiatus. [More info…]
…a celebration of the practice of improvisation in all its diversity, complexity and, perhaps, contradictions
Not an official Stet Lab event (the Lab is still on hiatus), but but fans of alternatively pedagogical space that was Stet Lab should be interested in this group improvisation workshop. The workshop will be lead by drummer Mark Sanders, double bassist Dominic Lash, guitarist Han-earl Park, and vocalist and electronics performer Caroline Pugh.
Between June 2008 and April 2011, fourteen author-practitioners documented over nineteen events from the POV of the stage. The Lab reports were an opportunity for the improviser-musician-performers to explore and explode the processes and practices of music in general, and improvisation in particular. These reports ranged in tone from the oblique, the whimsical, and the […]
As previously announced, after thirty-two events over three and a quarter years, I’ve stepped down as curator of Stet Lab as of February 2011. The duties of running the Lab now are in the very capable hands of Veronica Tadman, Tony O’Connor, Athos Tsiopani with curatorial duties handled by Kevin Terry (Kevin and Tony performed […]
I’ve said previously that “I’d be lying if I said I did not have allegiances—in idiom, in tradition, and in practice—I do, but I want to stress the possibility of trans-cultural meetings and creative (mis)understandings.” I don’t subscribe to a silly ideology of some impossibly impartial, neutral, transcendental performance, free of tradition, history, identity. I’m […]
Stet Lab takes place this coming Tuesday (April 14th), upstairs @ The Roundy. The event will feature the fantastic Katie O’Looney on drums and percussion.
Stet Lab now has a photo gallery hosted at Picasa. Below, for example, are John Hough’s photos (© 2009 John Hough) of the February 2009 Lab with Andrea Bonino, Paul Dowling, Paul Dunmall, Neil O’Loghlen, Katie O’Looney, Han-earl Park, Mark Sanders, Jamie Smith, Owen Sutton, Veronica Tadman and Kevin Terry: The diary has now been […]
Stet Lab, Cork, February 10, 2009 Before we go on stage, I joke with Jamie Smith that we’re the two guitarists who’re going to be tripping up each other (and that the drummer, Owen Sutton, will have to pick through the carnage). By ‘tripping up’ I’m not implying that the results weren’t going to be […]
I usually refrain from commenting/report on a performance of mine, for the reason that I cannot see what I could/should add to the music… in fact, I quite agree with Leo Smith when he writes: “a piece of improvisation has been done, and after it’s done, there’s nothing to be said about it because it […]
Audio recordings of the February 10th Stet Lab are now online.
The next Stet Lab takes place in one week (Tuesday, February 10th), upstairs @ The Roundy. The event will feature the awe-inspiring virtuoso saxophonist Paul Dunmall.