Broken Families: Collectivism, Violence, Imagined Utopias and Improvisation (a twitter transcript)

Just Improvisation: workshop performance (Belfast, May 30, 2015). Photo copyright 2015 Translating Improvisation.
Just Improvisation: workshop performance (Belfast, May 30, 2015). Photo © 2015 Translating Improvisation. [Original…]

Simon Rose: “Did you know how loud you were?”
Han-earl Park: “Oh. Yes.”
Rose: “I thought you did.”

Thoughts and questions in response to Translating Improvisation’s symposium back in May from the POV of an institutionally unaffiliated, sometimes teacher, amateur scholar and anthropologist [previous twitter transcripts…]. Below the fold is an unedited twitter transcript of my observations from Just Improvisation. My original observations came in the form of tweets (some written ‘live’, most posted subsequently) via @hanearlpark that spanned the first panel discussions, Ellen Waterman’s keynote presentation, concert performances by Okkyung Lee and Maria Chavez, the Deep Listening Workshop with Pauline Oliveros, and the workshop-performance which forms the main subject of my discussions.

My questions and observations are indebted to discussions with @franzschroeder, @wildsong, @tomarthursmusic, @pauljstapleton, @MortButane, @olivep, @davekanemusic, @zeittraumism, @nickreynoldsatp and @JoshSinton both on- and off- the twitterverse.

The rants (and typos), however, are entirely my own 😉

Twitter transcript (unedited)

Responses to Symposium Day 1: Belfast, May 29, 2015

May 29: Let’s start this w/ informal, visible demographic survey (a la #isim2014 #amspittsburgh #rsa2014)… #amateuranthropology #justimprovisation

May 29: …Suits. Lots* of suits. #amateuranthropology #justimprovisation

May 29: …* ‘Lots’ may be relative.** #amateuranthropology #justimprovisation

May 29: …** ‘Relative’ may speak more to the prejudices of the observer. #amateuranthropology #justimprovisation

May 29: ‘Adversity’ noun: “difficulties; misfortune”… #justimprovisation

May 29: …Potential tripping hazard in interdisciplinary meetings? possible misunderstanding(s) (creative or otherwise)? … #justimprovisation

May 29: …What is, for eg, the relationship btwn ‘adversity’ and ‘struggle’? #justimprovisation

May 29: …‘Adversity’ is not a term afaik improvisers enroll in their discussions, but ‘struggle,’ yes, often, maybe always. #justimprovisation

May 29: …Also ‘difficulty,’ ‘problematic,’ ‘risk’—difficult/problematic terms w/ differing creative/social ramifications. #justimprovisation

May 29: …false friends? I doubt these terms say much about the specifics of the creative or the social… #justimprovisation [1/2]

May 29: …—or their corresponding discourses—but it may be tempting to draw simple correlations. #justimprovisation [2/2]

May 29: …Like I said, potential tripping hazards. #mistakenembrace #justimprovisation

May 29: “Start to grapple with that fluidity.” #justimprovisation

May 29: ‘Proceduralized.’ Good word. Potential #artspeak right there. #linguisticdetritus #randomactsofpoetry #justimprovisation

May 29: “We’ve seen an 18% increase…” I’d love to write program/liner notes w/ this language. #technocracy #artspeak #justimprovisation

May 29: …How do we reconcile the need for ‘fluidity’ when the rhetorical justification uses… #linguisticdetritus #justimprovisation [1/2]

May 29: …such technocratic, bureaucratic language? #linguisticdetritus #justimprovisation [2/2]

May 29: “Risk”; that word again. #artspeak #linguisticdetritus #justimprovisation

May 29: Improvisation as an “unruly domain”. #justimprovisation

May 29: …Improvisation as a ’domain’? as a ‘site’? (Not an act?) #performance #identity #sociality #justimprovisation

May 29: Didn’t multiculturalism die at the hands of diversity? … #genuinequestion #justimprovisation

May 29: …or at least did not diversity explode the problematics (and necessary violence) of multiculturalism? #justimprovisation

May 29: “Musically satisfying ensemble.” ‘Satisfying’ #hmm By what criteria? #justimprovisation

May 29: ‘Recognition’ as the mechanism of identity (w/ minorities)? What about whiteness? heteronormativity? #hegemony #othering #justimprovisation

May 29: Equality = refusal to recognize difference. #justimprovisation

May 29: ‘Authentic self’? Is there the trap of essentialism there? #justimprovisation

May 29: Is the mechanism of improvisation based on exchanges? #genuinequestion #justimprovisation

May 29: I’ll ask this again for emphasis: Is exchange the primary/necessary/root mechanism of improvisation? #genuinequestion #justimprovisation

May 29: “Identities are always contingent.” Yes. This. #justimprovisation

May 29: Do the musical terms dissonance/harmony correspond to social/power relationship? … #justimprovisation

May 29: …or are we falling back on (liberal humanist) bad habits of old musicology? #justimprovisation

May 29: “Unvoicing of ulterity.” #justimprovisation

May 29: I don’t buy the distinction btw ‘traditional’ and ‘creative’ improvised musics. #idiom #tradition #creativity #justimprovisation

May 29: …pretty much said the same in a discussion with @tomarthursmusic afterwards. #justimprovisation

May 29: More thoughts: everytime I see OL perform, I think, damn; she’s better than the rest of us put together. #justimprovisation

May 29: Much transducer based music or #soundart would be improved by judicious enrolling of highpass filters. #impedance #justimprovisation

May 29 [in reply to…]: .@nickreynoldsatp I just don’t buy the one-on-one correspondence of musical and social dissonance/harmony. Instead… #justimprovisation [1/2]

May 29: .@nickreynoldsatp …it strikes me that _making_ the distinction btwn dissonance & harmony is the political act. #justimprovisation [2/2]

Responses to Symposium Day 2: Belfast, May 30, 2015

May 31: 0. Some more thoughts from the #justimprovisation symposium coming up…

May 31: 1. Find myself (my accident, of course) sitting next to @olivep during the Deep Listening workshop… #justimprovisation

May 31: 2. …and learned that I can not only listen thru the soles of my feet, but… #justimprovisation #body #physiology #listening

May 31: 3. …that I can triangulate the source of the vibration w/ two feet. Stereo! #justimprovisation #body #physiology #listening

May 31: 4. During the course of discussions, an improvising ensemble is frequently compared to that of a family… #justimprovisation

May 31: 5. …but escaping familiar relations are by degrees of magnitude so much harder than leaving an ensemble. #justimprovisation

May 31: 6. I am, however, reminded of the oft used terms ‘leader’ & ‘collective’ in the context of improvising micro-societies. #justimprovisation

May 31: 7. And tho we often idealize one form over another, ‘leader’ & ‘collective’ denote only 2 possible ways of organizing… #justimprovisation

May 31: 8. …each problematic, each utopian, in their way; neither quite fully descriptive of the dynamics of social play. #justimprovisation

May 31: 9. Leaders: such strong personalities (egos?) holding ensembles together… #justimprovisation

May 31: 10. …Ellington? Mingus? Bley? Guy? Mitchell? Paternalistic, nurturing, playful, autocratic, managerial, or bullying… #justimprovisation

May 31: 11. …Were we waiting for (or in need of) the ‘leader’ (such as @olivep) in the #justimprovisation ensemble…?

May 31: 12. In contrast to Call Them Improvisors! in 2011 in which we all bowed down to EP? #justimprovisation

May 31: 13. (Aside: but there may be no leaders, just those willing to be lead. We can too easily mistake effect for cause.) #justimprovisation

May 31: 14. Collective: idealized, utopian, but how do these work? How does collectivism work w/out violence to diversity…? #justimprovisation

May 31: 15. …afaik, closest to coop/‘family’ improvised musics was the AEC. But that ensemble emerged from Mitchell’s group… #justimprovisation

May 31: 16. …Felt as tho the #justimprovisation group desired (or felt we _should_ desire) a collective, but we were so polite (and yet so violent)…

May 31: 17. “Fuck you.” Someone says during the post-workshop discussions. ‘Yeah,’ I think, ‘exactly: “fuck you.”’ #justimprovisation

May 31: 18. Be back later with more thoughts on violence, alliances, autocracy and sociality coming up. #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 19. More thoughts on violence, alliances, autocracy and sociality from @translat_improv’s #justimprovisation symposium coming up…

Jun 24: 20. During #justimprovisation an improvising ensemble is frequently compared to that of a family… http://twitter.com/hanearlpark/status/604953995489234944

Jun 24: 21. …but familial relationships often seem less about choice of partners than, generally, a musical ensemble… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 22. …we choose our bands in a way we can’t always choose our families (or we get paid)… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 23. …that aside, are dysfunctions similar in both groups? Maybe (but how you solve/escape them are radically different). #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 24. What happens in an ensemble is brought together w/ radically different agenda, desires, skills, character, or power…? #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 25. …And what happens when those social/musical dissonances/discords are not discussed…? #justimprovisation http://twitter.com/hanearlpark/status/605081182133465088

Jun 24: 26. I want to unpack this (realize this is prob directed at a certain guitarist): http://twitter.com/davekanemusic/status/605734075446513665 #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 27. …I had certain problems w/ the amplified, steady-state ‘drone’ proponents in the #justimprovisation ensemble. I had difficulty…

Jun 24: 28. …hearing the unamplified string players in the #justimprovisation group. (It seemed to me, in such a large ensemble, the…

Jun 24: 29. …only ones who should have free license to play continuous sustained gestures were the unamplified strings/flute)… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 30. …the rest of us would have to be more careful (we could be loud, but those gestures would have to be short)… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 31. …talking to one of the drone proponents during the break, he responded that he wanted everyone to play drones… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 32. …so the question: http://twitter.com/hanearlpark/status/605080336385617921 #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 33. …favorite pt of #justimprovisation may have been @MortButane (musical) response to Bennett Hogg: unexpected, oblique, left-field…

Jun 24: 34. …different, idiomatically discordant; recontextualizing Hogg’s playing (never to be heard the same way again)… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 35. …how does one catalyze such (transformative) interactions and choices…? #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 36. …catalyze w/out ‘fixing’ the group (reminded of @JoshSinton: he’s not in the business of ‘saving’ an improvisation)… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 37. When #justimprovisation group w/out the full complement of players (sans many quieter voices) start our performance in the afternoon

Jun 24: 38. …the ensemble launches into full-scale drone-works. I give up. It’s prob. unforgivable, but I walk off stage… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 39. …I remember thinking: ‘I do not want to be part of this drone warfare.’ (ironic considering what is to follow)… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 40. …If I have a problem w/ how those drones were articulated, it wasn’t the loudness of it as such, but how it subsumed… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 41. …how it absorbed diversity and made it part of its identity. Which may be a kind of collectivism, but… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 42. …not a collective I wanted to be part of. #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 43. Feel it’s disrespectful to walk off stage, but done it x2 since an experience some years ago: http://improvisingguitar.blogspot.ie/2007/02/mob-behavior-and-hegemonic-impulse.html #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 44. …If leaving the stage is unforgivable, then rejoining it seems like, at best, very poor manners… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 45. …Essentially doing a pick’n’mix on what you decide to participate it. Where is the collective? collectivism? family? #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 46. In retrospect, going back on stage was a mistake, but once there, tried 2do what is the best role for the e. guitar… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 47. …nudge, push and pull, and catalyze the existing elements that are ‘desirable’… #machiavellian?… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 48. …but when those totalizing drones started up again for the umpteenth time, I exercised the nuclear option… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 49. …Nuclear option? I floored it: volume pedal toe down, playing at eleven… #justimprovisation? or #unjustimprovisation?

Jun 24: 50. …Nuclear option: did I say evoking drone warfare was ironic? http://twitter.com/hanearlpark/status/613656187708510208 #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 51. …I did American Foreign Policy—indiscriminate, “bomb them back into the Stone Age”—on the collective… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 52. …second time I’ve ever exercised the nuclear option, and, unlike last time, I’m _certain_ it was wrong wrong, wrong… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 53. …Despite what @wildsong @olivep said, feel my response really was… immoral? Maybe. Unethical? Probably. Wrong? Wrong… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 54. …Deniz Peters: “You autoerotic guitarist, you.” Ironic following statements about the non-semiotic nature of music? #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 55. …Simon Rose: “Did you know how loud you were?” “Oh. Yes.” “I thought you did.” #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 56. …Should someone ask for one (not that I expect anyone to), I would give my unconditional apology for what I did… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 57. …but my question is: given the (latent/overt/potential of) violence in the ensemble (as discussed in this thread)… #justimprovisation

Jun 24: 58. …what _should_ I have done? #justimprovisation

Jun 26 [in reply to…]: .@JoshSinton No. Didn’t expect them to, but… your Q gets me asking who they should have apologized to (if at all)… #justimprovisation [1/2]

Jun 26: .@JoshSinton …to those whose voices got absorbed into the hive, or those who had difficulty hearing those voices? #justimprovisation [2/2]

Jun 26 [in reply to…]: .@JoshSinton Good question. Hmm… maybe no apologies are necessary (just some group counseling). #justimprovisation

Jun 26: .@JoshSinton As for my initial statement, for me, it’s the fact that I dropped (the musical equivalent of) nukes… #justimprovisation [1/2]

Jun 26: .@JoshSinton …wrong is wrong regardless of the reasons that compelled it. #justimprovisation [2/2]

update: Just Improvisation, Belfast

Just Improvisation (flyer copyright 2015 Translating Improvisation)
© 2015 Translating Improvisation

May 29 and 30, 2015: as previously posted, I’ve been invited to participate in Just Improvisation: Enriching child protection law through musical techniques, discourses and pedagogies. See below for the program including the list of musicians involved. The symposium, organized by Translating Improvisation, takes place at the Sonic Arts Research Centre (Queen’s University, Belfast, N. Ireland). Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.

See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [Translating Improvisation page…]

Program

Fri 29 May 2015

2:00pm: Welcome & Introduction (Paul Stapleton and Sara Ramshaw)

2:15pm: Panel 1: ‘Child Protection as Social Practice: Challenges and Possibilities’
Chaired by: Marcella Leonard (Independent Social Worker) with: Denise McBride QC (Senior Barrister) and John Devaney (Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast – School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work)

3:45pm: Coffee/Tea Break

4:00pm: Keynote 1: Ellen Waterman, ‘Improvisation and the Audibility of Difference’

5:00pm: Wine Reception

5:30pm: Double-bill concert: Okkyung Lee and Maria Chavez

Sat 30 May 2015

9:45am: Coffee/Tea

10:00am: Deep Listening Workshop (led by Pauline Oliveros)

11:00am: Parallel Workshops: Musical Improvisation / Hydra (Legal Improvisation)
Improvisation workshop musicians: Paul Stapleton, Adnan Marquez-Borbon, Maria Chavez, Okkyung Lee, Pauline Oliveros, Ellen Waterman, Tom Arthurs, Matt Bourne, Dave Kane, Steve Davis, Phil Smyth, Simon Rose, Michael Speers, Dennis Peters, Han-earl Park, Ed Devane, Bennett Hogg and Rachel Austin

1:00pm: Lunch break

2:00pm: Panel 2: Informal performances and open discussion about workshops

3:00pm: Keynote 2: Pauline Oliveros, ‘The Ethics and Practice of Listening’

4:00pm: Coffee/Tea

4:15pm: Panel 3 & Plenary Discussion: ‘Imagining the Future’
Chaired by Georgina Born (Professor of Music and Anthropology, Oxford) with: Siobhan Keegan QC (President of the Family Bar Association of Northern Ireland)

5:15pm: Closing Remarks (Sara Ramshaw and Paul Stapleton)

site update: scrapbook redux

web audio player widget
Just a summary of the updates that have been accumulating in my scrapbook since the last overhaul. Here’s some of the more recent additions. Enjoy! All music and audio recordings © + ℗ their respective owners.

Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky: guitar; Han-earl Park: guitar; and Catherine Sikora: saxophones).

Music by Eris 136199.
Recorded live, June 5, 2013 at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn.
Recorded by Scott Friedlander.

[About this project…]

Numbers: Richard Barrett (electronics) and Han-earl Park (guitar).

Music by Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park.
Recorded March 10, 2011 at the Institute of Sonology, Den Haag.
Audio clip courtesy of Creative Sources Recordings. ℗ 2012 Creative Sources Recordings.Han-earl Park
Recorded by Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park. Mixed by Richard Barrett.

[About this project…] [Get the CD…]

Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone) and Han-earl Park (guitar).

Music by Ingrid Laubrock and Han-earl Park.
Recorded live, May 16, 2013 at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn.
Recorded by Don Mount.

Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Josh Sinton (clarinet and saxophone).

Music by Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton.
Recorded live, March 26, 2013 at Freddy’s Bar, Brooklyn.
Performance presented as part of On The Way Out curated by Michael Evans and Anders Nilsson.
Recorded by Don Mount.

[About this project…]

Michael Evans (drums), Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen (saxophone and flute) and Han-earl Park (guitar).

Music by Michael Evans, Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen and Han-earl Park.
Recorded live, January 20, 2013 at Downtown Music Gallery, New York.
Recorded by Kevin Reilly.

Mark Trayle (electronics), Gascia Ouzounian (violin), Chris Brown (piano), Paul Stapleton (percussion), Dan Goren (trumpet), Don Nichols (percussion), Simon Rose (saxophone), Gustavo Aguilar (percussion), Han-earl Park (guitar), Ulrich Mitzlaff (’cello), Tasos Stamou (zither), Dominic Lash (double bass), Christopher Williams (double bass), Nuno Rebelo (guitar), Richard Scott (synthesizer), Steven Davis (drums), Pedro Rebelo (piano), Justin Yang (saxophone) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophones).

Ensemble led by Evan Parker.
Recorded live, November 7, 2010 at the Sonic Arts Research Center, Belfast.
Performance presented as part of Sonorities 2010.

video: Call them Improvisors! at Sonorities 2010

Pedro Rebelo has just posted a video of ‘Call them Improvisors!,’ an Evan Parker-led ensemble performance that took place at the Sonic Arts Research Center, Belfast, November 7, 2010 [details…] [Sonorities page…].

The performers were Mark Trayle (electronics), Gascia Ouzounian (violin), Chris Brown (piano), Paul Stapleton (percussion), Dan Goren (trumpet), Don Nichols (percussion), Simon Rose (saxophone), Gustavo Aguilar (drums), Han-earl Park (guitar), Ulrich Mitzlaff (’cello), Tasos Stamou (zither), Dominic Lash (double bass), Christopher Williams (double bass), Nuno Rebelo (guitar), Richard Scott (synthesizer), Steven Davis (drums), Pedro Rebelo (piano), Justin Yang (saxophone) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophone). Shortly after the performance, I wrote:

Thanks in to the members of my local trio (as Richard pointed out, it’s very hard not to feel the pull of tribalism), Ulrich Mitzlaff and Gascia Ouzounian; to the emergent section leader of the neighboring trio Pedro Rebelo (with whom, during the rehearsal/trial run, I would share looks when things (creatively) self-destructed); to the Simon Rose-Dan Goren-Paul Stapleton unit which, in the best possible sense, seemed to have an agenda entirely their own; to the two bass players, Dom Lash and Christopher Williams, who entertained my left ear; to the remarkable drummers, Gustavo Aguilar and Steve Davis, who always knew, better than the rest of us put together, how to push/pull such a large ensemble during free play; to Franziska Schroeder for soaring over the group; Chris Brown for the asymmetrical hocket between Pedro, Justin and myself; to the electro-dudes, Mark Trayle and Richard Scott, who always sounded like themselves (especially the bass sample, Richard) and who generously gave visual/physical cues in relation to their performance; to the other guitarist, Nuno Rebelo, who artfully avoided collisions—I think we played well together, even if we rarely played at the same time; and to Justin Yang for creating, with Gustavo, that all too brief Shepp/Sanders moment—a moment of ascension—that helped to remind me what this was all about.

And of course, thanks to Pedro, Steve and Franziska for hosting, organizing and inviting, and to Evan Parker for taking time to guide us and the music.

I feel privileged to have been part of a large ensemble of improvisers of that caliber… and to have, through necessity and accident, found myself seated in the ideal position on stage (right in the middle—between the two pianos, the two drummers). I’m still thinking through the implications of tactics within such a context (especially in open improvisation), and am itching to do it again. [Original article…]

One for the Scrapbook…

thanks: Ted Byrnes and Han-earl Park at ResBox

Center for Inquiry (Los Angeles) 07-21-11

Thanks to Hans Fjellestad and ResBox < The Steve Allen Theater < The Center for Inquiry for hosting the performance, to G. E. Stinson, Jie Ma, Hans and Slumgum for sharing the stage, and to Ted Byrnes for inviting me to perform with him.

And, as always, thanks to all who came to listen/watch. (Plus special thanks to Paul Stapleton and Caroline Pugh for coming to the gig. Big surprise to see faces last seen during Sonorities 2010!)

thanks: Call them Improvisors! at Sonorities 2010

Thanks in to the members of my local trio (as Richard pointed out, it’s very hard not to feel the pull of tribalism), Ulrich Mitzlaff and Gascia Ouzounian; to the emergent section leader of the neighboring trio Pedro Rebelo (with whom, during the rehearsal/trial run, I would share looks when things (creatively) self-destructed); to the Simon Rose-Dan Goren-Paul Stapleton unit which, in the best possible sense, seemed to have an agenda entirely their own; to the two bass players, Dom Lash and Christopher Williams, who entertained my left ear; to the remarkable drummers, Gustavo Aguilar and Steve Davis, who always knew, better than the rest of us put together, how to push/pull such a large ensemble during free play; to Franziska Schroeder for soaring over the group; Chris Brown for the asymmetrical hocket between Pedro, Justin and myself; to the electro-dudes, Mark Trayle and Richard Scott, who always sounded like themselves (especially the bass sample, Richard) and who generously gave visual/physical cues in relation to their performance; to the other guitarist, Nuno Rebelo, who artfully avoided collisions—I think we played well together, even if we rarely played at the same time; and to Justin Yang for creating, with Gustavo, that all too brief Shepp/Sanders moment—a moment of ascension—that helped to remind me what this was all about.

And of course, thanks to Pedro, Steve and Franziska for hosting, organizing and inviting, and to Evan Parker for taking time to guide us and the music.

I feel privileged to have been part of a large ensemble of improvisers of that caliber… and to have, through necessity and accident, found myself seated in the ideal position on stage (right in the middle—between the two pianos, the two drummers). I’m still thinking through the implications of tactics within such a context (especially in open improvisation), and am itching to do it again.

reminder: Call them Improvisors! at Sonorities 2010

This evening (Sunday, November 7, 2010) at 6:00 pm: the closing event of Sonorities, ‘Call them Improvisors!,’ an ensemble performance led by Evan Parker takes place at the Sonic Arts Research Center (Queen’s University, Belfast, N. Ireland). [Details…] [Sonorities page…]

performance: Call them Improvisors! at Sonorities 2010

Sunday, November 7, 2010, at 6:00 pm: the closing event of Sonorities, ‘Call them Improvisors!,’ an ensemble performance led by Evan Parker takes place at the Sonic Arts Research Center (Queen’s University, Belfast, N. Ireland).

See the performance diary for up-to-date info.

[Sonorities page…]
[facebook event page…]

On Saturday, November 6, 2010, I will also be presenting a talk,‘Subject Matter: Improvising Cyborgs,’ at the TWO Thousand + TEN symposium [Paper abstract…].

description

The final event in this year’s festival is a celebration of improvisation with one of the most renowned free improvisors of our time – saxophonist Evan Parker. A day of workshops and rehearsals led by Parker culminates in a public performance by an improvisation collective especially created for this event with musicians from around the world including Mark Trayle (electronics), Gascia Ouzounian (violin), Chris Brown (piano), Paul Stapleton (percussion), Dan Goren (trumpet), Don Nichols (percussion), Simon Rose (sax), Gustavo Aguilar (percussion), Han-earl Park (guitar), Ulrich Mitzlaff (’cello), Tasos Stamou (zither), Dominic Lash (double bass), Christopher Williams (bass), Nuno Rebelo (guitar), Richard Scott (synth), Steven Davis (drums), Pedro Rebelo (piano), Justin Yang (sax) and Franziska Schroeder (sax).

May I suggest a much more promising line of investigation…. it is the musical process known as group improvisation. This offers an escape from a composer’s inevitable intentions forced on the hierarchically inferior performers (drones?) and leads to a unique sound event made by a group of equal individuals working in social equality in relation to the unique environment (acoustics, listeners, etc.) of the performance. (Evan Parker)

performance diary 02-16-10 (Cork, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London)

upcoming performances
date venue time details
March 8, 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) Stet Lab featuring Paul Stapleton (new musical instruments / sound sculptures) and Nick Williams (guitar and electronics).
Admission: €10 (€5).
[Details…]
March 15, 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) Performance by the Jitney Trio (Marian Murray (violin), Neil O’Loghlen (double bass) and Han-earl Park (guitar)) plus the Quiet Music Ensemble (Roddy O’Keeffe (trombone), Ilse De Ziah (’cello), John Godfrey (guitar) and Jesse Ronneau (double bass)).
Admission: €12 (€6).
[Details…]
[Poster…]
April 12, 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) Stet Lab featuring John Godfrey (guitar).
Admission: €10 (€5).
[Details…]
April 14, 2010 Venue TBC
Glasgow, Scotland
TBC Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) and others.
Details to follow….
April 15, 2010 Venue TBC
Edinburgh, Scotland
TBC Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) and others.
Details to follow….
April 18, 2010 Cafe OTO
18–22 Ashwin Street
Dalston
London E8 3DL
England
8:00pm Performance by Charles Hayward (drums), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Ian Smith (trumpet and flugelhorn).
Admission: £5 adv. / £6 on the door.
[Details…]
[Cafe OTO Page…]
[Get tickets…]
May 10, 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) Stet Lab featuring Juniper Hill (voice) and friends.
Admission: €10 (€5).
[Details…]
May 26, 2010 Blackrock Castle Observatory
Cork, Ireland
8:00pm (doors: 7:45pm) Debut performance by io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself) with Bruce Coates (saxophones), Franziska Schroeder (saxophones) and Han-earl Park (guitar), plus iWife (itself) with John Godfrey (guitar) and Francis Heery (diffusion).
Presented with funding from the Music Network Performance and Touring Award, and support from the Arts Council of Ireland, Blackrock Castle Observatory, The Castle Bar and Trattoria and the UCC School of Music.
[Details…]
2010 (TBC) Venue TBC TBC Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar), Mark Sanders (drums) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophones).
Details to follow…
Interested promoters and venues, please get in touch!

Continue reading “performance diary 02-16-10 (Cork, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London)”

performance diary 12-15-09

upcoming performances
date venue time details
January 9th 2010 Basement Project Space
1 Camden Place
Camden Quay
Cork, Ireland
1:00pm Debut performance by the Jitney Trio: Marian Murray (violin), Neil O’Loghlen (double bass) and Han-earl Park (guitar).
Admission free.
[Details…]
[BPS page…]
[Poster…]
January 11th 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) First Stet Lab of 2010. Featuring Istanbul-based improviser Korhan Erel (electronics).
Admission: €10 (€5).
[Details…]
January 16th 2010 Basement Project Space
1 Camden Place
Camden Quay
Cork, Ireland
1:00pm Performance by the Jitney Trio: Marian Murray (violin), Neil O’Loghlen (double bass) and Han-earl Park (guitar).
Admission free.
[Details…]
[BPS page…]
[Poster…]
January 23rd 2010 Basement Project Space
1 Camden Place
Camden Quay
Cork, Ireland
1:00pm Performance by the Jitney Trio: Marian Murray (violin), Neil O’Loghlen (double bass) and Han-earl Park (guitar).
Admission free.
[Details…]
[BPS page…]
[Poster…]
January 30th 2010 Basement Project Space
1 Camden Place
Camden Quay
Cork, Ireland
1:00pm Performance by the Jitney Trio: Marian Murray (violin), Neil O’Loghlen (double bass) and Han-earl Park (guitar).
Admission free.
[Details…]
[BPS page…]
[Poster…]
February 8th 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) Stet Lab of 2010. Featuring Evan Dorrian (drums).
Admission: €10 (€5).
[Details…]
March 8th 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) Stet Lab of 2010. Featuring Paul Stapleton (new musical instruments / sound sculptures).
Admission: €10 (€5).
[Details…]
2010 (TBC) Blackrock Castle Observatory
Cork, Ireland
TBC Debut performance by io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself) with Bruce Coates (saxophones), Franziska Schroeder (saxophones) and Han-earl Park (guitar), plus iWife (itself) with John Godfrey (guitar) and Francis Heery (diffusion).
Presented with funding from the Music Network Performance and Touring Award, and support from the Arts Council of Ireland, Blackrock Castle Observatory, The Castle Bar and Trattoria and the UCC School of Music.
[Details…]
2010 (TBC) Venue TBC TBC Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar), Mark Sanders (drums) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophones).
Details to follow…
Interested promoters and venues, please get in touch!
2011 (TBC)
Postponed!
Sonic Arts Research Centre
Queen’s University Belfast
Belfast, N. Ireland
n/a Recording session by Peter Elsdon (piano), Han-earl Park (guitar), Mark Sanders (drums) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophones).
Details to follow…
Postponed: We are seeking sponsorship of this project. If you would like to help, please get in touch!

Continue reading “performance diary 12-15-09”