With a concept of justice in hand, we step back to consider suffering, the bane of our existence as living beings. We have identified our aim, to seek, promote and realize the well-being of living beings. Yet suffering persists, and characterizes much of the human condition. Our understanding of it is an important weapon in our struggle against it. As…
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Value for Friday of Week 36 in the season of Fulfillment
Being Spontaneous
Humans create in the moment.
- Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. [attributed to Lao Tzu, perhaps falsely]
- Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit. [attributed to e. e. cummings]
- Scientists then speak of the “scales falling from the eyes” or of the “lightning flash” that “inundates” a previously obscure puzzle enabling its components to be seen in a new way that for the first time permits its solution. [Thomas S. Kuhn]
- As far as playing jazz, no other art form, other than conversation, can give the satisfaction of spontaneous interaction. [Stan Getz]
Creative improvisational jazz musicians, along with improvisational comedians, make an art of spontaneous creativity. Great scientific discoveries often occur in an instant, as Kuhn described. By either means, the practitioner is bringing order to seeming disorder, and though spontaneity can seem to break the usual rules of the discipline, nearly always the practitioner is following the usual rules in a variety of ways, while perhaps departing from them in others.
This is different from “thinking outside the box,” where someone will consciously try to do things differently. By definition, spontaneity is not planned. Yet it is valuable in many fields of endeavor, and in play and interpersonal relations.
Real
True Narratives
- Ben Ratliff, The Jazz Ear: Conversations Over Music (Henry Holt and Company, 2008).
- Ben Ratliff, Coltrane: The Story of a Sound (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007).
- Sam Stephenson, The Jazz Loft Project: Photographs and Tapes of W. Eugene Smith from. 821 Sixth Avenue, 1957-1965 (Knopf, 2009).
- Sally Schneider, The Improvisational Cook (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2006).
- Sam Wasson, Improv Nation: How We Made a Great American Art (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017): “In the past two decades, a fertile artistic scene has transformed into a much-mythologized industry.”
- Budd Friedman & Tripp Whitesell, The Improv: An Oral History of the Comedy Club That Revolutionized Stand-Up (BenBella Books, 2017).
- Daniel Belgrad, The Culture of Spontaneity: Improvisation and the Arts in Postwar America (University of Chicago Press, 1998).
- Vidyan Ravinthiran, Spontaneity and Form in Modern Prose (Oxford University Press, 2023).
Technical and Analytical Readings
- Willard Spiegelman, Seven Pleasures: Essays on Ordinary Happiness (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009).
- Matt Fotis & Siobhan O’Hara, The Comedy Improv Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to University Improvisational Comedy in Theatre and Performance (Routledge, 2015).
- Jeanne Leep, Theatrical Improvisation: Short Form, Long Form and Sketch-Based Improv (Palgrave MacMillan, 2008).
- Jeff Katzman, M.D., & Dan O’Connor, Ensemble!: Using the Power of Improv & Play to Forge Connections in a Lonely World (North Atlantic Books, 2021).
Photographs
Documentary and Educational Films
- All the Notes, on the improvisational jazz pianist Cecil Taylor
Imaginary
Fictional Narratives
Of the author Jim Harrison, critic Pete Dexter writes: Willie "Mays was a magic act, but the kind that left you with the feeling that the miraculous stuff surprised him too. And that's where Harrison fits in . . . you can still feel the excitement every time he pulls something new out of his ear. Which pretty much happens on every page he writes."
- The Big Seven: A Novel (2015).
- The River Swimmer: A Novel (Grove Press, 2013).
- Brown Dog: Novellas (Grove Press, 2013).
- The Great Leader: A Faux Mystery (Grove Press, 2011).
- In Search of Small Gods (Copper Canyon Press, 2009).
- The English Major: A Novel (Grove Press, 2008).
- True North (Grove Press, 2004).
- Returning to Earth: A Novel (Grove Press, 2006).
- The Beast God Forgot to Invent: A Novel (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000).
- The Road Home: A Novel (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1998).
- Julip: A Novel (Houghton Mifflin, 1994).
- A Woman Lit by Fireflies: A Novel (Houghton Mifflin, 1990).
- Legends of the Fall Legends of the Fall: A Novel (Collins, 1980).
- Farmer: A Novel (Viking Press, 1976).
- Wolf: A False Memoir (Simon & Schuster, 1971).
Poetry
Music: Composers, artists, and major works
Spontaneity is not the only element of creativity but in musical performance, it may be the most obvious, largely because it happens in the most. Spontaneity in music performance probably is most apparent in improvisational jazz. An improvisational jazz artist must understand music theory, and apply it in the moment. Top non-solo performances are those in which the players listen carefully to each other, and take into account a wide array of elements in the music that surrounds them. Improvisational jazz enhances creativity in its listeners, and in its performers (see also here). This music is not to everyone’s tastes but for those who understand what the players are doing, it can be stimulating, fascinating, and even transformative. Some of our greatest improvisational (free) jazz artists are:.
- Saxophonist Ivo Perelman, with his playlists, and live;
- Saxophonist Evan Parker, with his playlists, and live;
- Guitarist Derek Bailey, with his playlists, and live;
- Pianist Marilyn Crispell, with her playlists, and live;
- Pianist Irène Schweizer, with her playlists, and live;
- Drummer Pierre Favre, with his playlists, and live;
- Pianist Cecil Taylor, with his playlists, and live;
- Pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, with his playlists, and live;
- Drummer Han Bennink, with his playlists, and live; and
- Saxophonist Steve Lacy, with his playlists, and live.
Ivo Perelman has spearheaded a series of albums, in trio, on improvisation:
- Ivo Perelman, Karl Berger & Gerald Cleaver, “The Art of the Improv Trio, Volume 1” (2016) (58’)
- Ivo Perelman, Mat Maneri & Whit Dickey, “The Art of the Improv Trio, Volume 2” (2016) (50’)
- Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp & Gerald Cleaver, “The Art of the Improv Trio, Volume 3” (2016) (43’)
- Ivo Perelman, William Parker & Gerald Cleaver, “The Art of the Improv Trio, Volume 4” (2016) (52’)
- Ivo Perelman, Joe Morris & Gerald Cleaver, “The Art of the Improv Trio, Volume 5” (2016) (51’)
- Ivo Perelman, Joe Morris & Gerald Cleaver, “The Art of the Improv Trio, Volume 6” (2016) (47’)
The Indian raga. Raga Sindhi Bhairavi “is centered around the improvisation of the sitar. The tabla and tambura instruments are used to accompany the sitar. Classical Indian is not centered around harmony the way western music is. This piece can therefore be seen as a kind of improvisational ‘vamp’ using the Sindhi Bhairavi raga. The task of the accompanying instruments is therefore contribute to the atmosphere through rhythmic and melodic accompanying lines.”. Ravi Shankar explained: “Indian classical music is based on melody and rhythm. This differs from western music, which focuses on chords, key changes, and the interaction between multiple instrument lines that creates harmonies. Shankar explained that the music system of Raga Sangeet is around two thousand years old and has roots in the Vedic Hymns of the Hindu temples, like western classical music has roots in religious chants from the Catholic church. The classical music of India also varies from the North to South of the subcontinent.” Linked performances are by Ravi Shankar in 1971; Ravi Shankar & Ali Akbar Khan in 1984; Ali Akbar Khan in 1985; and Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan & Alla Rakha in 1972.
Usually, we do not think of classical pianists as being exemplars of spontaneity but Wilhelm Kempff is an exception. “Alfred Brendel, a later pianist influenced by Kempff, valued the elder artist’s improvisational manner, writing that he 'played on impulse... It depended on whether the right breeze, as with an aeolian harp, was blowing.'” “Yehudi Menuhin . . . cherished the pianist’s 'supreme integration of the spontaneous on the one hand and the rigorous on the other.'” A reviewer of his 1950s concerto recordings noted: “It is striking how he gives an impression of spontaneity and expressive freedom without resorting to rhythmic distortion.” Here is a link to his playlists.
Albums:
- Rashied Ali & Frank Lowe, “Duo Exchange” (1972) (29’)
- “The Byron Allen Trio” (1965) (44’)
- John Coltrane, “Ascension” (1966) (41’)
- Arcana, “The Last Wave” (1966) (60’)
- The tracks on Kurt Rosenwinkel’s dreamy, electronics-heavy “Searching the Continuum” album (2019) (70’) were conceived and recorded live.
- Joel Futterman, Ike Levin & Tim DuRoche, “Timeless Memories” (2019) (approx. 79’)
- Sam Rivers Trio, “Emanation” (1971) (77’)
- Frode Gjerstad Trio + Steve Swell, “Bop Stop” (2018) (52’), “Forgotten City” (2020) (51’), “Sound Gathering” (2010) (68’), and “Russian Standard” (2014) (62’)
- Jaap Blonk, Lou Mallozzi & Ken Vandermark, “Improvisors” (2020) (47’)
- Ute Wasserman, Jaap Blonk & Michael Vorfeld, “Improvisors” (2019) (55’)
- William Goldstein, “Collaborative Composition: Created in the Moment” (2021) (72’), consisting of works created by Goldstein in the moment, in collaboration with seven other composers
- Matthew Shipp, “Art of the Improviser” (2011) (91’)
- Régis Huby, Guillaime Roy & Atsushi Sakaï, “Improvisation: Live at Gravner Winery” (2019) (55’)
- Cecile McLorin Salvant, “Oh, Snap” (2025) (35’): “The MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy-winning singer and composer wrote these short, intimate songs as part of a creative quest: To place spontaneity and joy at the center of her writing process.”
Books on jazz improvisation:
- Paul F. Berliner, Thinking in Jazz: The Infinite Art of Improvisation (University of Chicago Press, 1994).
- David Baker, Jazz Improvisation: A Comprehensive Method for All Musicians (Alfred Music, 2nd ed, 1988).
Music: songs and other short pieces
- Billy Joel, "Uptown Girl" (lyrics)
- Michael Bublé, "Haven't Met You Yet" (lyrics)
- Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream" (lyrics)
Visual Arts
Wassily Kandinsky emphasized the art of improvisational painting:
- Capricious (1930)
- Improvisation 209 (1917)
- Improvisation. Gorge (1914)
- Dreamy Improvisation (1913)
- Improvisation 30 (Cannons) (1913)
- Improvisation 11 (1910)
Film and Stage
- Shoot the Piano Player (Tirez sur le Pianiste): Truffaut and his cinematographer Raoul Coutard shot this film “with unprecedented spontaneity and lyricism. Anything might wander into frame and become part of the flow: an oddball digression, an unexpected change of mood, a small miracle of poetic insight.” So the selection of this film to illustrate spontaneity invites you to consider the art in itself. Truffaut “pulled all the stops on (his) talent (for lacing pathos with slapstick comedy) and let it run rampant.”
- Aladdin: this animated film was scripted of course but Robin Williams took liberties with his brilliantly manic reading of the genie
- High Hopes: the actors improvised their scenes
