Re: Henry Kaiser Solo CD

[looppool@cruzio.com]

Krispen asked:
"Someone was telling me, maybe you Rick? that Kaiser has been experimenting
wiht a new technique of playing, where what he played was not directly
intentional or completely a product of direct consciousness. . I guess he
was experimeting by talking or doing other things while he was playing the
guitar, so that it lessened the intentionality of his playing, thereby
making it more random and new.  Did you hear this too? It is as if he were
distancing himself from the guitar and letting this body play.   Maybe it
was someone at BCIMF who told me."

Yes, Kris, that was me.   Henry told me about this when he surprised me
the last
time we performed at the Luggage Store as a duo and asked me if he minded 
if
he told a story while we played.   I said sure and played even quieter
than I had
been (he had surprised be before that by asking me to play only
acoustically and without
microphones, which was something I hadn't done (except on my front porch)
in ten years
of performance...........that was a challenge as the volume levels of
percussion
tend to be a lot louder than with acoustic guitar.

He then applied the same modus operandi when he and Arild Andersen and I
improvised
at the looping festival two years ago.

It's funny, because we've laughed about it since,  but I am such a musical
empath that I found it difficult not to try and play with what he was
playing.   I even confessed to him (and he's such a sweet open guy guy
that it was really nice that he heard my confession with total good humor)
that I had really wanted to do some grooving with Arild at that show but
that it seemed innappropriate given the way his approach works.     But
Henry surprised me again (that's a wonderful quality in a musician) and
said it would have been fine to have groove with him; that it could
provide interesting results.     He then gave me a duo CD where he used
that approach with a really inside pianist,  who payed inside for the
whole CD.

Henry has really challenged me and challenged the way I do things in a
very good way.

I'm not sure I want to use his approach , personally, because it's just
not what i hear or don't hear (for that matter) in my head,  but I've had
to go back and completely recontextualize
my tendency towards musical empathy and 'support' playing.
I've been a professional rhythm section member all of my life and made
hundreds of records and dozens of tours where I was expected to groove
whatever I did so this
is a wonderful way of opening me up.

I really appreciate Henry's effect on me.   I think it's made me a better
player and , certainly,
a better 'free' player.

I don't know though, whether he used that approach on this record.   It
doesn't sound like it to me,  because he will play little beautiful music
phrases and the instant you think he's going somewhere,  he'll turn on a
dime and go elsewhere.

considering that approach,  it's a beautiful record to listen to even from
a formal melodists standpoint.    One of my favorite favorites of his
large catalogue in my book.