key_concepts #7: Improvisation – “The Living Music”

Talk in German

Guest: Alexander von Schlippenbach
Moderation: Mathias Maschat

“It was of the utmost importance to us, for our style, that we were freely improvising at our gigs from the very beginning. We always played completely free, there were no preconceived themes or concepts or something like that.” (Alexander von Schlippenbach about the Schlippenbach Trio)

Alexander von Schlippenbach can be described as the piano icon of European free jazz. In 1966 he founded the Globe Unity Orchestra, one of the first major European free jazz ensembles. His Schlippenbach Trio (with Evan Parker and Paul Lovens) has existed since 1970 and is one of the longest-lived formations of free improvisation. He shares his experiences with and his thoughts on improvisation in conversation with Mathias Maschat in his key_concepts series. The title of the talk Improvisation – The Living Music refers to Schlippenbach’s 1969 album The Living Music, “one of the most glorious, if also one of the least well known” albums released by the FMP: Describing one’s own music as “living” serves as a starting point for further thoughts on improvisation.

http://www.avschlippenbach.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_von_Schlippenbach

Entrance fee: 5 €

Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsLZZZHyARo