Spontaneous Music Ensemble

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The Spontaneous Music Ensemble or SME was an improvisation ensemble in the field of free jazz that existed in London around the drummer John Stevens between 1965 and 1994. Especially in its first phase (until 1974) it was one of the "key formations of the British jazz avant-garde "

meaning

Together with Trevor Watts and Paul Rutherford, John Stevens founded the SME as an open workshop with different line-ups - from duo to big band . Most of the essential players of British free jazz, but also musicians like Ron Mathewson , played a part in it. The SME program " Improvisation as a principle of form development" was developed together.

According to the observations of the saxophonist Evan Parkers , Stevens had two basic rules for playing in the SME: (1) “If you cannot hear another musician, you are playing too loud. (2) If the music you create does not regularly relate to what the others are playing, why are you in the group? ”. As a result, the ensemble's music was very calm, but at the same time very intense and not very rhythmic. Unlike often in free improvisation , the music was by no means primarily aimed at ( atonal ) sound research.

development

Looking back, Ekkehard Jost comes to the conclusion that the path that the SME took stylistically was by no means straightforward: “Without joining a certain stylistic trend or developing one, the music of the SME oscillates between the poles of an abstract sound generation and a powerful one pulsating free jazz. ”In the work of the SME, three phases can be distinguished:

1st phase: Emancipation from Afro-American free jazz

First Watts, Rutherford and Stevens played with Kenny Wheeler and Jeff Clyne (or Bruce Cale). Her record "Challenge", recorded in March 1966, can be classified as the first real European free jazz record. After Evan Parker and Stevens played in a first trio or duo phase in 1967, sometimes together with Watts or with Peter Kowald , Derek Bailey and Barry Guy and Dave Holland respectively belonged to the ensemble. In this quintet constellation, the second album, "Karyöbin", was released in February 1968. The SME was increasingly concerned with the realization of collective improvisations , in which the interaction between those involved should take precedence over the individual development of the soloists. Stevens' idea was that "the improvising musician is part of a larger whole and not an attraction in itself." On "Karyöbin" the pieces - unlike in the North American free jazz of the time - no longer have any themes or a continuous rhythmic foundation Similar to AMM, presumably no appointment regarding the process and the formal design. In contrast to the later freely improvised music from Great Britain, a strong interaction on the level of musical motifs can be determined. "Karyöbin" was added to the list in 1998 "Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One What Listening) 100" by The Wire added.

The next phase involved the slow interpretation of a series of notes that all players had to reproduce, but each based on their own breathing length, so that everyone switched from note to note at different times. As a result, the different tones overlapped, so that harmonies and micro-intervals were created similar to Japanese music. This piece “Family” will be premiered in Baden-Baden with Jeanne Lee ; in later versions Maggie Nicols , Norma Winstone and Pepi Lemer take part . On the next record "Oliv" (1969), published at the time, there are two calm pieces with the same thematic material, which turn out to be very different due to the different line-ups. While a large-format ensemble is gathered around Wheeler's flugelhorn, the second version is played in a quartet: In addition to Nicols, Stevens and Wheeler, this is the bassist Johnny Dyani from South Africa .

In 1971 the SME was expanded into a big band and played a hymn to the thought of Albert Ayler . Julie Tippetts , Watts, Stevens and bassist Ron Herman form the core . On another recording, this quartet is expanded to include Bobby Bradford and is much more jazz-oriented than usual.

Barre Phillips , who complained about the lack of originality of European free jazz in 1969, excluded the SME: “I don't know how they managed to listen to themselves and play their own instead of Ornette or Coltrane or Sanders , but like this at least it should be. "

2nd phase: Percussive duos as the core

On the album "Face to Face" Watts and Stevens played as a duo; they also represented the SME in further live performances in the summer of 1974. In 1973 there were also appearances in the trio with bassist Kent Carter , as well as with him, Bailey and Evan Parker. In 1976, the SME finally consists of Parker and Stevens. Both duo editions of the SME are now characterized by their preference for selective structures and many pauses; the saxophone is played quasi-percussive, so that the interaction between the two players becomes more equal. The music is very introverted in both cases, but full of tension.

Nigel Coombes and Roger Smith (John Stevens is outside the picture)

3rd phase with Roger Smith

In 1977 Stevens played with the violinist Nigel Coombes, the guitarist Roger Smith and the cellist Colin Wood (album "Biosystem"). The SME's game became even quieter, so that it became increasingly difficult to organize performance opportunities for it. The core of the ensemble now formed Coombes, Smith and Stevens, who recorded "Hot and Cold Heroes" in 1980 as a trio. The group existed in this line-up until 1992, but sometimes only appeared within a year. At the very end (the SME existed until Stevens' death in 1994) saxophonist John Butcher replaced Coombes.

Discography (selection)

  • Karyöbin (1968, Island Records / 1993 Chronoscope; Stevens, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, Dave Holland)
  • Frameworks (1968/1971/1973, Emanem Records; Stevens, Norma Winstone, Watts, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Rutherford, Julie Tippetts, Ron Herman and others)
  • John Stevens / Spontaneous Music Ensemble (1969, Marmalade Records: Stevens, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, Watts, Peter Lemer, Johnny Dyan, Maggie Nicols, Carolann Nichols, Pepi Lemer)
  • So What Do You Think? (1971, Tangent Records; Stevens, Watts, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, Dave Holland)
  • birds of a feather (1971, BYG Records: Stevens, Watts, Ron Herman, Julie Tippetts)
  • Bobby Bradford, John Stevens and the Spontaneous Music Ensemble (1971, Freedom: Stevens, Watts, Bobby Bradford, Bob Norden, Ron Herman, Julie Tippetts)
  • Face to Face (1973, Emanem Records: Stevens, Watts)
  • Quintessence (1973-74, Emanem Records: Stevens, Watts, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Kent Carter)
  • Biosystem (1977, Incus Records / 2006 Psi Records 2006: Stevens, Nigel Coombes, Roger Smith, Colin Wood)
  • Hot and Cold Heroes (1980/91, Emanem Records: Stevens, Nigel Coombes, Roger Smith)
  • A New Distance (1994, Acta / 2005 Emanem Records: Stevens, John Butcher, Roger Smith)
  • Karyobin Are the Imaginary Birds Said to Live in Paradise (1968/2018)

literature

  • Richard Scott: The Molecular Imagination: John Stevens, The Spontaneous Music Ensemble and Free Group Improvisation. In: Franziska Schroeder, Mícheál Ó hAodha (Ed.): Soundweaving: Writings on Improvisation . Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne 2014, p. 95-109 .

Web links

swell

  1. ^ Ekkehard Jost, European Jazz. 1960–1980 ISBN 3-596-22974-X , p. 52
  2. ↑ Martin Kunzler : Jazz Lexicon. Volume 2: M – Z (= rororo-Sachbuch. Vol. 16513). 2nd Edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-499-16513-9 , p. 1278.
  3. ↑ cit. after Brian Olewnick, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000158979
  4. ↑ E. Jost, Europäische Jazz, p. 280
  5. ↑ cit. n. E. Jost, Europäische Jazz, p. 58
  6. ↑ cit. n. M. Kunzler, Jazz-Enzyklopädie, p. 1278
  7. ↑ Martin Davidson, John Stevens: an appreciation. http://www.efi.group.shef.ac.uk/mstevens.html