"Although improvisation has been an important part of music for centuries, The Improvisor was the first periodical dedicated to all forms of this performance practice- from jazz, rock, and folk to completely free-form music making. Before the rise of the Internet there were no resources of this kind. As a result, The Improvisor became influential on a global scale- including behind the Iron Curtain- not only for the news and information it contained about concerts, recording, and books, but also as a networking tool, where artists could learn of each other's work."

GINO ROBAIR

Composer/Musician/Head of Rastascan Records- SAN FRANCISCO, CA

"By the end of the 1970's, free improvisation- music created spontaneously 'in the moment' by daring-do composer/performers- had become a world-wide phenomena. The Improvisor magazine served as both a catalyst and outlet for these musical astronauts. It provided a forum for the musicians themselves to define and describe the music they made. In so doing, it connected musicians from around the globe, documenting their ideas, reviewing their music and inspiring them to 'follow their muse.' In the future, it will serve as the primary history of this revolutionary musical movement."

WALLY SHOUP

Free Improv Sax Legend/Critic/Artist- SEATTLE, WA

"The Improvisor, initiated over thirty years ago, was a generous beacon, a lifeline no less, reflecting the rampant experimentalism emanating from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and later from Birmingham. This maverick collection of poetry, essays, rants, artwork, concert announcements and reviews of improvised performances, published regularly, provided a rich vessel of communication for those of us engaged in testing the limits of performing, while living and working in a culture that remained largely apathetic to our aesthetic explorations and discoveries. Without The Improvisor, our collective activities as improvisors, unprecedented in this geographic area of the U.S., would have gone undocumented."

ANNE LEBARON

Composer/Performer/California Institute of the Arts- SANTA CLARITA, CA

"Thirty years ago, American creative musicians were facing the growing challenge of networking, touring, and performing throughout the country. These active creative artists were not just centered in major cities or culture regions, but were decentralized throughout the heartland. Their improvisation practice demanded their music be heard live and was often energized when musicians could work with other musicians from different backgrounds and in other performance contexts.

Many of these artists banded together to participate in the Improvisor Network: an information exchange of places to play throughout the country as well as a means of providing communication about regional activities, critical discourse and plain camaraderie. The IN and its publication, The Improvisor, helped this writer connect with other interested musicians, provided contacts for tours, aided me in programming artists from around the country at Milwaukee's Woodland Pattern Book Center (also a continuing effort celebrating thirty years in 2010), and provided a forum for periodic regional reports, interviews with musicians, reviews, and critical statements.

For thirty years, this grassroots effort of dedicated musicians has helped enhance the improvisation music scene in Milwaukee and elsewhere. The organization's track record is a testament to its impact on American music."

THOMAS GAUDYNSKI

Sound Artist/Critic- MILWAUKEE, WI

"The Improvisor is the most revered and important publication devoted to improvisation, and it reveals the unlimited musical possibilities improvisation can unleash as well as the ways its ideas may be used beyond music and the arts. In all disciplines, in performance halls, classrooms, and elsewhere, improvisation fosters creativity, self-expression, and a spirit of innovation."

ERNEST PAIK

Music Critic for Chattanooga Pulse/President of the Shaking Ray Levi Society/Musician- CHATTANOOGA, TN