the improvisor Festival
The 2010 Improvisor Festival is a nationwide musical extravaganza set to mark the 30th anniversary of the publication of the improvisor, America's very own "International Journal of Free Improvisation." A landmark concert series celebrating the journal's considerable contribution to the development of a national free improv scene, the festival aims to bring together musicians, dancers, and spoken word artists from around the country who continue to add new dimensions, sounds, and ideas to a community too often neglected by mainstream media outlets. Centered around performances and workshops taking place in its hometown of Birmingham, AL, the festival will also be hosting auxiliary events in New York City, Seattle, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Jackson, MS, and Athens, GA to help honor the occasion.
A Brief History
Begun in 1980 as a grassroots newsletter for the Improvisor's Network (I.N.), the improvisor's roots lay in the fertile "Downtown" scene of New York City's Lower East Side, where founding members Leslie Dalaba, Chris Cochrane, LaDonna Smith, Davey Williams, and Jack Wright (among many others) played an integral role in the nascent free improv community.
Initially a four page call-to-arms for like-minded practitioners to band together in artistic solidarity, the publication sought to provide a much-needed forum for musicians working within the field to network with each other, share ideas and philosophies about their craft, and raise public awareness of their unique brand of sonic exploration.
Published under the guidance of LaDonna and Davey from their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, over the years, the journal grew from a small-run, xeroxed mail-out into one of the most respected underground music periodicals in the world. Comprised of articles, essays, rants, reviews, and tour journals written by fellow artists and critics from around the globe, the publication served as both a sounding board and promotional tool that allowed whole swaths of isolated professionals and enthusiasts to connect with each other and share their thoughts about recent developments, historical antecedents, and future trends in the world of improvised music. In doing so, the improvisor played a pivotal role in creating a venue for critical discourse about the genre and it's intellectual underpinnings and became a key player in the overall development and growth of the free improv community at large.
Starting in the 1990s, the publication transitioned to the web, where it continues to be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in exploring the idea of "spontaneous composition" and the boundary-busting aesthetics of free-form music. As one of the few stateside publications dedicated to documenting the "Movement of the Moment," it remains as vital today as it was thirty years ago.
The 2010 improvisor Festival aims to pay tribute to the cutting edge music that the improvisor has nurtured over the years by showcasing the kaleidoscopic community of artists who have kept its spirit alive. In doing so, the festival hopes to inspire future generations of musicians, dancers, and artists to carry the torch of free-improvisation well into the 21st century and maintain the vibrant dialogue that has circulated throughout its pages for over three decades.
Please join us to help make this an event to remember...
Lee M. Shook, Jr.
Associate-Executive Director
.