It's hard enough to put music into words, but even harder when it's created without preconceived plans. Kudos then to John Corbett for his insight into how one can gain deeper understanding of and appreciation for such music.
Tom Greenland New York City Jazz Record The perfect example of what any field guide to music (or ... Read moreany other art form) should be. Small enough to fit in a pocket at barely over 4 x 6 , the book is a practical guide for those new to free improvisation, though there is plenty of information for an experienced listener to pick up something new. . . . This book will undoubtedly be useful to anyone who is interested in improvised music or even music in general. These listening techniques could easily be applied to most forms of music. It would be nice to see this book be adopted as a text for music appreciation and history classes. I wish this book had been around when I started listening to and performing free improvisation. This is an essential text for the next generations of listeners.
Burning Ambulance It's hard enough to put music into words but even harder when it's created without preconceived plans. Kudos, then, to John Corbett for his insight into how one can gain deeper understandings of and appreciation for such music. Written in a pithy, metaphor-steeped style, Corbett's book is humorous and engaging; he's having a bit of fun with a subject about which he cares deeply. Fond of enlarging on his metaphors, as when he shows the various ways the book is like a field guide for birdwatching, he's equally content to string a series of mixed metaphors together, thereby acknowledging the imprecise nature of such allusions, all merely parts, hints, of the bigger 'truth' he wants to illuminate.
New York City Jazz Record A refreshingly pragmatic book. . . . As a primer, it's a valuable guide and even seasoned listeners will find it useful to be reminded what distinguishes free improvisation from other music and the kinds of things to which they should be alive.
Free Jazz Collective It took me years and lots of listening to understand free improvisation, and in the beginning Corbett was a big help for me. This handy book breaks down the basics of free improvisation, a theoretically non-idiomatic practice where musicians get together with nothing planned and simply make music spontaneously, focusing on interaction and largely dispensing with the qualities we expect in music
fixed structure, melody, regular rhythms, standard harmony. Free improvisation is about sound and interplay, though that doesn't quite sum it up. Corbett mostly does without name dropping and jargon
he designed his book for the novice, and he takes pains to keep things clear and approachable, even if what he's writing about is anything but accessible to most listeners.
Chicago Reader Corbett has been listening to free improvisation for years and beyond that, has organized shows, curated festivals, and even engineered recording sessions for the music. Now, with A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation, he has attempted to build a bridge to potential listeners by writing a kind of guide for the perplexed on how to listen to music that doesn't follow the conventions of ordinary song. . . . The advice he offers is practical and illuminating.
Perfect Sound Forever
Perfect Sound Forever A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation expertly navigates music that can seem thoroughly foreign and intimidating. Yet Corbett handles the material with grace and humor, intelligence and curiosity, in prose that unlike some writing on the subject, is easy to read and accessible to everyone. . . . a strangely soothing read, finding beauty and order amidst seeming chaos like a Zen master who describes a blade of grass bending but not breaking in the wind.
Spectrum Culture Lays down a golden road to understanding free improvisation. . . . A Listener's Guide is, essentially, and in the best way possible, a popular how-to manual from a master who has spent years in the field. Reading Corbett is like spending an afternoon with your favorite uncle and his cabinet of booze. By the end, you won't necessarily know the names of the different bourbons, but you'll know what tastes good.
MAKE A much-needed book for the open-minded listener
a well-written volume from jazz critic John Corbett
and one that's bound to widen your ears to a whole new realm of listening! The book's pocket-sized
maybe so that you can sneak it into a club when visiting a free jazz concert
and it's written in a style that's both personal, but very directive
with a full understanding of the complexities that come into play when listening to improvised music, and a guide towards facing some of the more difficult challenges involved! Corbett clearly loves this music, but without any sort of high ideals
none of the too-cool-for-school modes that are usually standard with the avant garde, and instead this very down to earth approach that shows the listener that they've got all the tools needed to enjoy the music themselves. The goal here (one we can totally endorse) is to bring the listener face to face with new and challenging sounds
but in a way that allows them to instantly contextualize them too
yet without having to carry years of jazz or musical experience into the process. The book is divided up into easy-to-digest sections
and penned with a surprisingly warm style too.
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