February 6, 2010 - Creative Juices Redux

Wow...just after I made the previous post on "Creativity", I find out that the incomparable Victor Wooten is coming to town to conduct a workshop on...yes, you guessed it...Creativity! Needless to say, ol' DJ Doc registered for it right away. The session is being held at The Haven, a beautiful centre over on Gabriola Island. More information and links are available from Victor's website at http://www.victorwooten.com/moreinfo/thehaven.html

Having seen Victor live (with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - in diverse settings such as Edmonton, San Francisco, Victoria, and Vancouver), I can attest to the power of his music and his virtuosity. His solo recrdings carry a strong message, one that I am sure will be a part of his presentation at the workshop. There are video clips of Victor's work on YouTube, but for the full concert experience, get the DVD "Love at the Quick" by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Vic's latest CD with the group S.M.V. (yes folks, that's Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten) is titled "Thunder", and is an absolute tour de force. With any luck, we'll have a live interview with Victor Wooten on the Saturday preceeding the workshop...circle Saturday February 27th on your calendar!

Bright moments...


CHARLES MINGUS - MINGUS AH UM - BETTER GET IT IN YOUR SOUL
AMANDA TOSOFF - STILL LIFE - WANDERING
BRANDI DISTERHEFT - SECOND SIDE - SKETCHES OF BELIEF
P.J. PERRY - WORTH WAITING FOR - EVERYTIME WE SAY GOODBYE
MICHAEL BRECKER - PILGRIMAGE - FIVE MONTHS FROM MIDNIGHT
CHICK COREA & JOHN MCLAUGHLIN - FIVE PEACE BAND - SOMEDAY MY PRINCE WILL COME
JAKE LANGLEY - HERE AND NOW - YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING
VICTOR WOOTEN - A SHOW OF HANDS - MEDLEY
BELA FLECK AND THE FLECKTONES - LIVE AT THE QUICK - HOEDOWN
JEFF COFFIN MU'TET - MUTOPIA - MOVE YOUR RUG
BLUIETT - JUSTIN TIME RECORDS 20TH ANNIVERSARY COMPILATION - (YOU'RE STILL) MY GIRL (IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING)
HUGH FRASER QUINTET - RED & BLUE - THANK YOU VERY MUCH
MAYNARD FERGUSON - ONE MORE TRIP TO BIRDLAND - CAJUN COOKIN'
JACO PASTORIUS - PUNK JAZZ: THE JACO PASTORIUS ANTHOLOGY - THE CHICKEN (SOUL INTRO)
NICK BRIGNOLA AND BILL WATROUS - L.A. BOUND - BLUE BOSSA

January 30, 2010 - Creative Juices

"Creativity", as a concept, is an interesting area of study. Researchers across many disciplines have written on the topic, from Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (social-psychological perspectives) through to those trying to understand the creative process in the context of jazz improvisation. Csiksentmihalyi's work, for example, studies creativity in the context of flow or peak experience, identifying the following five stages in the creative process: Preparation, Incubation, Insight, Evaluation, and Elaboration. Whether in a jazz context or an organizational context, creativity is what gives rise to a peak experience in the performer, and is also conveyed through to the listener/audience member. Elina Hytonen studies the impact of the physical performance space on the flow experience of the musician, while my own work is looking at these experiences through a greater understanding of the social interactions/collaborations between musicians which give rise to these experiences.

This past week I had the opportunity to catch a session put on by the Arts and Humanities Colloquium and the Music Department at Vancouver Island University. The session, titled "Dark and Edgy: Jazz, Canadian Poetry, and the Creative Process" featured VIU grad and jazz pianist Brent Jarvis. Brent's most recent CD is titled "Daedalus: The Poetry of Dorothy Livesay", and is definitely worth a listen. The way he creates a soundscape that amplifies Livesay's words is true creative genius. It interests me as a musician, researcher, and as a listener to find out more about what inspires a musician, and to discover more of what gives rise to that creative spark. The juices flow differently for everyone...therein lies the joy!

Bright moments...


CHARLES MINGUS - MINGUS AH UM - BETTER GET IT IN YOUR SOUL
RON ALLEN - TEMPTATION - BODY AND SOUL
STEVE KALDESTAD - BLOW-UP - SIESTA
JODI PROZNICK - ROCKY MOUNTAIN JAZZ COMPILATION - MUST BE RAIN
ERNESTO CERVINI QUARTET - LITTLE BLACK BIRD - MIA FIGLIA
JOHN COLTRANE - BLUE TRAIN - BLUE TRAIN
THREE BARITONE SAXOPHONE BAND - PLAYS MULLIGAN - BLUE PORT
MOTHER OF PEARL - DEMO 2005 - HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA
DAVE BRUBECK - WE'RE ALL TOGETHER AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME - TAKE FIVE
KEITH JARRETT - SHADES - SOUTHERN SMILES
JEFF COFFIN MU-TET - GO-ROUND - GO-ROUND
CANNONBALL ADDERLEY QUINTET - MERCY, MERCY, MERCY - MERCY, MERCY, MERCY
THE HUGH FRASER QUINTET - RED & BLUE - THANK YOU VERY MUCH
MAYNARD FERGUSON - CHAMELEON - LA FIESTA