As advertised, last night I participated in a live film score for two pieces: An American In the Making (1913) and Aleita: Queen of Mars (1924). The group ended up consisting of six players. Certain members of this ad hoc sextet had seen and studied the films, certain had not. I was in the latter category and that's probably not for the best. With hindsight, I should have been a bit more familiar with them in order to sync up musically with their celluloid natures. Soundtracks require subtleties, much more than demonstrative utterances, and I think that my playing lacked some of that. Probably could have tried to integrate more with the rest of the ensemble too. It wasn't an "all bad" type of playing experience, it was just one that left me feeling confused and maybe even a tad depressed. One thing for certain is that my improvising chops are in a weird place. The experience left me wondering if I can even attempt to do that type of music with any credibility at all. It happens I guess. On the bright side it was cool to make sounds with a lot of interesting sound artists/musicians/improvisors, and to see Golden Saguaro and its wonderful people after months of having not done so, along with having had a few of those "bright moments" within which I performed genuine acts of improvisation. The kind where you know you're skating along on the thinnest, most sublime ice. Working with the materials as would an absolute beginner. Additionally it was very funny to me to see some seriously ham fisted Socialist Realism during one climatic scene in the Soviet Union-produced Aleita. Hysterical in fact.
Practicing piano today, I sang away the blockages and vowed to carry on.
Below: my rig next to an interesting eleven string fretless electric guitar.
