"Henry Kaiser (born September 19, 1952) is an American guitarist and composer, known as an idiosyncratic soloist, a sideman, an ethnomusicologist, and a film score composer. Recording and performing prolifically in many styles of music, Kaiser is a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. He is considered a member of the "second generation" of American free improvisers. He is married to Canadian artist Brandy Gale."-Wikipedia
How would you describe music?
Patterns in Space.
What is your relationship to music?
If I get out of the way: then in the best of times (and in the worst of times) music sometimes speaks through me. It does not come from me.
What draws you to the instrument(s) you play, and/or to composing?
I like the way electric guitars sound. Composing things myself is anathema to me. I love improvisation: both practicing and listening to.
What deceased performer(s), improviser(s), or composer(s) would you most like to have a conversation with?
I wish I could have spent more time talking with my friend, the late Conlon Nancarrow (19121997).
What musician most influenced your approach to music?
Derek Bailey.
Who or what influences you most outside of music?
Filmmakers: Jordan Belson, Akira Kurosawa, Masahiro Shinoda, Pat ONeil, Karel Zeman, Wojciech Has, etc.
What advice would you give to a young musician entering your field?
Avoid social media completely.
What do you hope audiences take away from experiencing your music?
I dont have music. It just comes through me; its not mine. Its just there to appreciate and learn from, like the ocean or the sky, or ecosystems.
Where are you currently located or musically associated with?
Santa Cruz, California.
What is your musical education or background?
Self-taught.
What is your favorite recording by another musician or group?
Elliot Ingbers guitar solo on "Alice in Blunderland" on the Beefheart *The Spotlight Kid* album.
What is your favorite recording that you have made?
*A World Out of Time* Henry Kaiser & David Lindley in Madagascar. It probably has the recording that has done the most good for other people: listeners and the Malagasy musicians on it.
Is there any comment not covered here that you would like to share?
Some important musical concepts that I relate to more important to me than, and beyond, melody, harmony, and rhythm:
SPACE & EMPTINESS
TIMING
TIMBRE
DYNAMICS
ORNAMENTATION
BENDING AND ARTICULATION
DURATION
SHAPE
IMPROVISATION
NARRATIVE
STORYTELLING
CONTEXT AND FRAME
PURPOSE & TELEOLOGY
TRANCE MUSIC
DANCE MUSIC
RITUAL
SPIRITUAL MUSIC
INTERACTION WITH ROOM ACOUSTICS
THE AUDIENCE AS PART OF THE IMPROVISATION
YOUR INSTRUMENT AS AN IMPROVISATIONAL PARTNER
Musical Suggestions/Advice:
BE YOURSELF. Don't try to be somebody else. Your grandmother should be able to recognize your playing if she heard it on the radio. Many guitarists can be recognized instantly from just one note of their playing!
TAKE CHANCES. Don't be afraid of risks.
BE ECLECTIC AND BROADEN ALL YOUR HORIZONS. Try new ideas from new places!
PLAY WITH FEELING AND COMMITMENT. Music is not about notes, it's about feeling.
IMPROVISE!
PLAY TOGETHER WITH AS MANY NEW PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
LISTEN!
DISCOVER! Find new and undiscovered things yourself.
ASK QUESTIONS with music rather than PROVIDE ANSWERS.
ALWAYS HAVE FUN. If its not fun, its not worth your time.
Listening to and understanding World Musics:
Hindustani, Persian, Korean, African, Malagasy musics are great places to start.
Many musicians look at the rest of the world's musics through the distorting lens of Western music. They make the mistake of thinking that for Japanese influence you just play a Japanese "scale." This is a simplistic and limiting view.
You should discover how other cultures conceptualize music and how it relates to the philosophy and lives of their peoples. How do other cultures think about music? Go to some concerts. Check books and recordings. Look at traditional roots music performers from other cultures via YouTube.
There are many more parameters to music than our Western ones of melody, harmony, and rhythm. Our Western preoccupation with these very few dimensions of music is just one tiny local condition among the vast and varied traditions of the many musics of our planet.
For me, the Western concepts of melody, harmony, and rhythm are something that often gets in the way of music.
Henry Kaiser June 1, 2025
Search for Henry Kaiser titles on Squidco
|
