In this concert from 2018 in Nickelsdorf, Austria, three different generations of improvisers clearly agreed to let individual suggestions naturally come forth rather than preparing out a hypothetical form, or possible material in advance. Ab Baars (tenor sax, clarinet, shakuhachi), Terrie Ex (guitar), and Kaja Draksler (piano) had previously collaborated in other settings, which undoubtedly aided in the creation of an interpersonal narrative that, throughout this set, exhibits strong symptoms of hypersensitivity and, at times, even prescience.
Improvisation is a way for gifted instrumentalists to build stronger bonds with creative partners and find a way to an acoustically meaningful shared objective. However, a group of interconnected musicians playing in a specific area of light (or darkness, perhaps) can also help a perceptive listener resolve some issues and lessen internal stress energy while still suspended among the conceivable interpretations of the impromptu movements made by the performers. In synthesis, understand the importance of "seeking communication" in order to establish a semblance of peace.
The old commonplace "reciprocal listening" is often used to call attention to something ephemeral that is hard to put into words during an improvisation. Here, the players went a step further: on this particular night, in fact, Baars, Ex and Draksler seemed prepared to be entirely transparent with both themselves and the audience, willing to literally expose their consciences. All three of them were impressively attentive to the unexpected developments typical of deep-level interplay, each with a distinct flow yet maintaining the desire to learn from their peers.
This results in sections where the emotional turmoil in the trio increases, the music gets more dissonant, and the counterpoint nearly seems to be shaped up by parallel soliloquies. But eventually, everything clicks into place: the minimal-Tayloresque repeats of Draksler, the explosive twists of Ex's strings, and the now-serene, now-almost-desperate pitches of Baars all find comfort in the very quietness from which those outbursts had emerged. Before the grateful audience's enthusiastic applause, all that had been stated, whether calmly or fiercely, is finally absorbed by the stillness of reflection.
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