In this series (Why Improvisation?), I am interested in the *feeling* of improvisation as an everyday activity, experienced by those doing it. My interviewees are not necessarily motivated by career ambition. Many are committed to, or simply have to, economically sustain themselves through other means, and are often explicitly critical of the effects of economic and institutional pressures on expressive activity.
These interviews are recorded on my phone, with very minimal editing for clarity. They take place mostly in and around the Open Improvisation Lab, and other creative music series I help curate in Pittsburgh with Pittsburgh Sound Preserve. Open Improvisation Lab is a free jazz / free improvisation jam session open to anyone to participate in, regardless of skill level, medium/instrument, or artistic background.
I ask interviewees to briefly (~ 3-7 min) answer the following questions:
Why Improvisation?
Why is it a part of your practice?
What does it mean to you?
How does it make you feel?
Why Improvisation [001] w/ Alex Maerbach & Andrieu Todd
Alex Maerbach is a Chicago based human who paints and improvises on guitar and electronics, and works as a music educator.
bandcamp: maerbach.bandcamp.com
Andrieu Todd is a Madison, Wisconsin based human who improvises with electronics and theatrical performance, and works as a sound engineer.
bandcamp: battalionofcloudships.bandcamp.com
Alex and Andrieu stayed at my house while on tour with Alexander Adams and Bob Bucko Jr. We shared a bill together at Bantha Tea Bar in Pittsburgh, where I played trio with Devouring the Guilt (Bill Harris and Gerrit Hatcher). We had a great time hanging and discussing our feelings on things over the couple days they stayed with us. I Talked to Alex and Andrieu together in my kitchen, after I cooked folks breakfast. It was a rainy, overcast Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh, May 11th, 2024.
eli namay:
Why Improvisation?
Why is it a part of your practice?
What does it mean to you?
How does it make you feel?
Alex Maerbach:
I think for me, it fulfills the same place that religion does in a lot of other people’s lives, kind of like connecting to something mysterious and greater. In addition to being, like, I think the kind of most beautiful and direct way to communicate and interact with other people’s, like direct consciousnesses, in a way.
eli namay:
You said the most direct way to interact?
Alex Maerbach:
Yeah, like… like how someone, like expresses themselves I think, in just, like a way that kind of, I mean obviously like music is a language, but like kind of other than language.
Yeah, in what makes them kind of unique in really subtle ways. I think that’s a super cool thing. And kind of trying to disappear and interact with abstract landscapes. That’s, that’s kind of how I feel about it. Interacting with the uniqueness of someone’s being. Yeah, yeah. And, trying to like, go somewhere together.
You know, that is kind of outside the realm of, kind of something a little bit more everyday, I think. Yeah.
Yeah, I think that’s it. Yeah. It’s fun to talk about.
Andrieu Todd:
No, that’s, that’s a, it’s an interesting question. So yeah, why do you, why do you, why do you play improvised music or creative music or whatever, however you want to, whatever label you want to [use]? I just—[in] living a regular life. I find myself having more things to communicate, than I’m able to in my everyday experience.
So, I put some of that aside, for improvisation, for a space to process that. So, for me it’s, it’s therapeutic. For me it’s like an essential part of processing self, and processing like the experience, the shared experience with an audience. Utilizing an audience as an instrument. Because in improvisation, the, the energy of the audience informs sometimes where you’re gonna go.
And, there, so, the why of it is that I need to, ‘cause I have too much to express and communicate than I can do in my regular human life. And, it lets me, gives me the stage for that for both the processing, And the communication and ultimately connection. When it’s best, and I can connect with that audience, it feels like I’m not there and they’re not there.
We’re all just inside of the thing, you know? Right. And there’s few things that are more satisfying than everyone in the room being on board with the experience that’s happening.
Alex Maerbach:
Yeah, that’s interesting. I feel like, it’s kind of both being, you feel like when it really peaks, you’re both outside of yourself and more present than you ever are in any particular moment.
And I love, that’s a feeling that I really chase.
Andrieu Todd:
And it’s really, it’s really difficult to just achieve that just in your regular everyday experience. Sometimes you need that stage, you need that instrument, you need that whole process to explore. And I, I feel similarly. My best work is always done when I’m completely outside of myself, but that’s when I’m at my most focused and doing my best work.
But also like, I, it’s like, achieving a space of not thinking. Yeah, and so I, I’ve never known if me as an improviser is me as a conduit for a greater thing. That’s like me just putting up an antenna. Well, musicians always say that.
[going back and forth]
Alex Maerbach:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Andrieu Todd:
Because it never makes me feel;
Alex Maerbach:
Ooh, I like a lightning rod.
Andrieu Todd:
Oh yeah. It never feels like, “I remember that shreddy riff. I’m gonna bring that back.” It’s always just like letting…
Alex Maerbach:
well, because as soon as you try to grasp it and keep it, then you lose it.
Andrieu Todd:
No. Yeah. And that’s part of the not thinking the moment you think about what you’re doing.
Alex Maerbach:
Yeah. Like flow state. Yeah. Yeah.
Andrieu Todd:
But I think there is something to the, that being a common experience of musicians is like, you know, being a conduit for the greater thing.
For me, I don’t need the spiritual aspect of it. It’s literally, I need it as therapy…
Alex Maerbach:
Yeah, yeah.
Andrieu Todd:
…but I get the spiritual aspect also.
Alex Maerbach:
Yeah. Well, it’s interesting you mentioned that because I was like, oh, yeah, I did forget that. I mean like in a really like simple way, like, I mean also part of why I do it is it, it just, at the end of the day, it just makes you feel good.
[both chuckle]
Like, it’s like that, it’s that, like, like where it’s like, if I, it’s like, it’s like if I had a day where I didn’t have any greens, I kind of feel bad at the end. And it’s the same, it’s that simple of a function. Where you play music, you just feel much more fulfilled in your, in your life, I think.
Andrieu Todd:
Like soul nourishment.
Alex Maerbach:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It’s like getting a vitamin, you know, it’s an expective.
And, I think like, the way I think that’s a shame about modern culture as well; I love recorded music, and I ‘m so happy that we can listen to some of the most amazing musician musicians of all time at any time we want. But, the one thing I think we lose, is that music used to be a lot more embedded apart–like like you have the piano in there, and like we would have to have one of us playing the piano if we like, we wanted Music. And, that was like more a part of our experiences. Like, musicians being a part of that everyday framework.
And like, now it’s almost like, some people will almost find it, like, gratuitous, if someone’s performing, rather than as, like, a functional part of what we want to hear in music. So someone’s gotta do it, you know? And I think that gets kind of lost.
Andrieu Todd:
Recorded music can kind of be like going to the grocery store and getting a frozen pizza.
Instead of, like, live music is like going to a nice pizza shop you heard about. You smell it down the road. You’re like, ooh Okay, I’m getting a little bit excited. And you know, sitting down and sharing some slices with your pals. And everyone kind of, tasting the same thing, and having their own take on it is, is the live music experience.
Alex Maerbach:
It’s a trade because I also wouldn’t, I don’t know if I would trade… I don’t know if I would trade never being able to hear like, you know, John Coltrane like playing.
Andrieu Todd:
Well, both, both can be necessary; the pizza shop and the frozen pizza. You know, but getting, just eating the same frozen pizza every time can be a bit boring and take away from the, the big experience.
Oh, like another thing with improvised live music is that there might be some incredible golden moments that are just so exciting, and you in the room get to have that experience in that moment, and never again. And, sometimes a lot of one of the things that got me into going more and more improvisational, is that even though not every time you’re gonna knock it out of the park, when you do, it, nothing feels like that.
And, when you share that with people, I mean, that’s part of why I’m here today with y’all, is I get to see Alexander and you and Bob in Kansas doing, using the form to do some stuff I’d not heard of. And, I was like, that, all right, I’m like feeling some stuff I’ve not felt otherwise. And, I was like, Oh, I didn’t know that we were allowed to, to do this or feel this.
Alex Maerbach:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When it’s really good. And like you said, you don’t know when that’s going to come, but there’s pretty chance that that it will come.
[slow breathing from everyone]
Andrieu Todd:
I could [go on], I mean, you should probably stop now.
[laughter]
