John Zorn: Between performance practice and improvisation

In the beginning of his talk on Monday April 29th at NYU, composer and improvisor John Zorn spoke about his early experiences working with classical musicians, that in his words didn’t bring emotional commitment to the table. He continued, that he found working with improvisors more satisfying in this regard. They would know that they have to invest themselves into his music to make it work. He didn’t go into much detail as to why this was the case, but did highlight the importance of community for musicians.

The answer to that discrepancy can first-off be found in the difference of how improvisors and classical players handle the notion of individuality. The former have a very strong commitment to crafting their own sound and approach to every musical situation they are involved in. This necessitates a constant questioning of the self and how one can individually make the best of the musical material provided. This is the case even if the music is fully notated in terms of pitch and rhythm. It is therefore understandable, why John Zorn prefers to work with improvisors, since they bring “emotional commitment” to the performance per default.

By contrast classical musicians rely on performance practice to interpret a musical situation. By studying written material and relying on imitation thought personal lessons and masterclasses a urge to bring tradition to perfection is created. Another thing to note here, is the nature and requirements of ensemble playing in the classical world. In order to get a good sound, a concertmaster will define the “right” way to play a passage and the success of the performance lies in everybody following suit. These great achievements in tone and feel can sometimes work with newly composed material, if it shows a clear stylistic connection to some work of the past. Beyond that there is a psychological barrier to exploring further, since the player is suddenly left without a familiar framework. Rather than committing to the artistic challenge, they might recurse to being defensive in order not to “sound bad” in front of their colleagues.

Thus John Zorn might think they lack emotional commitment, where in reality they find themselves outside of their comfort zone and see it as a threat to their reputation. This is exa

A potential remedy to the situation can be found in John Zorn’s own words, when he talks about the importance of community. If these psychological barriers were openly talked about amongst musicians, there might be less reluctance to embrace and understand each others reservations and personal tendencies. In a community of musicians and creators there can also be a true exchange of the aural aspects of musical traditions. A classical player will acknowledge that there is much liberty in certain performance practices. Likewise, an improviser will confirm, that there is certain constraints to improvisation in most genres. So the gap between performance practice and improvisation might at times not be as large, and can certainly be bridged by unpretentious artistic exchange.