#improvise 6 with The Kraken Quartet: group session ideas

This week's post is a guest submission from the post-rock percussion group The Kraken Quartet from Austin, TX! While a grad student at IC, I had the pleasure of getting to know the guys in this group and have always appreciated their fearlessness, which I feel is a necessary attribute of the 21st century (and beyond) musician and why I wanted to bring them on as the next guest.

Because Kraken is based in Texas and I'm in New Jersey, we had to get a bit creative. So, I asked that they used "the can" idea and just see where it went. As it turns out, that concept was their starting point, but then they took it somewhere else. They began using techniques in chamber music making like cueing, reacting and finding a sense of group balance to fuel their sessions. You should definitely try to hear the concepts in their videos below, but also feel free to rock out with them! That's what I did!!

From Kraken:
"Our goal with these sessions was to use improvisation as a means to develop chamber music skills. Before each piece, we set a goal for a performance technique we wanted to emphasize. For example, we would set out to pay close attention to ensemble balance for a piece, or to focus on group phrasing.

In the first video, the technique of choice was cueing. We set out to lock onto cues, both visual and aural, as a means to trigger musical change. Throughout the piece, we had moments of sudden group shifts and moments of gradual progress. If this were a composed piece, we would spend rehearsal time assigning cueing roles. We wanted to use this same strategy in an improvised setting."

"For the second video, we decided to work in groups of two or more players to create a unified texture within the piece. As we began improvising, hockets started to emerge and this directed much of our playing. Groupings ended up changing very frequently, but our ensemble listening focused on fitting into one another’s parts."

I highly encourage everyone to go take a listen to what this group is up to. They are a great group of dudes that can really play and I hope they continue to make music together for a long time! Check out this feature with Vic Firth, which was recorded and shot by Evan Chapman!