[Dixielandjazz] Leon Merian

[Bob Romans]

RIP Leon...

Nice discourse on jazz..he just passed away in Florida over 80...he played right up to the end...big band trumpet player.

http://jazztimes.com/columns_and_features/final_chorus/index.cfm?id=35

One of the reasons I love the TPIN...

From: Leon Merian

Sent: Friday, April 28, 2006 9:29 PM

Subject: 

Improvisation/creating/transcending/spiritualizing



Jazz musicians play the melody {or the head} and from 

that new melodies are

created over the same harmonic structure. That's 

jazz--creating a logical

beautiful melody which is your very own. You might play 

that same tune night

after night and you will never get bored with it for it 

will come out

differently every time. This engenders creative 

excitement--energy--because

it is a spiritual thing. You are playing in the 

NOW...this very moment. You

don't think about it. When you improvise you are 

completely in the

now...this very moment. No time to think about it!! It 

has nothing to do

with the intellect. As a matter of fact it transcends 

the intellect. You

simply have to "be". In other words jazz carries us as 

close as we can be to

the SPIRITUAL. It sort of forces your mind to go only 

one way. You must be

focused...you're not aware of yourself because you are 

right in the middle

of the NOW.

There is really no mental activity going on... You are 

not aware of yourself

because you are totally absorbed in the music you are 

playing. Your mind

doesn't say to you," I'm playing great tonight or I'm 

playing rotten

tonight". It is NOT judgmental...please understand 

that...it is something

that is happening with you...something that is taking 

place and it's

EXCITING to be caught up in it !! That's enough. You 

have become one with

the music YOU created...PERIOD!!! Forget Chet Baker, 

Dizzy, Miles, and

Hubbard. It's Not a tournament or a competition. Have no 

fear. Just get in

there and do it!

Jazz musicians have no fear of this "unknown world" 

which can be called the

unconscious. We frequent it continuously and have been 

doing so since our

childhood. Children visit it quite often as they don't 

know what it is to

fear it!!! It gives us a much more complete picture of 

our "self". Our PURE

individuality!! Playing jazz {improvising} gives you 

this childlike

spontaneity, energy, and enthusiasm which most people 

seem to loose after

childhood. Many times I have felt a part of me which 

made me turn my back on

receiving [taking in] too much information in playing 

jazz. I think that too

much analyzing of jazz concepts and styles can be 

detrimental. Maybe that's

why Erroll Garner never wanted to learn to read music 

[Buddy also].

I think that retaining this innocent childlike nature 

has a very positive

effect on our creativity. To have this nonjudgmental 

state of mind, where we

just play--simply play> I think that this is the TRUE 

improvisational

process, allowing anything and everything to just 

happen. Make things up

just like a child. We all like playing just as we did 

when we were children.

It's one of the ways we play with music...and maybe 

that's why we continue

to do it!!!

Difficulties understanding improvisation arise from the 

fact that there are

different kinds of improvisation. We can't offer a pat 

description of

improvisation. What we all are seeking here is to 

understand improvisation

as it has been practiced in performance. A dictionary 

definition=to compose

on the spur of the moment---composing and performing 

simultaneously. This

tells us only part of the story. For me, I would say 

that improvisation must

contain the unexpected, producing excitement and 

exhilaration that comes

from spontaneity... I remember Milt Hinton saying that 

Dizzy's music was

exciting for him because there were things that Diz 

tried to do that he

couldn't do. Aaron Copland said "When you improvise, it 

is axiomatic that

you take risks and can't foretell the results". 

In closing let me please say: 

Imagination/Intuition/Inspiration are the

result of experience and knowledge and in balancing all 

of these qualities

will the spirit of creativity manifest itself. No, it is 

not a piece of

cake...but you must do it as well as is possible ...you 

must keep on keepin'

on....it is good for your musicianship. Your facility 

and your mental

health....God Bless you all. 

Leon Merian