[Dixielandjazz] melodic improvisation

[Ken Gates]

Reference to Steve Barbone's post about soloing and his preference for
creating an entirely new melody.

My ear development is somewhere between that of an experienced listener
and a musician in that I do play and improvise at a modest skill level.  I 
learned something of how to improvise when a retired professional piano player
would play a series of chords with no hint of a melody and have me determine the
key and then improvise a tune to fit the chords.  I discovered that it wasn't all that
difficult to find "okay" notes that didn't clash, but that to create an interesting 
melody was for those with a higher skill than mine.  

So hats of to Steve for having that skill.  But I do wonder what audience he has
encountered that appreciates what he is doing musically.  On the other hand, I
do believe that experienced serious non-musicians in the audience can recognize
when a creative solo that is a variation of a known melody has been done well.
For example, Artie Shaw's wonderful solo on "Stardust" where he presents
a restatement of the composed melody so beautifully.  Finding a nice variation
of the melody is what I strive for (occasionally succeed) and is what I like to
hear when performed well in the music I listen to.  That is what I look for when
attending a festival or listening to OKOM.  

I have a little trouble with the terminology of "melodic improvisation" meaning
creating an entirely new melody over the chord structure of a known tune.
Seems to me "melodic improvisation" should apply to improvising a variation
of a known melody that retains the "sound" of the melody in slightly different
form.  But I don't assign the terminology, I accept  the terms generally used.

Ken Gates