Spontaneous Music Ensemble

The Spontaneous Music Ensemble or SME was an improvisation ensemble in the area of free jazz, which existed around the drummer John Stevens 1965-1994 in London. In particular, in its first phase ( until 1974 ) it was one of the " key formations of the British jazz avant-garde"

Importance

John Stevens founded together with Trevor Watts and Paul Rutherford, the SME as an open workshop with different occupations - from duo to big band. In his most significant players of the British free jazz, but also musicians like Ron Mathewson have participated. Together, the SME program was "Improvisation as a principle of the form of development " unfolds.

According to the observations of the saxophonist Evan Parker Stevens had two basic rules for the game in SME: ( 1) "If you can not hear another musician, you're playing too loud. ( 2) If the music that you are generating, not regularly refers to what the other play, then why are you in the group? ". This meant that the music of the ensemble was very quiet, but at the same time very intense and less rhythmic. Unlike common in the free improvisation the music was so not primarily directed to ( atonal ) sound research.

Development

From the Review Ekkehard Jost comes to the judgment that the path that the SME was stylistically, not a straight line was: "Without joining a certain stylistic flow or stamp out such commutes the music of SME between the poles of an abstract sound generation and a strong. vibrant free jazz " in the work of the SME three phases can be distinguished:

Phase 1: emancipation of African-American free jazz

First, Watts, Rutherford and Stevens played with Kenny Wheeler and Jeff Clyne (or Bruce Cale ). Your recorded in March 1966 plate "Challenge " can be considered the first real European free jazz sheet are classified. Once in a first trio or Duophase 1967 Evan Parker and Stevens, sometimes with Watts or with Peter Kowald, played, then belonged to Derek Bailey and Barry Guy and Dave Holland to the ensemble. In this quintet constellation in February 1968 was the second newly released album, " Karyöbin ". The SME went increasingly to the realization of collective improvisation in which the interaction between the participants should gain precedence over the individual development of the soloists. Stevens idea was that " the improvising musicians is part of a larger whole and not an attraction in itself. " On " Karyöbin " have the pieces - unlike in the North American free jazz of the time - no more themes and also not having a continuous rhythmic foundation and similar as with AMM probably no appointment with the course and the formal design. Unlike the later free - improvised music from the UK, a strong interaction at the level of musical motifs can be detected. " Karyöbin " was " Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening ) 100 " started in 1998 in the list of The Wire.

In the next phase involved the slow interpretation of a series of tones that had to play all players, but each is based on one's own breath length, so that all changed at different times from note to note. This overlapped the different tones so that harmonies and micro-intervals created similar to the Japanese music. This piece of "family" will be premiered in Baden -Baden with Jeanne Lee; in later versions seem Maggie Nicols, Norma Winstone and Pepi Lemer with. On the next panel then published " Olive " (1969), there are two quiet pieces with the same thematic material, they vary greatly due to the different occupations. While once a large-scale ensemble around the flugelhorn of Wheeler is gathered, the second version is played as a quartet: In addition Nicols, Stevens and Wheeler is a native of South Africa bassist Johnny Dyani.

1971, the SME will be extended to big band and plays a hymn to the thoughts of Albert Ayler. Its core consists of Julie Tippett, Watts, Stevens and bassist Ron Herman. On another recording of this quartet is extended by Bobby Bradford and plays clearly jazz -oriented than usual

Barre Phillips, who complained in 1969 the lack of originality of the European Free Jazz, the SME clutched it: "I do not know how they have done it, to listen to themselves and their own play instead of Ornette or Coltrane and Sanders, but so in any case it should be. "

Phase 2: Percussive duo as the core

On the album " Face to Face" Watts and Stevens played as a duo; they represented so well in Sommer1974 the SME in other live performances. There are also 1973 but also performances in a trio with bassist Kent Carter, and with this, Bailey and Evan Parker. 1976 is the SME finally from Parker and Stevens. Both Duo editions of the SME now distinguished by the favor of point structures and many breaks; the saxophone is played quasi- percussive, so that the interaction between the two players is equal. The music is very introverted in both cases, but full of tensions.

3 phase with Roger Smith

1977 Stevens played together with the violinist Nigel Coombes, guitarist Roger Smith and cellist Colin Wood ( album " biosystem "). The game of SME was still quiet, so that it became increasingly difficult to organize performance opportunities for it. The core of the ensemble now formed Coombes, Smith and Stevens, who received in 1980 as a trio of "Hot and Cold Heroes". With this lineup, the group existed until 1992, however, sometimes only occurred in a year. At the very end (the SME existed until the death of Stevens 1994) replaced saxophonist John Butcher Coombes.

Discography (selection)

• Karyöbin (1968, Iceland Records/1993 Chronoscope; Stevens, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, Dave Holland )
• Frameworks ( 1968/1971/1973, Emanem Records; Stevens, Norma Winstone, Watts, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Rutherford, Julie Tippett, Ron Herman and others)
• John Stevens / Spontaneous Music Ensemble ( 1969 Marmalade Records: Stevens, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, Watts, Peter Lemer, Johnny Dyan, Maggie Nicols, Carolann Nichols, Pepi Lemer )
• So What Do You Think? (1971, Tangent Records, Stevens, Watts, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, Dave Holland )
• Birds of a feather (1971, BYG Records: Stevens, Watts, Ron Herman, Julie Tippett )
• Bobby Bradford, John Stevens and the Spontaneous Music Ensemble (1971, Freedom: Stevens, Watts, Bobby Bradford, Bob North, Ron Herman, Julie Tippett )
• Face to Face (1973, Emanem Records: Stevens, Watts )
• Quintessence ( 1973-74, Emanem Records: Stevens, Watts, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Kent Carter )
• Biosystem (1977, Incus Records/2006 Psi Records 2006: Stevens, Nigel Coombes, Roger Smith, Colin Wood)
• Hot and Cold Heroes (1980 /91 Emanem Records: Stevens, Nigel Coombes, Roger Smith)
• A New Distance (1994, Acta/2005 Emanem Records: Stevens, John Butcher, Roger Smith)