Live at The Royal Room: improvisation in music and life

Spotlight On

Today’s episode is a recording of our recent live event, which took place at The Royal Room in Seattle, WA, on June 22, 2024. The event, Improvisation in Music and Life, featured me in conversation with and performances by James Falzone’s Division Ensemble.

The Division Ensemble is a group of master improvisers that includes James Falzone on clarinet, Ray Larsen on trumpet, Wayne Horvitz on piano, Abbey Blackwell on bass, and Rocky Martin on drums.

During the live show, we explored the nature of improvisation in music and how its principles are relevant to all aspects of life. James and the band performed his compositions and a completely free, composed-in-the-moment piece.

The music in this episode:

1. G.F.O.P. (Falzone)
2. There Is Often Another Way (Falzone)
3. Brooklyn Lines (Falzone)
4. Everything Is Now Equalized (an open improvisation) (Falzone/Larsen/Horvitz/Blackwell/Martin)
5. Room 307 (Falzone)
6. A Dream In Which Appeared Marc Chagall (Falzone)

We are offering a poster, t-shirt, and mug based on the artwork from our live show, which is now available at spotlightonpodcast.com/store. Have a look.

Special thanks to James Falzone and the members of his Division Ensemble: Ray Larsen, Wayne Horvitz, Abbey Blackwood, and Rocky Martin. Thank you to Aleida, Sheridan, Simon, Ben, and the entire team at the Royal Room. Thank you to David Gorman for the wonderful poster art. Thank you to Alyssa Seng, JazzED, and Tim Carey at Jazz Night School. And thank you to everyone who attended the live show.

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Dig Deeper with the extensive show notes and links found at https://www.spotlightonpodcast.com

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