Saturday night out and subsequence:

I went on the town yesterday: Blue Chair/sold out: Jeffreys/D.B. trio with alto, drums and keys had a little room at the bar stool at the back of the place.

The keyboardist RT graciously let me sit in. The first tune: There'll never be another You... nice and fun—2nd tune: the well known All the Things You Are only the tempo counted in was faster than I've tried to play for some time..... What to do... 1/2 time feel started ... with the left hand driving like mad and the right hand trying to fit a note at least in time. It was a very supreme challenge but it was insane fun. Sitting in with an established band is taking a chance but worth it anyhow. I appreciate the sacrifice the RT (keys) made so I could play a few. Very much a gentleman is he!

Things musical can often work when a chance is taken—even if one is prepared, it is necessary to keep one's mind open and jump into the hyper-space of the dancing on hot coals effect. I'm thinking that sort of thing can be prepared for by doing it—and of course being familiar with all the moves that are possible or in this case convenient, but hopefully right. There's something about the joy of the moment there and it's infectious. But it is attained by continual preparation both in practise and in performance. Sometimes it pays just to play a free improv and see where it leads: it can be only a progressive good-conscious-building thing even if the results are vague.

Working with structure is the theme for this moment but even that can be done freely too. Working within the restraints of a single motive is also going to be very helpful. I'm intending to explore the thematic efforts championed to by the 12-tone composers: that is to work with Prograde, Retrograde, Inversion and Retrograde Inversion. Not forever of course, but it's a marvelous discipline that can add to the artistic growth. To have this particular idea studied in a practical way (3 note 4 note, 5 note etc. motives) would be endlessly fascinating but also might go to a restructuring of the Neurons and the building of new connections. Connections being the key word I think.

Thinking about harmony and motion and chromatics and interval tendencies and their relation to each other in terms of there properties and similarities and dissimilarities. Texture: compound intervals and the effect. Also a further study in the overtone series visa-vis improv over a drone... with some sensitive listening will be helpful.

Now I just have to figure this out. Maybe I'll keep a record of intensions and then perhaps they won't get put aside for too long.