Improvisation

5th November 2010 | Daily Life, Musings | 5 comments

We were listening to a jazz station on the radio as we cooked dinner. A saxophone player meandered interminably through a long dull solo without ever finding a way to extricate himself. It was like listening to a fly struggling in a spoonful of honey.

Bob went over and switched the radio off. ‘The trouble with improvisation’, he said darkly, ‘is that you can play anything you like.’

5 Comments

  1. Philip Thomas

    Dear Susan
    The beauty of improvisation, I think liberatingly, is that you can play anything you like.
    Best wishes
    Philip

    Reply
  2. Susan Tomes

    You’re right, of course. Maybe I should have worded my post a little more carefully to make it clear that Bob was joking. We are both jazz fans, but occasionally are reminded that not all improvisation is equally enjoyable to listen to, even if it is liberating for the player to play anything they like!

    Reply
  3. Philip Thomas

    Absolutely. I can’t disagree with you there.

    Reply
  4. Maya

    Perhaps you should make greater use of emoticons 🙂 or 😉 or employ the word “lol” in order to indicate jokes. ‘The trouble with improvisation’, he said darkly 😉 ‘is that you can play anything you like’ LOL

    Reply
  5. Susan Tomes

    Oh yes, Maya, I’m sure the liberal use of emoticons would increase the flow and elegance of my prose, so I should start practising right away! (LOL)

    Reply

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