Connection

I recently attended a concert by a jazz quartet. It was nice hearing
live music being improvised in the moment. Jazz musicians know what
pieces they are going to play, but they never know exactly how they
will turn out because they allow the music to happen in the moment.
The music is improvised within the framework of each specific
composition. Each musician has his part to play and at the same time
are connected with one another. They respond to one another in the
music, and that's when it all happens. You can see it on their faces.
They are having a musical conversation with each other while the
music happens. Each takes a turn with a solo while others support it
— piano, string bass, trumpet, and percussion.

I couldn't sit still during the concert. The rhythm was contagious
and had me tapping my hand or foot quietly the entire hour. I felt a
connection to the music. This is the reason I go to listen to live
music. It's a different experience whether listening or dancing.

The quartet invited a tenor saxophonist to join them for a Thelonious
Monk composition. When he wasn't playing, he was on the sidelines,
connected with the music and doing his own little dance. Musicians
dance while playing their instruments, in their own way. The body
wants to move with the feeling that comes from the music. Whether
they are swaying back and forth, nodding the head, or tapping a foot,
musicians respond to the music with movement. It's their unique way
of dancing.

After the concert, I thought about the similarities and differences in
tango music and dance. Tango music is not improvised, although the
dance is in a social setting. Each tango, vals or milonga was
arranged in a particular style for a certain ensemble. Each group
has its style from the arranger.

The milongueros improvise their dance in the moment because they know
the music and connect with it. Their tango comes out of them; the
music tells them what to do. There is no thinking going on, only
feeling. Connection comes from one source — the music. It doesn't
happen without it. It has nothing to do with technique, footwork,
sequences, etc. Two become one in the music because they are
connected with it. This connection is like a meditation when there is
awareness of the moment and nothing else. Feeling will get us closer
to this connection than thinking about it.

The music is the source of the emotional connection in tango, and the
embrace is the catalyst for sharing it.

by jantango

http://jantango.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/connection/