Improvisations by Henri van Zanten» Category ‘Musical Improvisations’ | Improvisations by HvZ

Schoolgirls induced world music improv by 2 strangers

henri — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 01:09:49 +0000

For the first time I visited the RotterdamShield’s new headquarters. That happend in a somewhat improvised way, as well as the unexpected world music improvisation, that was going to happen.

Initially I looked for Tymen Visser at the gallery Dek22, but he wasn’t there. By coincidence we met in the supermarket. He kidnapped me and brought me to the RotterdamShield headquarters. I had no reason to complain as I am the Devil’s father of the RS. From the open window, the many schoolgirls, which were passing by from or to various learning institutes in the neighborhood got judged and estimated by the other R S-members Jacquelino Teixeira and Jasper, with rigorous scrutiny. And some secret mutiny of scrotum’s and bubbles in testicles. All of a sudden the meat inspection ended . The windows had been closed. A security woman had entered our company and we started a discussion – the man~woman~thing!

Probably in an attempt to escape this unpleasant situation, I looked out of the window and among the school girls I saw an elegant man with – what I thought was – a lute in a case on his back. I opened the window in a hurry and asked him: “Lute? Dowland.” – “No, an ud.” the then still for me nameless Mehmet Polat said. The ancient Middle Eastern string instrument oud is called “the king of instruments” In Arabia, often considered as the predecessor of the Western lute. Mehmet himself is studying North Indian classical music as well as I did. From 1985 to 1990 I had been a student of the famous classical Indian singer Ustad Mohammed Sayeed Khan. So I asked Mehmet if he had time to come in. “Yes, only short, otherwise my girlfriend will kill me.”

The impro that followed you can see and hear for yourself. It was like kite-surfing on a tricky wind. I think we felt no longer as strangers: We passed from Turkish music to flamenco to gypsy to Japanese, to us.

Impro on Kraftwerk’s ‘Autobahn’ by Pretty Evil ends in total loss…

henri — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:25:05 +0000

Pretty Evil (Fuck the Writer & McWisecrack) on their hasty way to 48 Hour Film Project 2008, yet finding time to have some fun, but not without risk! But nothing is perfect: life isn’t, we aren’t, the world isn’t. Only death is perfect in absence. But in a certain way improvisation compensates for all this by being the perfect reflection of the moment… Enjoy the ride!

Pretty Evil Autobahn

Punk Research Centre presents itself for first time with a wild improv by Frauduleus

henri — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:59:07 +0000

The Punk Research Centre (PRC) presented itself for the first time to the general public on the 1st of May 2008 in Exit / Rotterdam. The PRC created with it’s performance squad Frauduleus – consisting of the PRC founders Prof. Sidhy Idiopath and Stigmadome – a wild and yet controlled improvised atmosphere of astonishment and revolutionary potential. Using staccato cut video clips projected on them and the soundtracks as accompaniment for their freestyle and Sprechgesang. Of course the reactionary members of the audience said it was old-fashioned and had been done before. But those living in the present took the improvised presentation of the PRC’s definition, ideology and style, all in their own way. This was just a modest warming up.It served as dissonant/dissident upbeat for Fuck the Writer’s first appearance with the new line up of his band the Illiterates and with repertoire from their coming cd. The brilliant, lively and critcal songs of FTW were welcomed like a spring rain. When FTW said Punk didn’t exist anymore, he actually used a punk-like provocation and a historical definition of the term punk. Prof. Sidhy is operating from a far wider interpretation. To be continued…

Distorted Musical Improvisations by God Knows the Absence

henri — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:56:43 +0000

On the first day of spring we did a last minute session. It was freezing cold. But the incubation of not having played for about 10 weeks burst into a fever….The collective subconscious of God Knows the Absence did it again! But after a break of 20 years, only eternity can come between us now, ha ha.

Also check God Knows the Absence on mySpace!

Improvisation on December 2nd 2007

henri — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:17:29 +0000

Today i slept through a grey rainy windy day. Catching up with some sleep.

Today i will start my journal at last. Have been too busy up to now. That’s what i said to myself all the time. But time is our own decision. A decision to make an incision in oblivion.

Last friday i gave a concert for the first time since 20 years with my band God Knows the Absence. It was in the Arminus Church in Rotterdam, as part of a revival party of the antiscene in the 80’s, also in Rotterdam. A book of photo’s of that period by Carla van Marel was presented. It was not back to the past or the future. It was back to the present. A Merlin-machine action.

Check God Knows The Absence – I Could Give. This was our final song of the concert.

I’ll keep in touch with more bedtime stories.H.

No related posts.

MC Wisecrack Rapping in the Supper Club until they pull the plug (Amsterdam, 1999)

henri — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:36:59 +0000

Especially invited from Rotterdam to the enemy town Amsterdam (working class versus upperclass) , MC Wisecrack succeeded to accomplish his mission in spoiling the appetite of trendy weak stomachs – mindwise – in the Supper Club. “When you tell them the truth, they will tell you to shut up. I like that.” That was the punchline. Check it out !

Special thanks Sonja Beijering. I remember walking her home, more or less tired and excited, both of us sexually united by the materialization of the maculate concept. Our farewell kiss was worthy to have been painted by Rob Scholte. Or even better by Whistler, who also wrote the book The gentle art of making enemies

Hard on love – an epic epileptic song by Fuck the Writer & MC Wisecrack

henri — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:05:36 +0000

In January 2007 Fuck the Writer was producing a few songs by copycat Akward I in the Medley & O.D. Studios. I was omnipresent as ‘nanny and nuisance’, making coffee and professional positive remarks. I had no choice, because living in the same building.

After a week of highly concentrated creativity – yeah better than sex (lovesongs) – and with even a few songs written on the spot – the gentlemen concluded that their girlfriends respected their isolation with the muses. Then the phone rang. Awkward I dissappeared for half an hour and came back in a bad mood. Complaints and accusations the cause. Phone rang for Fuck the Writer. Same story.

I – having just escaped an attack of lovesickness ( and being bachelor !) tried to cheer them up with some wisecracks. Awkward I left the studio. FTW grabbed his guitar and commanded : “Sing whatever you want!” And so in one long musical copulation of pain with pleasure Hard on Love was born. This songbook is spot-on. The rest of the trouble taken was in vain. A blessing in disguise. How ironical !

Have a nice trip!

Fuck the Writer and MC Wisecrack – Hard on Love

Visit Fuck the Writer’s MySpace page!

MC Wisecrack: Support Act Hamlet (1997 – Rotterdam)

henri — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:55:12 +0000

MC Wisecrack’s Support Act Hamlet was performed in 1997 in Nighttown (Rotterdam).

My development as Omniartist had the following order: poetry, literature, music, theatre, photography, visual arts, film, etcetera. With Support Act Hamlet I combined all these forms for the first time. See for yourself. It can still be booked. Just send me an email.

Music Will Save The World

henri — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:42:57 +0000

Improvisation is awareness between matter and spirit

Music Will Save The World might sound pretentious to those who doubt the fact we live in the music of the spheres. Trained in the Western and Indian classical vocal traditions, i have become addicted to the freestyle and instant composing approach to music of the latter. Improvisation is awareness, being a medium in the spheres of matter and spirit. I try to be the echo of what i sing. Undeniable presence i pretend to bring, and you’re lucky if you like it! I can’t sell myself. The resonance would renounce me. You hear what i am saying? As example of what i hopefully clarified, you can listen to the first CD with the same title as above: Music Will Save The World, by my raptrance formation Lucid Terror. It’s one of my hibernating bands.

More music and the “God knows the Absence revival” – reverse engineering a patented fluid conservation process

Nowadays I am trying to save the world sing with my natural born free jazz band called: The Black-Out Syndrome Club. At least our free jazz improvisations didn’t destroy the world as we know it either. Besides that I also sing in more intimate acoustic impro sessions with Fuck the Writer, Watch out! Brick!, Handsome of a Bitch, Venus’ Favourites. Ballads, blues improvisations, love songs, rap royal etc. And last but not least: God Knows The Absence reunited after 20 years.

Rotterdamned Unterground music: www.antiscene.nl

Our blood is music. Let it flow!

Here are some tracks from Lucid Terror’s album Music will save the world. For starters.

Tracklist Music Will Save The World

1. I Think I Am About To Say Something
Lucid Terror – I Think I Am About To Say Something

2. Time to leave
Lucid Terror – Time To Leave

3. I want to think as a bomb
Lucid Terror – I Want To Think As A Bomb

Listening to Lucid Terror, you comprehend that Music will save the world is more than a famous quote of the divine Catalan cellist Pablo Casals. My webmeister especially likes Casals’ interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suites. It’s maybe a bit like Angela Merkel after a couple of too much Vodka with Red Bull, steaming through the streets of Pamplona… or something.

Well, for me it’s time to stop now with a certain anti climax: Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake conceived and produced together a promising DIY video podcast AKA music video how to save the world in 4 minutes. And 4 seconds to be precise.