The First Concert: An Adaptive Appraisal of a Meta Music, Copula, Harlow, Essex, UK, 2011
back cover text:
'He spoke about music in its pre-cultural state, when song had been a
howl across several pitches, [when] musical performances must have
had a quality something like free recitation; improvisation. But if
one closely examined music, and in particular its most recently
achieved stage of development, one noticed the secret desire to
return to those conditions.'
- Thomas Mann Doctor Faustus
'We are searching for sounds and for the responses that attach to
them, rather than thinking them up, preparing them and producing them.'
- Cornelius Cardew
'Everywhere, the orthodox systems of our times anticipate the careful
and clear presentation of ready-worked-out on-tap outcomes,
throughout our lives. Said systems seldom afford focused vantage on
the vagaries, protean problems, the awkward wealth, of investigation
itself. Generally, the on-goings of development are hidden, edited or
simply unseen; what has been developed over time is rendered public,
honed for appreciation after the fact, variously knowable,
reproducible and endorsable qua final product or record.'
- Seymour Wright
Percussionist Eddie Prévost co-founded in the 1960s the seminal
improvising music ensemble AMM. In this book he presents a very
personal philosophy of music informed by his long working practice
and inspired by the London weekly improvisation workshop he first
convened in 1999. Perhaps controversially, this view is mediated
through the developing critical discourse of adaptionism; a
perspective grounded in Darwinian conceptions of human nature. Music
herein is examined for its cognitive and generative qualities to see
how our evolved biological and emergent cultural legacy reflects our
needs and dreams. This survey visits ethnomusicology, folk music,
jazz, contemporary music and 'world music' as well as focusing upon
various forms of improvisation - observing their effect upon human
relations and aspirations. However, there are also analytical and
ultimately positive suggestions towards future 'metamusical'
practices. These mirror and potentially meet the aspirations of a
growing community who wish to engage with the world - with all its
history and chance conditionals - by applying a free-will in making
music that is creative and collegiate.
Paperback (with flaps): £15.00
ISBN: 978-0-952492-5-3
250 pages (230 cm x 153 cm)
Published 2011 by Copula, an imprint of Matchless Recordings and Publishing
