Improvisation

In recent years the controversy over Darwinism vs. Creationsim has been used to sell magazines. Time magazine did a cover story on it. Put into perspective the tone of recent journalism has taken on characteristics of the Theater of the Absurd. Saturday Night Live did a sketch this past weekend with a news anchor interviewing Senator John McCain about being old. The rhetoric spewing from the commentator’s mouth was a Socratic comedic double talk entirely meant to fluster Senator McCain. After both parties realized what was happening the point of the interview became clear. The interview was not supposed to be a hypothetical forum allowing Senator McCain to express preconceived political views. It contrarily it was meant to be an extemporaneous improvisation. Without an artistic model from which to pattern itself, the interview easily could have escalated into a shouting match. There are artistic models for many things, but unfortunately they have been put on the shelf at the expense of a young and naïve media with eyes of narcissism. While improvising in real time in the heat of the moment does have its virtues, aspiring artists will soon find out inspiration is only 10% of the equation. 90% is sweat, the sweat caused by researching one’s topic. Any serious artist eventually learns their personal medium will evolve more quickly if there are sound ideas upon which to base their inspirations. Motivation and inspiration are not enough to produce long lasting and historically relevant art. Therefore the best improvisers are the one’s with the most knowledge. While there is such a thing as natural talent and that does figure importantly into the equation, knowledge is what organizes, guides, and henceforth creates the artistic statement. Going into a shouting match unprepared… Well you know the outcome. There is a solid reason why the Boyscout motto is “Be Prepared.” The process of improvisation could be elusive, but if based upon a sound model the chances of success are heightened. America has lost touch with the art of improvisation for several reasons. First it requires that its purveyors expose their souls in public. With the current state of our media, that could be a catastrophic faux pas. The primary intention of tabloid media in recent years has been to destroy celebrities. There has been story after story on the belligerence of the paparazzi toward celebrities. Somehow in the stew of life the perks of being a celebrity became lost behind the sheer desperation of a ravenous media feeding themselves. It is not fun anymore being a celebrity. Instead of sharing their talents with the public, celebrities have been pushed to live lives incognito protecting themselves from poison darts of contempt. With such a prevalent current in the United States, the stage upon which an improvisation could occur greatly has been diminished. There simply are no forums left for the art to transpire. When looking for a model for improvisation there is no more logical place to look than jazz music. Jazz music is based upon the art of improvisation, and without it it would be nothing more than instrumental pop music. Improvisation is the framework upon which jazz lives. Improvisation means there has to be a camaraderie developed between the purveyors allowing them the trust to expose their souls. America has lost that as a whole. Evidently the stark realism of Capitalism has driven man to the brink of existence scuffling for his very life. We are so concerned with earning a living there is no time left for the finer things. We are in a cultural Dark Ages with the bubonic plague being represented by mental rather than physical illness. ADD has robbed us of the ability to create art in real time in a forum that provides the necessary shelter and security to speak from the heart without fear of repercussion. As a result life and media in general have become shallow, immediate, and disposable. The ability to create a mood (a feeling) has been rendered impotent. It seems no one is interested in sustaining a thought for more than a few seconds, because if we did the ignorance of the American people would surface immediately. The knowledge that would need to fill that void of time would be epic. We as a nation have come to rely upon improvisation but improvisation based on a shallow framework of immediacy. We spar like inexperienced boxers with no strategy. Miles Davis would be a good role model upon which to base a future aesthetic. He studied boxing and used it in his curriculum of jazz music. Unlike many people believe his music was expertly worked out over time. He studied a concept, exercised it, and manipulated it until it became a refined art form under his name. This is why Miles Davis was so successful in the field of jazz music. Many people have the talent to be able to spar in the ring. Few have the resources to be able to refine the fight into a work of art. If America would recognize that we have lost this ability and begin to embrace this artistic process, our lives would be enriched. We could learn to trust one another and therefore hope for a more secure future of stable and fulfilling lives. This will never happen if we continue the way we are now.