The “Super Sessions” Come to America

www.Supersessions.org

33 1/3 in Padua Italy Photo by Suzanne Short

From 10 to 100 hours of non-stop totally improvised music in several genres with a plethora of rotating musicians creating one long composition with several movements.

An event designed to promote live improvised music in a world becoming blander from homogenized and canned music. This is magic that can only happen when musicians are in the same room together jamming. The energy created from improvisational music comprises some of the best recordings of all time.

After four very successful events in Italy, the Super Sessions come to America. Other similar 2 and 3-day events have occurred in Sweden and Japan in an attempt to clone the Super Sessions but neither was totally improvised.

On May 12 and 13 of 2007 the first Super Session in America “33 1/3 PHX” was hosted in Phoenix Arizona at Modified Arts.

Brief History:

The brainchild of promoter/musician Chris Boulet (an expatriate from Milwaukee who now lives in Italy) the Super Sessions idea started as a way to record spontaneous music to use for background on an album “Monkey with a Thumb”. After the success of these recordings and a chance meeting with guitarist/producer Willie Oteri, who had just completed an album “Spiral Out” using the same method in the studio, it was decided to extend the Super Sessions and the first 14 hour show was held at the Banale Club in Pauda Italy in 2004. A few months later a 33 1/3 hour event was held also at Banale followed the next year with 45A and 45B (45 hours non-stop) at Factory 04 in Padua.

These past shows were a great success and have attracted some of the world's best musicians, who are all passionate about promoting live improvised music, which by many accounts is the future of creative music and arguably one possible savior for the music business.(see notes) as well as a way to break away from what many would say has been dictated as “the norm”. Past events have included bass master Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, John Lennon), drummer Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, XTC, Mr. Mister) German drummer extraordinaire Schroeder (Mike Keneally, Napoleon Murphy Brock), guitarist Willie Oteri (Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Mike Keneally) and rare performances by producer Cookie Marenco (Roy Hargrove, Charlie Haden, Windham Hill) including a very special and now legendary early morning ambient session with Tony Levin and producer Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson, Chucho Valdes, Jamie Walters) and jams featuring many other top jazz and rock musicians from around the world. These events have also attracted the attention of major periodicals and are a great way to promote musical products and art.

Willie Oteri and Marcus Reuter 45 B-Side Photo by Factory O4

Suggestions for performers:

How the Super Sessions differ from participation in normal concert and club events.

Although improvisation if often associated only with jazz the Super Sessions go beyond this genre and have tended to be more of a Rock, Progressive or Jazz/Rock fusion vain with moments of world music, classical, folk and anything you can imagine. We have done it all so far and wish to continue to mix the genres.

Performer participation:

For headliners:

Since these events are multiple hours and days long all performers are expected, but not required, to participate in more than a normal 1 hour or 90 minute set that would be expected for most situations. Your performance time may be spread over a wider time slot. You may be performing for only 10, 20 or 30 minutes or maybe several hours in one slot and then return to do it later. Some slots may not be the most “limelight” times and may be mornings or afternoons but as a marquee player you would be given a spot with other competent professionals.

In most cases There will be no MC microphone announcement of marquee players when they take the stage. With few exceptions left to the discretion of the hosts this is the general rule. There may be a video screen (strip) of approximate times that players of note and name will take the stage but in no way will the contentious piece of music be interrupted. The main focus of the event is to promote live improvised music and from beginning to end each day the music is as if it were “one” score or piece of music with many movements. It is essential that all performers understand this. If you are an artist or represent an artist of name and you wish to make sure fans will know when they will perform you must make means to visually get the word out though video projection or similar near the stage or printed material to be handed out during the show. Keep in mind there are no definite time slots, in order to keep the music uninterrupted, but we can come within an hour or so as we understand the importance of promoting the artist.

Skinny Bishop and Pat Mastelotto at 33 1/3 PHX Photo by Jay Terrien

Suggetions for all performers:

Part of the scheduled times for Super Sessions are for unknown players to have a chance to join in the jams and perhaps a chance to perform with some of the marquee players they admire. This at times can be difficult if the young performer is not quite up to professional standards but these times on stage are often brief and it is helpful if everyone helps out where they can. It is somewhat like giving a seminar but in a live improvised situation. While it is nice to have headliners (marquee) to help out it is not required that anyone join any jam they do not feel comfortable with, but it will add to the fun and all players are welcome to join in any of the jams. The only exception here may be a short peak time slots for a headliners to perform with musicians they choose. We do ask that less experienced players ask permissions before joining a jam of top professionals. These shows are several hours long and we will try to get everyone up when we can.

For those of you not as experienced as are marquee players please understand that your time(s) may be short in order for the audience to have an experience with the marquee players they have been waiting to see but we will try to make it as fair and as fun as possible for all involved.

John Capobianco and Tony Levin 45 A-side Photo by Factroy o4

Iranian performers at 33 1/3 in Padua Italy Photo by Suzanne Short

German Violinist Sylvia Olekrug at 33 1/3 Padua Italy Photo by Suzanne Short

If you are not familiar with true improvised music we suggest the following recordings.

This is in no way a complete list but it does give an example of what improvised music can be and many of the styles used in past Super Sessions. We are of course open to all styles. Note that not all of these recordings will sound totally improvised but for the most part they were created form open jams.

Jazz and jazz/rock:

Miles Davis “Bitches Brew”, “In a Silent Way”, DVD “Different Kind of Blue”

John Zorn – any of the Live Masada Recordings

Mahavishu Orchestra – Birds of Fire and any of the live recordings.

Willie Oteri “Spiral Out”,

Jazz Gunn – Concepts of…

Progressive Rock:

King Crimson - any “Projects” and Live Recordings (especially the double trios)

Magma – Live in 1974

World Music:

Various Titles by Hugh Masekela and others can be found at,

www.timbucktunes.com

NOTES:

Imagine going to a live show and having the ability to immediately upload any part you wish to your iPod or other personal recording device that will later allow you to edit and enhance the material. This is only one example of how a business, which is presently dying do to lack of CD sales can benefit from such performances by having the music being performed available for iPods and other devices for a reasonable fee. This is already being done.