The Free Jazz Collective: Peter Evans

Photo by Cristina Marx/Photomusix

What is your greatest joy in improvised music?

I get a very basic and fundamental joy from the activity itself. This is not necessarily enough to generate good or interesting music however!
So, how do you turn the joy of making music into interesting music?

I don’t know if its a matter of “turning it into interesting music”, more framing or delivering the activity or process of improvisation into something that is not only somewhat intelligible for the listener but perhaps more importantly constantly engaging for the performers. I believe there needs to be almost a feedback loop or regenerative process of using the group dynamics to produce things that are maybe on the border of “not working” to keep things fresh and engaging. If the players are alert and engaged, the music stands more of a chance of being interesting both to the players and the listeners. Take all of this with a grain of salt, nothing said about the activity of improvised music has ever really captured the vibe or been 100 percent true.
What quality do you most admire in the musicians you perform with?

Personality, craft, the development and mastery of their own language... I guess I appreciate a personal voice the most. I admire the dedication it takes to cultivate and develop that voice.
You have so many projects going and clearly often asked by other musicians to join their bands: how do you prioritize what you do?

I’m not asked a ton but when I am and its by someone I really admire I will make space for it. I love being a sideman with an inspiring bandleader. Aaron Burnett, Dan Weiss and Mazz Swift are three artists I’ve gotten to perform with in their groups just this year alone. They are all so different and each exhibit total mastery over their materials, have interesting aesthetics, so its a pleasure for me to help realize their vision. Its fun as well, and I always learn something.

With my own bands I really have one main thing now and that’s Being & Becoming. Other groups that I gave documented recently such as Symphony or Forever 21 are more in a holding pattern until I can focus on them more, although in NYC I’m always trying stuff out. I recently set up a couple of gigs with the tenor player Mark Shim for instance, which was an incredible experience.

I don’t know if its like this for everyone but I’ve found that in this business it pays to be proactive. I am working hard now to get B&B out there in front of listeners and to develop the band sound.
Which historical musician/composer do you admire the most?

Can't pick just one, I'm sorry!
If we extend it to say 5?

Bach and Coltrane. I know that’s boring in a way but its true.
If you could resurrect a musician to perform with, who would it be?

I've known and worked with too many musicians who have died prematurely to really appreciate this idea. It's a bit morbid. If I HAD to resurrect someone would they be in? I'm a big fan of the movie Reanimator. Things can go haywire.
What would you still like to achieve musically in your life?

Many things, more than I will be able to achieve. All sides of my work I think have so much room to explore. I feel that I am reaching towards something; a vision or a concept of how I would like my music to feel and sound, and while I go forward. the thing itself keeps morphing. I think this is a common feeling for artists.
Your solo performance are considered by many (including us here at the Free Jazz Blog) to be the highest level of achievement. Do you however see areas of improvement or development?

Thanks for that. But to answer the question - of course! The only limits are that of the imagination and how much time one is willing to put in to realize an idea.
Is there a musical setting that you would still like to perform in or create?

Too many to name, but in reality most „new“ settings happen naturally. I would like to explore the Early Music side of things at some point.
We often ask about ideal band members, but what is the audience that you prefer?

Just that people are there, relaxed and involving themselves with the music. I don’t mind when people make noise and interact with the music, it can be really nice.
Are you interested in popular music and - if yes - what music/artist do you particularly like?

Sure! These days I enjoy the act of listening to music more than even getting into whether I "like" the specific music or not. So I listen to lots of stuff without a lot of judgement on the front end. It's nice. My wife and I were recently going through classic Pharrell stuff, some of the big hits he produced, Twista's "Overnight Celebrity" for instance. That stuff is kind of old now! Recently listening to some Dua Lipa as well. If I'm in another country I will always listen to the local pop radio. Recently in Sardinia they were playing some really nice new pop stuff. American-influenced for sure, but still cool and it had a vibe. Angelina Mango was one, she had a definite Rosalia influence (who I also really like, especially Motomami).
So, if you were to choose between performing with Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift, who would it be?

Miley seems cool. I’d be happy to work for her.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I don't know how to answer this! I don't want to bullshit you but a real answer will take some more consideration. There are things that are actually changeable so those things I attempt to work on. I guess the real question would be - what is something you'd like to change that is impossible to change? Need to think on that.
Which of your albums are you most proud of?

Specific recordings:
- "Embraceable You" from the album Standards
- “From Beyond” - the Midi piano piece from the album Murmurs
- Destination Void
Once an album of yours is released, do you still listen to it? And how often?

I will only listen to it maybe years later out of curiosity. After a recent album comes I'm usually sick of hearing it for awhile.
Which album (from any musician) have you listened to the most in your life?

That's tough. Not sure. Maybe some Coltrane…
What are you listening to at the moment?

Digging around some older minimal techno recommendations from Nick Jozwiak, Richie Hawtin for example. I listened to some of the Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues last night. I love Steve Grossman's stuff from the 70s and have had "Shapes to Come" on repeat for the last year or two. I listen to a lot of "early music", stuff like Ockeghem, Phillipe de Vitry, and stuff from the Ars Subtilior movement in the 1400's. Recorder music from that era too. I have Tomito Satori on right now while writing this - some more techno stuff. An album called Blood Rising.
What artist outside music inspires you?

Comedian Tim Dillon brings me a lot of joy these days. I have a book of interviews with Andrey Tarkovsky on the nightstand now. I am really inspired by these "larger-than-life" characters, so for instance when I read Mike Tyson's auto-biography "Undisputed Truth", I thought there was a lot to chew on. Great book.
The element of fun is often present in your compositions and improvisations, either in the speed of the execution (pyrotechnics), the pulse and drive of the music. How important is this to you as compared to your work with eg Jeremiah Cymerman or Cory Smythe or Barry Guy? How do you place these differences in your performances?

I think its more important just to be prepared and act/react naturally in every situation.
Any ideas on how to get mainstream attraction for avant-garde music? Why is non-figurative painting more acceptable than non-figurative music?

The age-old question. I don’t know what constitutes mainstream anymore but I think for instance with Being & Becoming we could vary the repertoire enough that we could play for pretty much anyone. I’m not necessarily presenting it as "avant garde" music. That goes for other projects I play in as well.

A lot has to do with how the music is presented, who it is advertised to, which venues it is happening in. I wish promoters would understand better how much of a difference they can make in the reception and the development of audience by addressing some of these parameters more imaginatively and directly. I feel that at times (not always) the lack of acceptance of more „difficult“ music is a self-fulfilled prophecy, and it doesn’t need to be. A lot of responsibility to create a better situation rests on the artists and the presenters, in my opinion.

Non-figurative painting is fine as a thing in general of course but let’s be honest: that world is now part of an international system of money laundering, and has been for a long time. We all know this. On the other side there is Francis Bacon's criticism of non-figurative art, in which case its resigned to becoming background ambiance, indistinguishable from interior design, like buying a Mondrian-style decorative plate at Walmart. So it’s acceptability is kind of strange and much different than music. I’m not sure what non-figurative music is - I think I know what you mean but the definitions here are to slippery to be of much use.

Peter Evans on the Free Jazz Blog:

2 comments:

Nikolai Shienok said...: Peter Evans is one of my favorite musicians. I'm so happy to have attended his concerts in Moscow twice: the first one in November 2017 - Free Radicals (Barry Guy / Maya Homburger / Agustí Fernández / Peter Evans), and the second one in November 2018 - PETER EVANS’ KÖLN QUARTET (with Elisabeth Coudoux, Sabine Akiko Arendt, and Florian Zwissler). Thank you so much for the interview!; November 5, 2024 at 7:23 PM
Don Phipps said...: Just listened for the first time to Being & Becoming - Ars memoria. Most excellent and highly recommended.; November 13, 2024 at 12:55 AM

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Peter Evans - Sunday Interview XL

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