Jeff Arnal

Could you introduce you to the French public ?
Greetings, thanks for taking an interested in my music. I¹m a composer, and improviser living and working in New York City.  I have toured throughout the US and Europe with recent performances in Berlin, Boston, and New York.  Some of my work can be heard on Cadence Jazz Records, Oaksmus, Sachimay Records, and Generate Records.

Did you start by the drums? And who are the drummers who influenced you at the start?
The drums were my first instrument and I started playing at the age of 13.  This was during the early eighties and I was listening to a lot of different music. My earliest drum influences were Mitch Mitchell and Keith Moon.  As I continued percussion studies my influences included Sunny Murray, Andrew Cyrille, Tony Oxley,  Elvin Jones, Ed Blackwell, and Milford Graves.  Additionally, the percussion music of Cage, Xenakis, Varese, and Feldman greatly influenced my work.

You studied music at the University of Maryland and you received your Master of Fine Arts degree in Music from Bennington College. Could you speak to us about these years ? Who are the first important meetings you do ? Is it a chance for you to study with Milford Graves ?
I moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 1990 to attend the Peabody Conservatory. I studied percussion, theory, composition, and orchestration. I was at Peabody for a little over a year, but the program was not for me. I felt I didn¹t have enough time to pursue my creative work. Around this time I began studying with composer Stuart Saunders Smith and transferred to the University of Maryland. Smith opened my eyes and ears. I began composing more and started performing in a new music ensemble with pianist Jonathan Vincent.  We spent a lot of time working on Smith¹s music. (If you are not familiar with his compositions I highly recommend a book published by Excelsior Music Publishing entitled ³The music of Stuart Saunders Smith.² ) After some time Vincent and I began improvising on the vocabulary we were developing from these highly complex scores. Soon we started working with multi-reedist John Dierker and double bassist John Hughes.  We rehearsed twice a week, with only the occasional gig. Each of us would bring in compositions and ideas to work on. We also started playing jazz standards. This was a very exciting time. After five years of serious work with this ensemble I started looking at graduate schools. I decided on Bennington College, mainly because Milford Graves and Charles Gayle were there.  I was at Bennington from 1997 to 2000 studying composition, improvisation, and electronic music. I learned an enormous amount from Milford Graves; not only about percussion, but about life. However, I made a conscience decision before I started studying with him to try and keep my own identity as a percussionist. This can be difficult when you study with anyone, and definitely with some one like Milford. He has a huge presence, and has done so much to open up jazz drumming. Studying with Charles Gayle was rewarding and enlightening on many levels. We had the chance to play as a duo every week for about two years. He is great, really solid! These sessions opened up so much musicality, dynamics, and phrasing for my work. His music continues to inspire me. Another element of work that developed during my time at Bennington was collaborative performances with choreographers Estelle Woodward, Agnes Benoit-Nader and Zack Fuller.  Bennington has a long dance and music improvisation tradition going back to Judith Dunn and Bill Dixon. I really find this exciting and I¹m looking forward to continuing the development of this work.

Your project with choreographers seems very interesting. How did you approach this work ?
I am fortunate because each of the choreographers I work with has a very distinctive vocabulary, and process. Zack Fuller is theatrical and has worked with butoh dancer Min Tanaka for a long time. Zack has a monumental sense of space and time. It may take him 5 minutes to move two feet. This greatly effects my choice of tempo and rhythm. I could be supportive by focusing on sound events spaced with silence or counterpoint his slow movement with rhythmic momentum. My ongoing work with choreographer Estelle Woodward is perhaps the most fruitful of these situations. She has a wonderful movement vocabulary and compositional sense. We approach pieces by developing multiple cells of movement and music material. Any number of these cells can be used during an improvisation, resulting in a mobile structure referencing the same source material. It is exciting to see over time the expansion and precision of this material. Both Estelle and I are very committed to this work.
Another approach was a collaborative project with choreographer Anges Benoit, sculptor Martha Morgan, and lighting designer Heather Hutton. Each performance would last about 30 minutes. During this time a mammoth sculpture was constructed out of fabric and plastic. The lighting illuminated the sculpture and space, constantly shifting the focus and mood. Anges worked with the increasingly constrictive space. Her movement developed in a flowing but thematic sense.
I choose four instrumental stations with distinctive sound worlds. The physical placement (on stage) and my movement between instruments became the one of the underlying structures for the piece. This environmental improvisation was an interesting approach to working as a quartet and I hope we can investigate it further.

Is it something important for you to play with artists who aren't musicians ?
Yes. Exchanging ideas with other artists is a crucial element to my development as a musician. A good portion of this work is fuelled by interdisciplinary ideas. As a musician, the unavoidable way for me to think of composition is directly linked to my study of music. I don¹t believe we have exhausted new possibilities in harmonic, rhythmic and structural usage. However, looking outside of this to other disciplines can motivate an idea to move in a surprising direction.

Generally, what are your inspirations ? Art ? People ? Literature ?
On many levels collaborating with other artists is the most inspiring. Synergy is such a wonderful concept. For some time I have been interested in Buckminster Fuller who describes synergy as the only word in our language that means "behaviour of whole systems unpredicted by the system's separate parts or any subassembly of the systems parts."  I think of group improvisation in this way. Working with certain ensembles becomes a synergetic situation. For example my work with saxophonist Blaise Siwula and bassist Vattel Cherry in the group Expositions of Freedom... Now!  The individual contributions are all very strong, but what I find special and inspiring is the resulting sonic quality of our group.
I would also like to mention another inspiring person, painter / musician Philip Wofford. We started making music together in 1998 (Generate Records GEN 01). Both he and his wife Carol Haerer have worked as painters for over 50 years. What is exciting to me is they are still in the studio everyday! Creating and investigating work that continually surpasses itself. This is an unbelievable example for me as a person and an artist.

Can you elaborate on your role as a musician and some of the techniques you use to realise your goals ?
These days most of my time is spent working as a percussionist. I have always viewed technique as a vehicle to achieve a musical result. Today I¹m still learning how to drive the same vehicle I was ten years ago. I might be able to drive a bit faster and in more hazardous conditions, but I¹m still on the same road going to the same place.  
Part of this place is achieving my own rhythmic sense. One such way I have approached this is using polyrhythms as a foundation with superimposed rhythmic divisions of each beat. For example a polyrhythm of 2 against 3 with the quarter note being the 3. Each quarter note can be divided into various groupings of 3,4,5,6,7,9 as the polyrhythmic momentum is maintained. Unifying the swing-groove foundation of jazz with micro melodic figures.  
Another important place in my work is the quality of sound from my instruments. In 1996 I had a drum set built for me by Baltimore Drum Company. This became the beginning of my quest to personalize my sound. In addition, the tuning, stick choice, and augmentation of the kit with specific cymbals, wood blocks, and bells helps  pronounce this sound.

You often play in little formations (trio, duo). Why did you prefer these structures ?
I really like the intimate quality of smaller groups. This has to do with better chances of achieving deeper communication. Sometimes working in a larger ensemble becomes complicated with ideas and personalities. However, when working with like minded musicians the results can be wonderful. One example of a recent success with a large group took place this past November (2001). I had the opportunity to perform with a quintet in Hamburg, Germany. The line up included Alberto Braida (piano), Giancarlo Locatelli (clarinets), Lars Scherzberg (alto saxophone), John Hughes (bass), and myself. I can¹t say enough on how remarkable and focused these four musicians are. The ensemble ended up having a unique approach to constructing pieces. I feel the concert was very exciting as a result of everyone really listening and giving each other lots of space to make the music work.
Outside of this a great deal of my previous collaborations have been in the duo or trio formation. I feel you can stretch out more and still have focused pieces. Recently pianist-composer Gordon Beeferman and myself released a CD of duets on Generate Records (GEN 05). This is a good example of this type of work. Gordon borders on the telepathic. Compositions are focused and breathe with an intimate quality. We can start and end each others phrases, use dynamics in the most extreme sense, give each other time for solos, and still leave silence open. This works because we both have a common aesthetic. Our goal is to make pieces of music within the parameters we have set for each piece. This may not be discussed verbally but after the first few seconds of playing it becomes clear.

Could you speak to us about the vitality of creative musics in NYC ?
As I'm sure you know, there is a great deal happening in New York. Specifically concerts at C.O.M.A. ABC No Rio, The Knitting Factory, Tonic, and The Vision Festival. This Spring myself along with pianist Dan DeChellis, guitarist Chris Forsyth, and choreographer Estelle Woodward are presenting an experimental music and dance festival in NYC. Improvised and Otherwise: A Festival of Sound and Form will take place at Williamsburg Art Nexus (WAX) in Brooklyn, NY on April 26, 27, and 28. The line up will include over sixty musicians and dancers from all over the United States, as well as a few performers from Germany. I'm really excited to have the opportunity to organise this project ! Our hope is that we will be able to establish the festival as an annual event to encourage and support the momentum of experimental composers and performers. More information is available at www.improvisedandotherwise.com

You play in several different groups. Is it important for you ? Is it a way to open your play to all the music perspectives - no limits, freedom... ?
I do enjoy collaborating with like minded people. Fortunately I am friends with quite a few artists. Each individual person and situation brings a special quality and sonic result. Having these different opportunities is one way to open up musical possibilities.
Freedom in music is an important concept to me. Of course this will mean different things to different people. I do experience freedom in a variety of situations. Sometimes the group dynamic encourages my playing to push a certain musical envelop. However, I feel this freedom because so many performers and composers paved this road for all of us to travel on. What I try to keep in mind is that traditions were established because of innovations and ground breaking work. I feel obligated and enabled to find my own way of creating work.
An example of this is Milford Graves. His work helped open up the role of the drummer in the jazz tradition. I wasn't around in the early 60's when this began, but as we know, Milford's work was ground breaking. He created endless possibilities for drummers and he continues to do so today. Now a question I ask myself is, where do I fit in to the lineage of this tradition? I believe he forged this path and it¹s ok now for people to travel on. Artists also have the freedom to challenge the preestablished traditions. I would guess most innovators do not want clones trying to repeat what they have done. We have the freedom to take the music to our own place inside or outside any tradition. I hope to continue down the road in my own way travelling to a new place with a clear path back to these traditions. This is freedom in music for me.

Generally what do you prefer, free improvisation, structured improvisation or composition ? and why ?
Recently I have been playing a great deal of free improvisation. However, I am inspired very much from composition. I try to spend time learning composed pieces. I also try to write as much as possible. These days it is not much, a few bars here and a few bars there. I enjoy free improvisation very much, music composed in the moment. Terms like instantaneous composition describe this precisely.
Compositions in the moment and thoroughly composed pieces have many similarities. For me these two approaches to creating music are very much one way of working. I participate in and try to learn from both. The one great advantage of improvisation is the collective thought and direction of a good ensemble. Fast thinking skills are developed for improvising in real time and slow thinking skills are used for determining how to compose a score on paper over a month. I believe these two are intrinsically related. By spending time developing my slow thinking skills, I am simultaneously honing my fast thinking skills so I can make good compositional decisions in the moment. In both of these mind sets, I ponder the same questions.  For example; How do these six notes relate to each other harmonically, what will come next, what just happened, where is this rhythmic structure taking the music? During an improvisation my fast thinking skills have more to go on, because I have thought of these situations and may have several solutions.

In the group Expositions of Freedom... Now ! you play with two great improvisators. Could you speak to us about this trio ? A strong project
Blaise and Vattel are really great! Sometimes a strong group energy is there from the start. This was the case for Expositions. The recording released on Cadence Jazz Records was our first concert as a trio. Since then we have toured and played on numerous occasions. It just keeps getting better. The group dynamic is really big. We can blow it out and drop down to nothing, all in a musical way. Another thing about the group chemistry I really like is the fact that the music really breathes. It is organic even in the most complex sections. Expositions of Freedom... Now! is a very exciting project.
Blaise and Vattel have know each other for quite sometime. I know Vattel through John Dierker in Baltimore. They were in a great group that is now defunct called Krill, with Evan Rapport and Will Redman. Vattel is a extraordinary bass player. One of the things that blows my mind about him is how versatile and smooth his transitions are between pizzicato passages and arco sections. He always has fresh ideas.  As for Blaise we met when I performed at ABC No Rio on a tour with dancer Zack Fuller in 1999. Blaise and I really hit it off, and now we work together quite a bit.  We have collaborated in numerous group situations here in NYC. Blaise is another inspirational person, his playing is absolutely on the highest level. Also, his dedication to the music and creating uncompromising quality work is perpetual.  
Expositions of Freedom... Now! has a show coming up here in NYC on April 12, 2002 at ABC No Rio. We also hope to get the group in the studio to record this spring. We haven't had the chance to do a really good studio recording yet. There is some talk about putting together a European tour down the road, I'll keep you posted.

Could you speak to us about your work for Generate Records ? Is it easy for you to manage your career as musician and for the label ?
Philip Wofford and myself began working as a duet in 1998.  We named our group Generations Duo; mostly because of the thirty year generation gap.  We made a recording, and sent it out to quite a few independent labels.  We got a great deal of positive response but no one released it.  Instead we were encouraged to self produce it.  When we put the art together, Philip put Generate Records as the company, referencing the group and the generation of sound.  Since then I have gone on with the name Generate Records to document and release projects I have been involved with.  
 It has since grown into a small independent record label.  It doesn¹t interfere with my performance career, but it does take some work.  I view it as an augmentation of the music;  in the same way as taking the time to create a score.  The catalog to date only includes my projects.  In the future I want to move away from this exclusive way of working and include more diverse projects.  I would also like to include videos of dance or music concerts.   I still have a great deal of work to do in order to increase the labels¹ distribution and a lot more to learn about this business.   I look at the whole project as a work in progress.

You record more than many young musicians. Could you explain why ? Is it a way to have some references for your future works ?
Outside of Philip Wofford all of the musicians on the label are under 40.  These musicians appear on these releases because I work with them all on a regular basis.  I feel fortunate that some of the projects I¹m involved with have records on other labels.  Expositions of Freedom... Now! has a record on Cadence Jazz Records, and I have another project on Oaksmus.  Both of these companies have a large distribution.   Most record companies and a great deal of concert promoters don¹t take a chance on younger musicians.   In a way I understand they have to move records and make sales.   On the other hand it¹s frustrating.   Promoters and business people are consciencely or subcosciencely working against the art of young musicians.  I think a great deal of talented young people are aware of this.  Self promotion is the key.  I think the old system has it¹s function but in order not to be reliant on impulses of the music industry, small independent labels and other visions exist.  What I find difficult to sort through is the the numbers of talented players involved in making improvised / new music.  I have toured quite a bit over the past few years and I¹ve been fortunate enough to hear old and young musicians making wonderful music all over the world.  A great deal of the these musicians don't have records or recognizable names but are involved in small local scenes.   They are cultivating a very exciting and individual musical aesthetic.  This is essentially why I started Generate Records.   My philosophy is to document what I believe is important right now with my immediate circle and to share this with as many people as possible inside or outside the bureaucracy of the music industry.

On your last project Bodies of Water we feel a very communicative energy with Gordon Beeferman. Could speak to us about this musician and more generally about the project ?
I met Gordon after I did a concert at the Williamsburg Art & Historic Center with a mutual friend, violinist Katt Hernandez.  This was in the fall of 2000.  We started making music right away.  As I mentioned above Gordon is an extraordinary musician.  I feel fortunate because he doesn¹t work very often with improvisers.  He is a very dedicated composer.   He was at Tanglewood this past summer, and in March the Minnesota Orchestra is reading his entire first Symphony.  Really great stuff!  Gordon¹s work as both an composer and improviser is astounding.  I find our work together exciting because it has a definitive direction.  It¹s open and free but the duo has a focused sense of composition.  I couldn¹t be happier with ³Bodies of Water.²   The project was recorded,  mixed, and mastered by Ross Bonadonna at Wombat Recording Company in Brooklyn, NY.   He is a fantastic engineer.  Ross is also a musician and works with a great deal of experimental groups here in NY.  This gives him a great advantage recording this type of music.

Could you speak to us about your projects for 2002 ?
Generate Records has two upcoming releases.   GEN 06 Under the name of Spy Satellite, multi reedist -  John Dierker, pianist - Jonathan Vincent and myself on percussion will release our first studio recording,  celebrating ten years of collaboration.

GEN 07 is a documentation of concerts and session recordings in Berlin and Hamburg 2001.    The line up includes: Lars Scherzberg, John Hughes, Dietrich Eichmann, Giancarlo Locatelli, Alberto Braida, and myself on percussion.

The new REV 99 project on PAX recordings includes 99 Hooker, Ross Bonadonna, Akio Mokuno, Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Donald Miller, myself and many more... 

Propos recueillis par Sébastien Moig