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Category Archives: reviews

Lab reports: (insider, outsider, guest) reviews of Stet Lab performances.

Lab report July 10th 2008: fitting the square piece into that triangular hole

It’s good, I think, to think tactically about improvisation, and group improvisation in particular. You know, however, that you’ve lost the game in improvisation when you’re preempting the music. You don’t want to be thinking this is how it should be, goddamnit, and I will fit that square piece into that triangular hole. Much more […]

Lab report June 12th 2008: thoughts of a newbie improviser

I’ve often wondered what goes through an improviser’s head during group improvisation. The improvised public performances I’ve participated in before have been more like improvised compositions in a sense—one person takes charge, or there’s a kind of plan vaguely sketched out (usually with the proviso that things might happen differently). This was my first time […]

Lab report June 12th 2008: being the odd-one-out

There’s a lot to be said for being the odd-one-out: you can be lazy. There’s also a lot to be said for putting two ‘alikes’ together; be it the same instrumentation, or people who share a name. Okay, AFAIK, tactically, as an improviser, that latter factor doesn’t make an iota of difference, but I can […]

Lab report June 12th 2008: noisiest ‘hoedown’

“This was possibly the noisiest ‘hoedown’ ever………………………………………” —Everybody’s sub-conscious Anyway, it began with several short burst to get things started, from the house band of the evening. This comprised Eoin Callery (mountain dulcimer), Susan Geaney (flute), Tony O’Connor (bass guitar) and Barry Twomey (guitar). A very well behaved bass player who could have crush the […]