Bill Bruford's Earthworks - The Wooden Man Sings And The Stone Woman Dances (Paderborn 16 May, 2005)

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Last time we posted something from this concert in Paderborn, Germany was months back at the very beginning of the new year 2023. And yet it’s one of my favourite (over-lit) representations of the last Earthworks. Surely this 9/4 (9/8) faintly eastern European theme could make even a wooden man or a stone woman leap, dance or sing? Well, their hearts at least, if not their bodies? The strong pulse coming from the audience at 4’00” makes a fine backdrop for the manic-dervish soprano, and all goes well until the bass and drums decide it’s time (at 4’17”) to re-introduce a staccato version of the opening melody. Several fast moving rhythms just about avoid a train wreck, and we reach the downbeat at 4’34” with a sigh of relief. Well, I did, anyway.

Are there any wrong notes in jazz? Not really. Depends on the other notes (i.e. the harmony) surrounding the questionable note. Another way of looking at it came allegedly from Miles Davis “It's not the note you play that's the wrong note - it's the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong”.

So, what is unforgiveable in jazz? No one minds wrong notes (see above), especially if delivered with confidence, but not listening, and so failing to react, is a capital offence. It’s all about musical interaction at speed. I said this, so you said that, and both of us agree a third performer needs a unison riff under him for support, so we do that, more or less intuitively.

People with quick ears - like these guys - can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, cushioning an illogical melodic phrase in a logical harmonic feather bed. If the odd phrase is played twice, even better – you get a second chance to make the awkward sound less awkward. But many performers just treat the occasional unintentional moment as a more or less delightful surprise. Or, coming from another angle, British sage and guru-to-the-stars Brian Eno suggests that you “Honour your mistake as a hidden intention”.

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