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Improvisation, Representation, and Abstraction in Music and Art: Michael Snow and Jesse Stewart in Conversation

Jesse Stewart

Published: 2007-05-03

Improvising percussionist and visual artist Jesse Stewart converses with renowned artist, film maker, and improviser Michael Snow. Snow's relationship to improvisation began with his early roots in swing, his presence in the New York loft scene of the 1960s, and his involvement with two influential improvisation ensembles in Toronto: the Artists' Jazz Band, and CCMC. Stewart asks Snow about the role of improvised music in his broader arts practice.

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Improvisation implies a deep connection between the personal and the communal, self and world. A “good” improviser successfully navigates musical and institutional boundaries and the desire for self-expression, pleasing not only herself but the listener as well.

– Rob Wallace