Failure as Process: Jason Lescalleet at The Stone (7/8/12)

[anasara]

this was written shortly after jason's set at the stone, just prior to the release of the new album.

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Successfully joining the handcrafted, work-with-what-you-have ethos of ‘American noise’ with the articulate, calculated tendencies of ‘European free improvisation’ – to the extent such distinctions exist – Jason Lescalleet stands for many as one of the most engaging voices in contemporary experimental music. In addition to the quality of his recorded work, such as his much celebrated collaboration with Graham Lambkin, “The Breadwinner” (2008), the mastery with which Lescalleet executes his live performances is also often noted. The improviser played a solo set at The Stone on July 8th as part of the Northern Spy “Spy Music Festival”, an evening that was intriguing if short-lived.

This performance was somewhat of an anomaly. Tinged with electrical malfunctions, signal problems, and awkwardness not typical of his performances, the set ended abruptly with apologies to the audience. The evening was not only memorable for its peculiarity but for the questions it ultimately posed. Rather than ignoring the evening, taking it as a one-off mistake – in part the result of a venue notoriously unsuited for noise – the situation can serve as a catalyst for reflection on our expectations for improvised experimental music in the live setting. Specifically, we might ruminate on how our expectations as listeners (and performers) support, challenge, or disrupt notions of failure.

Known for his unique mixture of gestural tape manipulation and deftly crafted electronic wash, the Maine-based improviser rarely disappoints on record or live performance. The skill with which Lescalleet is able to control his sounds is a rare gift amongst the ‘give-it-your-best-shot-but-who-cares-anyway-just-get-drunk-and-have-fun’ sentiment that so often characterizes contemporary improvised music. Constructing a texturally rich, affectively dynamic aural environment, one can hear within his work the care with which his aesthetic is formed, a familiarity with his equipment that is made clear when watching him perform. To say his works are well-crafted is an understatement. But like many of his American contemporaries, there are times when instability pushes itself toward the surface, a potential threat that is partly what makes his work so enlivening. It would seem this instability took over this past Sunday, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and certainly not a ‘failure’.

Self-awareness is integral to improvisation. This is heightened in group sessions, where the ability to listen, internalize, and respond to the particular movements of other musicians signals a profound conscientiousness, and an acute, familiar understanding of collaboration. However, this can pose a great challenge during solo performance, when the improviser is forced to encounter nothing but their own movements, responding only to that which they have setup for themselves. In a sense, the result is a sort of monologue, an uninterrupted expression of ideas to which the listener is granted access. But in another sense, it is almost diaristic, and rather more akin to a soliloquy.

It is perhaps in this latter sense that the solo performance becomes most engaging, most fruitful, and most worthwhile, at least in any attempt to grasp the ‘musical vocabulary’ of any particular artist at any particular moment. What we have here is an unfolding dialogue with oneself, an internal conversation, which, for better or worse, is on display for an audience consisting of friends and strangers, faithful supporters and wary critics. The performer is placed in an extremely vulnerable position, and as such it is no surprise Lescalleet felt the need to apologize, even for something that was likely out of his control. There are certain expectations, perhaps unspoken, that ‘failure’ is unacceptable in the live context, even when it’s precisely that quality that makes improvised experimental music so exciting.

Lescalleet has increased the number of solo performances in recent months, perhaps in anticipation of his second release for Erstwhile Records. The ironically titled “Songs About Nothing”, whose material made up at least part of this performance, symbolizes the precarious and vulnerable position a solo performer is always placed. This is perhaps an inversion of the brash machismo of the infamous 1987 album “Songs About Fucking” by aggro-outfit Big Black, from which Lescalleet’s album takes both its name and front cover. (In fact, the set at The Stone included a great deal of rock and roll allusion, going as far as to include a slightly pitched-down and displaced AC/DC interlude.) Serving as the third installment of the label’s acclaimed ErstSolo series – which, as the name indicates, focuses entirely on the solo performance – the album ultimately functions as a portrait of the artist, or at least an imprint, the polished result of those experiments carried out (in part) during live sets.

In this sense, the live set is a testing ground, facilitating experimentation and the construction of a new vocabulary. As such, it also anticipates at least a little bit of failure, which itself is not necessarily the fault of the performer, and, in any case, is likely inherent to the nature of improvisation itself. Although Lescalleet’s set at The Stone was not perfect, whatever that entails, it was nonetheless worthwhile for all involved for reasons discussed above. Despite the problems that arise from a lost signal, which can be particularly destructive during a solo performance, we must remember that improvised experimental music lies on fickle yet fertile ground, in turn embracing the unstable territory it necessarily must traverse.

c.e.

[jon abbey]

interesting piece, thanks. two things: SAN is actually Jason's fourth release for Erst (you're missing Forlorn Green and Air Supply), and I think the only reason there was overlap in material from SAN with this set is that Jason was desperate near the end to try to find something that worked.

[anasara]

ah, thanks. interesting to hear why he delved into that material, which maybe underscores the vulnerability that comes with performance. his apology may have been the most fascinating part of the set, for me....

[jon abbey]

yeah, I didn't think it was really necessary but understood why he did it.

FWIW, dunno if you saw it, but Jason was awesome in that room last Sept in AMPLIFY playing solo, the difference of course being that he was using David Kirby's killer sound system as opposed to the inadequate Stone one.

[anasara]

i missed that, unfortunately. but i did see him play at diapason gallery a couple years ago.

[Steven Reynolds]

loved the review

cam't wait to scrap togther a new order that will include Songs About Nothing


fwiw - I won't go to the Stone between May/June and Aug/Sept due to the heat - the last time I was there during those warmer months was the night that Jason played solo last SEPT and thankfully kept the inept AC unit running wheras it was turned off as it had to be for the Rowe/Wolff set that followed.

I was NEVER hotter in my life during that following set - so uncomfortable that I missed some great music that I would have attended for at least a couple of more nights during the AMPLIFY run....but even on slighly coolwer nights I was unwilling to bear the pain of the heat despite....you know the music I missed.

However, I have to say that the Lescalleet solo set was wonderful and I just took in the incredible sound which was on the cusp of pain to all my senses at times but always manageable....

I have seen him 3 times (first in a duo with Rowe - beyond the impossible) and then with Lambkin (kinder and gentler) and it has always been more than worthwhile.

[anasara]

thanks for the comments