Through reading this book, written by Sarath and informed by his 30 years of experience as a music professor and trumpet player, I was introduced to a plethora of meditative practices that many jazz musicians partook in, and learnt about the potential tangible benefits it can have on their ability to improvise. An example would be that of Alice Coltrane, who partook in daily meditations, studied Hindu mysticism and eventually joined an Ashram. Looking further for more examples of this, a series of interviews I found on youtube of the revered saxophone player Sonny Rollins showed him recounting his experiences of eastern spirituality and how practices, such as disciplined yoga gave him understanding and direction and a centre from which to gain access to his subconscious, allowing for deeper levels of improvisation.
It can be said that, through reading this, I’ve drawn the conclusion that improvisation, to many of the forerunners of its practice, is deeply connected to self growth and development. It requires self reflection and introspection and Sarath argues that its holistic approach would have massive benefits for society if administered in higher education today.
Going back to Oliveros’ idea of computed improvisation, I think again of the lack of credibility I feel it has in comparison with human improvisation as the practice of improvising, by its very nature, is not just a random generation of new substance, but rather a vehicle of navigation based on the the advancement of society, consciousness and human connection.