Vizuální esej o volné improvizaci (Visual Essay on Free Improvisation)
Aleš Jež (a student at the Department of Anthropology, University of Pardubice) approached us at the beginning of 2017 with an interest in documentary work within Divadlo 29. Given the broad programming scope of Divadlo 29, after some time he decided to focus on a specific segment. His choice fell on improvised music.
From that moment, he began attending concerts of his choice, equipped with a camera and a set of questions about the phenomenon of free improvisation, which he posed to individual musicians after the performances.
It is worth mentioning that for Aleš, whose background is primarily in the skateboard subculture, this was an entry into completely unknown and unexplored territory. Aleš Jež’s authorial documentary on free improvisation was created over the years 2017–2020. Among those seen and heard in the film are: Thomas Lehn, Miroslav Tóth, Tatiana Heuman, Rafal Mazur, George Cremaschi, Liudas Mockunas, Petr Vrba, Didi Kern, Vojtěch Procházka, Michal Wróblewski, Martin Küchen, Peter Brötzmann, John Butcher, Vasco Trilla, Phil Minton, and others.
“The short documentary film offers a glimpse into the world of free jazz and free improvisation created in real time. It deals with the connection between visual ethnography and sound phenomenology. The play with focus and the creative use of original stage lighting enhance the atmosphere of the musical improvisations. Through the camera lens, the author engages in open interaction with the performers and moves between the starting points of the film’s imaginary landscape and the imaginary landscape of free improvisation,” says Aleš Jež about his documentary.
Language: Czech/English
Length: 25 minutes
The stream takes place as part of the Jazzconnexion 2021 project, supported financially by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the statutory city of Pardubice.