The following was written on a plane flying home to Louisville after playing at DWB. It is an attempt to answer questions from viewers of DWB about from where inspiration to compose and improvise comes.
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Music is sound created out of silence. Sometimes it is organized and other times disorganized. Skilled musicians know the difference. Silence allows us to discern. It frames musical thought. It punctuates the grammar of musical thought. Silence is not the absence of sound. It is a contrasting element that contributes to clarity that enables the listener to hear. Silence also defines time by identifying space between notes. Inspiration comes through listening to the silence. It is difficult to understand the true source of inspiration. As a person of faith, I have often said, “if you call yourself creative, sooner or later you will face the Creator”.
Jazz was created for the purpose of expressing through music, human nature in the spirit of improvisation. Improvisation always carries an element of risk with it. The freer the spirit the more risk is involved. Risk does not always end in joy. At times it can lead to frustration. But this is consistent with human nature. I sometimes think that jazz musicians are the bungie jumpers or skydivers of the music world. They are willing to jump off into a space not knowing why, only the realization that they must.
Chuck Marohnic – Director of Music for Darkwood Brew
