By Nils Jacobson
V. Getting Personal, and Ending Up Musical
AAJ: Let's get personal for a minute if you don't mind. I'm curious how you relate to these people you play with. William Parker, for one. He's pretty open-minded, and he has a sense of theater going. And he has a sort of deep vision in terms of the soul of the instrument. Obviously you guys have to work together. What's the chemistry there?
GEB: Yeah. I feel positive about our chemistry. In the quartet, it's very strong personalities. I think that everyone has a very loop-y kind of rhythmic quality about their playing, and I think it connects well.
AAJ: Get personal for me. What is your musical relationship with William [Parker] or Matthew [Shipp]? How do you feel different when you're playing with them?
GEB: You know, the way I play with Wilber Morris is very different frow how I play with William.
AAJ: Can you put it into words?
GEB: I dunno. It's a special place. It's not really... I can't... it's not something I can explain. It's a hard question. I'm not sure I'm answering it.
AAJ: Maybe more of a visceral thing you know in the moment, but not something to theorize about or whatever.
GEB: [Repeats to himself: How does my playing change?] It's a constant stream and exchange of information. Constantly, constantly, constantly shifting and moving. Whereas in other ensembles I might be... I might have to be more... I dunno. It's a special connection you have with bass players and the ones you like to play with. William [Parker] being one, and then Keith Witty, the guy I've got playing on my record. We've developed to the place where it's almost visceral, that you know I'm going to drop out, or I need you to hold on here. You hold the rhythm here, and I'll hold it after I'm done with this flourish or whatever it's going to be... now that I got that out, you do what you need to do. And we constantly shift back and forth.
Yeah, but it's a highly rhythmic sensibility. It's an inner propulsion. You're outlining the pulse.
The pulse might be like, [rapid-fire] "buh buh buh buh buh buh buh nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh g-ney g-ney g-ney duh duh duh duh nuh nuh nuh nuh..." You know, that's my view of what's going on inside.
But all you might hear from me is "ssshhhhh!", where you might hear "wuh wuh wuh wuh wuh " from William. And then he might drop out: "bummmmm bummmmmm."
And then David is going, [long, impossible-to-transcribe high-register tenor frenzy]. And Matthew's just outlining with banging chords: "bow! bang! boom!", swinging "guh-guh-GUH". Then we go into an uptempo swing thing, "ning-ning-ning-ning". You really play the pulse. And then you don't.
AAJ: It sounds like you're always trying to stay ahead of the pulse in some way.
GEB: Right. Forward. It's definitely not static. It's always moving forward. Even if it's a pulse Latin groove, it's always pushing over the top of it. Pushing it, then you can stretch it out. Pushing it, stretch it out, drop it.
Does that help?
AAJ: It's funny. You resorted to music to explain it to me, so that speaks for you. That's fair.
GEB: [Laughs.]
AAJ: Where's the project with the Ware Quartet headed?
GEB: I'm just very happy and honored and I have my eyes and ears open with that group. Just taking in as much information as I can.
On to Part 6-7...
