Creativity in the Now: Rumi, Csikszentmihalyi, and Living a Life of Flow

"Every moment the sun is totally empty, totally full."

---Rumi, 13th century Persian poet

Today, let me be emptied of all that would hold me back from being the best self I can possibly be. What Hungarian psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, calls the "flow state" --- and which is at the root of all creativity --- is characterized by a virtual absence of self-consciousness. And what the ancient Greeks called "pleroma," or "fullness," also goes hand-in-hand, paradoxically, with such self-emptied states of flow. May all of this be our aim today..."totally empty, totally full."

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Proof that Drummers Can Most Definitely Be Musicians, Too!

In the context of sharing in this blog "pearls of wisdom" from my 2009 interview with European jazz drum maestro, Jon Christensen, here's a recent review of another, exceptional album featuring the drummer (plus a link to mp3 samples, directly below the review).

You can follow this link for the review: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LX3M4W/ref=dm_sp_alb

Or simply read the text here:

ECM at Its Very Finest!, November 16, 2011

By 

Robert S. Weathers "DRUMMAH"

Top of Form Bottom of Form

Top of Form Bottom of Form

This review is from: Freigeweht (Audio CD)

This album has stood the test of time, and then some...

Rainer Brüninghaus, whose compositions are richly hued and darkly melodic; whose piano technique is impeccable; and whose synthesizer washes subtly serve the music (no histrionics or showboating here).

Kenny Wheeler, as beautifully articulate as ever; his trumpet tone completely identifiable from the very first notes.

And Jon Christensen.

This is Jon's supreme recorded document: urgent, syncopated drumbeats; inimitable sensitivities on cymbals; a true co-composer throughout this entire album.

Every once in awhile a group comes together, and lays down tracks which are timeless, and essential. "Freigeweht" is one such convergence. Mandatory listening for all drawn to Manfred Eicher's aesthetic. A worthy introduction for the initiate to ECM. Plus, with Mr. Christensen's contribution: a veritable treasure trove of drumming innovations which, thirty years later, keeps on teaching all drummers who seek, above all, to be genuine musicians.

Highly recommended! 

...

For samples of the above album, please follow this link: 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LX3M4W/ref=dm_sp_alb

Enjoy!!

European Jazz Drum Master, Jon Christensen, on His First Meeting with Miles Davis

During my 2009 meeting with ECM jazz maestro, Jon Christensen, he shared fifty years of history with the finest that jazz had to offer. 

This included his impressions of trumpet giant Mile Davis in person:

Jon*: “Miles was such a force; he took up all the space in a room.”

Later we talked into Jon's first meeting with Miles:

Jon: "When I first met Miles, it wasn't like meeting any other musician.  He was..."

[Jon then silently gave a sweeping motion, bowing his head and upper body, indicating highest honor in the presence of true royalty]

*Though I initially called him "Mr. Christensen," he quickly corrected me. "Please call me Jon!"

Here's a Review of Drummer Jon Christensen's "Rarum" Tribute CD on ECM Records

It just occurred to me that --- as I embark on sharing nuggets and life observations from my 2009 interview in Oslo, Norway with esteemed European drummer, Jon Christensen ---  I should probably point readers to a CD review I wrote (for Amazon) earlier that very same day of the interview.

You can follow this link: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2E2N5ML9TVQBP

Or simply read the text here:

 A True Master of Time and Space, May 15, 2009

By 

Robert S. Weathers "DRUMMAH"

This review is from: Rarum, Vol. 20: Selected Recordings (Audio CD)

To call Jon Christensen "the thinking man's drummer" would be to miss his incredible sensitivity to the musical feeling going on around him, and his particularly subtle way of engaging and punctuating rhythmic time by means of his signature, nuanced cymbal work and thoughtfully placed drum accents. Nevertheless, his unique and dynamic "thinking" about the relationship of sound to silence, of rhythm being both stated explicitly and not, make him one of the very few drummers on the planet who, by one stroke of a cymbal, or a single pattern or phrase laid down, are both instantly recognizable and absolutely joined, without fanfare or bombast, to their fellow musicians. His contributions to the patented ECM sound (care of producer Manfred Eicher and engineering marvel Jan Erik Kongshaug) are legend. This sampling here, on Mr. Christensen's own Rarum selection, ought rightly to inspire the listener's delving more deeply into the drummer's extensively documented catalog. A few further recommendations, beyond the current selected recordings, all featuring percussion maestro Jon Christensen at his creative peak: Rainer Bruninghaus-"Freigeweht," Jan Garbarek-"Paths, Prints" and "Photo with Blue Sky...," Mike Nock-"Ondas," Keith Jarrett-"My Song" and "Belonging," Terje Rypdal-"Waves," Ralph Towner-"Solstice/Sound & Shadows," Bobo Stenson-"Witchi-Tai-To," Eberhard Weber-"Yellow Fields," and Miroslav Vitous-"First Meeting." And that's only scratching the surface of this genuinely modern master and his hugely influential body of artistic work! Enjoy!!

I hope that this review may give you a feel both for Jon's inimitable and highly influential style of drumming; as well as my deep affection and appreciation for his career contributions.

Steve Reich, a Vacuum Cleaner, and Rumi

Minimalist composer Steve Reich joined me this morning to the gym.  Specifically, "Music for 18 Musicians" (ECM Records).

However, as I worked out, a custodian was working nearby with a penetratingly loud vacuum cleaner.  It had the effect of creating a "white noise" blanket over my music.

What really struck me was, as I left the gym after my work-out, Steve Reich came brilliantly alive again!  The vacuum had wiped out what was going on all the time anyway; namely, the music.

It's a lot like life, perhaps, where in the words of Persian poet, Rumi:

We rarely hear the inward music, but we're all dancing to it nevertheless.

Or, again from Rumi:

If reasonable people don't feel the presence of love (or music) within the universe, that doesn't mean it's not there.

Announcing a New Series After Meeting in Norway with Jazz Drummer Jon Christensen

It is perhaps fitting that my first post on this new blog would be in dedication to life and rhythm. Stravinsky and Emerson are quoted to underscore the central role that music, drums, jazz have all played in my own life.  

In that spirit then I would like to continue by documenting a most unusual, and rewarding, conversation I had four years ago with one jazz drummer, Norwegian Jon Christensen.  He has been described as: "A European institution of modern drumming, a master of music, probably the most influential musician of his generation.  A constant source of inspiration...One of the few remaining jazz musicians committed to the concept of the music as the 'sound of surprise'" (from ECM Records website).

In May of 2009, I had the opportunity to sit with Jon (he asked that I call him this) for a long and leisurely afternoon meal in Oslo, Norway.  Here (and in succeeding blogs) follow a few of the gems of that lovely afternoon...

“I’ve only ever played myself: Jon Christensen.”  He spoke on about the key importance of finding one's own voice, whether in music or in life.  Reminds me just now of Thoreau's famous, parallel reflection on "hearing a different drummer."