Cristian Barbieri & Xani Kolac
“Having a long-standing friendship with all instrumentalists in this collaboration puts us at an advantage. I felt extremely comfortable walking into a room with the three of them to create some improvised compositions. The fact that I had already played music with them, in various contexts deepened the connection. As a guitarist, I felt my role was more as a supporting collaborator than a leading player. My approach was to use timbres and textures that contrasted the rest of the ensemble. I chose my moments carefully; either a response to others, when there was space or when the dynamic called for my contribution.”
Cristian Barbieri
“Deep Listening is listening in every possible way to everything possible to hear no matter what you are doing.” (Pauline Oliveros)
If I were to improvise with the same bunch of musicians in one room at a certain time of day, what I would create would be completely different to what I would improvise with the same musicians, in a different room, at a different time of day.
When I am lucky enough to be part of a collaborative improvisation, I am listening deeply to each musician, but also to my surroundings. The amount of light will inspire something. Sophie the curly black dog breathing deeply on the couch will inspire something. The sound of my effects pedals clicking under my feet will inspire something. All of these extraneous, environmental stimuli go into the big pot of inspiration from which to draw upon while improvising freely in a collaborative environment.
I enjoy having some direction. Something to guide me as I begin the journey. In this particular instance, giving space to the glory of violin and cello as a starting point was our way in. Then we breathed and sighed together through texture, dynamics and the sounds of listening to one another and sharing a space. It’s quite the dance. Listening and offering. Being open and choosing a way. What a magical way to spend a day.”
Xani Kolac