When I used to work in theatre, in another life, in a land far, far away known as Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the majority of the work I was involved with was improvisation. As anyone who has done any improvisational work on the stage knows there is an incredibly fine line between coming up with something brilliant and stinking the house out.
Their are a few secrets to good improvisation in theatre; decide on a beginning, middle and end for each scene, know what information the audience needs to be told for the story to make sense, and trust your instincts. The first two are easily solved through rehearsal and coming up with a basic outline for each scene that tells each actor what they need to do in order for the scene to work. It's that last one that's problematic, because it's not something that can be taught.
Being able to make a decision and know that it's the right thing to do in the moment without having to think over the ramifications is the hardest thing an actor will ever have to do on stage. But if they forget a line, or a piece of scenery fails to do what it's supposed to do, they must be able to find a way through without anything untoward appearing to happen. When the work you do is only loosely formulated like improvisation that instinct is sometimes all that stands between you and disaster.
It's hard not to draw comparisons between the work I used to do as an actor and some of the different modern musicians that I've been reviewing recently. While some have been popular musicians, the majority have worked in Jazz. Ravish Momin's Trio Tarana are a group who fall into the latter category, but at the same time bring a unique aesthetic that sets them apart from a great deal of other Jazz combos. While the standard Jazz trio will either feature a horn, a keyboard, or a guitar in the front, with percussion and bass supplying backing, Trio Tarana are: Ravish Momin on either drum kit, percussion, cajon, or talking drum; Sam Bardfeld Violin; and Brandon Terzic playing the Middle Eastern instrument the Oud. (A mix of lute, guitar, and mandolin)
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