The Interconnectedness of Language and Improvisation

 “Words are inherently ineffective and language is, at its deepest level, meaningless.”

This is how my friend Bill greeted me when we met for lunch one day before he moved off to a much more interesting job. We dug into this concept with me taking the position that there is, to some societal degree, an objective understanding of language and verbiage while Bill held to his statement regarding the subjective nature of all communication. This debate went on for a few minutes before another individual, a student in their first philosophy class, decided they had to join us because of how interesting the conversation was. To say we disassembled every element of this poor interloping interlocutors ideas of existence need not be further described, but the look of surprise on their face as we acknowledged our non-faculty positions was near priceless!

While I still enjoy a good debate on the objective/subjective aspect of language, I found myself pondering much more deeply the concept of where communication originated; basically the very foundations of language. This is not the location for an in-depth review of the substantial research in linguistics and communication that has been done, needless to say, but a good opportunity to address a different form of communication.

This year marks the fourth year that I have been a member of the Llano Estacado Monad Band (LEMB) where I initially met Bill along with many other close friends and colleagues, many of whom have been referenced by this blog. LEMB itself is a variable group of musicians and performance artists from a variety of backgrounds which focuses primarily on the performance and production of free improvised or minimally controlled music. 

My engagement with this group has not only spurred a flourish of creative productivity, developed a deep community of friends, and enhanced my social, political, and philosophical views, but has really made me think about communication and conversation in the improvisatory musical medium. To return to our original point of conversation, the interactions which I have encountered and engaged in with various other memebers during our various performances have helped to cement my view that, at some level, there is some objective aspect of communication, and thus of language. 

To account for bias, let me also note that many, if not all, of the members have backgrounds in fringe art styles, a particular and shared interest in similar avant-garde musical genres, and extensive interaction outside of musical performances/recordings both in-person and online. This will affect how our interactions can be understood and gives all participants something of a shared musical language.

While this shared context allows for some elements of understood language, the notion of an objective form of communication stands starkly in the interactions that both seasoned members have with each other, with new members, and that new members can have between themselves. The basic ability ro recognize more than just the base level gestural patterns allows for near constant play of communication in a multitude of musical conversations.

The ability of the members of this group to engage in the non-verbal communicative systems demands an objective nature to communication that is more than simply linguistic. A more fluid or aleatoric means of sharing intention, idea, and desire that still communicates these concepts without requiring a specific learned or understood language is underlined through LEMB’s highly documented catalog of recordings, performances, and engagements. 

Interestingly enough, one of the more fascinating elements that I have pursued during my time performing with LEMB has be that of being contradictory to the group “conversation” that is occurring. Trying to intentionally engage in such a way as to ignore the systems and phrases currently enmeshed in the performance. Inevitably this is harsh, in whatever way something can be harsh in the dissonance of noise music, and the non-ensemble action either draws others to follow as they begin to respond to and take up the new gestures in their own performances or pushes alone as the others continue on their “conversations” with each other, in a way not too dissimilar to letting an inebriated individual yell in the corner of a bar (so long as they are not hurting anyone) while continuing to hold the conversation at your table. 

In retroactively reviewing the past recordings, it is fascinating to see the development of new communication tools that were developed through the remote sessions held during the pandemic. Since many communication tools were not available to each performer (body posture/movement, eye contact, even auditory cues like volume, directionality, or shared proximity to the recording equipment were lost when in a video chat) the group developed new communications that were less clear and more individually isolated, as would be expected. These new communications were less intuitive and subtle and tended to lean more in more simplistic approaches, call & response, imitation, repetition, quotation, etc., but the acts of communication still existed. 

LEMB itself creates an interesting approach to trying to review or analyze or even, really, describe due not only to its primary genre being free or minimally controlled improvisation, but also to its constant shifting of group members. There is not fixed membership or ensemble collection, initially I strove to have a new instrument or tool for every recording just because it made things so much more interesting. This variable membership, as noted before, welcomes performers of all levels, styles, and backgrounds into a very welcoming environment for exploration of all that the musical medium has to offer. With the only rules, to my knowledge, being “no licks” and “a majority of the performers must be living on the Llano Estacado,” the options available to members is only limited by their willingness to engage. 

Performers then do exactly that; they engage. 

This ensemble, if one can call it that, has become such an incredibly important aspect of my life. Through it, I have met some of the coolest people I know and some of my best friends; and through opportunities those interactions afforded, I met my partner who has now, in true circular fashion, joined LEMB.

Though my views on language itself, and more specifically the concept of word meaning, has faded to be more in line with the position Bill held that wonderful day, my view that there is an objective communication base for humans still holds strong. There is a plethora of research that is available about language and linguistics in everything from cognition to zoology that seeks to better understand and define the nature of communication and language. Perhaps, though a fascinating thought, I am not more experienced to discuss these things than the student who to their own misfortune joined the conversation that day. 

I still smile with a bit of joy, a bit of precociousness, and a lot of love at the conversations I had with Bill. 

This ensemble, if one can call it that, has become such an incredibly important aspect of my life. Through it, I have met some of the coolest people I know and some of my best friends, Bill falling squarely in both groups; and through opportunities those interactions afforded, I met my partner who has now, in true circular fashion, joined and performed with LEMB.