MUSIC
If You Can Play Jazz, then You Can Play Everything
Maxim, do you write your own music?
Maxim: I write it in short parts; however, I
do not have enough knowledge for making the
whole compositions. In this regard, I prefer to
dedicate more effort and energy to self-
education and study of the theory.
Ilya: I've got only two well-structured
and harmonious compositions at the moment.
You need to practice a lot, to analyze the
other people's reactions. Nevertheless, I am
not a fan of remaking and rewriting things too
much. We are leaving for Shanghai soon, and
we have a lot of work on recording the tracks
to be done there. The English-language ones,
first of all.
In the City Poets` Club, we often
discuss if the refinement of the poems is
worth doing? Some say that it is better to
write them in their original forms, while others
believe that it is better to take some time for
a poem “to ripe” so that you can change it in
some way later. And what is your opinion
about that? Does creativity need to be a
system?
Maxim: It all depends on the case. In
general, you need to have an idea about the
logic and how it will unfold over time.
Ilya: I think that creativity should have
s o m e p r i n c i p l e s . T h e a r t i ts e l f i s t h e
structuration of chaos that's why music is
what it is, because the sounds are organized
into a system according to the pitch of tone,
to the time of sounding. A composition should
be complete at all levels, starting from the
ve r y fi r s t p h r a s e : t h e b e g i n n i n g, t h e
development, the end and ending up with the
plot as a whole.
At present, it's become particularly
difficult to clearly say whether a certain work
is a piece of art. Sometimes when you're
looking at the picture you see nothing but the
connection of color spots. You can't catch
the idea, the image, but it is nevertheless
called a masterpiece.
Ilya: I made a general conclusion that a
piece of art is something that others are
ready to perceive. Something that contains a
message people can understand.
Maxim: Jazz, for example, is a
combination of a certain set of rhythms that
each person perceives individually.
Is jazz popular at present?
Ilya: I see its revival. The new solutions
are created by mixing styles into unusual
combinations. Now, for example, new jazz
mixed with club music is popular. This is
something new and very atmospheric!
Maxim: People like it! Pure jazz isn't that
popular. People mostly believe that this is
music of classic American films of the 20s or a
type of music for the elite only. In fact, jazz can
be integrated into any other musical style.
Ilya: That's true! And this all is due to the
fact that jazz is an improvisational music and
the musicians themselves have a great
interest in playing it. Thus, it brings together
very talented people who are willing to
develop. There is intellect, emotions, and a
certain technique there. There is a way you
can show yourself. Naturally, new ideas are
born in the process. This is a kind of a forge for
musical skills. You need to feel the rhythm well,
to know the forms ...
February 2019 №2
SUNRISE
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