Initially playing post-bop jazz in the style of John Coltrane, Lennie Tristano and the cross-improvisatory work of Bill Evans & Scott LaFaro, the trio began to experiment with unusual time-signatures, eventually unhinging the rhythm section to the extent that no regular meter could be discerned, leaving a state of continual interplay between the instrumentalists. The group also moved away from chord-based improvisation, following and stretching the modal work of Miles Davis and Coltrane to breaking point.
Bailey would later join musicians such as John Stevens, Kenny Wheeler and Evan Parker in improvisational workshops based at The Little Theatre in London.
From these beginnings Improv has developed into a broad, multifaceted, international movement. Although the movement is marked by fierce aesthetic and ideological divisions (famous spats have featured Bailey and Evan Parker and more recently AMM's Eddie Prevost and Keith Rowe.) there are common threads:
-an emphasis on music as process, rather than as a finished product.
-a foregrounding of the dialogic relationships of musicians within a group.
-a tendency to replace traditional jazz / chamber instrumentation and orchestration with unusual combinations of instruments, often from diverse cultural spheres.
-the rejection of 'idiomatic' elements - even if paradoxically, improv is often easily identifiable (Eugene Chadbourne and John Zorn are notable exceptions to this rule – both frequently incorporate idiomatic elements in their work)
-atonality - reflecting a common ground with serial / note-row / twelve-tone composition
-an emphasis on timbre, texture and 'sound' over musical elements such as harmony and melody.
-a left-wing distrust of commodified musical forms.
-even though free improvisation can be seen as a form that demands an extremely high degree of technical ability, free improvisors tend to reject traditional ideas of musicianship. There is no apparent contradiction in forming groups made up of both virtuosos and total novices - it's the music that matters.
- a sense of humour (though there’s plenty of po-faced improv)!
The spirit of improv has also permeated other genres, spawning 'free folk' and 'free rock' in the late 1990s.
For more ideas read Derek Bailey's own book: 'Improvisation' or Ben Watson's excellent 'Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation. John Cage's 'Silence' collection of essays is also interesting - especially the opening section on noise. If you're really into polemic then Eddie Prevost's 'Minute Particulars' might be worth tracking down
21st Century Schizoid Man
King Crimson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Neurosurgeons scream for more
At paranoia's poison door
Twenty first century schizoid man
Blood rack, barbed wire
Politicians' funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty first century schizoid man
Death seed blind man's greed
Poets starving, children bleed
Nothing he's got he really needs
Twenty first century schizoid man
The lyrics of King Crimson's song "21st Century Schizoid Man" speak about the horrors and chaos of the modern world. The song begins with "Cat's foot iron claw," which is a metaphor for the brutality and violence that prevails in society. The next line, "Neurosurgeons scream for more," suggests a world where doctors and scientists are driven to push the limits of human capability, without regard for the consequences.
The line, "At paranoia's poison door," hints at the psychological impact of living in such a world that is both insane and poisonous. The chorus, "Twenty first century schizoid man" describes how the modern world has created individuals who are neurotic and struggling to cope with the turbulent reality they are living in. The song talks about other issues such as war, politics, greed, and the exploitation of innocent people. Ultimately, the song highlights the madness and destruction that humans have created to their own detriment.
Line by Line Meaning
Cat's foot iron claw
The 21st century schizoid man is powerful like a cat with strong, oppressive claws.
Neurosurgeons scream for more
The 21st century schizoid man's behavior is so extreme, neurosurgeons (associated with surgical precision and control) are seeking more understanding about it with urgency.
At paranoia's poison door
The schizoid man's mental state is associated with paranoia which is poisonous and can trap one behind a 'door' of fear.
Twenty first century schizoid man
The man described in the song is a product of the era and its pressures, making him isolated and mentally unstable.
Blood rack, barbed wire
The violence in the world has become so common that the image of blood on a torture device and the sharp barbed wire have lost their shock value.
Politicians' funeral pyre
The systems and beliefs created by politicians have become corrupt and are no longer serving society's needs.
Innocents raped with napalm fire
The innocent and powerless are being harmed by warfare and warfare tactics (like napalm fire) that disregard the value and sanctity of life.
Twenty first century schizoid man
The man described in the song is a product of the era and its pressures, making him isolated and mentally unstable.
Death seed blind man's greed
The world is producing a generation of people who are spiritually dead and only motivated by greed, leading to a sense of lost values and depravity.
Poets starving, children bleed
Artistic and creative ways of living are not valued anymore, hence artists and poets are neglected and hungry while children are suffering and in pain.
Nothing he's got he really needs
The 21st century schizoid man is consumed by greed and obsession for material things, without a true sense of fulfillment or purpose.
Twenty first century schizoid man
The man described in the song is a product of the era and its pressures, making him isolated and mentally unstable.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert Fripp, Michael Rex Giles, Greg Lake, Ian Mcdonald, Peter John Sinfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@harimauindia5775
These include,in one part only...
Gold experience
King crimson
Spice girls
S** pistols
Sticky fingers
Moody blues
Aerosmith
White album
Metallica
Beach boy
Black Sabbath
Grateful dead
Little feet
Green day
Rolling Stones
@rocknrallsoul94rockero4
21st day of the 21st year of the 21st century
@sorcyboi2848
technically the 22nd year if you think about it
@theochairequiem5705
Wow... What a madlad
@davidbanan.
@@sorcyboi2848 y would it be the 22nd?, oh yea nvm
@hatujemeletsplayeryheskyce6460
@@sorcyboi2848 no it's 21st. The century begins since 2001 for some odd reason
@sorcyboi2848
@@hatujemeletsplayeryheskyce6460 realistically the point at which centuries divide from one another is perfectly arbitrary and even though there's kind of a technical reason for it being then I think most people would consider it to start in the year ending with 0 just because it seems less dumb
@ozkul_arda200
This song was so good they named an entire century after it.
@aen1595
which one?
@LazarouDave
@@aen1595 The 22nd, obviously
@saturniidspectre
So cool that they named a personality disorder after it too!