Free Improvisation in Colombia

Rodolfo Acosta R.
Introduction
Free improvisation is a rich field of musical activity which has flourished in
Colombia since the end of the 1980's, but has evident roots in avant-garde movements
from the late 1960's onward. Since musicologists have generally turned their backs on the
study of non-popular music in Colombia (especially contemporary and experimental
music), it has seemed necessary for musicians active in these fields to write about it
themselves. In the present essay, the author -himself an active Colombian improviser-
seeks to trace the historical development of free improvisation in Colombia. Given that
the essay is not necessarily meant for specialists, an initial exposition is carried out,
trying to define as much as possible the concept of free improvisation. For the same
reason, a basic chronology of 1960's free improvisation outside Colombia (especially in
the U.S.A. and Western Europe) is briefly outlined. The essay will be largely based on an
original Spanish essay by the author himself, called: ... recordar, pensar, imaginar...
Inicios de la improvisación libre en Colombia, which studied the subject up until the turn
of the century. The new essay, nevertheless, will significantly expand on its predecessor
by tackling the wealth of activities in the field during the last decade and a half.

Description
After a brief introduction, a three-part text is presented:
In Part I, an attempt is made to define and comment at length on the concept of
'improvisation' in music, contrasting it from other practices-concepts such as
'composition' and 'performance'. Classical terminologies such as Derek Bailey's
"idiomatic improvisation" or Karlheinz Stockhausen's "intuitive music" and rather newer
ones such as Wade Matthews' "discursive model" are presented and discussed before
finally arriving at the subject of 'free improvisation'. Different concepts related to
improvisation -both free and idiomatic- are discussed and several examples are presented
through anecdotes and/or abstractions.
Part II is a basic chronology of free improvisation outside Colombia, especially in
the U.S.A. and Western Europe, throughout the 1960's. Two genres are underlined as
immediate predecessors to free improvisation: jazz and contemporary (academic) music.
A few musicians, projects and general aspects of free jazz are discussed before turning to
contemporary music. In this latter field, American post-war indeterminism is brought
forth as the main forerunner of free improvisation and several of the members of the New
York School are discussed and quoted. The mainstream European avant-garde is merely
mentioned whereas emphasis is placed on the emergence of improvisation groups such as
AMM, the Gruppo d'Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza, MEV, the Sonic Arts Union
and New Phonic Art. The relationship of the 'improvisation group' phenomenon to so-
called extended technique and the voltage-controlled synthesizer is discussed, and
mention is made of other related movements such as psychedelic rock, fluxus,
experimental music and art, as well as performance art.
Part III is the main body of the text, as it focuses strictly on the description of the
rise of free improvisation in Colombia. Given that it is, by far, the longest part of the text,
it is subdivided into four sections (a-d):
 Section IIIa presents the groudbreaking work of Colombian artists and musicians
in the late 1960's and early 1970's, whose achievements led to the establishment of a
musical avant-garde that would eventually make free improvisation feasible in Colombia.
Composers such as Fabio González Zuleta, Blas Emilio Atehortúa and Francisco
Zumaqué are mentioned, specifically in their relationship with the beginnings of
electroacoustic and mixed music in Colombia. More extensive commentary is reserved
for Gustavo Sorzano in terms of his early practice of live electronic music and especially
of his particular brand of performance musical art. Jacqueline Nova is discussed in
regards to her electroacoustic and mixed-media works, underlining the appearance of so-
called graphic elements in her scores. In this respect, the work of composers such as
Jesús Pinzón Urrea is highlighted insofar as extensive use of graphic notation implies a
yielding of control from the composer to the performer, not only in terms of content, but
also of form and structure. In this sense, this composed repertoire actually demands
improvising performers and thus sets forth improvisatory skills as part of the tools
increasingly demanded from contemporary music performers, thus setting the stage for
improvisation as a field in its own right.
Section IIIb concentrates on Sol Sonoro, the first Colombian group dedicated
openly to free improvisation. An extensive commentary is made regarding their work
from the late 1980's and early 1990's, both collectively, as well as the individual interests,
traits, etc. of its members: Roberto García Piedrahita, Luis Boyra and, especially, Ricardo
Arias. In parallel to the narration of Sol Sonoro's development, a description is made of
the reactions to the developing field by institutions such as the Colombian Cultural
Institute (Colcultura) and the Bogotá International Contemporary Music Festival
(FIMCB). As a sort of conclusion of this first stage in free improvisation in Colombia,
the organization of the First Festival de los Tiempos del Ruido (Festival of the Time of
Noise) is highlighted, along with the expansion of both improvisers and public.
Section IIIc focuses on the second half of the 1990's and a generalization of
experimental improvisatory practices in Colombia. Free improvisation is seen to grow
constantly, but we also find other kinds of improvisation within undetermined
compositions, expressed as graphic, textual and oral scores, and carried out as both
conducted and unconducted improvisation. Listings are made of performance spaces that
opened up to all sorts of improvised music, as well as of numerous concert cycles and a
Second Festival de los Tiempos del Ruido. The adoption of improvisation by a new
generation of composers whose music was being ignored by orchestras, choruses and
soloists is proposed as the framework for the appearance of experimental ensembles of
composers/performers/improvisers. These ensembles could function as laboratories for
musical experimentation in which new composition techniques, new performance
techniques, new electronic and digital tools, and new ideas of what could constitute a
musical instrument. Among the ensembles discussed are Tangram, Grupo FOM and
ECUA.
The final section, IIId, is an open inquiry into what has happened in the 21st
century with experimental improvisation in Colombia. A growing number of festivals and
concert cycles such as en tiempo real, colón electrónico or lado b are discussed.
Emphasis is placed on a very important aspect in the development of this and other non-
commercial music in Colombia: The appearance of bars as alternative music venues,
starting with 6L6 and its "Noches Hibridas LabNova" cycle, but especially concentrating
on the innumerable events held in the immensely important *matik-matik*. Influential
improvisation cycles held in this bar are studied, such as Labomatik, aleatorio, On the
Rocks! and Yáwar/Games. Likewise are new improvisation/experimental/contemporary
music ensembles such as EMCA, 3X3, CLIC and 5M, with a special emphasis on the
Bogotá orquesta de improvisadores, a highly influential improvisation orchestra.

Methodology
Part I uses diverse bibliographical references in its effort to define 'improvisation', always
in combination with the author's experience and opinions. Part II's chronology is based on
extensive phonographic references, as well as the comparatively scarce bibliography on
the subject. In sharp contrast, Part III is not based on published material, due to the
absolute underdocumentation of improvisation in Colombia. Therefore, it must be
constructed from the author's personal experience in the field as well as countless
exchanges with colleagues throughout the years.

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