Name: McCorman
Members: Stefano Calderano (electric guitar / prepared guitar), Francesco Panconesi (tenor sax / extended sax / voice), Nicholas Remondino (prepared bass drum / synth)
Nationality: Italian
Current release: McCorman's A Page Is Turned | A Mountain Collapses | A Guy Leaves is out via Kohlhaas.

[Read our Nicholas Remondino interview]



When did you first start getting interested in musical improvisation?

Our first musical encounters took place in Siena. It was natural and spontaneous to play freely together, without premeditating our musical gestures. From then on, in the various artistic residencies we did, our research shifted to a theme that was very recurrent in our improvisations.

The desire was to nd a "mechanism" where each musical gesture could be reiterated, but changing the narrative, development and structure of the piece, making it lively improvisational mater, transforming it into a new form each time and at the same time leaving the theme recognizable.

A subtle balance played between a thematic sound and the expressive freedom of improvisation.

Which artists, approaches, albums or performances involving prominent use of improvisation captured your imagination in the beginning?

In the beginning we definitely listened to a lot of Hubro label productions. We were definitely fascinated by the reckless creativity of their catalog, from which we drew a lot of inspiration.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to improvisation? Do you see yourself as part of a tradition or historic lineage?

We strongly believe in our path, it has led us to always seek new sound synthesis and gives us creative sap. We feel we have found our path to follow and develop which is the true result of 3 years of hard work. A multifaceted sound that has found its own identity ready to blossom again.

We like to think of this record and these tracks as small shoots that will bloom in the future. We feel that this first record has strong rhythmic / timbral suggestions, ready to be developed again in the next chapters.

What was your own learning curve / creative development like when it comes to improvisation - what were challenges and breakthroughs?

The creation of this album came very naturally during the residencies. The recordings of the many improvisation we did in these periods, permeated by the places that hosted us, have deepened our research.

We decided to identify the sound gestures that emerged during these long improvisations, using them as compositional elements, creating songs characterized by a strong interplay, between written parts and other more free and expressive ones.

We liked the idea of being able to propose in a new and renewed way what was natural in a collective moment of improvisation, and this determined our working method. Telling an expressive and abstract intimate moment in a sincere and direct way between us and the listener.

Tell me about your instrument and/or tools, please. How would you describe the relationship with it? What are its most important qualities and how do they in uence the musical results and your own performance?

McCorman starts from the structure of a bassless trio, where harmonic instrument, drums and solo instrument interact, exploring the various possibilities outside their traditional use and function.

It's a timbral research that unites us both as individuals and as a trio, which found precious development in this album.

Can you talk about a work, event or performance in your career that's particularly dear to you? Why does it feel special to you? When, why and how did you start working on it, what were some of the motivations and ideas behind it?

Well, the meeting with Giuseppe Ielasi was certainly a great event. Working with him was definitely very important for developing the sound.

A valid example of how he managed to capture our performance, our sounds, in the studio session is certainly "reprise// fili rossi", a concrete sound that has become a distinctive feature of the album.



How do you feel your sense of identity in uences your collaborations? Do you feel as though you are able to express yourself more fully in solo mode or, conversely, through the interaction with other musicians? Are you “gaining” or “sacri cing” something in a collaboration?

For us the focus is the sum of the three individualities, which merge into a new form.

We believe that “meccanismo.04” is a great example of how we like to blend into a unique sound.

Derek Bailey de ned improvising as the search for material which is endlessly transformable. Regardless of whether or not you agree with his perspective, what kind of materials have turned to be particularly transformable and stimulating for you?

Improvisation is one of various ways to make music. It is certainly one of the ways where our creativity can be totally expressed, where absolute error and judgment do not exist.

It is precisely this idea that stimulated the course of our musical research.

To you, are there rules in improvisation? If so, what kind of rules are these?

We don't believe there are rules in music. In our process there were only two directions, to limit ourselves or not.

In a live situation, decisions between creatives often work without words. How does this process work – and how does it change your performance compared to a solo performance?

Every live show for us is a creative inspiration.

We often find ourselves questioning the album's tracklist to search for new forms. In a certain sense our repertoire is very modular and enriched by transitions which become ideas for new improvisations.

We also like to include solo aspects within the concerts, which are also present on the album (“filo rosso I”, “filo rosso II”, “filo rosso III”), results of the same process.



As part of this there is great attention to everyone's input and we believe in this unpredictability, trying to follow the flow as much as possible.

There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? In which way is it di erent between your solo work and collaborations?

Silence. Starting from a space filled with non-sound, something that allows us to create something different to listen to, without forcing it. We believe it is the basis for any sound manifestation.

The track on our album called "corrente" is an example of this.



How do you see the relationship between sound, space and performance and what are some of your strategies and approaches of working with them?

For us, playing means relating to the space and the audience as if they were added members to the artistic performance. The track “fff” is definitely something we like to play because it plays on these relationships.



How much a sound can fill a room and how much it can fill people in the most unpredictable way possible, contained in a single gesture, something physical that awakens the perception of listening. like a noise concert of just 3 seconds that fades into silence and the trace that remains of it.

In a way, improvisations remind us of the transitory nature of life. What, do you feel, can music and improvisation express and reveal about life and death?

Improvisation offers the opportunity to stay in and experience a present moment. In this sense, creating music together enhances interplay, therefore relating to others, deeply feeling that precise moment through the musical gesture, listening in an active and emotional way.

In strong interaction with the public, who must not remain excluded. An essential dialogue and exchange that should be the basis of our daily life. The importance of listening carefully to ourselves and others.

An immersive, deep and intense embrace, like the one we feel in "alba", the track that concludes our album and also the first step of our journey.