Published
Name: Sarah Tandy
Occupation: Composer, improviser, pianist
Nationality: British
Recent release: Sarah Tandy 's new album Delicious Capricious is out now.
If you enjoyed this Sarah Tandy interview and would like to find out more about her music, visit her on Instagram, bandcamp, and Facebook.
When did you first consciously start getting interested in musical improvisation? What was your first improvisation on stage or in the studio and what was the experience like?
I think I was always quite fascinated by improvisation … coming from a classical background it always seemed like some strange magical power. I remember as a child messing around with chords and getting quite absorbed in that.
I think my first improvisation on stage was probably when I was about 13 at music course I went on … I remember even back then the sense of liberation I felt.
Tell me about your instrument and/or tools, please. What made you seek it out, what makes it “your” instrument, and what are some of the most important aspects of playing it?
If I’m honest I can’t remember a time when I didn’t play piano. I learnt to read music at the same time I learnt to read words. I don’t remember seeking it out, its just always been there and I can’t imagine life without it.
It's always felt like the most honest part of me … though sometimes that can be a two edged sword. I also think piano can be a great basis for other elements of music such as composition/ arranging/ production.
How would you describe your own relationship with your instrument – is it an extension of your self/body, a partner and companion, a creative catalyst, a challenge to be overcome, something else entirely?
There’s always been an element of physicality about it for me. We are physical beings, we inhabit physical bodies and we feel our emotions in our bodies.
I feel like if I understand a concept only on an intellectual level I haven’t fully understood it at all … my body has to grasp it in some way too for it to make sense.
Derek Bailey defined improvising as the search for material which is endlessly transformable. What kind of materials have turned to be particularly transformable and stimulating for you?
I think music is a journey and what you are looking for is changing all the time.
When I was younger I just wanted to acquire as much technical ability and harmonic vocabulary as I could. These days I’m more interested in the wider context that the music occurs in. I still learn a hell of a lot from other musicians but often its not even the ‘musical’ stuff but a broader exchange of ideas in general.
I have also got super into the production side of things recently, and the more I learn about sound design and mixing and the architecture of making a track, I find that way of listening feeds into the live setting too.
When you're improvising, does it actually feel like you're inventing something on the spot – or are you inventively re-arranging patterns from preparations, practise or previous performances? What balance is there between forgetting and remembering in your work?
I think the best gigs are when it feels like everything is brand new … whether that is actually the case is a different question!
For me if I feel like I am just endlessly rehashing the same patterns in different ways then something is lacking creatively. I don’t necessarily think its about creating something ‘new’ but rather learning to feel/ hear/see in new ways.
I think the greatest art has a way of making the world feel like a new place, despite the fact you’ve already been here your whole life.
Artists from all corner of the musical spectrum, not just “free jazz” have emphasised the importance of freedom in their creativity. What defines freedom for your improvisations?
I’m really sorry but I have to refer back to Louis Armstrong on this one!! If you gotta ask, you’ll never know!!
Taking your recent projects, releases, and performances as examples, what, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to improvisation?
I think I’m very influenced by the sound world I’m trying to create … I will play differently depending on what track it is, what else is going on in the track and what instrument I’m playing.
On my recent album Delicious Capricious I got really into production and sound design so I used a whole different bunch of synth patches and that definitely informed the approach …
For example the synth sound on my track "Keep Dreaming" is super light and airy, almost like a flute.
Whereas on the track "Pressure," the synth sound is much more aggressive and the solo reflects that.
In your best improvisations, do you feel a strong sense of personal presence or do you (or your ego) “disappear”?
The best way I can describe it is spirit possession … you’re still there but you belong to something else for a bit. At least that’s the ideal scenario!!
Sometimes you can’t reach it and then you’re just stuck with your broken, flawed self!!
What are some of your favourite collaborators and how do they enrich your improvisations?
For me, familiarity is super important … I like to play with people I’ve played with for a long time and who feel like family …
I’ve played with Binker Golding (who plays on my album Delicious Capricious) for many years now, and I know whenever he’s on stage the music is going to go somewhere interesting.
[Read our Binker Golding interview]
There can be surprising moments during improvisations – from one of the performers not playing a single note to another shaking up a quiet section with an outburst of noise. Can you tell me about such situations from your own performances and how they impacted the performance?
I can’t really think of a specific instance but there’s definitely a collective energy that occurs … with the guys I’ve been playing with a long time, I can always tell what mood they’re in by the way they play … I can tell if the drummer’s had a tough day or if he’s hungry.
And sometimes that can be unexpected … you can think the set is going to go one place and it will go somewhere else because someone has something they need to get out of their system … and I think that’s a beautiful thing.
Sometimes the vibe can be super high energy, other times, people just need to be mellow for a bit and that’s fine too because sometimes that’s also needed. The beauty of music is it can be all these things.
In a way, we improvise all the time. In which way is your creative work feeding back and possibly supporting other areas of your life?
I mean, I don’t know what I’m doing one day to the next, I’m just making it up as I go along!!
