Index of Improvisers and Improvisations

[Derek]

In an effort to make classical (that is, anything not necessarily jazz) improvisation more visible/accessible to users
of this site, I have organized this list of improvisations uploaded by various
individuals in our community.  If you have uploaded an improvisation and I
have omitted it from this list, please send me a personal message and I will add it.

Note: This list features only topics that indicate that the music is improvised.
If you have uploaded an improvisation but did not indicate that it was improvised
please send me a personal message and I will add it to the list. I formed the list by searching for "improv" on each page in the audition room.


Index of improvisers and their uploaded music arranged alphabetically:

arensky:
Iris / Wayne Shorter
Cheesecake/Dexter Gordon
arielpiano:
VIDEO: Untitled improv
aryreisin:
Some exercises-improvisations Part 1
Some exercises-improvisations Part 2
crazy for ivan moravec
improvisations by crazy for ivan
Derek:
Two improvisations: January 27th Parts 3 & 4
2007, February 7, Improvisation.
2007, February 5, Improvisation: Suite of short pieces
2007, February 4, Improvisation
several short improvisations, January 18-20 2007
Improvisation, my first digital piano recording. January 19th, 2007
Improvisation, January 9, 2007
Improvisation, December 9, 2006, 5 minute excerpt
December 4, 2006, Improvisation "Pastorale"
piano improv by me (I put more work into this than repertoire or technique)
May 23rd Jazz/Romantic Improvised Composition
Derek Andrews - Improvisation
Derek Andrews - Improvisation April 19th
Derek Andrews - May 10th Improvisation
Derek Andrews - June 13th Improvisation - Romantic stuff and Boogie Woogie stuff
Derek Andrews - June 23rd Improvisation (Classical/Romantic style)
very old improv of mine...please for the love of god check out other posts
Doc_Savage:
Two improvisation
erak:
yet another improv (not that tonal)
Gargamel:
Gargamel: Middle Land (improv)
Gargamel: Pink Roses (improv)
lostinidlewonder:
2 Midi recorded Improvisations
Mayla:
Lost myself -- improv 4.29.07
'Dreaming' -- Improv : Mayla
Inner Circle -- improvisation by Mayla
"State of the World" : A tribute to the people of 9/11 (Improv)
Rainy Day - Improv
Improv -- Mayla
norkus:
new improv
Nightscape:
Jeremy Ricketson - Improvisation, May 9th
J.R. - Improvisation, "Nameless"
Nightscape (J.R.) - "Three Improvised Waltzes"
Lilies in Shade, improv.
Three Improvisations
phillip21:
Improvisation on 'Fly me to the moon' - Phillip21
pianogeek_cz:
LH Improvisation
A bit of impressionistic improvisation by me...
pianowolfi:
Sunrise 2-Improv
hope-improv
centuries-improv 
Chimes (Ave Maria) Improvisation
Dies Irae, second edited version
Styx - Improv
2 Improvs-Views From Above
dies irae-improv
Sympathy 2- Improv
Sympathy. Improvisation
Midnight-Three Impros
More Improvisations
Well, 2 more improvs
pseudo.naivete:
Improvisation
quantum:
5 Meditations - Improv March 17, 2007
Birds & I don't know - Improv Oct 27, 2006
Live Improv - Feb 23, 2007 #29 (Two pianos)
Improv - January 7, 2007 #1
Live Improv - (2 pianos 4 hands) September 29, 2006
Improv (organ)- October 1-2, 2006
Improv (organ) - October 1, 2006 - Toccata
Improv - Disjunct Nocturne
Improv - Boogie Wonky
Improv on the theme Happy Birthday
5 Improv's - May 31, 2006
Improv - March 21, 2006
Improv - "Slow"
Live Improv (on Mozart's birthday) - 3 pianos
Live Improv - "Winter boots" - pn, 2 fl, 2 cl, 2 vox
Old Improv - April 15, 2003 #1
Improv - January 9, 2006 - Organ + Piano
Improv December 17, 2005 - Doodle plus modified Christmas tunes
Improv - "Rage over a question" piano (somewhat prepared) & percussion
Live Improv - November 18, 2005
Improv - October 30, 2005 - Spookey Halloween special
Improv - September 22, 2005 - Prepared piano
2 Improvs - September 16, 2005 - Prepared piano!
Improv - August 27, 2005 "Images of Latin America"
Improv - August 12, 2005 #2 "Examinations of Pain"
Improv - August 2, 2005
Improv July 22, 2005
Improv Sonata
Improvisation 2 pianos 4 hands
Improv May 20, 2005
quasimodo:
My improvisations
randmc:
Classical Improvs 2
Classical Improv Preludes
reaper978
2 Tonal improvisations
Atonal improvisation
2 atonal improvisations
rob47:
Random Improv
Bobby Kawasaki - 'Improvisación con Queso S.333'
Kawasaki/Rota/Coppola - Reminiscences of 'The Godfather' (improv)
Rob47 - Mary had a little lamb improv
silvaone:
Waiting Room Blues (small improvisation)
"That Lucky Old Sun" Improvisation
Hard Times Improv
Short Boogie Woogie Improvisation
skyhawk:
The Temptest (Improvisation)
Here's another improvisation for you...
Another Improvisation...
Chased by the Sun God/Dance of the Lotus/Improvisations
sportsmonster:
listen to this!........warning:(you might laugh yourself to death)
stevie:
a random improv, in a random key, randomly
a random improv in C# minor, tell me wut tha funk im playin
Chopin Etude and Random Improvisation
ted:
Improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation CD4 track 3
Improvisation CD5 track 1
Improvisatory "warm-ups"
Section of improvisation from last year
A contrasting pair from Sunday morning
Balintataw - Larawan Ng Pilipinas
Balintataw (2)
"Aleister Crowley MAkes Room in the Bed"
Romantic Study
vladimirdounin:
Improvisation "Mack The Knife And Me" (musical joke)
Do you like this song that F.Sinatra used to sing? "My Way" (Improvisation).
My version of "Love Story" (Improvisation)

[ted]

Thanks Derek, that is a most useful post.

[pianowolfi]

Wow this is great. I feel motivated to post more improvisations. It is currently my passion.
 

I vote for setting this sticky!

[skyhawk]

 


That's awesome. This is wonderful, thanks Derek.

[Derek]

Derek:
February 15th, 2008 Improv
2008, January 5th, three improvisation videos
2007, November 27th, Improvisation.
Improvisation, October 27th, 2007
Improvisation in the style of Beethoven (first genuine attempt)
Improvisation, October 8th, 2007.
September 16th, 2007, Part 3, Improvisation.
baroque improv (need some advice about this style perhaps)
September 12th, 2007. Improvisation.
Tasuki in the Living Room.
September 12th, 2007. Improvisation.
July 25th, 2007, Free Improvisation.
May 29th, part 2 improvisation. "Introspection."
improvisation, july 10th. "atonal"
an improvisation from may
June 26th improvisation, part 3.
May 25th 2007 Improvisation. Set of miniature pieces in varying idioms.
Improvisation, April 5th, Part 2.
A modern folk-dance improvisation from April
Two Improvisations from April.
Improvisation, March 19th, 2007.
forzaitalia250:
Improv in D Minor
Two Improvisations
ian williams:
Improvised Sonata-Allegro form: Quasi una Fantasia in B minor
Improvisation: Prelude in A-flat major (It Was Late And I Was Tired)
Karli:
5.12.08 -- Improv
5.7.08 -- Improv
4.10.08 -- Improv
3.18.08 -- Improvisation
kunia:
improvisations to enjoy
Mayla:
1.18.08 -- Improv
"In the Rough" -- Improv (response to Quantum)
"Day After" -- Improv 
"Necessities" -- Improv
"Prelude to Life" -- Improv
"A Cold Way to Go" -- Improv
"For Wolfi" -- Improv 
"The Gate" -- Improv 
"Voice Within" -- Improv
"Journey" -- improv
"And, Oh, What a Whisper it Is"
"Honesty, and Afterthoughts" -- improv, 8.26.07
"Golden Ribbon" -- improv 8.21.07
"Untitled" -- Improv 8.20.07
"My Favorite Melody" -- improv 
"Stampede" -- Improv
"Secret Message" -- Improv
"Dark Light" -- Improv 
"What I Really Mean" -- Improv
"Risky Business" -- Improv
"circus act" -- improv for OPUS 
opus10no2:
Improvisation from last year
Improv for Mayla
pianogeek_cz:
Malevolent Suite parts 1&2
Pianowolfi:
Montserrat
qryz -- Improv
Morning Pill--Improv
ascending - Improvisation
Morning Star
Listening--September 16th, 2007
Sympathy 1 and 2, reloaded
Elegy-Improv from Dec. 23 2006
5 Amerisations
My Day---Improv
For those... 
2 minimalistic attempts
The essence...
EnTrance--Improv
Long Journey-- Videos 
Beams
quantum:
Tierce de quirky - Improv
Pre Factorious actionism - Improv
Say yes to no - Improv 
Birth of idea - Improv
Nocturnal decisions - Improv
Twilight mist - improv
Improv - March 23, 2008 Victimae paschali 
Improv - Whirl you ever present central heating!
Improv December 4, 2007 #7
Improv November 30, 2007 #4 - Testing new Firepod 
In search of the dance - Improv
Sun rays peak through the trees - Improv
Ridiculous! - Improv
Soon after the rain - Improv
Sudden rain at dusk - Improv
Reflections on muggy weather - Improv suite
reaper978:
Free improvisation - please listen
ronde_des_sylphes:
Chopinesque improvisation
Random improv on Verdi Miserere
tehpro:
Improv on a theme by Xenakis
Ted:
Cellular transition in double notes
One from last Monday

[Derek]

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,22356.msg248792.html#msg248792

these were just dummy posts incase the list spills over. click the link to get to the top!

[quantum]

Thank you for doing this! 

[pianowolfi]

Bump. Sticky!

[skyhawk]

Bump. Sticky!

I second that. 

[Derek]

I'd like it sticky also!   To anyone who has uploaded new improvs or sent me links: I will update the list soon! Been kinda busy what with Christmas and so forth

[instromp]

You must of had a lot of time to do all that 

[Derek]

Heh, It actually took only about an hour. I just clicked "by name" in Audition room, then searched for the word "improv" on each page and listed them in one big post.

I will be updating this list fairly frequently. If you post an improv you can expect to see it on this list within a matter of days. Enjoy!

[Derek]

As you can see, the size of this list has now spilled over the limit. Nils, is it possible to move the second list I began right beneath the first one? If not don't worry about it. Thanks for posting your improv everyone! This is the only place on the internet where you can download so much original piano improvisation that is not necessarily jazz!

As you'll notice I am gradually changing this list so that all the titles themselves are the links, rather than titles followed by links. I finally learned the proper way to present links with BBcode in forums. It should look a lot nicer when I'm done!

[Derek]

I just re did the improviser list. A lot cleaner now don't you think?

[pianowolfi]

I just re did the improviser list. A lot cleaner now don't you think?

Cool, Derek!

[Derek]

I'm going to try to comment on others' improvisations more. Improvisation becomes more and more important to me and I love encouraging others to do it more when I can. It truly is the world's best hobby (my opinion ). I'll keep updating this list and commenting on improvs when I can. Keep posting, all! 

[Mayla]

Derek, I never thanked you for doing this !  Thanks !

[Derek]

You're quite welcome!  I enjoyed making it. I hope the joy of improvisation can show through in all the people who post here and inspire more people to try it.

[pianowolfi]

Improv rules! I am glad to see that he "club of improvisers" is growing in the audition room

[Derek]

an "Index of Composers and Compositions."

I suggest that someone with enough time and interest create a sister thread called "Index of Composers and Compositions."  I believe there are quite a few composed pieces in the audition room as well as improvised ones. To a degree I think it is silly to separate them since some pieces were undoubtedly improvised first, then written down later, or composed first, then emellished upon. In the end it is up to whomever posts their music to decide which thread it belongs in,  but....how about it? Anyone up to the task of making an "Index of Composers and Compositions?"  You'd have to be a big nerd like me and be willing to update it frequently...haha 

[indutrial]

In an effort to make classical (that is, anything non-jazz) improvisation more visible/accessible to users

Without trying to be confrontational, why must an improv thread be dubbed "non-jazz", even though the first two items listed are pieces written by Wayne Shorter and Dexter Gordon?!?

A lot of the best improvisors in the world fall into a category commonly dubbed "free improv", which draws equally off of jazz, classical, folk, and whatever else the specific musician could possibly be interested in. Maybe I'm deviating from the point of this thread, but I don't really see how improvisational music needs to be partitioned, in one's mind or in the real world.

[Derek]

It doesn't, really. I don't mind if people post jazz pieces. I should have said "not necessarily jazz." My purpose in creating this thread was because throughout the years since I began endeavoring to learn to improvise, I've always been interested in music that sounds heroic, dark, urgent, passionate, intense etc. I went around the internet searching for people who did this sort of improv, but the only people I could find were improvisers of jazz elevator music, which did not interest me in the slightest. Bar music. You know the kind. That sort of improvisation has ten thousand self-help books and has been beaten into the ground. Eventually I made some friends, mostly on this website, who did improvisation which was not jazz, not classical, but something new entirely. Spontaneous, continuous creation of original music which was melodic and intriguing and had far more impetus than elevator music bar music jazz.  This inspired me to do even more with my improv, and I continue to this day. I perceive there are few people who do improv with this sort of internal, obsessive drive to create original music, so that's why I created this thread.

 In fact, I think I created the thread for "spontaneous composers" rather than improvisers.  It was just my personal preference...if someone else wanted to create a thread devoted to jazz, more power to them.

[indutrial]

In fact, I think I created the thread for "spontaneous composers" rather than improvisers.  It was just my personal preference...if someone else wanted to create a thread devoted to jazz, more power to them.

I understand your interest but I have to flatly disagree with you that the improv world (or the classical performance world) is stagnant in any way. I would say that the exact opposite is true, and that both realms of music are more active and vivacious than ever before. Both worlds may seem obscure, but that's because they both exist as underground scenes. I can name dozens of amazing improvisors who transcend all the boundaries of jazz and classical. You should look them up. I would suggest you start subscribing EMusic, because that website caters to a lot of non-major labels that provide outlets for these musicians and support their artistic goals.

If you want to hear some amazing piano improv that is not jazz or classical (something in between maybe), check out as many of the following people as possible:

Sten Sandell
Marilyn Crispell
Jim Baker
Myra Melford
Alexander von Shlippenbach
Keith Tippett
Satoko Fujii
Craig Taborn
Jason Moran
Stefano Battaglia
Borah Bergman
Uri Caine
Marc Copland
John Taylor
Michel Wintsch (who draws a lot of influence from Bartok)
Eduard Ferlet
Stephan Oliva
Bill Carrothers
and there are many more...

A lot of these people might have come up in the jazz world, but I assure you they've all transcended playing ii-V-I progressions and bullshiting exclusively on standards (though some of them still put out albums with a standard thrown in). Many of them are stunningly brilliant players who draw a lot from the classical world and produce incredible results consistently and in the most unpretentious and honest ways imaginable. You would realize right away that this is not music for elevators or fine dining. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the improv world in music is weak in any way. It's just not as publicly known as pop music or smooth jazz garbage. If you PM me, maybe I can send some noteworthy MP3s to prove my argument.

[Derek]

Thanks for the names. Perhaps I hadn't made enough of an effort to find such artists...I will look them up. Oh---do many of these artists make solo albums? I tend to prefer solo piano music over trio recordings.  Have you heard of "The Bad Plus?" I like their stuff fairly well...its definitely not elevator music but not quite what I need to hear. The only jazz artist in the mainstream who really resonates with me is Keith Jarrett, mainly his newer recordings such as Radiance, and the Carnegie Hall Concert (which I attended, yay!)

[Derek]

I've checked out a few of the artists on amazon.com. Maybe I just got unlucky, but none of the artists I sampled have the sort of intensity I'm looking for. Though they are not on record labels nor are they famous (a big plus as far as I am concerned), my friends here have written music that I really like listening to, and which I would definitely buy if they chose to sell their music. I thank the internet for connecting me with these kindred spirits...it has enriched my life more than I could have possibly imagined.

[etcetra]

oh this reminds me, check out Billy Childs.. his band is like a hybrid between a chamber group and a jazz combo..there nothing like it out there as far as I know.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=111498319

Also Brahd Mehldau has two solo piano album out I think.. and Fred Hersch has a duet Album with Norma Winstone called "songs and Lullabys".  They both play mainly original pieces.. and its definitely not jazz piano as most people know it.

There are so many out there ..Jean Michel Pilc, Baptiste Trotignon,  Aaron Parks, Tigran Hamasyan, David Kikoski, Geri Allen Geoffrey Keezer.. they still play ssome standards but they do a lot of other stuff too.. its funny a lot of old school people don't even consider them jazz.. its kind of exciting for me, seeing these people forge a new kind of music and we get to be part of it somehow.

btw myspace is a good place to look up their music, they have couple of tracks avialable for download.