The first (invisible) Tiny Moment
How Frank Ocean quietly invented our future.
During the week of August 16 - 22nd, 2015, twenty-eight guitarists from 10 countries were flown into to Los Angeles to participate in a (top secret) world-class live performance collaboration with a major artist (Frank Ocean) for the FYF festival.
Two days after our arrival, there was an unfortunate, unforeseen and high-profile cancellation by FO. He was in London, working at Abbey Road. And he was going to blow off the FYF event. Of course, keeping doors open, and with the potential to blow minds, we hope to work with FO at some point (again) in the future.
The good news: after years of practice in turning a seeming disadvantage into an advantage, the team stayed on in LA and engaged in a different world-class collaboration: with violinist Nora Germain.
This is a quick glimpse into that collaboration, a one take improvisation on Paul Richard’s classic “Blockhead.” This was an improvisation recorded during a break in rehearsals, and it is another stunning example of Continuous Improvisation.
Players here include:
Adrian Fortis (Chicago)
Alessandro Bruno (Rome)
Carl Germain (Seattle)
Chris Gibson (Seattle)
Daniel Arias (Mendoza)
Fernando Kabusacki (Buenos Aires)
Fumijito Hatano (Osaka)
Horacio Pozzo (Buenos Aires)
Jacapo Bertacco (Berlin)
Leo Requejo (Mexico City)
Luciano Pietrafesa (Mendoza)
Marcos Pozzo (Buenos Aires)
Martin de Aguirre Ramirez (Madrid)
Paul Richards (Los Angeles)
Steve Ball (Seattle)
Nora Germain (Los Angeles)
This tiny event was the invisible beginning of what evolved into Tiny Orchestral Moments and, in the decade since this ~4m improvisation, we have completed hundreds of collaborations with Nora (and other forward-looking artists) committed to improvisation in large ensembles.
Nora most recently completed a North American tour with Jon Batiste, including an episode of Austin City Limits. She is available for collaborations, coaching, sessions and lessons.
More about Nora Germain here: http://www.noragermain.com
Learn more about Paul Richards here: http://cgtrio.com
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