Four Amsterdam improvisers dismantle familiar compositions by Carla Bley, Sun Ra and others. How much can you change a melody before it becomes something entirely different?
Here’s a rather different musical proposition. Deconstructed Melodies brings together four experienced improvising musicians: Peter van Bergen on tenor saxophone, Jeroen Kimman on guitar, Koen Nutters on bass and Gert-Jan Prins on percussion and electronics.
Their 2025 album starts with compositions associated with musicians including Anthony Braxton, Carla Bley and Sun Ra.
But rather than treating these pieces as arrangements to be faithfully reproduced, the quartet uses them as starting points for improvisation and exploration.
It’s an intriguing question in itself: how far can musicians transform a composition while preserving something of its identity?
Start with: Ida Lupino (C. Bley) (14:36)
Listen to Ida Lupino on Bandcamp
Explore more from Deconstructed Melodies
This is our first Wildcard, a recording that may challenge expectations and reward more adventurous listening.
Does the original melody still matter once improvisation takes over?
Tell us what you think, and if someone you know enjoys experimental music, why not introduce them to it?
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