Weaving worlds / trying to have a good time
Dear diary...
I mean hello friends!
I hope you're all well. I feel like these days bring no shortage of surprises, many being not-so-ideal, so I hope each of you is able to find something in the day-to-day to bring some peace.
I for one have been taking a deep dive in to my creative practice. I've been growing to appreciate the process of drumming more than ever, but I'e also been asking myself a lot of questions about what I do and why I do it.
The drums themselves provide me grounding. I've never been one to identify with an official religion or formally cultivate a spiritual practice, but I'm coming to think my instrument is my personal connection to something larger in that regard. It's not a new thought to drummers as a whole as many forms of drumming are explicitly religious, but I think I've discovered a lot about where it all fits together for me over the past few months. Drumming brings me a sense of discipline, connection with community, and clarity during times of inner or outer turmoil. I have a relationship with the drums I spend time on and evolve almost every day. I'm able to find contentment while playing the drums even if others are not watching and complimenting. To me that comes awfully close to the positive side of organized religion and spirituality, but that's as far as I've gotten with that thought as of now, which feels good to me.
But what about the music itself? What am I trying to create amidst an ever-deepening ocean of content and virality?
I've always been a lover of great stories whether they be in books, movies or podcasts (podcasts have the best imaginative fiction right now by the way). I think with my music I want to create experiences you can dive into. I want their to be surprises as well as satisfying over-the-top gestures you can experience independent of language. (Though it's nice to have lyrics sometimes too). This is just me speaking as a bandleader / composer / organizer of sounds, not about what my listening and collaborating desires as a whole. I know some of my most impactful listens (which include recordes I've bought) have been music I only need to experience once, or can only take in once in a while because of how demanding they are, and I'm realizing it's okay if my music is that way for others.
So, how to use this in the creative process?...
I like to use projects to organize my thoughts. Calculated Discomfort and Prosthetic are my two main projects as a leader. They've had a lot of overlap, but for my own peace of mind I've been trying to define them better and work accordingly. Going forward I'm trying to think of Calculated Discomfort and Prosthetic as systems of improvisation / music making that both serve the ultimate goal of atelling a story, just using different elements.
Prosthetic is more about full-tilt rhythmic improvisation and referencing underlying styles to blur the line between song and spontaneity. It prioritizes muscular musical gestures, but still isn't a vehicle for showing off in the traditional sense. If I had to peg it to genres, I'd say it's an exploration of the seams between free jazz and jazz fusion, where R&B is playing in the room next door.
Calculated Discomfort is all about flows. It's a vehicle for my more scripted compositions on paper, but can still feel more open-ended and experimental than Prosthetic. Texture and lush orchestration are key. Heavy grooves will enter the equation, but their more likely to be looser and circular than the slamming nature of Prosthetic via the incorporation of folkloric-inspired percussion, or possess the more jagged qualities of experimental rock.
With these meditations in mind, I'm putting on a lowkey show next week that will feature both a Calculated Discomfort and a Prosthetic set. For this event, both lineups of musicians are fresh, so it will be really testing the idea that my concepts are in fact systems. It's also just going to be a fun time too. Full details below. As always, I hope you got something out of these thoughts, and I'd love to hear from you if you did.
Have a great day,
Tommy
For social media I think I'm just going to call this one Tommy Carroll and Friends, but since you all are in on the secrets...
Calculated Discomfort and Prosthetic at Archie's Cafe June 1
I'm very excited to present two sets of music next Thursday June 1st at Archie's Cafe in Rogers Park. We'll go from about 7:30pm-9:30pm, and will be outside on the patio if it's as nice as it's been this week. We'll kick it off with a set of lush improvisations and mysterious compositions and close it out with some off-kilter funky goodness.
- Thursday June 1, 2023
- 7:30-10pm
- Archies Cafe, 1228 W Loyola Ave, Chicago
- Set 1: Erica Miller (cello), Stephanie Alma (vocals and percussion), Karl Maher (guitar), Lyn Rye (bass), Tommy Carroll (drums and percussion)
- Set 2: Nathan Reider (alto saxophone), Ian Walsh (guitar), Leon Godfrey (bass), Tommy Carroll (drums and percussion)
- Free / suggested donation
Hope to catch you there!