Contemporary music improvisation for silent film
Challenging and evoking the jazz canon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jazz.28274Keywords:
jazz and film, improvisation, practice-research, silent filmsAbstract
This article explores how contemporary music improvisation for silent film both evokes and challenges the jazz canon by pushing the boundaries of genre, instrumentation, techniques, and collaboration while also engaging with the narrative and cultural contexts of the films. It draws from my practice-led research over the last twenty years, which has consisted of performing free improvised music in response to the screening of silent film, as a solo performer or as part of a jazz ensemble. The corpus of films used in the research spans animated shorts by Dutch director Gerrit van Dijk, surrealist shorts by Man Ray, German expressionist feature film by Fritz Lang and F. W. Murnau, French feminist film by Germaine Dulac, and documentary and amateur archive film of the North West Film Archive in Manchester and the Media Archive for Central England in Lincoln. In the performances, while jazz is taken as primary influence, musicians often incorporate elements of other musics, make use of a broader range of instruments and of non-traditional sound sources beyond the typical jazz ensemble, and employ experimental techniques and unconventional playing methods that challenge and evoke the conventional improvisational norms of jazz. Musicians might opt to follow or contradict the narrative and emotional cues of the film, which can result in processes of music making that prioritize the exploration of the boundaries of storytelling over traditional jazz forms and structures. Across this research, I have observed how silent film improvisation has been attracting diverse audiences. This cross-pollination of audiences can introduce jazz to new fans and challenge preconceived notions about who jazz is for.
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Filmography
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Barlow and Jones Ltd. (1919) [digital, 19min, black and white, silent]. United Kingdom: North West Film Archive.
Citizen Kane (2004) [16mm, 1min, colour]. Directed by Gerrit van Dijk. The Netherlands: Cilia van Dijk Filmproductie, Cilia van Dijk NIS Film Distribution Holland.
Clean Pastures (1937) [digital, 7min, colour]. Directed by Friz Freleng. USA: Warner Bros, Vitaphone.
Der müde Tod: ein deutsches volkslied in 6 versen (1921) [digital, 96min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Fritz Lang. Germany: Decla-Bioscop AG.
Emak-Bakia (1926) [digital, 19min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Man Ray. United States/France/Italy: WOMANRAY, Cinenovo, Cinémathèque française.
Entr’Acte (1924) [digital, 22min, black and white, silent]. Directed by René Clair. France: Société Nouvelle des Acacias.
Genuine (1920) [digital, 88min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Robert Wiene. USA: Silent Hall of Fame Enterprises.
Haast een Hand (1982) [16mm, 6min, colour]. Directed by Gerrit van Dijk. The Netherlands: Cilia van Dijk Filmproductie, Cilia van Dijk NIS Film Distribution Holland.
I Move, So I Am (1997) [16mm, 8min, colour]. Directed by Gerrit van Dijk. The Netherlands: Cilia van Dijk Filmproductie, Cilia van Dijk NIS Film Distribution Holland.
Ilha das Cores (2007–2009) [TV series, colour]. Directed by Paulo Resende. Portugal: RTP.
Inward Bound (1934) [digital, 16min, black and white, silent]. United Kingdom: North West Film Archive.
L’Etoile de Mer (1928) [digital, 17min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Man Ray. United States/France/Italy: WOMANRAY, Cinenovo, Cinémathèque française.
Le Retour à la Raison (1923) [digital, 3min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Man Ray. United States/France/Italy: WOMANRAY, Cinenovo, Cinémathèque française.
La Souriante Madame Beudet (1923) [digital, 38min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Germaine Dulac. France: Colisée Films.
Les Mystères du Château de Dé (1929) [digital, 27min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Man Ray. United States/France/Italy: WOMANRAY, Cinenovo, Cinémathèque française.
Letter for Carter (1979) [16mm, 5min, colour]. Directed by Gerrit van Dijk. The Netherlands: Cilia van Dijk Filmproductie, Cilia van Dijk NIS Film Distribution Holland.
Ménilmontant (1926) [digital, 46min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Dimitri Kirsanoff. France: Cinémathèque française.
Minnie the Moocher (1932) [digital, 12min, black and white]. Directed by Dave Fleischer. USA: Paramount Pictures.
Mi Vida En Tus Manos (2009) [35mm, 8min, colour]. Directed by Nuno Beato. Portugal: Sardinha em Lata.
Nosferatu (1921) [digital, 89min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. United Kingdom: BFI.
One Week (1920) [digital, 19min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline. USA: Metro Pictures, Warner Bros.
Sportflesh (1976) [16mm, 3min, colour]. Directed by Gerrit van Dijk. The Netherlands: Cilia van Dijk Filmproductie, Cilia van Dijk NIS Film Distribution Holland.
The Green Pastures (1936) [digital, 93min, black and white]. Directed by Marc Connelly and William Keighley. USA: Warner Bros.
The Immigrant (1917) [digital, 141min, black and white, silent]. Directed by Charlie Chaplin. United Kingdom: Mutual Film.
The Old Man of the Mountain (1933) [digital, 7min, black and white]. Directed by Dave Fleischer. USA: Paramount Pictures.
Uitverkocht (2006) [16mm, 7min, colour]. Directed by Gerrit van Dijk and Marie José van der Linden. The Netherlands: Cilia van Dijk Filmproductie, Cilia van Dijk NIS Film Distribution Holland.
Un Chien Andalou (1929) [digital, 17min, black and white]. Directed by Luis Buñuel. France: Les Grands Films Classiques.
Discography
Dias, José, After Silence, Vol.1. Clean feed, 2019. CD.
Dias, José, After Silence, Vol.2. Black Dog Records, 2023, digital album.
Serpa, Sara, Recognition. Sara Serpa, Zeena Parkins, Mark Turner and David Virelles. Biophilia, 2020, digital album.
