Bruford - Borstlap: Happenstance (Bruford- Borstlap: In Concert in Holland, 2004)

Dutch keyboardist Michiel Borstlap and I had an improvising duo for several years in the noughties, producing three live CDs and a DVD. A fair representation of the group might be the powerful ‘The 16 Kingdoms of the 5 Barbarians’, recorded in a sweaty tent in Germany in 2004. 3000 over-heated people had been standing for a while, and by the time we came on, they needed fuss-free, clear, authoritative stadium jazz. Musicians (should) react and perform according to the situations they find themselves in, so that’s what they got. The very word ‘improvisation’ makes some people nervous. There are many who are uncomfortable with the whole notion of ‘making it up as you go along’, although that is broadly what we all do all day long. The activity is often thought of as making the best of things while awaiting a return to the way things should be done. In music, it tends to be devalued because the music hasn’t been ’rehearsed’ or ’worked at’, although of course the musicians have been working