The Art of Improvising


The Art of Improvising, is a live album by saxophonist Warne Marsh recorded in 1959 and released on the Revelation label in 1974. Each track on The album only features part of the performance containing Marsh's solo although an album featuring twelve complete performances from these shows was released in 1994 under Kontz's name as Live at the Half Note.

Reception

The Allmusic review noted "This is an odd record.... The pianist/composer Lennie Tristano, with whom Marsh had a long relationship, evidently decided the only valuable moments from the sessions were these solos, so he simply excised everything else and presented them as self-contained pieces. For the general listener, this, of course, creates some problems. No themes are heard, so the basis for the improvisation can often only be guessed at, and, obviously, any sense of wholeness is by the boards. On the other hand, Marsh's tenor playing is supple, silvery, and generally luscious... So while the normal jazz listening experience is necessarily lacking, those who want a chance to hear Marsh in isolation might find this release to be a valuable document".

Track listing

  1. "Strike up the Band" – 2:30
  2. "It's You or No One" – 2:10
  3. "Subconscious-Lee" – 1:37
  4. "You Stepped Out of a Dream" – 2:22
  5. "Scrapple from the Apple" – 2:18
  6. "I'll Remember April" – 1:36
  7. "Back Home Again in Indiana" – 1:55
  8. "Lunar Elevation" – 2:26
  9. "A Song for You" – 2:11
  10. "How About You?" – 1:55
  11. "Scrapple from the Apple" – 2:00
  12. "Blues" – 1:20
  13. "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" – 2:21
  14. "It's You or No One" – 1:10
  15. "Indian Summer |Indian Summer" – 1:50
  16. "It's You or No One" – 1:10
  17. "You Stepped Out of a Dream" – 2:05
  18. "April, I'll Remember" – 2:30
  19. " Indiana" – 2:40
  20. "Half Nelson" – 2:49

    Personnel