Women of A Certain Art: Zusaan Kali Fasteau

Kali and I met back in the early 90's when I was writing operas with the late Leroy Jenkins, a friend and colleague of hers.  We've known each other ever since mostly over a performance or coffee in the Village.  She's a formidable musician/force of nature -- if there's an instrument she doesn't play (and play well) it hasn't been invented yet.  A sample of her music ...

 

... and of her writing, from the Megaphone column in the March 2013 issue of The New York City Jazz Record, her essay, Spontaneous Composition in the Round.

Music
offers a sweet alternative to the mundane,
transporting us to a non-logical enjoyment of being.
If you read this journal, you feel the power of music.
We musicians are lucky making music that feels good to us.
Rather than ‘improvising’ (improving) upon a preset structure,
I prefer composing music in real time, shaping the sound
energy coming through me without forethought.
The body and spirit seem electrified by
the high-voltage energy of contouring sound live.
Spontaneous composition is almost magical, producing
amazing results when the musicians are well chosen.

Since our society awards predictability, spontaneous
music may benefit from a theoretical basis for what
I and others do naturally. Long ago, I applied the
philosophy of Taoism, the moving dance of opposites,
yin and yang, to music. Music lives in a multi-dimensional
sphere encompassing all possible sounds:
high and low, soft and loud, slow and fast, smooth and
rough, legato and staccato, etc. The spontaneous composer
is free at every moment to create and juxtapose these
yin and yang parameters of sound so as to enhance
their unique qualities moving through time.
Transcending this dynamic balance, the vital power of
heart energy animates the sound so it can be felt and
savored. Chops are required but to resonate in others,
the sounds must carry deep spirit and sincere emotion.

Society and culture both reflect and create each
other. Music influences thought. The mind follows
sound consciously and unconsciously. New shapes of
sound can create new cellular connections in the brain.
Awakening consciousness with music involves more
than changing the lyrics to conventional song forms or
expanding preset forms. Sailing uncharted sonic
waters provides a musical template for living in the
moment. It’s said that women usually initiate lateral,
egalitarian, informal (yin) communication of ideas,
outside the constraints of patriarchal ‘chains of
command’. Although I certainly admire and enjoy
many large ensemble works and have led and
participated in some, at this time I have no desire to
control or direct other musicians’ energy flow. Neither
the (yang) hierarchical organization of orchestras and
big bands, nor the division of labor separating
composer, performer and conductor, prevalent in most
‘Western’ music of recent centuries, suits my creative
temperament. Many musicians are comfortable and
happy working toward their desired sound through
these structures and/or must for financial reasons. I
prefer action composing live and direct from the
source, the bliss of instantaneous communion in sound
creation with other musicians of similar aesthetic.

Our experiences, both inherited and selected,
inform our musical vocabularies. From a deeply
musical and ‘free-thinking’ family and steeped in
Euro-classical, blues, soul and some world music, I
found free/avant garde jazz to be a perfect fit. After
eight years of piano lessons with Olga Heifetz, I had
dreamed and then played freely from age 14.
Multi-instrumentality is natural for me since studying
piano, cello, flute and singing in childhood. I’ve always
loved bringing forth the uniquely beautiful sounds of each
family of instruments: woodwinds, strings, percussion
and the voice. For decades, I navigated the rivers of
music on four continents, performing, living and
enjoying the work of my brother and sister musicians.
My music is the elixir of an adventurous life. Generalist,
multi-instrumentalist, world traveler, musicologist,
flute-maker, I also practice Tai-Chi and Chi-Gong,
research health and nutrition, love nature, audio
engineer and produce recordings, use Feng-Shui
principles for interior and exterior design and graphic
arts, swim long distances and much more. Versatility is
yin; specialization is yang. We are all individuals with
infinite capacities.
You can create yourself at every moment. Don’t let
others define you. The open arms of jazz have embraced
motifs, timbres, rhythms and instruments from many
musics of the world. Innovation is its unique attribute
and source of vitality. Creating in the moment,
forgetting the box, energy is strong. The sounds of animals
and natural forces, although rhythmic, never repeat exactly.
They are very refreshing to hear and inspire appreciation
and ongoing invention. Crickets, frogs, waves, birds, rocky streams

all create beautiful intricate non-repeating sound designs.

Nature always changes.

Your body is your first instrument - tune and tone
it kindly. Whether you play or listen (we need you too),
cultivate your health, your posture, slow breathing,
relaxation, positive thoughts and research your food.
When your musical mind seeks familiarity, relish your
joys of recreating and listening to old and new
favorites. If your musical mind relishes creating on the
threshold of the unknown, then hone your chops and
let the life energy stream sound through you. In the
moving circle of Tao, yin maxes into yang and yang
maxes into yin, change is the only constant. Do your
best work, help others and wear at least a little smile."