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Cue Card Improvisation

Isaac Schankler, a well-learned musician from the University of Southern California, the University of Michigan and the Atlantic Center for the Arts, looks at music in a unique way. His upcoming workshops in music improvisation will not be his first teaching experience, but will be his first use of Machine Project, a nonprofit community space that works to further Angelenos’ exploration of subjects such as art, literature, food and particularly, music.

One of Schankler’s workshops involves the musical composition entitled “Cobra,” which was written by John Zorn in the early 1980s. A game piece, “Cobra” moves by way of controlled improvisation: the structure builds from Zorn’s rules, rather than a written score. Like a mad scientist let loose in a chemist’s shop, the prompter holds up cards, lifting them higher and lower, putting on and slipping off his cap — all as cues to the players. “It can be very unpredictable and chaotic,” Schankler says, but it always follows the rules. Rifts from rock ‘n’ roll to jazz, folk and even pop music may appear. The fractured sound comes from the players’ ability to direct one another, as well as request solos, duets and trios.

The balance of the game appeals to the already coolly balanced Schankler, who really wants to bring people together to make music of any kind. “We have done percussive things, or even things with spoken word. The game almost becomes psychological or sociological,” he says. Even though the “Cobra” of John Zorn at New York City’s Knitting Factory used a cast with the likes of Anthony Coleman, David Shea and Jeff Buckley, the piece is for anyone — and in fact the unknown musicians are sometimes the best game players. And Schankler is ready to share this idea with as many players from as many levels as he can.

And his own scholarly pursuit — obtaining a doctorate in music composition at USC — has clearly not kept him from continually performing and improvising. Schankler believes in usingimprovisation as a tool, maneuvering through musical moments to better understand composition and personal creation. “A major part of what I want to do with these workshops is demystify [the subjects],” he says.

A performance at the end of the workshops will be the culmination of this exploration of cooperation and individuality. The opening performance, led by Rory Cowal, Sara Roberts and Schankler, himself, takes place Friday, January 8 at 8 p.m.

Performances are January 10, 17, 24 and 31, 1–3 p.m. | 1200D N. Alvarado, Los Angeles | 213.483.8761 | www.machineproject.com

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