new book about the Art Ensemble of Chicago

[Paul Steinbeck]

Dear SMT Improvisation colleagues,

I'm writing to announce the publication of Message to Our Folks, the first historical and analytical study of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The book offers a detailed history of the Art Ensemble, from the 1960s to the 21st century, and closely analyzes some of the band's best performances.

Message to Our Folks can be purchased from the University of Chicago Press, Amazon and other online retailers, and select bookstores.

More about the book:

Message to Our Folks proposes a new theory of group improvisation that explains how the Art Ensemble members were able to improvise together in many different styles while drawing on an extensive repertoire of notated compositions. The book also examines the intermedia dimensions of the Art Ensemble's performances, which integrated music with poetry, theater, costumes, and movement. Additionally, Message to Our Folks explores the connections between the band's performances and its distinctive model of social relations—practices of cooperation and personal autonomy that the group members adapted from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), the Chicago collective from which the Art Ensemble emerged.

Happy reading,

Paul Steinbeck

http://paulsteinbeck.com

http://music.wustl.edu/people/steinbeck