Saturday Night "In C" Jam Session

Saturday night, or, if you are reading this after I go to sleep, tonight, will be a different kind of jam. Show up, with or without your instrument, at the Parliament of Reality (the glowy fountain pond thing up by Fisher, for the six of you who haven't been kicked out of it by security after dark) at 6 pm tomorrow. You'll meet our buddies in Contemporaneous, who are extending an open invitation to play with them. The piece: Terry Riley's "In C."

Composed in 1964, "In C" is considered the first and greatest minimalist masterpiece. It's composed in 53 short, numbered sections; some are only one or two notes. With an endlessly repeating C serving as a metronome, musicians begin together playing section 1. At the time of your personal, individual decision, you move to section 2. Your neighbor moves a few seconds later, if she feels like it. Then, when you want, you move to section 3, and on and on until everyone ends up on section 53. Because each musician decides at a given time to move on, the piece can never be performed the same way twice.

Photo credit Jenna Galka

Pictured above: last year's "In C" jam in SMOG. Lasting an hour and two minutes, the session attracted many musicians outside of Contemporaneous and a crowded audience of several dozen. Tomorrow's, in the elements and the glow of the Parliament, is much, much bigger.

It will be followed by a performance of "Workers' Union," in which the rhythm is unison but the pitches are all relative to one line. People who want to play in this piece, which I'm told should be everyone, should come to a rehearsal at the Parliament at 4 pm.

Every performance of "In C," a one-page piece with very few different pitches, is absolutely inimitable. The one-time experience of that night's In C is a mosaic of the momentary fancies of each of its creators. From a small and tightly ordered little piece comes a chaotic experience that will be one of the coolest hours of your year.

So bring your instruments, your voices (speaking from a biased perspective, choir sections for In C are not to be scoffed at), or just your ears to the Parliament at 6. You'll have a blast.