The Nownow
The NOW now began life in October 2001 arising from a grass roots desire; there was no other institution in Sydney fostering and developing improvised music. The NOW now continues to be a community-run forum for musical exchange in Sydney’s improvised/experimental/exploratory music community.
The name, the NOW now, comes from this quote from the late Derek Bailey: "Of course there'll be another NOW along shortly, but it won't be the same NOW. It won't be this NOW; the NOW now. There is no other activity that is as well equipped to deal with the recognition that the present is absolutely unique as playing is." Derek Bailey, 1930-2005
The NOW now aims to facilitate the regular performance of improvised music, create opportunities for new collaborations between experienced and emerging artists and promote interdisciplinary music practice.
- They present a monthly concert series, and an annual festival (The NOW now festival) to the public.
- They run and update theNOWnow.net - a web site that promotes all experimental music happening in Sydney, regardless of venue or promoter.
- They also organise and run the large-scale electro-acoustic improvisational ensemble THE SPLINTER ORCHESTRA.
The experimental and improvised music scene in Australia has developed the last few years to be one of the most interesting and unique scenes in the world. It is essential that there is a context for the music to develop, The NOW now are committed to providing that context.
A clear strength of the festival is its interdependence with the monthly concert series, The Now now series. Many of the acts and artists that develop in the supportive atmosphere of the series can be showcased in the festival.
Shannon O'Neill, writing in Real Time, said of the 2007 festival:
“The festival has had a profound influence on Sydney's experimental music scene. Overcoming the city's tendency to cliquey fragmentation, the NOW now has pulled many people from diverse musical backgrounds into its warm embrace. It is a place where improvisation is an ethical, as much as a musical approach. The emphasis is on finding ways of engaging as equals.
Similarly remarkable is that audiences have responded with equal warmth and enthusiasm, with an average of over 300 people attending each of the four nights of this year's festival. The NOW now now plays a vital role in developing local artists and audiences.”
The festival has created artistic bonds between many communities, such as from Perth, Christchurch, Wollongong, Melbourne, Brisbane, Tasmania, Wellington, Auckland, Argentina and The Blue Mountains.
The NOW now has seen many international improvisers perform at the festival and series - Cor Fuhler (Holland), Kentaro Saito (Japan), Thomas Lehn and Johannes Bauer (Germany), Audrey Chen (USA), Xavier Charles (France), Dean Roberts (NZ), Magda Mayas (Germany), Werner Dafeldecker (Austria), Jamie Fennelly (USA), Quartet Experimenta (Argentina), Lars Graugaard (Denmark), Kim Myhr (Norway), Jeff Henderson (New Zealand), and many more. These internationals have performed and rehearsed with local musicians - The NOW now would like visiting artists to have a viable and organic relationship with the local performers.
As well as geographic exchange there is intergenerational exchange. The festival started off collectively organised by the younger musicians but they have included many older performers, and many film and video artists.
You are listening to an excerpt of the Splinter Orchestra performing live
to air on abc classic fm's 'new music up late'