Concert Review: MICROPLASTIQUE Live at Waterloo Arts

MICROPLASTQUE, a Chicago-based contemporary music group, gave a superb performance at Waterloo Arts in Cleveland on July 16, 2024. The group members Ben Zucker, Molly Jones, Josh Harlow and Adam Shead are seasoned musicians who have played with members of The Art Ensemble of Chicago, an avant-garde jazz group formed in the 1960s. Each performer of MICROPLASTIQUE is a multi-instrumentalist who plays a variety of wind, percussion and keyboard instruments.

Two compositions by Adam Shead were performed at this concert. Each piece was about 30 minutes long, and there was not a dull moment. Unlike some random improvisation without a clear sense of direction and formal structure, the music in this concert projected a clear sense of direction and formal structure. Musicians improvised from a few sheets of manuscript paper with simple notation that served as an improvisational guideline. Contrasting sections in motive, tempo, rhythm, timbre, texture, style and mood flowed seamlessly from one to another. The musical structure, the performers’ musicianship and the collaboration among the musicians were excellent. What impressed me the most was the natural flow of the music.

This performance did not have a leader or a conductor. The role of each player was equal. Everyone had something to say. They listened to each other and interacted with each other in harmony. There were constant and energetic shifts of foreground, background and middle ground in multiple layers. The operation seemed simple, but the sonority was complex. This concert was an excellent demonstration of a fine balance of control vs. freedom, composition vs. improvisation, unity vs. contrast, and equal partnership, at a high level of professionalism. MICROPLASTIQUE follows in the footsteps of The Art Ensemble of Chicago and expands the experimental improvisatory ideas to a larger variety of instrumental timbres, a more solid formal structure, and eclectic musical styles beyond jazz, within a more intimate setting.

Here are some questions that contemporary musicians might think about: How much musical notation is necessary? How might one achieve a good balance between composition and improvisation? Is it necessary for a composition to be in a single style? What is your role as a musician: performer, composer or both, and in what style? Would you enjoy making music in different styles? What composition methods can best express and represent yourself?  There are no “correct” answers to these questions. If you are happy and contented with what you are doing, that is wonderful. However, if you start to feel constrained musically and wish to explore other ways to better express yourself, then the potential for the exploration of new methods is wide open. There is nothing wrong in creating music in different styles, if they are assimilated successfully and they truly represent your world view. The members of MICROPLASTIQUE truly enjoy this eclectic approach to music making. They had fun, the audience had fun, and a good time was had by all!