Scott Taylor is a drummer who is part of an ongoing live series highlighting improvised music, A Series For The People’s Freedom, focusing on Kansas-based musicians. The collective releases music as Recordings for the People’s Freedom.
“The whole idea is that we play shows in a place that has very few constructs. We don’t need to play in time if we don’t want to. Basically, no rules.
When things are fully improvised, it forces us to meditate. [We’re] creating spaces where writing isn’t a thing, playing to an audience isn’t a thing. With this improvised music—and it’s fully improvised—I think we can get to a place where we’re initiating reactions in people.
You’re not going to come out of one of these shows or listen to one of these albums and not have an opinion on it. I don’t think it’s very easy to come out with it totally neutral. Yes, I want this to be a thing that represents our people and our town specifically. But, also, I don’t need everybody to like it. If everybody liked it, it would be a failure.
If I really sat down and tried to explain my music or why somebody should listen to it or why it’s hard to listen to, then I think I’d be doing a great disservice to the art form and to the people that have a lot of courage to get up and do it."
