Stephen Nachmanovitch

Stephen Nachmanovitch is the author of both Free Play and more recently The Art of Is. Yo Yo Ma wrote that “Stephen Nachmanovitch’sThe Art of Is is a philosophical meditation on living, living fully, living in the present. To the author, an improvisation is a co-creation that arises out of listening and mutual attentiveness, out of a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. It is a product of the nervous system, bigger than the brain and bigger than the body; it is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, unprecedented and unrepeatable. Drawing from the wisdom of the ages,The Art of Is not only gives the reader an inside view of the states of mind that give rise to improvisation, it is also a celebration of the power of the human spirit, which — when exercised with love, immense patience, and discipline — is an antidote to hate.” This was an amazingly inspiring conversation, extremely wide-ranging, including some musical improvisation. I’ve included timestamps to help listeners navigate the many topics we touched on including many important artists, which include: Yehudi Menuhin, John Cage, William Blake, Herbert Zipper, Keith Johnstone, Ali Akbar Khan The video is here, and the transcript will also soon be linked on my podcast website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/stephen-nachmanovitch-author-of-free-play-and-the-art-of-is Timestamps: (00:00) Intro to episode with Yo-Yo Ma quote and books “The Art of Is” and “Free Play” (01:46) World Music Menu (05:03) Violectra by David Bruce Johnson (09:43) sarangi, viola d’amore, sympathetic strings (13:10) work as a software programmer, sacred desk and secular desk (15:58) synesthesia, Visual Music Tone Painter, William Blake (18:19) Keith Johnstone and the intersections of art forms in improv: theatre, dance, music, (22:49) cooking (24:07) Yehudi Menuhin (26:47) Stephen re-learning the violin in a different way after injury (28:13) Indian music studies with Shashi Nayak and Ali Akbar Khan (29:49) “The Art of Is” and “Free Play” (30:52) Buddhism, Gregory Bateson, San Franciso Zen Center, Dorland Mountain Colony (37:53) William Blake (41:19) writing “The Art of Is” with Jack Nachmanovitch as editor (43:09) Herbert Zipper, documentary “Never Give Up” (49:38) parameters in improvisation (55:30) improvisation Leah Roseman on acoustic violin, Stephen Nachmanovitch on Violectra, waterphone and voice (01:03:23) body awareness, working with dancers (01:10:15) The judging specter (01:12:17) visual cortex interaction when listening (01:14:41) inspiration from nature, Stephen’s health problems and isolation, album “Hermitage of Thrushes” with David Rothenberg, collaborations with Ellen Burr, Anders Hagberg (01:21:13) “Finger Kissing” and the judging specter (01:27:15) John Cage (01:36:47) Stephen’s wife (01:39:29) Stephen’s advice photo credit: Dirk Dobíey--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/leah-roseman/message

Episode 15 of the Turquoise Coconut Podcast. We spoke to improviser, author and educator Stephen Nachmanovitch about long-distance duets, the value of critical journalism in the arts, the beauty of single-celled organisms, and more. Turquoise Coconut is a UK-based independent record label. For more info, visit us at turquoisecoconut.com or find us on Facebook. New music for curious ears. Recorded on 21 February 2021. Music featured in this podcast: Free Radicals | ‘Impermanence’ [2018] Quintet for Viola & Thrush | ‘Hermitage of Thrushes’ [2020] Taking the warlord to tea | ‘Impermanence’ [2018] First Life | from a live concert at the Esalen Institute [1980] Not Your Grandmother’s Whale | ‘The Liquid Between the Styles’ [2020] with Matt Oestreicher https://archive.org/download/TurquoiseCoconutPodcast15/Ep.%2015%20-%2023.02.21%20Stephen%20Nachmanovitch%20%5Bedit%201%5D.mp3

Stephen Nachmanovitch performs and teaches internationally as an improvisational violinist and at the intersection of music, dance, theatre, and multimedia arts. Stephen has presented masterclasses and workshops at Julliard and many conservatories and universities. In this episode, Stephen and Eric discuss his new book, The Art of Is: Improvising as a Way of Life, which is an exploration of the creative process, especially the social dimensions of the creative process and a philosophical meditation on living, living fully, and living in the present.But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!In This Interview, Stephen Nachmanovitch and I Discuss Improvising in Life and…His book, The Art of Is: Improvising as a Way of LifeThat creativity is absolutely worthless without an ethical foundationThe ethics of creativityBuddhism and creativityWhy improvisation is so important to himHis interest in the creative process across all fieldsThat the template for improvisation is conversationThe role of listening and equality in improvisational musicThe relationship between impermanence, imperfection, and improvisationThe relationship between chivalry and the phrase “yes, and…”That play isn’t what you do, it’s how you do itThe relationship between discipline and freedomArt as the act of balancingHow self correction is a lot easier without the added burden of guiltThe metaphor of a child learning to walk and the approach of “positive feedback only”What it means to “stamp out nouns”That when you create something that’s “original” it means, simply, that you are the originStephen Nachmanovitch Links:freeplay.comFacebookTwitterTalkspace is the online therapy company that lets you connect with a licensed therapist from anywhere at any time at a fraction of the cost of traditional therapy. It’s therapy on demand. Visit www.talkspace.com or download the app and enter Promo Code: WOLF to get $100 off your first month.Kettle & Fire: Bone Broth and soups carefully crafted by world-class chefs, made with the best whole ingredients and the bones of humanely raised animals delivered right to your door. Go to www.kettleandfire.com/wolf and use promo code WOLF for 20% off.Calm App: The app designed to help you ease stress and get the best sleep of your life through meditations and sleep stories. Join the 85 million people around the world who use Calm to get better sleep. Get 40% off a Calm Premium Subscription (a limited time offer!) by going to www.calm.com/wolfIf you enjoyed this conversation with Stephen Nachmanovitch on Improvising in Life, you might also enjoy these other episodes:Finding Your Creativity with Julia CameronPower of Poetry with Ellen BassRalph WhiteSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Improvisation offers us insights into communication that just might open new doors to discovery and enchantment that could enrich our lives and lead to a deeper and fuller appreciation of what it means to connect with people and our environment. What does this mean in the lives of children who are just beginning to discover their own voices and agency?

Improvising as a way of life with improvisational violinist Stephen Nachmanovitch. Learn how to live a more creative life.

We talk about improvising as a way of life in teaching, learning, parenting, creative process​ and the balance of play, chaos, receptivity, self discovery, imperfection​ and connection.​ Stephen shares about his teachers & main influences: Gregory Bateson, William Blake, Yehudi Menuhin, and Jerome Bruner."Your nervous system is all the way outside your body and all the way inside and you're perceiving through every medium that you're present in." -Stephen Nachmanovitch​

link to part 1: http://www.mattoestreicher.com/themindfulmusician/2019/10/15/ep35-an-exploration-of-improvisation-with-stephen-nachmanovitchpart-1 part 1 on iTunes:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-35-exploration-improvisation-stephen-nachmanovitch/id1039740479?i=1000453557899 The full length album that we recorded: "The Liquid Between The Styles" - (including the pieces from this podcast) https://themindfulmusician.bandcamp.com/releases Stephen Nachmanovitch links: Website: http://www.freeplay.com/ His new book The Art of Is: Improvisation as a way of life http://www.freeplay.com/Writings/TheArtOfIs.php His classic book Freeplay http://www.freeplay.com/Writings/2-amazonlinks-fp.php Host Matt Oestreicher links: The Mindful Musician Podcast Homepage: http://www.mattoestreicher.com/themindfulmusician Website: http://www.mattoestreicher.com/

The full length album that we recorded: "The Liquid Between The Styles" - (including the pieces from this podcast) https://themindfulmusician.bandcamp.com/releases Stephen Nachmanovitch links: Website: http://www.freeplay.com/ His new book The Art of Is: Improvisation as a way of life http://www.freeplay.com/Writings/TheArtOfIs.php His classic book Freeplay http://www.freeplay.com/Writings/2-amazonlinks-fp.php Host Matt Oestreicher links: The Mindful Musician Podcast Homepage: http://www.mattoestreicher.com/themindfulmusician Website: http://www.mattoestreicher.com/

Today on the podcast we have a myth and a legend in the improv world Stephen Nachmanovitch. If you have never read his book “Free Play” please stop whatever you are doing right now and go pick up a copy. Today we talk about his newest book "The Art of Is"

Today on the podcast we have a myth and a legend in the improv world Stephen Nachmanovitch. If you have never read his book “Free Play” please stop whatever you are doing right now and go pick up a copy. Today we talk about his newest book "The Art of Is"