For Western musicians living before the time of Jazz, composition was the main route to the expression of their intrinsic musicality. Composition in this manner had some very prohibitive features, not the least of which was that everything had to be written down. As a result performers were required to play the score (and in most cases nothing else). Miles Davis called it “robot shit”. The birth of jazz and the development of digital recording, has transformed this old notion. With the arrival of Jazz came a shift in focus from composer to performer. Jazz offered musicians a platform for improvisation, a chance to experiment and tap into their intrinsic musicality more freely. (Unfortunately today the word Jazz has become loaded with connotations of heady musical masturbation, having become more focused on technical virtuosity than on musical and artistic expression). Before digital technology, the arrangement had to come first, restricting the scope for improvisation to affect the overall shape of the music. In the 1950’s, Classical music ‘rebel’ Glenn Gould caused an uproar, by suggesting that by the end of the 20th century recorded music would supersede the ‘public concert’. Gould used the technology of his time to splice tapes taken from multiple recording sessions in an attempt to create the perfect performance, free from the restrictions of a live show. Digital technology has taken this concept one step further. From one or two recording sessions, a composer can now create any number of interpretations, giving the composer the freedom to create an idealized musical expression. So Jazz and technology have not resulted in the end of live music, but rather the opening up of the composition process. The ideas behind “Freaker” are a reflection of these developments. “Freaker” also picks up on the musical ideals of John Cage, whose works allowed input from the performer. In the recording of this album, improvisation comes first, allowing me ultimate control, without restricting the flow from each performer’s intrinsic musical ideals. A description of Indian Classical music has guided me silently in these recordings; Consider the raga as water, the music as a river, and we(composers, performers and audience) simply float along it for a while. John OZ