Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven: Fleeting Music

On his album Radiance, pianist Keith Jarrett set out to create an enormous piece of improvised music that would shun any kind of form. To his surprise, his fingers subconsciously shaped the music into a recognizable symmetry. Belgian composer Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven cast his boomerang in the opposite direction and surprised himself as well on Fleeting Music. He originally intended to compose all of the music before recording, but he was more pleased with his off-the-cuff results. Fleeting Music, as a title, does not mince words. Its place of origin is the nerve passage between the performer’s subconscious and his fingers, channeled through accidental sound and impulsive response. Through the use of solo piano, a soliloquy recited by a female voice and an altogether foreign array of electronic sounds, all is rendered fleeting. If he sounds this good when he’s making it up, just imagine his compositional prowess.