…istening to some of my favorite live performances, the word I find myself returning to is momentum. My mind is drawn as much or more to the momentum of the bass or drum line in a song, and the recurrence of themes and refrains. These create the forward progress necessary for the individual artist or member of the ensemble to embark on some inspiring freelancing or solo tangent. Following that excursion, the music comes back home, and there is that drumbeat or bass line or familiar theme. Some new momentum starts to gather, which then leads to another explosion of innovation.
