Continuing with yesterday’s thoughts about the ensemble’s voice, I want to draw attention to two competing demands for an ensemble – two boxes that need to be simultaneously delivered upon.
An ensemble must be precise. They must accurately and uniformly perform the notes and rhythms as written or taught.
An ensemble must be spontaneous. There has to be freedom to the ensemble’s line, the way there is freedom in the recordings of Sarah Vaughan, or Nancy Wilson, or Carmen McRae.
Only with both can an ensemble be outstanding. Most academic ensembles are better at the former than the latter, but the best ensembles have found a way to do both.
(It’s why I’m not terribly concerned if an ensemble changes a rhythm from what’s in the score. As long as it’s idiomatic and done together, the changed rhythm will often feel more natural, and thus spontaneous, than the notated rhythm.)
All of the great pro groups are excellent at balancing precise and spontaneous, but my favorite to point to is definitely New York Voices. The freedom they each exhibit, while maintaining precision in challenging arrangements, is thrilling.