Freely improvised music is a pinnacle of the human creative spirit, as long as the musicians involved are devoted to dissolution into the magic of the moment.

Derrick Michaels-tenor saxophone
Dave Ballou-trumpet
Savino Palumbo-piano
Tony Martucci-drums

“This recording is my declaration of boundless love for the resonance and visceral beauty of the saxophone. The music documented here was performed live on October 26th, 2021, and is presented without edits or corrections of any kind.

These pieces were all improvised from scratch, exploiting a natural process of creative flow wherein the music seemed to play itself while I maintained my requisite suppleness of body and emptiness of mind. Employing a kaleidoscopic range of timbres, textures, melodies, and gestures, I expressed joy and gratitude for the intimate connections I had been developing with my nearly 100-year-old instruments.

In this state of flow, a natural balance unfolded, reconciling darkness and lightness, joy and melancholy, cacophony and silence. In tandem with the audience, I listened and reacted as the music appeared to dance and tussle between episodes of contemplative melodic probing and mercurial emotional turbulence. We always landed safe and sound — a phenomenon as reliable as the sunrise, which has never ceased to thrill and amaze me as both a performer and a listener.

In the mixing process, I favored the intimacy of my personal relationship with the sound as heard on stage, from behind the saxophone. My goal was to bring the listener on stage with me to hear each note and phrase as I heard it in the moment of conception. Beyond hearing the sounds, I wanted you to feel the horn vibrating in your body.

A vitality permeated this recording session which I owed to the presence of a live audience. This essential human exchange played an integral role in the genesis of the music, and I am deeply grateful to the friends and colleagues who brought their keen ears and open minds to the occasion. Thank you for amplifying the human element in this recording.

The listener will also notice ambient sounds on the recording that introduce the busy city streets of Baltimore into the sonic tapestry. I encourage you to welcome these sounds into the music. They contributed their own unmistakable energy to the arc of each piece, and added a sense of dimension that broadened the scope of this recording in a manner I could never have anticipated.

Thank you for listening, and I hope this music brings you peace and happiness, as it does for me.”

-Derrick Michaels (August 2022)


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“The greatest challenge for any musician is to play solo. There's no one else to support you, or hide behind. You can't take a break, or coast. You hear who an artist is, what they have to offer, and their will, when they play solo. Lester Bowie used to say you can hear every second of every minute of every hour a musician has practiced when they play a ballad. The same holds true playing by yourself. That's why very few attempt it, and even fewer thrive in that context.

Please listen to my friend Derrick Michaels' new record. You’ll enjoy the journey.”
-Drummer Steve Olson

“Great record! Highly recommended!!!! I’ve been enjoying this recording for weeks now.”
- Drummer Tony Martucci

“It’s a thoroughly beautiful record. Intimate, warm, adventurous.”
- Saxophonist Nathan Hanson

“The sound is glorious Derrick. And the soprano track is superb.”
-Saxophonist Julien Wilson

“I LOVE your new solo release, it's gorgeous.”
-Saxophonist Catherine Sikora

A smattering of recorded freely improvised performances in which no compositional choices are predetermined. This music is composed spontaneously, unfolding in the here and now. The results are often as surprising and spellbinding for the musicians as they are for the audience in attendance.

This approach to music-making is not a "genre" of music, but rather a process of creating music in the moment of conception. The instantaneous translation of a physical impulse into a sound, and the subconscious variation and development of themes, fragments, motifs, forms, textures, and various sonic ephemera that arise. To make music in this way demands the musician to be wholeheartedly committed to the practice of the musical fundamentals, but it also demands that the musician remain completely open to whatever is happening on stage, serving the moment in an honest expression of what IS -- totally responsive and receptive. This is true whether a musician is performing a solo set or with a full ensemble. 

Musicians who devote themselves to this practice learn deep lessons about the virtues of egalitarian creativity, leaving as much space open in one moment as they might fill with notes and textures in another, thus allowing the music to balance itself across the ensemble.

Each concert features one vital Baltimore-based composer/improviser under age 30. Following a brief solo performance, the featured musician is showcased within two contrasting groups -- each performing cutting-edge, spontaneously composed music, free from idiomatic restrictions.

These concerts are self-promoted through a holistic program of graphic fliers, promotional videos, targeted email outreach, and word of mouth. Video recordings of each concert are edited and archived in order to document the vital work being done in this pivotal concert series. I organize, oversee, emcee, promote, perform, and create flyers and videos for each one of these concerts, which are presented in partnership with An Die Musik.
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Mission Statement:

Posture of Possibility is a wholehearted endeavor to unite dedicated young creative musicians with an equally dedicated audience in the open and accepting atmosphere of An Die Musik. I have selected 12 young musical leaders under the age of 30 to lead adventurous performances in Baltimore’s premier listening room — putting full trust in improvisation as a potent unifying force across musical boundaries. The intention is to deliver music of substance, embracing the community while affirming and nurturing the exceptionally personal nature of the creative process for the improvising musician. For many of these musicians, this is their first time presenting a concert in this manner, and my work is to cultivate a space in which each of their creative contributions may flourish.
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This series was inspired by the impetus for an article I wrote for the Baltimore Jazz Alliance Newsletter under the same name in 2018.

Excerpt:

“Focusing our discussion about music on the present moment redirects attention to the creative process, circumventing the tired debates about “tradition” vs. “innovation” — “conservatism” vs. “progressivism.” I am going on record here and now to say that tradition and innovation are both utterly meaningless if the music lacks vitality, depth, emotion, dimension, and PRESENCE. The quality of our attention and delivery in the moment enlivens all music with a timeless quality that transcends genre. Let’s communicate something meaningful!

Free improvisation is therefore not a style of music, but a posture of possibility — a sonic invocation, exalting the present moment through the communal experience of creative flow. This music is about purity of sound, flow, trust, spirit, and the celebration of our humanity — HERE AND NOW. Surrendering into such a creative trust fall requires deep attention and the willingness to take risks, from performer and listener, alike.”
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2020 Schedule:

JANUARY 19th | Liam Hurlbut saxophone  

FEBRUARY 16th | Asher Herzog drums  

MARCH 8th | Erin Connelly trumpet  

**As of March 14th, the COVID-19 pandemic has put the remainder of this series on pause for an indefinite period of time. We plan to reschedule these remaining nine artists for live, in-person dates whenever it is deemed safe to present live music again by public health officials.**

The following are the postponed dates associated with the Posture of Possibility series:

APRIL 19th | Tim Houston - guitar  

MAY 3rd | David Diongue - saxophone 

 JUNE 14th | Andrew Young - drums 

JULY 26th | John Jeffries - guitar 

AUGUST 16th | Jake Fidler - trumpet 

  SEPTEMBER 20th | Zach Mckinney - saxophone

 OCTOBER 18th | Rachel Winder - saxophone 

NOVEMBER 15th | Walsh Kunkel - guitar  

 DECEMBER 13th | Derek Wiegmann - bass

In 2019, I made a commitment that transformed my music irrevocably: I chose to dedicate the year’s work to programming concert events, refusing to lead a band on ANY gig where the music was incidental to a social function. 

The vision was to elevate and intensify the community-oriented presentation of purely improvised music, bringing this often "underground" music into focus as the main attraction in an intimate acoustic listening space. 

What resulted were 20 concerts I produced, 12 of which constituted this engaging monthly concert series at An Die Musik in Baltimore. This series was my public declaration of a new direction in my music and my engagement with the community. Each performance taught me more about the inner workings of the music, the inner workings of the saxophone, the delicate yet powerful connection between players on stage, and the even more delicate yet equally vital connection with the audience...

There were major takeaways that will inform the music I make for years to come. I was able to make music with peers and heroes, and learn from the music as it unfolded in real time.

Half of these performances featured instrumentation that strayed from the jazz tradition altogether. This instigated a major shift in my musical voice, allowing me to develop a wider expressive palette that evokes both the jazz and classical traditions of the saxophone’s sound characteristics, all in an effort to express the full character of my musical potential within any musical context.

Mission Statement:
"The wholehearted expression of music has the potential to uplift the spirit and heal our hearts. These 12 concerts are representative of a creative continuum which is designed to challenge convention & elude classification. I’ve stationed my tenor saxophone at the axis of a distinctive array of ensembles, putting full trust in improvisation as a potent unifying force across musical boundaries. The mission is to deliver music of substance - embracing the community, while affirming the exceptionally personal nature of creative process for the improvising musician."

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My intention is to elevate the vibration of human consciousness with my music, one concert at a time.

It brings me joy to nurture the bond between performer, audience, and atmosphere, fostering an energy that supports our music in healing the heart and uplifting the spirit.

We create along the razor’s edge, where creator and observer are functionally one and the same, thus uniting the musicians and the audience in collective service of the moment.

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Featured Musicians:
Ellery Eskelin tenor saxophone, Susan Alcorn pedal steel guitar, John Dierker reeds, Michael Formanek bass, Dave Ballou trumpet, Tom Swafford violin, Zach Swanson bass, Derek Wiegmann bass, Savino Palumbo piano, Alex Weber bass, Dominic Smith drums, Dalius Naujo drums, Theljon Allen trumpet, Eric Kennedy drums, Sarah Hughes winds, Zack Branch cello,  Mike Kuhl drums, Jaron Lamar Davis drums, Chris Pumphrey piano/saxophone, Erin Connelly trumpet, Nicole Connelly trombone, Andrew Hadro baritone saxophone, Jacqueline Pollauf harp, Brent Madsen trumpet, Jamal Moore reeds, Jeff Reed bass, Laura Banner cello