Do Computers Improvise? — netcat’s Installation at the Ballard Jazz Walk

“Do computers improvise?” - netcat’s interactive audio installation and record release show at the Ballard Jazz Walk

netcat is T&C’s newest family member and features keyboardist Andrew Olmstead, chango and percussionist Brandon Lucia, and cellist David Balatero. As part of the Table & Chairs label showcase at the Ballard Jazz Walk on Friday, April 18th, they will be debuting an audience-interactive audio installation that aims to answer the question: “Do computers improvise?” This is an interactive installation, which means all Jazz Walk attendees are encouraged to engage and participate in the music-making process by connecting and interacting.

Here’s how you connect:

The concept is to create music out of the chaotic web of communication that our smartphones transmit. Anyone who wishes to participate can join the wireless network at the installation. Any time you receive an email or browse a website, our software will add a part to an ongoing piece of music. Here, the computer is the improviser - netcat has instructed it how to make certain sounds, but ultimately the computer, based on your smartphone interactions, will decide what to play and when.

Here’s how you interact:

The second idea is to allow participants to interact with their surroundings through light and movement to generate sound. The Chango, a custom instrument that netcat developed, generates sound based on what the camera sees – it interprets light and motion to make music. The installation features a darkened room outfitted with multiple video cameras connected to the Chango. Participants are supplied with handheld lights and are encouraged to interact by shining light throughout the room, to create sound.

Along with the installation, netcat will be releasing their first album titled “Cycles Per Instruction,” which explores this idea of computers improvising, as well as human-computer interactions and the complexity of technology. In addition, the album includes programs that generate speech sounds and lyrics based on computational models of human language. In contrast to use of technology, the band also improvises alongside their computer-based counterparts.

Remember, there is a special T&C discount to the Jazz Walk if you sign up to receive our mailing list here.