The Score

VARIATIONS ON A FAST BREAK

THESIS: People often speak of the "music" and "rhythm" of basketball.. VARIATIONS ON A FAST BREAK seeks to both exploit that concept and simultaneously demonstrate its shortcomings by placing musical constraints upon a typical basketball game, creating a discipline piece that demands completely new physical skills. The piece also creates an audio experience of harmony and unison suprisingly cleaved from people competing against each other..

SET:
black box theater, floor taped off like a full basketball court
two basketball nets, one SR, one SL, steel rigged and bolted from grid
two benches, placed center and upstage

PLAYERS:
4 basketball players on the court, two teams of two
3 referees with whistles, two on the court and one by the benches
8 chamber musicians (instrumentation may vary) on the benches, 4 to a team

THE PLAY:
Referee and ball players take the tip off position. Ref whistles one of  three number sequences  - 3, 5 or 7 - then taps out a tempo by bouncing  the ball. Both chamber ensembles on the bench begins playing an improv piece of music  in either 3/4, 5/4, or 7/4, at the tempo the ref is setting with the ball dribble. Ref then throws up the ball for a jump ball and game ensues.

REFEREES: Korby Sears, Mike Min

BASKETBALL PLAYERS: Stuart McLeod, Eveline Muller-Graf, Kelton Sears, Mark Radonich

CHAMBER MUSIC COACHES:
Craig Corvin - trumpet
James Drage - clarinet
Carl Farrow - electric bass
Neil Gitkind - trombone
Robert Hensen - piano
Sean Osborn - bass clarinet
Stephen Parris - electric guitar

The ball players carry out a typical game of basketball with one restraint: their dribbles and shots must be in tempo AND meter with the music. (see NOTES below). Ball players may choose any rhythm to "dribble out", but it must be within the tempo and meter of the music being performed. When ball possession turns over to the opposing team, the chamber musicians on that team¹s bench takes over playing the music.

All usual rules and fouls of basketball apply and are enforced by the ref with the one addition: ref may call a foul if the ball players dribble or shoot outside out of tempo and meter of the music. As in a real basketball game, fouls and other calls are at the discretion

After each score, foul, or free throw, the chamber ensemble stops, and ref repeats the act of setting a new meter via whistle blows and a new tempo via ball dribble, chamber ensemble begins performing, and ref throws ball back into play, in which the players must follow the parameters set by the ref.

Game is over at the end of ten minutes. Team with biggest score wins.

NOTES:
Field testing of the ball dribbling to musical rhythms have been very fun and revelatory. Completely new physical impulses must be discovered and mastered. For instance: if the player dribbling the ball dribbles on the quarter note of the beat, the natural impulse is for the body to travel in eighth notes. If the player dribbling the ball dribbles on the eighth note of the beat, the natural impulse is for the body to travel in quarter notes. Short ball protection inspires more relaxed body movements: tall ball protection inspires more speed. Some ball players dribbled Cuban clave rhythms to the musical patterns. Other would co-ordinate their drives and shots to drum fills within the music.

OPTION #1: The musicians on the benches are also the coaches, calling plays. Certain calls are coordinated: trombone glissandos denote Pass Ball To Other Player; clarinet trills denotes Shoot For a Goal, etc. Third ref may also regulate the musicians on their calls, and may call fouls on the musicians.