For more than 20 years, Hal Rammel has been a central presence on Milwaukee’s improvised music scene. Upon settling in Wisconsin in 1992, he placed a $15 ad in the Shepherd Express looking for like-minded musicians. One respondent was a WMSE DJ and soon-to-be station manager named Tom Crawford, which led to “Alternating Currents,” Rammel’s radio show that ran from 1992 until he hung up his headphones at the end of 2014. Off the Cuff sat down with Rammel to discuss improvised music in Milwaukee.
You are a renaissance man of sorts—a musician, an inventor of musical instruments, a composer, a pinhole photographer, a cartoonist, a scholar of surrealism in American folklore…unbelievably, the list goes on. How do you think about what you do?
That’s a tough question and one that I don’t try to resolve. I’ve been involved in all these things for a long time and they’re thoroughly integrated in my everyday life. I’ve kept all these interests going throughout my working life and now that I’m retired I’ve hit the ground running. I’m still trying to keep up with myself.
How would you characterize the type of music that “Alternating Currents” played?
Some people like the category “creative music,” but I think all types of music are creative. I prefer to say “experimental music,” which encompasses contemporary classical music, electronic music, non-idiomatic improvisation, free jazz, etc. If the music challenged conventional notions of form and sound, I’d play it.
You also curate a concert series of improvised music, “Alternating Currents Live,” at Woodland Pattern Book Center in Riverwest. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series, there are a number of performances in the offing. Tell us about each of the groups.
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On September 8, James Falzone’s Early Music Quartet is playing. James is a phenomenal clarinetist and composer. This quartet is unusual in that their source material is Renaissance music, but he’s put it in the hands of three extraordinary Chicago improvisers.
The November 1 concert of the Urs Leimgruber, Jacques Demierre, Barre Phillips Trio will celebrate the group’s 15th anniversary and Phillips’ 80th birthday. Barre has had a remarkable career with a discography that goes back some 50 years and includes work with legends like Jimmy Giuffre, Eric Dolphy and Lee Konitz. Urs will be playing soprano sax and Jacques is on toy piano, so there are sure to be some interesting sounds.
A quartet of two basses and two drummers—half Chicagoans and half Europeans—will play on November 8 as part of an ongoing series, “The Bridge: a Transatlantic Network for Creative Music.” This began almost three years ago to create a bridge between French and Chicago improvisers, with Milwaukee as part of the circuit of venues. It has been a great way to keep a European presence in the local improvised music scene.
And in the not-so-distant future I’ll be performing at Woodland Pattern Books with my trio, Scrawl, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 18. Chris Burns plays electric guitar, Jim Schoeneker is on electronics and I play an instrument of my own invention—the amplified palette.
You’ve been an improviser in Milwaukee for 23 years. From your vantage point, how has the scene developed over the years?
There has been an explosion of interest and activity in the past few years that puts Milwaukee on par with Chicago. The thing about improvised music is that you have to make it happen—no one is going to come looking for you. And there’s little financial reward. You play it because you want to play it, because it’s challenging and personally rewarding. Milwaukee has a wealth of dedicated musicians and there’s been growing interest in Racine and Kenosha as well. I’m optimistic about the future of the scene. Milwaukee audiences have big ears and I hope they’ll continue to support this unique musical community.
