Fritz Novotny and Sepp Mitterbauer are once again safely ensconced and active in Vienna. As much as I despise self-aggrandizement (or what can appear as such), and am not entirely comfortable with “blogging” in this manner, I must state that this was an amazing weekend filled with, quite frankly, spectacular music and deep camaraderie (between the active listeners and the musicians, as well as among the musicians themselves).  My heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Fritz, Sepp, Elaine, Daniel, Ben, Davu, Charles and Paul for the deep resonance of the work; not only over the course of these 3 days, but throughout our collaborative history. And I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge those who made the effort to attend; from old, dear friends, to newer comrades, to fresh acquaintances, to, of course, some “tourists”. (Refreshingly, and amazingly, particularly given the Reform Art Unit’s history & longevity — they are after all, part of free jazz/improvised music’s first generation! — to say nothing of the  ongoing quality of their work, and their genuine status as outsiders, there was nary a hipster/scenester/tastemaker in sight! [Granted, had any of them  deigned to attend, I would absolutely have accepted their money; that is, if they had deigned to pay!]) As Fritz so aptly put it, the musicians were palpably one with the audience. To a degree, this was not surprising, as work here in the Studio, extending from my decades-long efforts in self-determination, has always seemingly engendered this type of synergy. But, as this was likely a one-time encounter between contingents from Austria and Minnesota, to say nothing of 3 (or 4) distinct generations of improvisors, the resultant shared experience was, on several levels, all the more poignant.