Re: Matt Flinner
I'm quite partial to worked-out small ensemble music like that. When I had a chance a few months ago to see the Matt Flinner Trio live I took a peek during one of their breaks between sets. When they're doing material from their Music du Jour catalog the guitar player (Ross Martin) writes out the lead, chords and snippets of the harmony and countermelody parts on sheet for each tune. I guess that's part of how they can write new tunes literally every day when they're on tour and play those intricate arrangements for dozens and dozens of new and nearly-new tunes every night.
About that same time I had "discovered" the music of Jimmy Giuffre c. 1959 when he was working with Jim Hall and others in several different ensemble groupings. Giuffre had the same approach. They work out the arrangements in advance amongst the players and possibly elaborate or improvise certain bits here and there. But the really sweet, tight stuff was very carefully thought out in advance of sitting down to play.
The first man who whistled
thought he had a wren in his mouth.
He went around all day
with his lips puckered,
afraid to swallow.
--"The First" by Wendell Berry
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