improvisation

Peter Saltzman is Back on the Ledge

Improvisations on the Ledge (IOTL) is back—this time live.

PETER SALTZMAN

PETER SALTZMAN

— 2 min read
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Peter Saltzman is Back on the Ledge

Some of you may remember IOTL as a podcast I ran from 2018 to 2021, forty-seven episodes of free improvisation, part music, part monologue. What I discovered then is still true now: improvisation works best when it’s risky, structured yet unpredictable, and utterly in the moment.

Now the idea returns in a new form: IOTL Live—a streaming series of music and words, unfolding in real time with piano improvisations, monologues, and imagery woven together. Details, schedule, and links are all on the new site: improvisationsontheledge.com

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The flagship pilot, "Back on the Ledge," premieres on Friday, September 26, at noon, with a repeat stream on Sunday, September 28, at 7 pm (YouTube Live). Across four acts, the music and words trace the history of the podcast, why I stopped, why I’ve returned, and why improvisation matters more than ever—as both protest and practice, art and survival.

Image of a grand piano on the edge of a cliff.

If you can’t watch live, the videos will, of course, remain available for on-demand viewing, allowing you to watch them at your convenience. (Note: the show may be simulcast on Facebook Live and LinkedIn, but there are some technical limitations with those platforms that make them less desirable.)

Four Formats

The new IOTL unfolds in four rotating flavors:

  • Improvisations on the Ledge — the flagship show, essentially a live version of the podcast, now with visuals.
  • FreePlay — radical reinterpretations of standards from Bach to the Beatles and beyond, plus some of my own songs and compositions (with vocals).
  • The Improvised Sonata — longform improvisation. No script, no shtick. Just the music.
  • Peter Saltzman in the Public Domain — where old songs get into new kinds of trouble. Familiar melodies, unfamiliar results (with vocals).

Each week brings a new flavor, with the schedule updated here.

The season ahead will take on bigger questions (Is music part of nature? What does it mean to improvise politically? Can art still shock us awake?). But first, I’m starting here—back on the ledge.

👉 Watch live and find details at improvisationsontheledge.com.

Hope to see you there,

Peter

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