Sync or Swarm: Improvising Music in a Complex Age

Right away, author David Borgo strikes the tone that will carry through the entirety of his book, Sync or Swarm: Improvising Music in a Complex Age. In the opening acknowledgments, he rejects the idea of comparing the writing of the book to the process of musical composition, instead relating it to an extended improvisation. In particular, he emphasizes the collective nature of the experience. It is worth quoting the opening paragraph at length, as there are many similar passages of what I would consider unnecessary advocacy throughout the book: