Caporali Felipe. Crossing universes: Bow improvisation from the fusion of classical and jazz music.
Within jazz, the use of the bow for improvisation is considered an enriching technique for developing an instrumental idiom on the double bass. Throughout history, many bass players have developed their own approach to bow playing, but the lack of specific material dedicated to arco improvisation within improvised jazz and other non-classical genres means that this practice remains largely underutilized. This doctoral research by Filippe Caporali aims to develop, based on artistic practice, a string method for double bass that combines elements from jazz and waestern classical music, with a focus on improvisation. The different ways of phrasing, the specific vocabulary and timbre, the need for flexibility to compose “on the spot” and to interact spontaneously creates inherent problems for which the tools provided in jazz and classical music training are not always sufficient.
In order to adapt and develop these tools, this research aims to combine both traditions by taking the commonalities as a starting point. New exercises will be developed based on existing pedagogical methods and on the music-theoretical analysis of the arco style of some of the most representative jazz bass players. In addition, these stylisms will be integrated into the researcher’s daily performance practice in order to signify the validity of this research in practice.
Galland Stéphane. Cultural roots and interactions of contemporary rhythm in jazz.
Informed by more than thirty years of research and playing experience with the concept of “rhythm” in various cultural, social, geographical, philosophical contexts, as well as by the search for ways to develop a better knowledge of rhythm and to offer a universal access to its different branches, PhD researcher Stéphane Galland strives to deepen the numerous elements discovered over the years in his musical practice. Galland can boast of collaborations with some of the most important rhythm masters from different traditions, such as Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman from India, Doudou N'Diaye Rose from Africa, Misirli Ahmet from Turkey, the Chemirani trio from Iran, as well as many other musicians from Bulgaria, Egypt, Syria, Greece and the United States, among others.
Thanks to his dual training as a classical percussionist and jazz drummer as well as his playing experience in a variety of musical contexts (e.g. jazz, contemporary music, funk, non-western music), Galland has been able to develop idiomatic tools to decode every idea behind every specific rhythmic approach with the specific purpose of transmitting to fellow-artists how to integrate different rhythmic approaches and visions from a diverse range of musical cultures. This extensive, ongoing experience has helped him to understand what elements allow one to move from one rhythmic world to another, from one thought to another, from one feeling to another, and as such to discover the common roots of all these rhythmic tributaries.
Mora Luis. Metal-jazz: The use of contemporary progressive rock/metal practices to expand the contemporary jazz soloing idiolect.
With the assimilation of pedal techniques developed by progressive metal drummers, this PhD research by Luis Mora aims to expand the expressive capabilities of drummers in the rhythmically complex context of contemporary jazz. To this end, the researcher works on three interacting fronts: the development of a new vocabulary for footwork in line with the jazz tradition; the incorporation of recent playing technique developments from progressive metal practice; and the expansion of the jazz drum kit with additional pedals.
Pirro Piergiorgio. Spectral techniques in jazz performance.
Spectralism is an attitude toward musical composition that emerged in 1970s Europe, particularly through the work of a group of French composers such as Gérard Grisey and Tristan Murail. Spectral music shifts attention from discrete musical categories towards notions of process, continuity, and the exploration of perceptual and cultural thresholds.
The aim of this doctoral research is to study the application of spectral techniques and attitudes into the compositional and performance practice of jazz, from the perspective of a keyboard player in the contemporary world of digital music. Piergiorgio Pirro has a particular interest in developing new sounds and harmonies that go beyond the capabilities of the equal-tempered piano, while exploring the ways that the change towards a spectral attitude affects the jazz ensemble as a creative collective.
Wiernik Barbara. Contemporary vocal jazz: An artistic cartography of European encounters.
The question whether there is an artistic movement, a “school” of vocal jazz that is not solely based on the American tradition, has never been fully explored by jazz musicians. Therefore, with this doctoral research Barbara Wiernik wants to find out to what extent our milieu defines us artistically, whether there are more European currents, and what its main branches are. The methodology originates in artistic practice and is based on filmed meetings with a number of European key figures (singers and jazz experts) with whom Wiernik will discuss their perception of contemporary vocal jazz and the role of the jazz vocalist.
The research will result, among other things, in a website with documentation, analyses, and a classification where vocalists are categorized according to certain criteria: which jazz style defines them, the place of vocal improvisation, the freedom of melodic interpretation, external influences, etc. All this will culminate in a kind of living cartography of vocal trends in European jazz. Finally, several existing or new artistic projects will be explored that are closely related to the research and can inform it, e.g. projects on voice and improvisation that consider various aspects of jazz. By integrating influences and (im)migrations of modern vocal jazz, this European cartography will explore a number of musical ranges to the maximum.
Jazz, Improvised, and Popular Music
The research group Jazz, Improvised Music, and Popular Music aims to support, encourage, and promote artistic research at KCB’s jazz department on all levels (from BA to PhD) and in all contingents (staff, students, and external applicants). We are open to all forms of jazz, (jazz-based) improvised music, and popular music with a focus on contemporary perspectives in a performance-based context. Many of our researchers work on interdisciplinary or hybrid projects and are therefore active in other research groups as well, such as Music and Technology or Collective Creation.
Currently, we have projects running with such diverse themes as spectralism, historical jazz recreation, jazz & metal drumming, and the influence of non-western or non-European music on rhythm, vocals, and double bass performance. As a research group, we (help) organise a number of public events, for example, our annual Jazz Research Day or dedicated activities during Polyphonic Performance Spaces, KCB’s research festival. In addition, we hold regular roundtable sessions on selective themes with our members and other interested under the name Circle in the Round.