Research Catalogue

an international database for artistic research

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  Echoes - An exploration of the African rhythmic influence in Costa Rican folk music (2024) author(s): Nelson Briceño Peraza published in: Research Catalogue
  This exposition presents my final project for the Master of Arts in Jazz Performance, Drumset, undertaken from autumn 2022 to spring 2024. The project was motivated by my exposure to diverse African rhythms, which revealed potential connections with the traditional music of my Costa Rican heritage. Growing up surrounded by Costa Rican folk music, including African-origin instruments such as the marimba, quijongo, as well as cimarronas (street bands), deeply influenced my musical identity. This project aims to explore and integrate these rhythms, tracing their African roots and merging them with contemporary musical forms. Inspired by Henry Cole's perspective on folklore as the essence and life of music, this research emphasizes the importance of connecting academic knowledge with folk traditions. Throughout my career, I have engaged with various musical traditions, always seeking to blend them with folk music. This project builds on my previous work, which examined the introduction and adaptation of Costa Rican folk rhythms on the modern drumset. In this continuation, I focus on the historical and rhythmic connections between Latin American and African traditions, using artistic research to deepen the understanding and appreciation of these intertwined musical heritages.
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  Expanding horizons - ensemble improvisation on 20th-century classical music (video article) (2024) author(s): Peter Knudsen connected to: Norwegian University of Science and Technology published in: Research Catalogue
  This video article presents two pedagogical applications of the artistic research project "Expanding Horizons" for ensembles with adult music students of diverse musical backgrounds. The project is centered around practical explorations of applying improvisation to repertoire from 20th-century Western classical music, in combination with qualitative methods such as autoethnography, participant-observation and semi-structured interviews. The examples in the video demonstrates how approaches that are developed in the project can be applied to pedagogical situations, based on ensemble workshops with musicians of different musical orientations enrolled in music performance programmes in Sweden, one with university-level students in a bachelor programme and another with students at a folk high school. Two pieces were selected and adapted for these situations: Lili Boulanger’s Cortége (1914) and Maurice Ravel’s String quartet in F, movement II (1903). During the workshops, these pieces were then re-worked in a collaborative manner, with an emphasis on mutual exploration and musical expressivity through improvisation. The main pedagogical considerations were: selecting the appropriate repertoire, adapting materials for diverse learners, and fostering agency among performers. Although the improvisational approaches presented are rooted in jazz performance practice, the examples demonstrate how improvisational frameworks can be adapted for music students across musical genres, showcasing the potential for creativity, collaboration and interdisciplinary learning in music education.
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  Morten Qvenild – The HyPer(sonal) Piano Project (2024) author(s): Morten Qvenild published in: Norwegian Academy of Music
  Towards a (per)sonal topography of grand piano and electronics How can I develop a grand piano with live electronics through iterated development loops in the cognitive technological environment of instrument, music, performance and my poetics? The instrument I am developing, a grand piano with electronic augmentations, is adapted to cater my poetics. This adaptation of the instrument will change the way I compose. The change of composition will change the music. The change of music will change my performances. The change in performative needs will change the instrument, because it needs to do different things. This change in the instrument will show me other poetics and change my ideas. The change of ideas demands another music and another instrument, because the instrument should cater to my poetics. And so it goes… These are the development loops I am talking about. I have made an augmented grand piano using various music technologies. I call the instrument the HyPer(sonal) Piano, a name derived from the suspected interagency between the extended instrument (HyPer), the personal (my poetics) and the sonal result (music and sound). I use old analogue guitar pedals and my own computer programming side by side, processing the original piano sound. I also take out control signals from the piano keys to drive different sound processes. The sound output of the instrument is deciding colors, patterns and density on a 1x3 meter LED light carpet attached to the grand piano. I sing, yet the sound of my voice is heavily processed, a processing decided by what I am playing on the keys. All sound sources and control signal sources are interconnected, allowing for complex and sometimes incomprehensible situations in the instrument´s mechanisms. Credits: First supervisor: Henrik Hellstenius Second Supervisors: Øyvind Brandtsegg and Eivind Buene Cover photo by Jørn Stenersen, www.anamorphiclofi.com All other photo, audio and video recording/editing by Morten Qvenild, unless stated.
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  Keith Jarrett: The Köln Concert, re-composition for a big ensemble (2023) author(s): Stefano Gullo published in: KC Research Portal
  As a composer, you are free to create, and often the melodic choices, the harmonic solutions are the result of something truly personal. The colors found within a piece are the representation of what the composer feels and wants to put on paper, he is free to express a concept without being bound by any kind of expectations or rules. In this project, I am exploring the ways in which I can integrate and use Keith Jarrett’s improvisations as material for writinf for large jazz ensembles. To answer this question I learned about his life, his philosophy in music and how his musical style developed through the years, to get along with his musical idea and try to respect his first intention. And to prepare myself for start writing the re-composition I analyzed the transcription of the Concert in Köln, seeing how he approached the improvisation and how he used the musical elements such as the construction of the melody, the use of the rhythm and the harmonic background; all elements that I used in my work. The project demonstrates that even if is working on an improvisation, which offers such a varied material and is developed without an apparent fixed structure, it is possible to recreate compositions that have a coherence; also respecting the intention and the sound context that characterized that moment. (cover art designed by Barbara Wojirsch, copyright believed to be owned by ECM).
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  The Performer-Composer: A Practice in Interrelation (2023) author(s): Thomas Aurlund Lossius published in: Research Catalogue
  A simultaneous role of performer and composer is crucial in a vast number of artistic praxises. In this artistic research project, I explore creative possibilities the performing composer role offers. I also discuss how my performing composer praxis has inspired my interpretation of compositions by others. The project is situated in my own artistic praxis and has an auto-hermeneutical approach. My primary method has been to compose music for myself and to perform it. This has led me to create compositions which are more improvisational, orally conveyed and open to diverse interpretations. I have also performed with a more co-creative, personally engaged and holistically oriented mindset. I have further experimented in performing compositions by others while imagining myself to be the composer. This has offered an alternative interpretative approach that resound deeply with me on an aesthetic level. Finally, I have reflected on how a performing composer discourse can unsettle the hierarchical language of composition and interpretation. The project builds on a broader movement in artistic research and musicology, problematising the apparent dichotomy between composers and performers [Leech-Wilkinson, 2016; Cornish, 2015; Cook, 2013], and investigating the role of the performing composer or composing performer [Spears, 2022; Beaugeais, 2020; Groth, 2017]. The project constitutes my master thesis in performing music at the University of Bergen with specialisation in jazz .
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  The singing Performer: Who am I on stage when not singing? (2022) author(s): Julia Pallanch, Heloisa Amaral published in: KC Research Portal
  Approaching Kunstlieder with the background as a jazz interpreter, has challenged me to find, not only, my interpretation of the lieder/songs but to also find my interpretation of my role(s) as the singer on stage between classical music and jazz scenes. Through performing music, the chosen body of work, we are not only repeating and interpreting the music but repeating and interpreting ways of performing it. This research focuses on the role(s) of the singer on stage and the moments between the songs; the open space between one piece of music and another that offers the possibility to communicate and connect with the audience. What happens in these moments? What stories do we tell and how do we tell them? What do I communicate with, through, in - and outside of the lied, the song, the piece of music. What do I perform in the open space between between the songs - my self(s)?
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• Playing the Electrophonic Saxophone (2021) author(s): Kjetil Traavik Møster published in: Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design, University of Bergen
  'Playing the Electrophonic Saxophone' explores the expanded role of the instrument and relations made possible by such expansions. In and through artistic practice I research the many processes, tensions, and artistic possibilities that emerge through interplay. How can exploring possibilities and conditions for the acoustic saxophone in interplay with electric and electronic tools and sounds pave the way for new music, new insights, and expand the conception of what the instrument can be? How can playing with electrically and digitally manipulated sound facilitate the instrument’s ability to connect to musicians and artists from other fields of practice? The research’s main artistic outcome is the sum of a series of artistic projects presented in this exposition. The two texts Playing Air and Playing Parasitic constitute the ethical and methodological basis for the research and my practice and transfers to the projects’ two basic elements: roles and their relations. The band Møster! acts as the main project ensemble, and the PhD research is finalized with a public artistic presentation at the Nattjazz Festival, Røkeriet USF, Bergen on June 1st, 2021. 'Playing the Electrophonic Saxophone' utforsker instrumentets utvidete rolle, og relasjoner som en slik utvidelse åpner for. I og gjennom kunstnerisk praksis forsker jeg på de mange prosesser, spenninger, og kunstneriske potensial som vokser frem gjennom samspill. Hvordan kan utforskning av muligheter og premisser for akustisk saksofonspill i samspill med elektriske og elektroniske verktøy og lyder lede til ny musikk, ny innsikt, og utvide forståelsen av hva instrumentet kan være? Hvordan kan det å spille med elektrisk og digitalt manipulert lyd legge til rette for samhandling med musikere og artister fra andre kunstneriske felt, med ulike kunstneriske praksiser? Forskningens kunstneriske resultat er presentert som en samling prosjekter i denne eksposisjonen. De to tekstene 'Playing Air' og 'Playing Parasitic' utgjør det metodologiske og etiske grunnlaget for forskningen og min praksis, og kan leses inn i forskningens to hovedelementer: roller, og deres relasjoner. Bandet Møster! fungerer som hoved-ensemble, og PhD-prosjektet ble avsluttet med en offentlig konsertfremføring på Nattjazz, Røkeriet USF i Bergen, 1. juni 2021.
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  JAZZ DRUMS: 5 unconventional comping examples (2021) author(s): Dimitris Koutantos published in: KC Research Portal
  After a long investigation of the jazz discography from 1920s until today, Dimitris Koutantos chose 5 recordings which contain drum-comping styles with these two characteristics: 1)not-cymbal-oriented 2)non-repetitive. For his research exposition, he uses a variety of media (such as videos, musical notation & text) to show you his path: -searchng and choosing recordings -transcribing them -analyzing them -creating different exercises (to solve problems) -turning what he learned into action -looking for his own comping style (inspired by those drummers) -sharing his thoughts and conclusions. With this research, Dimitris hopes to help other drum-students: -explore these 'unconventional' styles of comping -improve their time & co-ordination -search for their own style.
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  Teaching jazz double bass in the 21st century (2020) author(s): Tony Overwater published in: KC Research Portal
  My initial plan was to do research and catalogue the available existing method books for Jazz bass education. But during the process I realized that matters were more complex than I had foreseen. Jazz (bass) methods were often based on classical music methods but Jazz education demands a different skillset and approach. I reexamined the fundamental building blocks necessary to successfully teach Jazz double bass. For this I designed a graphic theoretical framework that helped me analyze the existing methods. With this information I built a data base and webpage that offers analytical information about the available methods. Methods not limited to the traditional books but also on line learning programs and other methodical teaching material. Furthermore I examined the influence of the technological developments that the computer, smartphones, tablets and the internet have to offer. Teaching Jazz in the 21st century has proven to be much more of a modulair approach than the traditional linear approach.
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• Discovering improvisation tools in Jazz (2020) author(s): Ella van der Mespel published in: Codarts
  Initially I viewed having these two years of my study as a chance to be able to recognise my capabilities, strengths and weaknesses and then delve into the unknown. Improvisation has been something I have longed to have the confidence and skill to be able to do. I have never had any previous training in improvisation and no chance to experiment with it. However by having the desire to gain fundamental skills in improvisation comes a deep fear of the unknown; that there is a chance of failure – that I would never reach the means to be able to improvise in a way that would bring me satisfaction. While accepting that there is always this possibility, my will and determination to experience improvisation and to find my own way to express myself through it, greatly outweighed my fear. I have always been greatly impressed by those who are ‘brave’ enough to improvise, especially in public -to be able to experience performing with no pre-conceived idea as to what will happen and to have every aspect of musical freedom at one’s disposal. So long as one can improvise fluently, anything is possible with regard to playing and performing music - to have a unique voice which has not been corrupted by others opinions and musical wishes. This was my original and rather romantic idea of what improvisation was. I have since learned that there is far less freedom and more rules than I could have ever imagined. Whilst having this uneducated and therefore idealistic notion of improvisation, there has been a deep embedded fear – to play music that has not been previously notated and therefore able to be decoded. A fear of playing a ‘wrong note’ – out of key and being unable to get back on the ‘right path.’ I have always loved musical genres where improvisation occurs frequently, such as in folk music and jazz. Despite being raised in a predominantly classical music environment, I have always had an affinity with music played by the greats, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. As my musical tastes began to broaden, the artistry of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli came into the picture. Perhaps it is therefore of no surprise that Django Reinhardt’s Nuages was the first tune I thought of when considering improvisation as my research topic. Over the last few years I have been fortunate enough to live in a house full of students studying Jazz. They constantly played records, and introduced me to so many artists and jazz vocabulary. During an evening of listening, we stumbled across jazz violinist Didier Lockwood performing Nuages. I fell in love with his performance and started fiddling around with it in the privacy of my home. It is from Didier’s performance that my research began to take shape.
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  Entwine – finding music within a poem. (2018) author(s): Natasza Kurek published in: KC Research Portal
  Entwine – finding music within a poem. Exploring musical interpretations of Japanese Tanka by Yosano Akiko What can be the contemporary musical expressions of tanka poetry from a standpoint of an improvising jazz vocalist? What are the elements that constitute tanka’s character and can they trigger a vocal inspiration? What could be the place of Japanese poetry within other artistic disciplines? In my research I have explored Japanese aesthetic sensibilities and have tried to find their translations into my own musical experimentation. After initial study of the relevant literature and listening to the existing works of both classical Japanese music and Western contemporary compositions influenced by the Japanese arts, I have proceeded with my own vocal- instrumental Sketches in which I have experimented with improvised and written music. My source material was tanka of an early 20th century poet Yosano Akiko. The improvisations and compositional sketches are based on some specifically chosen elements: the imagery and meaning of the tanka poem, layered Ukiyo-e printing technique, sound associations derived from the paintings, Japanese language sonority, Japanese scales and harmony used in the traditional gagaku ensemble and other inspirations. The final research document contains audio examples of the recordings that led to the final audio-visual presentation and an extensive paper documenting the process of discovery.
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• Beyond Borders. Broadening the Artistic Palette of (Composing) Improvisers in Jazz. (2017) author(s): Dick de Graaf published in: Academy of Creative and Performing Arts
  In this on-line dissertation, jazz saxophonist Dick de Graaf investigates a variety of compositional and improvisational models and techniques in contemporary jazz and Western art music, and discusses possible applications of these materials in current jazz practices. The study includes examinations of educational publications by five selected jazz artists (Dave Liebman, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Walt Weiskopf, and John O’Gallagher), and the analysis of compositional techniques by two composers of the 20th century: Peter Schat's Tone Clock and Olivier Messiaen's modes of limited transposition. In addition, these theories and techniques are illustrated by selected examples (transcriptions and audio excerpts) and by examples of applications by various musicians, including the author. All examples are thoroughly analyzed and evaluated in order to determine their potential use in contemporary jazz practices. The research results provide comprehensive insights into compositional and improvisational processes in jazz, and offer materials that can be useful for the personal artistic development of jazz practitioners, including musicians, composers, and educators.
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• The Mental Effect of the (Temporary) Tonic: a study of tones in jazz tunes through John Curwen's Tonic Sol-fa (2017) author(s): Patricia Wisse published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Patricia Wisse Main Subject: Music Education according to the Kodály Concept Research Supervisors: Suzanne Konings & Ab Schaap Title of Research: The Mental Effect of the (Temporary) Tonic: a study of tones in jazz tunes through John Curwen's Tonic Sol-fa Research Supervisor: Suzanne Konings, Ab Schaap Research Question: How can Tonic Sol-fa be used in dealing with (temporary) tonics in short musical forms, such as the 32-bar jazz standard? Summary of Results:: In general, the level of musicianship of (jazz) singers is considered to lag far behind that of their instrumentalist classmates. Are singers somehow not as musical? Or not as interested? Is something different in the approach? Or is the approach not different enough? Looking at what is really needed to be able to improvise in a jazz context, and approaching this through John Curwen¹s Tonic Sol-fa method, this research is an exploration of a vocal and mental alternative to the pianistic approach of vocal improvisation, that is true to our musical experience. Biography: Patricia Wisse studied Theology in Leiden, and then Jazz Voice at Codarts Rotterdam. In 2015 she started her studies at the Royal Conservatoire: Music Education according to the Kodály Concept. Through studying the work of John Curwen, she has developed her own approach in studying and teaching jazz. She has also developed a new music learning tool, the Movable Do Disc, and is continuously developing ideas and methods around it.
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  The Sound of the Big Band: Between evolution and continuity (2017) author(s): Claudio jr de Rosa published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Claudio Jr De Rosa Main Subject: Jazz Saxophone Research Supervisor: Patrick Schenkius Title of Research: The Sound of the Big Band: Between evolution and continuity Research Question: How can I define the essential characteristics of the voicings in the writing of Gil Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, and Maria Schneider? How can I internalize them and make them part of my arranging vocabulary? Summary of Results: The main goal of this thesis is outlining the fundamental elements of the style of three jazz masters of Big Band arranging: Gil Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, and Maria Schneider, focusing on their voicings through a deep analysis of some of their works. The second part, however, is intended to be more practical and personal. Knowing the elements that characterize the style of these writers, I will show some components that stood out in the previous analysis included in some of the 13 arrangements I did during my Master. Biography: Saxophonist, composer, arranger, award winner, Claudio Jr De Rosa is a rising personality in the European Jazz scene. After a Master in Classical Saxophone, he is concluding the Master in Jazz under the guidance of J. Ruocco, H. Huizinga, and P. Schenkius. He recorded jazz CDs with his trio Zadeno Trio and with the CJDR Jazz 4et, and toured extensively in Europe and Asia. As an arranger, he wrote for the NSJO, KC Big Band, CvA Big Band, and CJDR Jazz Ensemble. He won the “Louis van Dick Arranging Jazz Award 2016” and his music was performed by the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw.
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• THE AFRO-CUBAN DRUM RHYTHMS: Origin, Selection, Analysis and Development of drum patterns applied to Jazz Trombone (2016) author(s): Juanga Lakunza published in: Codarts
  My intention with this Artistic Research was to learn more about the afro-Cuban rhythms that I consider one of the bases on which a lot of modern music is built. As a trombonist, I don´t consider myself only as a jazzman, sincerely I would like to be the most complete musician that I can. Of course, to study jazz gave me many tools for being more comfortable in other styles, but rhythmically, the Latin-American music has still a lot to say. The compilation of the information for the development of this research report, has allowed me to discover an exciting world to which I am truly attracted. Since I was a child I have been fascinated and captivated by the percussion. Music is magic, but if there is something more magical than the music itself , that is the sound of the drum. Since ancient times the drum has been a sacred element in many cultures. The present Western society, with its great technological development, is forgetting the basics of human spirituality. I sincerely believe that the drum will have an important role in the future, as a healing member of society. Every musician should be percussionist before playing his own instrument.
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• NARRATIVE APPROACH IN GROOVE-RELATED MUSIC (2016) author(s): Carmelo Emanuele Patti published in: Codarts
  During the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras, western composers have used various traditional forms to structure their works. For example, each dance of a Baroque suite had its own rhythmic character and tempo. The sonata form affected composers until the twentieth century, adapting the traditional form to a new musical language. In Jazz music, the tendency to write music following forms borrowed from the past is really popular. The structure, that we can find in a lot of Big Band pieces, formed by an intro, exposition, development and recapitulation with the “shout chorus” (in which the whole ensemble plays the theme or a special) has classical reminiscences (e.g. certain aspects ABA-form). Moreover, if we consider the main Jazz repertoire (e.g. Standards from Real Books) we can also say that almost all the compositions are based on pre-defined forms (e.g. blues, 16/32 bar form, rhythm change form, etc.). Except “free Jazz” in which the player, starting from a concept has the freedom to develop his musical thinking only through improvisation, in Jazz there is still the tendency to write music starting from rules, such as pre-defined chord progressions or fixed forms. As a composer I found it interesting to find a way to open the traditional use of form in Jazz, and I decided to investigate on how it is possible to relate the aspects of musical narration to the aspects of form. The question that led me to find answers and start this journey was: How can I relate the aspects of form in my groove-related music by analyzing the aspects of musical narration? This allowed me to open the traditional way of writing groove-related music, rethinking the use of the constructive approach in writing in “groove”. The use of narrative approach was also a pretext to reflect on the representation of meanings into music, and I included in my research some reflections about the role of musical perception. The concept behind the musical narration defines the form, and the narrative approach opened me to a variety of possibilities to develop musical material in my composition. The constructive approach used to build up the groove (at a Micro level) can be implemented with the narrative approach (at a Macro level).
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  Modern vertical thinking (Triad pairs over seventh chords) (2015) author(s): David Reschofsky published in: KC Research Portal
  Modern jazz uses triad chords a lot. I would like to know all possible triad substitutions over seventh chords, so I will also examine this in my thesis. What I hear and what I transcribed from modern jazz musicians is that they know the main music systems and the possibilities very well. I will listen to and transcribe solos from my favourite artists and find out what kind of scales and triad combinations they use. I will then examine these systems to discover what kind of triad chords there are and how we can use them in an irregular way. So my main question is, how can I use the concept of triad pairs to express the sound that is in my head?
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  "Art of drumming within jazz piano trio" (2015) author(s): Pauls Pokratnieks published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Pauls Pokratnieks Main subject: Jazz Drums Research Coach: Yvonne Smeets Title of Research: “Art of drumming within jazz piano trio” Research Question: How can I through historical and stylistic understanding of jazz drummers in significant piano trios during jazz history, improve my skill as an interactive trio member? What are the differences and similarities in drummers playing within significant jazz piano trios during the history of jazz? What are the characteristics of these great jazz piano trios? How can understanding of these differences, similarities and characteristics help me to react appropriately in different musical situations and combinations? Summary of Results: As I remember myself jazz piano trio was always my favorite band format in jazz music. I like the simplicity of it and in the same time the magic how great players could get it to sound like an orchestra. Especially in this band format we can see how great musicians are as listeners and supportive players, there is a much bigger role and responsibility for everyone to make the music interesting and happening than in bigger settings. Individual levels are equally important because every one of the musicians can choose directions where the music will go. Music is really about collective improvisation and truly listening to each other. This “platform” is great to explore dynamics, interaction and to become as a one – a great rhythm section. After listening to all these albums and analyzing what the drummer chooses to play I understood that it’s not just the drummer’s personality that counts, but big impact to drummers decisions are what the other two band members are doing and suggesting in music. One needs always listen to each other and go one way musically. One’s job within jazz trio setting is to make other musicians sound good and make their job easier and more comfortable. This setting is really fragile and it can work only if each member of trio is working towards the same goal. In different jazz styles the basic fundament of drummer is the same – to keep music going with nice feel and energy. During my presentation I will show and explain how I applied specific exercises/concepts in my playing and I will perform with my own jazz piano trio to show different ways, approaches to play within this setting in different styles, with knowledge gained from this research. Biography: Pauls Pokratnieks is jazz and other improvised music style drummer and composer. Up until the age of 18 he actively performed in various local and international orchestras as a classical percussion player and took first prizes in competitions. At the age of 16 Pauls began to play a drum set and first developed an interest in jazz music. At the age of 18 he enrolled in the Riga Dome Choir School (RDCS) in the Jazz department, and there started to deeply study drums, jazz theory, harmony, bass, composition and other subjects. After graduating RDCS in 2009 Pauls decided to continue his music studies in Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands. Now he is doing Master studies in Royal Conservatory in The Hague and working as freelance musician and teacher.
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• An Interdisciplinary Approach to Jazz Performance (2015) author(s): Priscilla Nokoe published in: KC Research Portal
  This research is an exploration in how other performing arts disciplines, namely Dance/Movement and Theater, can be used and implemented in a jazz performance to possibly create a interdisciplinary performance.
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• Approaching jazz composition through the music of Billy Strayhorn (2015) author(s): Leonie Freudenberger published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Leonie Freudenberger Main Subject: Jazz Saxophone Research Coach: Karst de Jong Title of Research: Approaching jazz composition through the music of Billy Strayhorn Research Question: What are the most important elements of Billy Strayhorn's compositions? How can I incorporate his compositional approach in my own writing? Billy Strayhorn (1915–1976) was a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, orchestrator and lyricist whose works have influenced the genre of jazz music until today. The research contains two phases: First, the analysis of his compositions. Second, the attempt to compose originals using the detected stylistic, harmonic, melodic and conceptional tools. Considering the enormous oeuvre that Strayhorn produced, it is inevitable to make a selection of songs to analyze. My criteria for this selection are the following: Which songs have become part of the standard repertoire in jazz, performed by various artists throughout the 20th (and 21st) century? Where can I find aural trademarks, which I recognize both as a listener and as a player and which contribute to my personal perception of the “Strayhorn sound”? Can the compositions be reduced to a lead sheet and performed by a small jazz combo without losing their essence? My final intention is not only to compose using Strayhorn-typical elements and tools, but also to write music for myself as a performer and for my group to play it. On longer terms, I hope that I can abstract this method further on and profit from it beyond the results of this research. Biography: Leonie Freudenberger, born 1988 in Baden-Baden (D), has played the alto saxophone since her childhood. She started her professional jazz education at the University of Music in Mannheim in 2008 and came to Den Haag in 2011, where she finished her Bachelor's degree. Apart from her Master studies, she writes music and performs with her own group and takes part in various projects, playing alto and baritone saxophone.
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  Reading Garoto – a study over the legendary musician who changed Brazilian music. (2014) author(s): Henrique Gomide published in: KC Research Portal
  This research was based in an investigation over the life and importance of the Brazilian composer "Garoto" (Anibal Augusto Sardinha), as well in my personal experience with his work. My readings over this topic involved all the literature existing about this composer (which was not vast), as well as books, articles, thesis and encyclopedias that contained information of the period he lived and the context in which he worked. Other important sources for my research were Garoto’s recordings, score and manuscripts as well as interviews made with musicians that played with him, important musicians that were influenced by him and researchers of his life and work. Garoto was one of the most versatiles musicians that Brazil ever had, possessing an outstanding technique in eight different string instruments. He recorded and composed in several diferent styles, and his compositions were one of the firsts to introduce influences from jazz and classical music into the popular music from Brazil. His extremely innovative style inspired a whole generation of composer and was a decisive influence to the “Bossa Nova”, musical movement that emerged in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950’s, just a few years after Garoto’s death. Garoto’s repertoire is mostly played by guitar players in it’s original arrangements, as a consequence of a solo guitar Song-Book made by Paulo Bellinati that is sold trough all the world. In this research I present eight arrangements proposing a new approach of his pieces, to be performed on the piano with different instrumentations: solo, duo with bass, piano trio, piano trio with saxophone and piano trio with an ensemble of seven clarinets. Due to the 100th birthday of Garoto next year (2015) I also engaged some different projects to promote his music and his name: a CD recording, a documentary and a Festival with recognized musicians performing Garoto’s works.
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  How Do You Swing a Quarter Note? An Analysis of the Great Walking Bassists of the 1950s and 60s. (2014) author(s): Steven Zwanink published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Steven Willem Zwanink Main Subject: Jazz Double Bass Research Coach: Patrick Schenkius Title of Research: How do you Swing a Quarter Note? An Analysis of the Great Walking Bassists of the 1950s and 60s. Research Question: In theory, a bass player's walking quarter notes should not swing, as they are not syncopated like eighth notes are for example; syncopation being a necessary condition of what it is to swing, in that it allows for the long-short lilt that people identify with swing music. In practice however, it is evident that certain bassists are able to create a swing feeling, through a highly complex, and often idiosyncratic approach to quarter note placement within the 'big beat,' as well as to sound production and articulation. By using sonic visualization software such as Audacity, my goal is to shed light on the unique and often highly mysterious properties behind swinging bass lines: are there strategies in common between swinging bassists, or does each performer swing in their own inimitable way; do swinging bass lines rely on a temporal tension between bassist and drummer; and to what extent are the timbral properties of an instrument and the attack with which a string is engaged relevant? Research Process: My research process involves four phases: Firstly, selecting contrasting examples of swinging bass players from the 1950s and 1960s; secondly, studying selected examples using Audacity, creating a visual data set that will then be used to examine what the similarities and differences are between each bassist's approach to swinging quarter notes; thirdly, examining whether the push and pull of swinging quarter notes results from either tension or synchronicity between a bassist and a drummer, as well as what effect the tonal shape of the quarter notes the bassist plays, as related to timbre and attack, have on swing feel; and fourthly, examining my own instincts with regards to the spectrum and parameters of the various swinging quarter notes of each bassist studied. Summary of Results: I have recently discovered in my own playing, that regardless of which drummer with whom I am playing, that my time feel needs to remain strong and unchangeable by what it is they are doing. This allows me to swing immediately and consistently on my own, or with whomever I am playing, provided the drummer is competent. All of this together answers my initial questions of: Do swinging bass lines rely on a temporal tension between bassist and drummer? No. Can the bassist swing his quarter notes all on his own? Yes. To what extent are the timbral properties of an instrument and the attack with which a string is engaged relevant? Extremely. In undertaking this study I have had the opportunity to think critically about a major parameter of jazz bass performance that is highly ephemeral and rarely quantified, though at the end of this project I now realize that that major parameter, while reliant on time, is actually sound and articulation.
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• Barry Harris: Exploring the Diminished (2014) author(s): Vera Marijt published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Vera Marijt Main Subject: Jazz Piano Research Coach: Jarmo Hoogendijk Title of Research: Barry Harris: Exploring the Diminished Research Question: How can the transcriptions I made of Barry Harris' workshops and recordings be incorporated in my playing, in order to develop myself in a bebop style? Research Process: I transcribed two DVD boxes containing 8 discs of over 8 hours of workshops by pianist Barry Harris that were recorded and published by Howard Rees. Furthermore, I transcribed about 54 video's of Barry Harris that were published on the website, www.franselsen.com, and several solo's of him. This resulted in about 35 pages of transcribed material, that I sorted and practiced during my Master studies. Summary of Results: Barry Harris talks in his workshops a lot about one important chord; the diminished. He explained how chords are related to the diminished and how we can use the diminished to connect chords and create 'movement'. Two important scales are the major and minor 6 diminished scales. Exercises I got out of the transcriptions and experimenting with this, opened a new world of sounds, voicings, harmonic knowledge and ideas for improvisational lines for me. I apply the material to existing pieces and wrote a composition in which these techniques are used. In the presentation I will explain about the major and minor 6th diminished scales and how they can be applied to tunes.
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• Victor Feldman, from Piano to Vibraphone (last edited: 2024) author(s): Demetrio Schintu This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
  How Victor Feldman, prolific pianist and vibraphone player of the jazz/hardbop scene in the second half of the twntieth-century, managed to transfer his concept of piano playing to the vibraphone. The similarities and applications of motives, transcriptions and language learning.
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• In flux (last edited: 2023) author(s): Tobias Andersson This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
  In this research project, guitarist and improviser Tobias Andersson investigates compositional tools and techniques to create flexible harmonic frameworks for improvisation. In a strive for music that stays in an improvisational state the reseach project also adresses questions on the quality of coherence in the music. The research project investigates how the application of theoretical concepts associated to the 20th century western classical music and post-tonal theory can be useful when composing for improvisation. By taking a close look on the musical material itself, the author starts to compose music where all harmonic and melodic material is derived from a small original set. The results of the investigation is a series of compositions for different ensembles, spanning from solo work, via smaller settings a large ensemble of wind instruments. The compositions are analysed in regard to the initial questions of coherence and harmonic flexibility, sharing insights to how the compositional approach influenced the musical results.
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  The Development of the Gibson L-5 (last edited: 2023) author(s): Jasper van Dongen This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
  The Development of the(acoustic) Gibson L-5 and the properties that make the model unique and special.
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• Jon Hendricks: Pioneering Jazz Singer, Scat Innovator, and Master Lyricist (last edited: 2023) author(s): Carolina Peña This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
  Jon Hendricks: Pioneering Jazz Singer, Scat Innovator and master Lyricist’s, is an article that highlights his roles as a trailblazing vocalist, an innovator in the use of scat singing as a form of improvisation and storytelling, and a masterful songwriter. It serves as an introduction to the rich and diverse legacy that Jon Hendricks left in the world of jazz.
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  Eastern Rebellion - with gamelan as inspiration for new musical expressions (last edited: 2021) author(s): EAA This exposition is in review and its share status is: visible to all.
  This exposition contains the documentation of Espen Aalberg´s artistic research project “Eastern Rebellion - with gamelan as inspiration for new musical expressions" "Eastern Rebellion - with gamelan as inspiration for new musical expressions" is focusing on a meeting point where Aalberg, as a musician and composer, has searched for inspiration in gamelan music, instruments, and concepts. Aalberg has a broad practice as a performer and composer/music creator with a professional career in both jazz and classical-contemporary direction. This experience, in collaboration with inspiration and instruments from gamelan, will be illuminated in different musical expressions and contexts.
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• The interdisciplinary conceptual composition process (last edited: 2021) author(s): Linde Tillmanns This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
  How does one translate concepts like Doughnut Economics into music and video? How can a performance create a safe and non/judgmental space for an open and constructive dialogue about big and difficult topics? This is my journey on attempting to create such a performance; with a physical band, electronics and video. I am composing on different levels, collaborating with a video artist and producer, as well as curating the process.
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  MIRAC 2019 (last edited: 2020) author(s): Per Anders Nilsson This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
  A point of departure in this project is to investigate man – machine interactions with the improvisation group Natural Artefacts that features a mix of acoustic and electronic musical instruments. The main questions are: is it possible to program electronic instruments, such as sequencers, samplers, and synthesizers in such a way that an organic “groove and feel” of jazz occurs? And is it possible to perform with them in a live context retaining a “true” jazz feeling?
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  Chris Dave: A Live Analysis (Dec. 2015) (last edited: 2019) author(s): James Wood This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
  Can you play in time and out of time? What is the drummer's role in a band setting? What are the philosophies of performance innate when sampling, when contrafacting, quoting or manipulating other people's work? How is Chris Dave "the most dangerous drummer on the planet"? The paper and performance attempt to answer these questions through a stylistic analysis and evaluation of a drum performance of Chris Dave, unpacking his innovative and conceptual reinvention of drum-set performance.
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• An Erotics of Art: A Specific Attempt at Failure (last edited: 2018) author(s): James Wood This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
  Is it possible to conceive of a form of musical criticism that reflects the very subject(s) it attempts to mobilise? To embrace the fluid ontologies of music while limiting the ossifying nature of linguistic criticism? An Erotics of Art was a project I ran in 2016 to try and create such an art form. Myself and a select few artists, writers and musicians were asked to create "responses" to musical works of their choice. These responses had to be created in real-time, as they listened. These are my submissions. Because of my grounding, the majority of each response is text based (I am loathe to say linguistic...) but occasionally text fails me. I stretch it to what I saw as its intelligible limit at the time, and used images and free-drawing. The resulting pieces are a searing autoethnographic matrix of my situation at the time, as provoked by these musics. The inspiration came from both Susan Sontag, from whom I clearly ape the name of the series, and an old Downbeat Magazine section called "Blindfold Test". Examples are easily found. They may seem discursive but rest assured: I am talking about the music itself and nothing else.
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• Is Music Universal? (last edited: 2016) author(s): Ned McGowan This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
  An oft-heard statement is that music is the one true universal language. While this may be a nice phrase to promote harmony between cultures, the question arises: is it actually true? Can the same piece of music communicate the same thing to people from different cultures?
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