MASTER THESIS by Corrado Cerutti

BLA BLA BLA is an artistic research project focused on composition and improvisation. The aim is to explore and develop flexible compositional tools that can adapt to a wide range of creative contexts — from symphonic orchestras to conceptual performance, from music to dance, and towards any interdisciplinary field I find artistically engaging. Improvisation is the main method of investigation: by performing solo, recording sessions, selecting specific fragments, and analyzing them, I generate new material that is then proposed to ensembles and commissioned projects. This cyclical process feeds a continuous reflection and contributes to the development of compositional strategies tested in diverse performance environments. The research revolves around three central questions: – How can I create compositional tools that remain adaptable to increasingly diverse contexts? – How does this system influence my own performance practice and interaction with other musicians? – How flexible is it within interdisciplinary settings? This project is part of the Jazz Composition course at the Jazzcampus in Basel, under the supervision of Stian Westerhus, with the support of Stephan Meidell, Tineke Postma, and Guillermo Klein.

How to read this exposition

This research can be read in two ways: the academic way and the explorative way. The first is meant to show the linearity of the process, focusing more on the clarity of the explanation in a more structured presentation that allows you to follow the trajectory of the idea.

The explorative way is designed to be chaotic, colloquial, with dead ends, connections, questions and randomnness all over. This for me embrace the true meaning of exploring an artistic path, showing the process as it was conceived naturally, allowing the reader to experience the way I worked.

Both ways contain the same core material, but it is presented in different formats and explanations, especially the explorative one, which contains more personal reflections and insights on questions that are being condensed in the academic way.

I invite you to choose the way you prefer regarding your time, expectations and preferences. If you will ever feel lost about the topic, you can always look up on the left for reading the abstract, look at the content menu to navigate better between pages or come back at title page with the home button on the right. This research is best read on a laptop.

Thanks for reading and enjoy exploring my ideas.

The Academic way

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