Detailed Information on Publication Record

WRÓBLEWSKI, Michal. Improvisation, its principles and practice. In Jazz Practise Research Seminar, Birmingham. 2020.

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Basic information
Original name	Improvisation, its principles and practice
Authors	WRÓBLEWSKI, Michal (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution).
Edition	Jazz Practise Research Seminar, Birmingham, 2020.

Other information
Original language	English
Type of outcome	Requested lectures
Field of Study	60403 Performing arts studies
Country of publisher	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Confidentiality degree	is not subject to a state or trade secret
WWW	Jazz Practise Research Birmingham
Organization unit	Faculty of Music
Keywords in English	improvisation; time; consciousness; composition; jazz; activity; ethics; temporality; Bergson; freedom; presence; presence; past
Changed by	Changed by: doc. PhDr. Petr Lyko, Ph.D. et Ph.D., učo 5794. Changed: 30/3/2021 12:27.

Abstract
The talk will provide some perspectives on the topics that have been crucial for me in my artistic and theoretical work. In the first part, we will talk about the principles of improvisation. We will follow the three main themes of the dissertation: time consciousness during the process of improvising, the form of improvisation, and activity as a main aesthetic function of improvisation. In this part, my sources will be the writings of Henri Bergson – especially those in which he questions time perception and presence – and the literature about improvisation in music (mostly The Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies). The second part of talk will focus on the improvised music scene in Europe and United States in recent years – their particulars and tendencies. I will pose some essential ethical questions: Can improvisation be non-idiomatic? Is it allowed to consciously work with timeframes, the past, and anticipation during improvisation? Is improvisation free? What is the purpose of improvisation in music? Should the audience know how the music is created? The main source for the second part will be my own experiences of being a performer, listener, and organiser of various improvised music events. Finally, in the last part, I will show some examples of how I work with improvisation in my music – how the bands and ensembles I have led deal with combinations of composed and improvised musical material. What are the possibilities of using improvisation in this context?

Abstract

The talk will provide some perspectives on the topics that have been crucial for me in my artistic and theoretical work. In the first part, we will talk about the principles of improvisation. We will follow the three main themes of the dissertation: time consciousness during the process of improvising, the form of improvisation, and activity as a main aesthetic function of improvisation. In this part, my sources will be the writings of Henri Bergson – especially those in which he questions time perception and presence – and the literature about improvisation in music (mostly The Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies). The second part of talk will focus on the improvised music scene in Europe and United States in recent years – their particulars and tendencies. I will pose some essential ethical questions: Can improvisation be non-idiomatic? Is it allowed to consciously work with timeframes, the past, and anticipation during improvisation? Is improvisation free? What is the purpose of improvisation in music? Should the audience know how the music is created? The main source for the second part will be my own experiences of being a performer, listener, and organiser of various improvised music events. Finally, in the last part, I will show some examples of how I work with improvisation in my music – how the bands and ensembles I have led deal with combinations of composed and improvised musical material. What are the possibilities of using improvisation in this context?