Seminars and workshops
| JAZZ MEETS LYRICS |
Arrigo Cappelletti
organization and piano
Marie Antonazzo voice |
Since several years Arrigo Cappelletti musically works on lyrics
of the most important poets of 20th Century: O. Paz, W. Auden, W.
Yeats, but F. Pessoa and other Portuguese poets as well. His work
materialized in 3 CDs: Todos los nombres del agua, The
moon and the cat and the most recent Terras do risco.
Through the analysis of chosen lyrics, of ways of translating them
into music, of relationship between music – intended as ‘interpreting’
of lyrics – and lyrics, of metric and prosodic problems music
must afford because of so many different languages involved (Italian,
English, Spanish, French, Portuguese ), this seminar-workshop has
the purpose to give useful information to young composers dealing
with already written lyrics.
Two steps: first, Arrigo Cappelletti together with singer Marie
Antonazzo will explain some ‘songs’ he wrote; second,
involving participants with direct activity, musical work on some
lyrics by poets of 20th Century is carried on. At the end of the
seminar a concert will take place, to present results of the group
work.
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IMPROVISATION IN DUO
incipit, “fields”, signals, interplay, theme, shape
and its developing |
Arrigo Cappelletti
piano
Giulio Visibelli soprano sax, flute |
In Jazz the Duo scheme has been linked – ’til
not so long ago – to the scheme soloist + accompanier.
Even in situations where – as for B. Evans-J. Hall duo, e.g.
– the comparison between the two soloists was joint, the scheme
was always the same, even if roles were interchanging. Only recently
a new Duo scheme became relevant – some kind of parallel improvisation.
In this new scheme, usual improvisation references (theme, chords,
etc.) are not enough, and an open and elastic ‘communication’
between soloists during the whole improvisation becomes necessary.
Besides natural empathy between soloists, fundamentals of this communication
are very interesting to be underlined: a growing integration between
writing and improvisation, a mobile conception of shape, the idea
of ‘field’ of improvisation, the notion of rhythmic
idea and thematic unit, a more severe codification of understanding
signals between soloists.
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| ELEMENTS OF JAZZ ORIENTED PIANO AND
NEW LANGUAGES |
| SWING AND JAZZ PRONUNCIATION |
Reading and rendering pieces and exercises in the Jazz way (O. Peterson,
C. Norton, A. Cappelletti, etc.).
How to gradually disengage from the score. Jazz pronunciation (accents
on the upbeat and asymmetric distribution of accents). Anticipated
and delayed chords. Exercises of Blues riffs and on typical improvisation
patterns. A spot on main rhythmic patterns for accompaniment. Self-accompaniment.
Voice accompaniment. Swing. Playing swing with the right hand. Playing
swing with both hands. Piano in Latin music (Argentinean Tango, Candombe,
Bossa-Nova, Rumba, Salsa, etc.); rhythmic patterns and accompaniment
techniques. A spot on various piano styles and different physic approaches
to the instrument. |
| TOWARDS IMPROVISATION |
Reading and interpreting abbreviations. Simple and complex chords
systems. Harmonization with two, three, four, five voices. Voicing
and parts conduct. The prominence of melody. The problem of segmentation
and shape in complex systems. Different harmonic structures in the
classical ‘song’. Building a melody from a chords system.
Harmonic structures without tonal center in Jazz. Playing melodies
by ear and elementary harmonic progressions. |
| FUNDAMENTALS OF IMPROVISATION |
Scales and modes. Inflected notes. Accented sounds extraneous to
the chord. Main note. Ascending and descending intervals. Beginning
point, ending point. Rhythm.
Building the phrase. Short breath and long breath phrases. Extension.
Jumps. The turning-point. Action and reaction. Rhythmic models.
Theme and its transforming. Melodic and rhythmic variation (retrogrades
and rivoltos, extension and contraction of intervals, rhythmic increase,
decrease and imitation). Theme fragmentation. Pointillism.
Improvisation on chords. How to link chords during improvisation.
Masking theme and its structure.
Free improvisation: building units of themes and structures in real
time.
Building of a shape. Blues and classical ‘song’ of 12,
16 and 32 bars. Symmetric and asymmetric shapes. New composing models
in modern Jazz. Jazz and 20th Century Avant-Garde. Jazz and world
music; towards freedom of Jazz from Afro-American model. Genres integration.
Fascination and risks. |
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| NEW IMPROVISATION ‘SHAPES’
IN JAZZ |
PREMISES OF
IMPROVISATION |
Breath, pauses, posture, physical and mental attitude. |
THE FRAME OF IMPROVISATION |
Towards a ‘generative’ gramatics of improvisation. Ways
of using scales and modes. Various improvisation models. Rendering
a piece. Choosing the rhythmic shape. Improvisation as ‘work
in progress’. Improvisation and “shape”. |
‘TRICKS’ OF
IMPROVISATION |
Re-inventing and masking the theme. Building the phrase. Chords
linking by arpeggios and scales. Transposition and moving. Thematic
units and rhythmic cells. The problem of symmetry and asymmetry of
parts. |
| RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
WRITING AND IMPROVISATION |
Writing determines improvisation. Improvisation determines writing.
Towards an integration of the two moments. |
‘COMPOSITION’
IN JAZZ |
How do you write a Jazz piece: a writing functional to improvisation.
Functional harmony and a writing privileging melody. Where the writing
ends. Until where improvisation is composing? |
GROUP DYNAMICS AND RELATIONSHIPS
WITHIN A JAZZ BAND |
Interplay and mutual interaction between musicians. The problem
of leadership. Project and vision. Delegation and its limits. |
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