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Improvisation in jazz
Hello Dear Reader, Gosh it is warm in Switzerland today! The spring burst of colour that began last week is now in full flow thanks to a day or so of heavy rain. Glowing primroses, cheeky crocuses and alpine daisies swing gracefully in the herb scented winds that come down from the mountains. This has to be my favourite season. All the promise of life is new. While nature is in full-on improvisation mode, it seems only right that we consider a new paper in the journal Music Perception on improvisation in jazz. The Hochschule where I work in Switzerland also has jazz specialism, and a special research project on…
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How musical am I?
Hello Dear Reader The clocks have changed for another year and we are all making our way out of the long winter in the lush promise of spring. Here in Luzern the trees are finally displaying green folliage and the crocuses are well in bloom. I have to say, I miss daffodils. At home in York you see daffs everywhere at this time of the year and I love having little vases of them in the house. For now however, I will enjoy the unfolding Swiss spring symphony. This week my mind has turned to the question of musicality. What does it mean to be musical? When I was first…