Individualidade, narratividade e interação em música popular improvisada

Abstract

The present work discusses how the narrativization of improvisations in improvised popular music happen - analyzing examples of Jazz and Brazilian Instrumental Music. In the first chapter, we discuss the search of each interpreter for the development of his "voice" or his individuality as improviser, in elements such as: his melodic improvisation vocabulary, the search for his sonority, the development of his technique. We do a case study of two improvisations by American guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg (born in 1972-, a very active musician with a solid career in the international Jazz scene) in the standards My Favorite Things and Caravan. The analysis shows procedures and melodic vocabulary recurrent in the two improvisations, that possibly evidences the musician's improvisation style. In the second chapter, we discuss the narrativity of musical improvisation through some concepts. We observe how improvisation can occur with more or less premeditated elements (solos or improvisations). We explore the metaphor of improvising as "telling a story" - from the standpoint of semantics and musical syntax, based on authors such as John Sloboda (2008) and Jean-Jaques Nattiez (2002). We studied the creation of the typical narrative arc in improvisation - the density / intensity variation of improvisation, reflecting with Ingrid Monson (1996) and Turi Collura (2008) - and apply these concepts in the two Jonathan Kreisberg improvisations already studied. Next, we review several processes of manipulation of the melodic vocabulary in improvisation (such as paraphrase, motif development and Livre Tematismo). We reflect on the role of thematicism in creating internal coherence for improvisation - and we discuss how each process of melodic manipulation studied behaves in relation to the dichotomy of inventiveness (or creativity) versus coherence. In the third chapter, we consider the role of the interaction between the musicians in the construction of the musical narrative, in which the musical and "extramusical" communicative impulses play an important role in the improvisations. We show typical interaction processes of improvised popular music. We make a second case study and analyze three performances of the "choro" Lamentos by Trio Corrente, a group of Brazilian Instrumental Music that has been gaining prominence and recognition in recent years - they were awarded the "best instrumental album" at the Latin Grammy of 2014. The group is composed by Fábio Torres (piano), Paulo Pauleli (bass) and Edu Ribeiro (drums). By analyzing the performances of the Trio (in the years 2003, 2012 and 2012) and comparisons with other performers, one can notice that the musical narrative by the group values a dynamic of spontaneity and intense musical interaction, but following recurrent parameters and procedures. In this way, throughout the work we reflect on processes of improvisation and musical narrativity by studies on the works of musical groups and performers such as Jonathan Kreisberg, Jacob do Bandolim, Izaias Bueno, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Paul Motian Trio, Trio Corrente and others. It is proposed to think that the construction of improvised musical narratives occurs through a process that involves the expression of individuality of each musician and the interactions between them - perceiving the exercise of soloist and accompanist roles usually found in the dynamics of collective interpretation.