Free and open to the public!
Social Time: ~7:15PM PST / Presentation begins: 7:30PM PST
Presenter: Paul Safar
Topic: Breaking With the Past to Forge the Future in Music Improvisation
As a composer and pianist, I have divided much of my musical worlds between classical and jazz/pop, striving to find balance between structure and spontaneity in all my musical endeavors. This includes improvisation, the topic of this talk, in which I will ask the question: How much does one need to break with the past in order to be an effective improviser in the moment? My relationship to improvised music has been steeped primarily in the template of the jazz standard. However, in recent years, I have increasingly enjoyed the act of “free improvisation,” especially in collaboration with other players. In this talk, I will share some of my recent findings and experiences on rethinking improvisation – of breaking with the ties of familiarity and convention. I will try to share some insights and patterns gleaned from my own experiences, and from conversations and interviews with musicians who excel in improvisation. Although I will quote several musicians, this presentation will be less of an academic study and more of an interactive and personal account. I will include short audio examples to demonstrate and explore these themes, including pieces from my duo with Spanish hurdy gurdist Marc Egea. I will also share how the breaking of habits and preconceptions of the past informs my playing of fully notated music. By letting go of the past, are there ways in which we can tap into that sense of magic that makes improvisation a beautifully creative act of the moment?
I will screen a pre recorded video presentation on this topic after which I welcome an open discussion on the topic and others experiences with various types of improvisation and perhaps ideas on how we can encorporate even more improvisation into Cascadia's programming.
Paul Safar Bio:
Paul Safar is a versatile, Oregon based composer/performer and private piano instructor. Paul has been an Erik Satie Mostly Tonal Award Winner and was recently awarded the Brazosport Symphony Composition Competition. Commissioning ensembles have included the Delgani String Quartet. Paul’s compositions have been performed in cities from New York and Seattle to Havana and Fairbanks. He has been a presenter at the New Music Gathering, through the Oregon Music Teachers Association and at the Zagreb Biennale Symposium. Having a background in both classical and jazz/rock, one of Paul’s goals is to coherently combine these influences in his compositions. Paul received his Bachelors degree from The University of Cincinnati (CCM) under Joel Hoffman and did graduate study at the University of Oregon under Robert Kyr. When not musicking, he may be seen hiking, traveling or enjoying a glass of vino tinto. www.paulsafar.com