Articles on Musical improvisation

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Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson performs on the Stravinski hall stage during the 39th Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, in 2005. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)

Oscar Peterson: Cherishing a legacy of technical virtuosity and soulful swing

Peterson stands among the greatest virtuosi of musical history. He voiced stylistic grace, impeccable command of his instrument and the execution of spiritual freedom.
Robotic orchestra conductor ‘Yumi’ performs on stage with the Orchestra Filarmonica di Lucca in Italy in 2017. Laura Lezza/Getty Images

Why improvisation is the future in an AI‑dominated world

Machines have been getting better at mimicking improvisation. But can this distinctly human process serve as a bulwark against the mechanization of life and art?
Anishinaabe musician Melody McKiver. plays at the Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax, May 2018. (Steve Louie/Flickr)

Musical communities and improvisation: ‘Finding a way out of no way’ in this year of precarious living

Meditations on improvisation in a year of both COVID-19 and what some called ‘the other pandemic’ of racism push us to go deeper to find ways to sustain healthy public common life.
This is not a wok: Japanese musician Natsuki Tamura explores sounds at an online global festival of improvisation, IF 2020. (Ajay Heble/IF 2020)

3 lessons from musical improvisation to help navigate 2021

Improvisation asks us to trust that surprise will teach us something. As we enter a new year and a post-pandemic landscape, musical improvisation offers inspiration.

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