Developing a Method for Identifying Improvisation Strategies in Jazz Duos.

The primary purpose of this paper is to develop a method to investigate the communication process between musicians performing improvisation in jazz, and to apply this method in a first case study. In jazz, applied improvisation theory usually consists of scale and harmony studies within quantized rhythmic patterns. There is a need to expand the concept of theory to include areas related to communication and strategic choices. To study improvisational strategies we recorded duos performed by the first author at the piano together with different horn players. Backing tracks were provided by prerecorded material from an ensemble with piano, bass and drums The duo recording was transcribed using music production software. The resulting score and the audio recording were then used during an in-depth interview of the horn player to identify underlying strategies. The strategies were coded according to previous research and could be classified according to five different categories. The paper contributes to jazz improvisation theory towards embracing artistic expressions and choices made in real-life musical situations.