The Neuroscience of Improvisation

In this program, we compare dreaming and improvisation focusing on creative synergies, experiential similarities, and the underlying neurophysiology. These states of mind are mutually illuminating. That is, learning about one provides insights into the other. A key insight here is that we can deepen our understanding of improvisation by exploring other states of mind that have overlapping experien...

What is the experience of improvisation and what are its neurobiological correlates? One way to flesh out an answer, or at least to get the lay of the land, so to speak, is to look at how improvisation compares with other kinds of brain states and states of experience that have been explored with science, such as dreaming and psychedelics. That's what we're embarking upon here. In this video, you...

This episode shares overviews of seminal neuroimaging studies that provide insights into what happens in the brain during improvisation. You will learn how these findings align with what improvisers say about their experiences, including remarks from Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Werner, Pat Metheny, and Gary Burton. Cross-cultural perspectives are included here, as well, including reference to...

In this episode, we have the pleasure of chatting with the marvelous Sammy Miller, the founder of Playbook, which is a groundbreaking approach to teaching improvisation and musical skills. Playbook blends in-person learning with cutting-edge software to foster foundational skills that nourish life-long musical engagement. Sammy is an accomplished Juilliard-trained jazz drummer and a passionate edu...

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Suresh Vaidyanathan, who is widely recognized as Ghatam Suresh. He is an extraordinary Carnatic Indian classical percussionist renowned for his mastery of the ancient Ghatam, a clay pot with distinctive resonant and percussive qualities. This instrument plays a pivotal role in Carnatic music as accompaniment and soloist. With a global presence as a leader and coll...

This is an interview with the incomparable Kenny Werner. He is an improvising pianist and author whose impact on the philosophy and practice of improvisation has been extraordinary. In the realm of music, Kenny Werner's improvisations weave melodies and harmonies that are rooted in but not limited to the jazz tradition. His groundbreaking work as the architect of "Effortless Mastery," a transforma...

In this episode, we present an interview with the magnificent Tommy Campbell. Tommy is a drummer who has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Smith, the Mingus Big Band, and many other world-class musicians. He also leads the Vocal Eyes ensemble, which presents an innovative blend of percussion and vocal performance. In our conversation, Tommy shares his perspective on the necessit...

This is the second part of our conversation with author, pianist, and law professor Mira T. Sundara Rajan. In this segment, she describes her experience of poetry and how it relates to her experience of playing composed music. Mira also reads poetry by Percy Blythe Shelley and provides a translation of poetry by her great-grandfather Mahakavi C. Subramania Bharati. She tells a fascinating story ab...

This episode features the first part of a two-part interview with Professor Mira T. Sundara Rajan. In this segment, she shares her perspective on the role of improvisation in Western classical music. Mira is a concert pianist, amongst other things. Improvisation plays an important role in her practice and performance of music in interesting ways. As it so happens, the approach she describes is sim...

This is an interview with Christian Howes (https://christianhowes.com/). He is a renowned violinist, educator, and entrepreneur. He's a classically trained musician who has attained prominence as a jazz improviser. Chris has developed a systematic and comprehensive approach to teaching improvisation, empowering musicians of all levels to unlock their innate musical creativity. He integrates insigh...

This is an interview with Paul Nedzela (https://www.paulnedzela.com/). He plays baritone saxophone with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and leads his own quartet. He shares his thoughts on the experience of improvisation, how to prepare for a performance, the relationship between musical development and the various states of mind occasioned by improvisation, as well as several other topics. T...

Prasant Radhakrishnan has a background in Carnatic Indian classical music and Western musical traditions, including jazz improvisation. Prasant is a protégé of the legendary Kadri Gopalnath, who revolutionized the role of the saxophone in Carnatic music. Prasant's performances traverse the realms of traditional Carnatic concert programs while also blurring boundaries with his VidyA ensemble and ot...