“Jazz Clarinet Workshop”
For the past few years Luca has been the only jazz clarinet professor active in the UK (at the Leeds College of Music) and one of the few clarinettists to be a specialist of both classical and jazz at HE level. His research focuses on extended techniques for the contemporary repertoire and new compositions for solo clarinet and he has been invited by universities and colleges in Great Britain and overseas (Cambridge University, Newcastle University, Glasgow University and Reading University in the UK, Sao Paulo University and the Faculty of Santa Marcelina in Brazil, etc). This workshop is for clarinettists, or musicians who play the clarinet as a second instrument, of all level.
The following topics will be demonstrated and discussed:
- Clarinet’s main features. The clarinet has a dynamic range and an extension that is almost unparalleled within the wind instrument family;
- Demonstration and explanation of techniques like the glissando, wha-wha effect/timbral trillo (quater-tone or microtone trills), growl/flutter, etc. useful for the jazz repertoire;
- Examples of tone alteration within different styles of music (40s swing, be-bop, post-bop/free jazz, classical, tarantella/folk/world music, etc.);
- Reference Material.
The event will include the performance of a few pieces (and/or excerpts) to demonstrate the potential of the clarinet within a wide range of styles and idioms. A particular attention will be given to the performance an demonstration of:
- “Blues”. Including the use of the “blues scale”, sound effects and other contemporary techniques that can be used on the blues form;
- “Ballad”. Also demonstrating the use of techniques like the “rubato” and with a specific attention to dynamics, focus and projection.
- “Bossa Nova”.