The project will explore how extended listening, interaction, and artistic reflection can be shared and further developed within improvised music. It has two main focuses:

1. Practical exploration of selected frameworks for improvisation and sharing artistic process knowledge, and
2. Building bridges between artistic expertise and artistic research.

The project is rooted in a national and international artistic field where jazz improvisation meets other genres and forms of expression. It intersects with ongoing research projects at NTNU and builds on a strong tradition of experimental and cross-disciplinary practice. It addresses key questions in today’s artistic research landscape: How can tradition, technique, and other artistic disciplines meet improvisation in ever-new constellations? How do we open up for new expressions and expand diversity? And how can artistic knowledge be shared, with an emphasis on artistic languages and methods?

At the core of the project is the unique learning environment of the Jazz Program at NTNU, with the NTNU Jazz Ensemble and a dedicated “Staff Ensemble” serving as creative laboratories for experimentation and reflection, where each participant brings their expertise, explorations, and methods. Research questions include topics such as asymmetric rhythm, microtonality, dramaturgy, the relationship between composition and improvisation, and alternative frameworks for these. The process will be documented through audio recordings, reflections, and interviews, and will result in an album release and an exposition in the Research Catalogue.

The project aims to strengthen artistic development work at the department, inspire individual and collective growth, and contribute to closer integration between artistic practice and artistic development—both within the institution and in the field at large.

The project is supported by NTNU’s funding for artistic research