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Today is International Jazz Day (Hurray!). This year, I propose a reflection on the role of AI in jazz. Is is just anothert tool? A threat?

Here are some reflections on AI’s rising influence and growing presence in the music industry, from song generation to virtual instruments and its impact on the future of a genre deeply rooted in human creativity and improvisation. You may read the txt or watch the video. Enjoy!

jAIzz

Close your eyes and imagine the smoky haze of a jazz club. Suddenly, it hits you, that unmistakable, infectious beat. Take Five, the iconic jazz anthem by Paul Desmond, immortalized by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, washes over you.

The melody is both complex and playful, the rhythm a daring departure from the norm. Take Five isn’t just a song, it’s an experience, it’s a conversation between instruments, a spontaneous outpouring of creativity and emotion. It is jazz at its finest, unpredictable, soulful and undeniably human.

But what happens when this human element, the very soul of jazz, faces an unexpected partner on stage, artificial intelligence? The world of music is no stranger to innovation. Throughout history, musicians and inventors have pushed boundaries, always searching for new ways to express creativity and emotion. From the invention of the gramophone to the birth of digital recording, technology has always shaped how we create and consume music.

Each breakthrough has opened up fresh possibilities, transforming not just the sounds we hear, but the very process of making music itself. What is new in the case of artificial intelligence is the fact that it’s not just a new game player, it’s a game changer. Algorithms can compose songs that are often indistinguishable from human creations.

The new technologies are able to listen, adapt and respond, creating a dynamic musical conversation. These systems can analyze countless styles and genres, learning to mimic the nuances of jazz improvisation in real time. A world where AI algorithms collaborate with human musicians is no longer a piece of science fiction, it is happening now.

As AI technology continues to evolve, its impact on the future of jazz is becoming impossible to ignore. The next era of music is unfolding before our eyes, and AI is part of it. The boundaries between human creativity and machine intelligence are becoming increasingly blurred, but the marriage of jazz and AI is a complex one though.

It is filled with promises and uncertainty. AI offers jazz musicians incredible new tools for creation and collaboration, opening doors to sounds and ideas that may have never been explored before. Imagine an AI program that can analyze your improvisations, learn from your style, and even suggest harmonies, rhythms or chord progressions you might not have considered.

Acting as a creative partner rather than just a tool. But again, is a tool ever just a tool? Let’s go back to 1966, when French philosopher Michel Foucault brilliantly approached the topic of the subject in his analysis of the painting Las Meninas, an oeuvre from 1656 by Spanish painter Diego Velázquez. On the canvas, the main motif of the painting, the representation of King Philip IV and his wife Mariana, is reduced to a mere reflection in a tiny mirror on the wall.

While the painter himself and secondary elements of the scene are moved to the front of the composition, Foucault perceives in the inversion of the roles proposed by Velázquez a breaking point. The subject of the painting is replaced by representation, and the representation becomes the main subject. Free from its reference, which is now relegated to a supporting position, representation no longer needs to belong to anyone or point to anything except itself.

Certainly, the history of humanity is full of examples that show that any technological innovation provokes heated reactions, both for and against it. On the other hand, denying that we are facing a peculiar challenge, to say the least, is tantamount to denying climate change, on the grounds that weather has always changed. What is at stake here is much more than a mere personal, aesthetic choice, but rather a collective, ethical attitude towards the future of a music genre.

Why? First of all, because the golden days of believing in a neutral form of technology are over, if they ever existed. This was not the case in analog times, and is absolutely not the case in the digital age. And yet, many creators refer to AI as just a tool.

Well, if you think that a complex system, such as artificial intelligence, is just a tool, and that tools are neutral entities, above the good and the evil, perhaps it is interesting to ask yourself, every time you find yourself in front of a tool, be it your car or your tablet, who produced it? Who distributes it? Is it free? Is it accessible to all? If such questions never occurred to you, then probably you are in a position that allows you to take the access to technology for granted, and to consider it as a fundamental right. A position that sets you at a remarkable advantage compared to the substantial amount of people all over the world that cannot take potable water for granted, let alone the access to the internet. Secondly, because there is no such thing as a free lunch, we know that, at the end of the day, we, humans, are the ones providing the data that feeds AI.

And this often occurs without our knowledge, and through rules that are still very opaque to the average user. The overwhelming majority of us ignore the extent to which all of this information is used. The lines between the surface web, the deep web, and the no man’s land called the dark web often overlap, and the popularization of the use of AI brings a powerful player into the game.

The problem is that no one knows for sure how this player behaves on the field. Finally, I believe that the discussion about the use of AI is not limited to personal preferences, but rather is linked to collective issues, because the promise behind all the promises that AI makes to us is that of a future of infinite creative possibilities, which cannot be experienced unless collectively. After all, your work alone does not bring much to the database, but a world of wonders is just a click away, as long as we all agree to take part in the farewell ceremony to authorship and copyrights, at least concerning individuals, since corporations are usually quite effective in finding loopholes to circumvent sanctions imposed on ordinary citizens.

Appealing to an idealized future is a good pitch, but it hides the fact that artificial intelligence is actually tied to the past. As member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, neuroscientist Roberto Lent recently pointed out, quote, artificial intelligence depends on the past, on a huge database to function. It deals with this data in a passive way, while the human brain deals better with the future, creating new information.

So, AI accumulates what humans have created and uses it for functions that resemble what the human brain does. But what really creates knowledge is the human brain, unquote. Back to jazz, can an algorithm truly understand the soul of a genre born from human experience, emotion, and the freedom to break the rules? Or does it risk turning a deeply personal art form into something mechanical and predictable? At its core, jazz is about improvisation, the art of spontaneous musical experience.

Each performance embraces the unexpected, and it is unique, shaped by the chemistry between players and the mood of the audience, and the mood of the musicians as well. Jazz is about feeling the music deep within your bones and letting it flow out through your instrument. The magic of improvisation lies in its unpredictability and the way it captures fleeting moments of inspiration and emotion.

But, again, can AI, bound by algorithms and devoid of genuine emotion, ever truly grasp the essence of improvisation? Can a machine, no matter how advanced it, understand the subtle cues, the silent communication, and the emotional depth that define a great jazz performance? Can it replicate the raw, unfiltered emotions that give jazz its complexity? Or is there something inherently human about the way we express ourselves through music, something that can’t be programmed or predicted? These questions challenge us to consider what it truly means to create art, to improvise, to connect with one another through music, and to find meaning in the spontaneous beauty of the moment. But, after all, what about our main question? Will AI enhance the human experience of jazz, or will it dilute its essence? The answer, like a complex jazz melody, is full of nuances. But one thing is clear, it’s up to us, the listeners and creators, to shape the future of jazz.

As for AI, just as Velazquez reduced the subject to a reflection in the mirror, but could not totally get rid of it, artificial intelligence cannot do without the continuous human production either, under the penalty of becoming an obsolete tool. The future of jazz remains a human specialty and responsibility.

Happy Jazz Day!

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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My Sunday feeling is one of my favorite Jethro Tull songs. The live version at the Isle Of Wight Festival, in 1970 has such an energy and expresses such a potency of what art has the power to do, that no matter how many times I watch it, it always impresses me tremendously. Same goes for ther virtuosity of Ian Anderson.

At first, it seemed curious to me that such a vibrant music would evoke a “Sunday feeling”, since that day is associated with the idea of rest. However, for several categories, including those working in entertainment, Sunday is one of the busiest days.

I believe that the lyrics of the song connect with this, say, “other side” of Sunday, with the idea of a perfect day to get out of the routine and do something really special. My last Sunday, for example, was quite lively. The chat about Jazz and Literature that I led in a traditional bookstore in the city was a success!

It is indeed a great to realize that there is a representative amount of people interested in leaving home on a Sunday afternoon to exchange ideas and talk about music and books. Who are those people?

Well, the audience was as varied as possible. It included, fo instance, a three-year-old girl who behaved exceptionally well and a white-haired gentleman who did not know how to turn off his cell phone, which, of course, kept on ringing, not only disturbing the audience, but also providing a very welcome comic relief.

What a lovely feeling to be there, joining in with the numerous events in 195 (hurray!) countries in order to celebrate International Jazz Day. And what a beautiful congregation!

Jazz is freedom, jazz is inclusion and a lot of other great things worth living for, like a lovely Sunday afternoon with friends.

Be seeing you!

G. F.

Some of my guests

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Since 2017 (with the exception of the years 2020 and 2021) I have been a partner of the International Jazz Day, which means that I create local events around the jazz theme on April 30th and they are included on the official page of IJD. Local events are not necessarily music events. Last year, for example, the event was a masterclass on the links between jazz and comics, interspersed with live performed songs.

This year the concept is similar. I will talk about Jazz & Literature. The lecture format (well, I might sing some parts of mentioned tunes a cappella, to better illustrate a passage, but nothing more than that) made me think that, compared to the hybrid version of words and music, the event this year would be less attractive to the general public. And I was totally wrong.

In fact, the event this year has gained much more attention and momentum, so to speak, and I not only talking about “likes” and “shares” in socials. This time, for the first time, the official social media profiles is co-hosting my event on Facebook! Okay, I know that a year ago people were a lot less open to face-to-face events than they are now. Even so, something tells me that the fundamental difference is in the exchange of the word “comics” for “literature”.

I have been researching graphic art (including comics, editorial cartoons and graphic novels) since 2012 and, from my point of view, this field of knowledge had already overcome the prejudice of being considered a “minor art”, “children’s thing” (in the bad sense of the expression) and other absurdities. When, however, I mentioned my suspicions to a researcher friend, he was adamant: “Comics are still considered a sub-form of literature, while jazz is supposed to be a appreciated by the elite”.

Funny, because prejudice and snobism are actually on the opposite side of what jazz represents. If you listen to jazz because you think it makes you look sophisticated and intellectual, then you have probably not aquired the most basic information about the genre. Jazz has nothing to do with being part of “a select few”, whatever that publicity line may be able to sell. Jazz is not about pretending. It is about being and feeling.

And you know what is even funnier? Record covers are among the first representations of jazz and guess who were the pioneering creators of covers for jazz records? Illustrators, posters, graphic artists. Which means that jazz is, in a way, as far as chronology is concerned, more connected to the despised comics than its rich cousin, literature.

Perhaps this information will surprise the audience and help them form a more enlightened opinion of the greatness of jazz. If that is the case, I will consider my mission accomplished and my event a resounding success.

Anyway, I just wanted to invite you who might be in Rio by the 30th, or who migh know people around to my event. You can check out the poster here, as well as my past events. Celebrate the date!

Be seeing you!

G. F.

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“Why do you celebrate International Jazz Day?”

The question is the first one on the International Jazz Day Partner Interview form. It is the first time I answer the questionnaire and, honestly, I believe it is the first time I have been asked this question in such a direct way. Though one!

It is always difficult to explain the things that really matter, the deep truths we carry within us, but, ok, I shall face the challenge. Why do I celebrate International Jazz Day? Because I feel part of the jazz community (so far, so good).

And why do I feel part of this community? Now comes the hard-to-explain part… Ok, Geisa, do not overthink, just write what comes in your mind when you think about jazz.

Jazz gave me a formal freedom that was immensely important for my artistic development. Sometimes I feel that jazz is a code, a key, that opens many doors. Thelonious. Monk put it well when he said that “Jazz is freedom”.

Freedom that opposes any form of segregation, censorship or prejudice. Freedom that unites and builds dialogues. That is it! I got my answer!

I celebrate International Jazz Day because I celebrate freedom. As Ella sings in the George Gershin song: who could ask for anything more?

Be seeing you!

G.F.

p.s. next week I´ll tell you HOW I will celebrate it this year

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Hello, there! How are things going? First of all, I would like to apologize for the long time since my last post. I´ve been quite busy, since the announcement of the semifinalists of the Rádio MEC Music Festival. One of the reasons is that the organizers asked for a promo video. A super complex production, aiming for the Oscar? No, not at all. Actually, they only asked for an innocent one minute mobile phone video, no post production elements needed. Something you would do in five, ten minutes max, right? For me, it takes the whole day and the final result hardly pleases me, so I repeat and repeat…

Call me perfectionist, call me unskilled, but the fact is that I hate to make videos of myself and I often decline such invitations, but this time I had to face the challenge. I know how important it is to have a real person talking to you, when we you are asking people to vote for your song.

In this short video, I introduce myself and explain that I´m honored to be a semifinalist on the festival and that my song, Depois do Verão, is an ode to better days, that shall come to all of us. Oh, and in the background you can see a collage with the many versions of the art for the cover of my first album. Still didn´t vote for Depois do Verão? Click here and vote for me, dear citizen! 🙂

And last but not least, I would like to tell you that earlier this month, I got my International Jazz Day 2021 participation certificate. I must confess that I was a tiny little bit sad because my poster was not on the global artwork page (it is silly, I know, very silly), but it´s all gone now. Signed by the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue, Mr. Herbie Hancock, that certificate made my day. Thank you very much and until next year, Herbie!

Be seeing you!

G.F.