The harmony of rhythm

The Mediterranean is rich in many rhythmical traditions and practices which can be at times highly complex. When it comes to composing collectively, it can seem challenging to combine patterns while continuing to respect the uniqueness of each expression.
From Istanbul, with Misirli Ahmet, Turkish master of Darbuka, Fabrizio Cassol discusses his processes and his approach to combining different rhythms from specific cultures and creating rhythmical improvisations around these patterns, in order to ultimately help you create a unique style and nurture your own collective composition.

 

Fabrizio Cassol invites you to:

-Feel the emotion behind each rhythmical expression to allow yourself to be influenced by new techniques.

-Develop your skills in combining and organising rhythms collectively.

-Use symbolic figures to approach your understanding and knowledge of rhythms.

-Gain more creativity and openness while interacting with other cultures.

Fabrizio Cassol: Regardless of its origin, social function or aesthetic, music must be rhythmically harmonised. Mozart’s quartets, Pygmy singing, music from Transylvania, the vocal style of Oum Kalthoum, Charlie Parker’s jazz style, and Gnawa mantras all have one thing in common: they are all based around a coherent, homogenous rhythmical idea such as the coming together of different sounds with different vibrational levels in order to impact our senses. The architectural beauty of rhythm can be associated with what we traditionally call harmony, which is the resolution of musical tensions. Rhythms act on vibratory levels and allow us to access memories and release emotions. These bodily and spiritual memories are often deeply buried in our subconsciousness and are linked not only to our personal experiences but also to the experiences of communities near and far.

The series proposed to consider the synchronisation of different rhythmical visions and go beyond the limits of musical styles in order to create new complementarities between these different styles. An example of this potential complementarity is the combination of Indian rhythmical ideas whose lyrical approach involves rhythms happening in succession, and polyrhythmic African creations where rhythms are superposed on one another. In this first module, we have been welcomed to Istanbul by the MIAM Istanbul Technical University, where we meet Misirli Ahmet, the famous Darbouka player and composer. Rhythmical harmony offers viewing and listening angles, as well as an understanding of different universes reaching out to one another in search of a connection.