The above is a condensed essay version, published in vitriol ii, of Dr. Indre Viskontas’ presentation for Call and Response on Friday, March 20, 2015 at The Emerald Tablet, which you can watch in full below.
Following her presentation is a Q&A and a musical response by Sound Quartet: Mark Clifford on vibraphone, Aram Shelton on saxophone, Safa Shokrai on upright bass, and Britt Ciampa on drums.
Dr. Indre Viskont
as is is a Professor of Science and Humanities at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she is pioneering the application of neuroscience to musical training, and is an adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of San Francisco. She currently co-hosts Inquiring Minds, a popular science podcast, is a sought-after public speaker, a frequent contributor to MotherJones.com, an editor of the journal Neurocase, and a frequent performer of opera and chamber music.
Sound Quartet is an Oakland based group focusing on creative jazz informed by their collective backgrounds and mutual interest in challenging traditional concepts of jazz through the use of adventurous harmonics and inventive forms. The unique improvisational approaches of the members are grounded in high level instrumental proficiency paired with a playful and open minded sensibility.