1st Edition

Trust in the Art of Free Improvisation

By Robert Burke, Andrys Onsman Copyright 2026
190 Pages
by Routledge

190 Pages
by Routledge

Trust in the Art of Free Improvisation explores how trust manifests across diverse musical genres and contexts that contribute to free improvisation. Using an interdisciplinary approach which combines insights from sociology, psychology, and performance studies, Trust in the Art of Free Improvisation  provides a holistic understanding of trust in creative collaboration, audience engagement,... Read more

Preface                                                                                                   

Acknowledgements

Foreword                                                                                                 

Introduction                                                                                             

Section 1 -Trusting Yourself                                                                   

Introduction to Section I                                                                      

Chapter 1 – Aspiration and Motivation                                                   

Chapter 2 – Instinct and Intuition                                                           

Chapter 3 – Experience & Expertise                                                      

Section II – Trusting Others                                                                    

Introduction to Section II                                                                         

Chapter 4Trusting the community                                                      

Chapter 5Empathic Alignment                                                           

Chapter 6 – Environment                                                                       

Section III – Trusting the Process                                                          

Introduction to Section III                                                                        

Chapter 7 – Practice & Process                                                             

Chapter 8 – Flow                                                                                    

Chapter 9 - Product                                                                                

Chapter 10 - The Source                                                                        

Outro                                                                                                       

References & Further Reading

Biography

Robert Burke (PhD Monash University) is an Associate Professor in Jazz and Improvisation at Monash University and president of the Australasian Jazz and Improvisation Research Network (AJIRN). Robert's practice and research interests include composition, improvisation and artistic research. His contribution to scholarship lies in asking the question, ‘What happens when we improvise?’ Rob has performed on over 300 CDs – 17 as leader.

Andrys Onsman (PhD University of Tasmania, PhD Monash University) has published in a diverse array of academic areas including Music, Indigenous Studies, Architecture and Higher Education where his work has been widely cited. He has played and composed music for performance, film and television, and theatre. He has written numerous plays and essays as well as two volumes of poetry. He is currently an adjunct Associate Professor at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music at Monash University.