VAATA

  🇬🇧 ON THE SECOND SKIN - Since I came to Indonesia I began to design and tailor my own dresses, whether I wear them at public events or at home for daily use. I want them to be comfortable, elegant and colorful. The idea came long time ago after I read artist Friedrich Hundertwasser manifesto on fashion about the "Second Skin". What we choose to wear everyday is more than just a dress: it's like an extra skin that contribute to shape the nature of our social identity. In contemporaty society these aesthetic canons are dictated by the trends of commercial fashion and the individual personality is cancealed by the necessity of industrial production. We want to express our character free from the precepts of mass fashion that impose restricted identities. We therefore can forge our own image through making our own clothes as an evoluted children's game and make our life a creative artistic expression. Since I am here I got the opportunity to put this principle in prac

EN - August 2018, when I was still in Italy, I took the chance to record a series of sessions at the Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi in Bologna, which features a resounding acoustic and one of the most beautiful and oldest porches in the world. In this setting I took quick shootings of some original compositions that would later become the open collection Contemporary Raga using just two smartphones and a digital recording. I also decided to take advantage of the ambiance to document some classical pieces I had been working on for a long time, mostly arias from the baroque era that fit the place so well. Among these a selection of JS Bach’s Partitas and Sonatas for violin solo adapted for the soprano saxophone as this Allemande opening the 2 nd Partita in D Minor. I recently came to the decision to include it in the open collection Songs Of Bliss due to the particular nature of the context. Other tunes of this kind will be added in the future along with original compositions. A n

DON'T LOSE YOUR SHIRT! - Thursday 7th October I will be guest of the prestigious Brawijaya University of Malang, to talk about financial psychology. This meeting is adressed either to investors and savers of all levels. How do the emotions and neurochemistry work when we are involved in an investment? What behaviors are to be avoided and what's the correct conduct in order to dodge big financial losses? An overview with insights to prevent us falling into gambling addiction and escape the cognitive distortions that lead to the most common assessment errors. On Brawijaya University YouTube channel, free participation, live at 9.30 Indonesian time (GTM + 7). NON GIOCARTI LA CAMICIA! - Giovedí 7 Ottobre saró ospite della prestigiosa Università Brawijaya di Malang, per parlare di psicologia finanziaria. Questo incontro é rivilto agli investitori e ai risparmiatori di tutti i livelli. Come funzionano le emozioni e la neurochimica quando siamo coinvolti in un investimento? Qua

Immaculate Breakfast by Stefano Scippa Palleni When I first heard John Coltrane’s album My Favorite Things I immediately wanted to start playing soprano saxophone. Every Time We Say Goodbye was among the tunes that truly enlightened me and one of the first I learnt on the straight horn. Lately, when I recorded my solo soprano album Immaculate Breakfast, in the chapel of Roncati’s Ex-Asylum in Bologna city, I decided to release my own version of that tune filtered through a deep rework and the experience of many years of dedicated practice. Today if I listen to the result of that session from the distance of nearly 10 years, I can feel I achieved my personal style and refined musical personality, along with the ability to retain the spirit of that song so important to me. There are people in this world that just because you’ve heard them once they can change your life and make you want to be a better person. Thank you Mr. John Coltrane!

EN - This composition is the first in the series to be included in the open collection Songs Of Bliss, a songbook of pieces reminiscent of the mystics from all traditions who used to break out in spontaneous outburst of sung poems to express a bliss too great to communicate in words. My intention is to renew this feeling and convey it in a contemporary musical vehicle beyond any style or genre. My arrangement of this classic gregorian chant wants to channel energy and vigour in the music, trying to preserve the soaring and volatile character of the original melody. The theme is expoded twice, first in the original major mode then transposed in the phrygian mode, adding some dark and ambiguos flavour to light of this hymn. A simple I-IV tonal sequence follows opening up the way to a short improvisation that reaches the climax in the end of this intense performance. The beautiful setting of the Basilica dei Servi di Maria in Bologna add further colour to sound of the tenor saxophone, li

EN - Whatever the nature of what is commonly known as inspiration, within the spectrum of human experience, is still the subject of philosophical and scientific debate. In individual experience this coincides with the desire to imitate the work of those who preceded us and for some reason left a trace in our memory. Eventually some kind of emancipation from the model is achieved if we don’t want to be stuck in mere imitation. A new original language is crafted and set within a tradition.   With this article I open a cycle of short writings about practical exercises derived from cognitive-behavioral psychology, music therapy and art therapy that I have been practicing for twenty-five years. Examples will be illustrated, aimed at stimulating personal creativity. These will serve to show how to make use of this faculty in order to produce works of art. Going specific, the main subject here is how music is treated but this practice can be extended to any other fields of artistic expression

EN - With this video I give the start to the publication of the material pertinent to the open collection SCORRERE INSIEME / FLOWING TOGETHER. Truetinus is a theme inspired by the area of river Tronto, which serves as the natural border between the regions Abruzzo and Marche in central Italy.  The composition came naturally in a way I will expose in a future reading on inspiration and creativity. One clear afternoon in September 2017, after I returned home from a stroll in the countryside, I picked up the soprano saxophone and began to improvise around an elementary idea I had going on in my head since then. At that time I was searching for a way to make meaningful music on solo saxophone meant as an authentic form of artistic expression free of stylistic connotations. The temperature was mild, in the golden light before sunset everything appeared perfectly quiet, while the edgy tone of the soprano drove my imagination unfolding further possible developments of the basic idea. I dec

With this composition I start a new open collection of songs inspired by the Indian classical tradition, to which more will be added over time. Their purpose is both spiritual and meditative, they will also be placed in a therapeutic context for the treatment of the most common psychological disorders within the MST music therapy protocol. Their intention is to bring music back to its spiritual function, in this case the moment when the sound returns and merges with its origin, the pulsating rhythm of the waves to become an integrated part and where nature emerges as a real symphony. This work is the result of research that began in the period of my adolescence, future developments of this work will be published on the vaata.org website.

Studying and exploring the indonesian native tradition and music language I found out there's a whole galaxy of genres spread around the countless islands of the archipelago. From the reeling mystical polyrhythms of Javanese gamelans to the heartfelt arpeggios of Borneo's tek guitar, the sapè, reminescent of the virgin pluvial forest. I casually met Gabriel while he was performing wearing a traditional outfit out of a mall about one year ago. Despite his young age he was already a sensitive musician, much of his effort goes to keep the bornean tradition alive. Today we started a steady collaboration that blends contemporary harmony with indonesian scales and native rhythms, modern and folk instruments, western and eastern elements. I am sure the music resulting from this partnership will breed fresh music, bringing out a mix of ancient flavors and surprising new tastes.

Sound & Syntax by stefano scippa palleni Recorded in 2009, just after his american journey, State Ste fano Scippa Pallleni reworks material inspired by the contemporary jazz tradition to put it in a new perspective: this iserivedrepertoire reworks the angular themes of Monk dear to the master Steve Lacy, crosses the modern era with Shorter and Davis up to Coleman and together he rereads some classics of the american songbook. There is no lack of original pieces built on polytonal structures. Accompanied by highly experienced musicians his lyrical sense combined with the very personal and profound sound draws wide-ranging spaces hovering over structures of great energy. The instrumental combinations range from the quartet, the pianoless trio, to the acoustic duo with piano or guitar. credits released August 7, 2017 Stefano Scippa Palleni: soprano sax Gilberto Grillini: double bass Alessandro Dalla: drums Cover design by Harimukti Rosida ℗ & © Vaata Music 2019 license all rights

As a corollary of the new type of music therapy I am creating here at University of Malang, I am composing a set of tunes based on the structure of indian ragas and other early western musical forms. They are intended to be used as sound meditations to strenghten the healing process. Here I am practicing with Chozin around some traditional scales. I am confident this new music therapy could treat most common psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression, which cases are increasing in numbers because of the pandemic. Hope to put something together soon to help people stand up this difficult moment with a quick and efficient remedy.  

In Sanskrit language Vaata means wind. Just like the origin of the saxophone’s sound,  the fresh and deep breath of the mountain forest inspired this song one day while I was  trekking the Bolognese Apennines. The wide melody reminds me of a lush garden that invite  to rest. The title track is gifted with airy rhythms and one elegant solo framed by the wisdom  of Luca Cremonini's guitars. credits from  Vaata , released May 18, 2020 Stefano Scippa Palleni: tenor saxophone Luca Cremonini: guitar All compositions by Stefano Scippa Palleni Recorded & Produced by Stefano Scippa Palleni Photo: Raffaello Di Gesù Graphic: Harimukti Rosida All rights reserved to the owner licens