ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Onyx Ashanti - Beatjazz inventor and controllerist
Onyx Ashanti is the inventor of "beatjazz" -- a new way to make music.

Why you should listen

Onyx Ashanti is a musician, geek, open-source advocate, Maker, collaborator ... and we come back around again to musician. The intrumentation he has created fuses technique and technology into a full-body musical system, playable with hands, arms, mouth and body. As he says:

I am what can only be described as a cyborg musician.  in other words, the music i create live, can not be replicated without technology. My music is called "Beatjazz." It is a mix of sound design, live looping and jazz improvisation. My instrument of choice over the years has been a Yamaha Wind MIDI controller, but now the limitations have started to stunt the growth of this new form, so i designed an instrument that can take it into future.

He is now working on the next iteration of his instrument, codenamed Tron, and built around a helmet-mounted controller.

More profile about the speaker
Onyx Ashanti | Speaker | TED.com
Full Spectrum Auditions

Onyx Ashanti: This is beatjazz

Onyx Ashanti: Questo è BeatJazz

Filmed:
884,234 views

Il musicista e inventore Onyx Ashanti offre una dimostrazione di "BeatJazz", la musica che egli stesso ha composto servendosi di due dispositivi di comando, uno per mano, un iPhone e uno strumento a bocca, e che egli suona con tutto il corpo. Alle Audizioni di TED Full Spectrum, assestati i ritmi e i circuiti, egli si esibisce in un suo pezzo con il quale, in 3 minuti, condivide la propria visione sul futuro della musica.
- Beatjazz inventor and controllerist
Onyx Ashanti is the inventor of "beatjazz" -- a new way to make music. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

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(MusicMusica)
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(Musica)
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TextTesto: BeatJazzBeatJazz.
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Testo: BeatJazz
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BeatJazzBeatJazz is:
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BeatJazz è
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1. LiveLive loopingLooping,
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1. Circuito musicale dal vivo
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2. JazzJazz improvisationimprovvisazione
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2. Improvvisazione jazzistica
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And
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E
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3. "GesturalGestuale" soundsuono designdesign.
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3. Design sonoro "Gestuale"
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AccelerometersAccelerometri
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Accelerometri
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on eachogni handmano
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in ogni mano
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readleggere handmano positionposizione.
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leggono la posizione delle mani.
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The colorcolore of the lightsluci
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Il colore delle luci
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indicatesindica whichquale soundsuono I am playinggiocando.
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indica quale strumento io stia suonando
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RedRosso = DrumsBatteria,
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Rosso = Percussioni
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BlueBlu = BassBass,
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Blu = Basso
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GreenVerde = ChordsAccordi,
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Verde = Strumenti a corde
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OrangeOrange = LeadsConduce,
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Arancione = Leads
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PurpleViola = PadsPastiglie
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Viola = Pads
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The mouthpieceboccaglio
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Lo strumento alla bocca
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consistsconsiste of ...
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consiste in...
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a buttonpulsante,
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un pulsante,
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two guitarchitarra pickspicconi
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due plettri per chitarra
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and lots of hotcaldo gluecolla.
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e molta colla a caldo.
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The heads-upHeads-up displaydisplay
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Il display di controllo
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is a smartphonesmartphone that displaysvisualizza systemsistema parametersparametri.
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è uno smartphone che mostra i parametri del sistema
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Why?
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Perché?
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To atomizeatomizzare musicmusica culturecultura
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Per atomizzare la cultura musicale.
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so that ALL pastpassato, presentpresente and futurefuturo genresgeneri
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Così che TUTTI i generi passati, presenti, e futuri,
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can be studiedstudiato and abstractedAcrobate, livevivere.
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si possano studiare e astrarre, dal vivo.
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And
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E
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"BeatJazzersBeatJazzers"
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coloro che fanno BeatJazz
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becomediventare as commonComune as D.J.'s'S.
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diventino tanto popolari quanto i DJ
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But mostlysoprattutto ...
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Ma soprattutto ..
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to MAKE the futurefuturo
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per CREARE il futuro
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ratherpiuttosto than wait for it.
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piuttosto che aspettare che arrivi.
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(ApplauseApplausi)
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(Applausi)
Translated by Elena Montrasio
Reviewed by Els De Keyser

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Onyx Ashanti - Beatjazz inventor and controllerist
Onyx Ashanti is the inventor of "beatjazz" -- a new way to make music.

Why you should listen

Onyx Ashanti is a musician, geek, open-source advocate, Maker, collaborator ... and we come back around again to musician. The intrumentation he has created fuses technique and technology into a full-body musical system, playable with hands, arms, mouth and body. As he says:

I am what can only be described as a cyborg musician.  in other words, the music i create live, can not be replicated without technology. My music is called "Beatjazz." It is a mix of sound design, live looping and jazz improvisation. My instrument of choice over the years has been a Yamaha Wind MIDI controller, but now the limitations have started to stunt the growth of this new form, so i designed an instrument that can take it into future.

He is now working on the next iteration of his instrument, codenamed Tron, and built around a helmet-mounted controller.

More profile about the speaker
Onyx Ashanti | Speaker | TED.com