Jazz Chapter 13 Notes

7/23/2019 Jazz Chapter 13 Notes

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Jazz chapter 13 Notes

Introduction

Duke Ellington

The decades since 1980 have been the most diverse—and controversial—in the history of ja!"hile any history is inherently controversial# recent ja history is even more so# because $e can nolonger discern a linear stylistic evolution—certainly not of the sort that characteried develo%ments in

ja over the first &' years of its e(istence!

"hat $e observe over the last several decades is a %roliferation of artistic a%%roaches and a host ofsu%erb musicians %ursuing their art! )o$ever# $e have great difficulty identifying the ne(t to$eringfigure in ja# someone of the stature of *orton# +rmstrong# Ellington# ,arker# -illes%ie# *onk#Davis# .oltrane# and—some $ould add—*ingus# .oleman# and +yler!

.harles *ingus

In these ne(t t$o lessons# $e $ill consider a number of brilliant artists and their various a%%roaches

to ja# and $e/ll hear some of their best music! In this lesson esson 123# $e $ill focus on those

artists $ho came to %rominence in the late 19&0s and 1980s! In the lesson that follo$s esson 143#

$e/ll consider those artists $ho distinguished themselves in the late 1980s# the 1990s# and the

5000s!

+dmittedly# the grou%ing of these musicians is some$hat arbitrary# given the lengthy careers many of them enjoyed! +cce%ting# then# that no survey of the %ast three decades can be com%letely

satisfying# $e offer these artists as among those deserving of our attention!

*odernism in 6a

+ny e(amination of postmodernism necessitates a com%arison $ith its %redecessor#modernism!

7oth terms—modernism and postmodernism—are borro$ed from art and literature!



Modernism in arts and literature had its origins in the late nineteenth century# gro$ing as a

movement a$ay from the realism that had dominated the arts in the latter half of the century!

Im%ressionist %ainting and ymbolist %oetry are e(am%les of the drift a$ay from realism they are

considered %recursors to modernism! The early t$entieth century $itnessed a e(%losion of artistic

movements that contributed to a diverse modernist cultural landsca%e: E(%ressionism# urrealism#.ubism# atonality# ;uturism# and more!

"hat these various a%%roaches to art had in common $as a rejection of tradition# a rejection of the

notion of <continuous %rogress!< +rt $as to be ne$# and artists $ere obliged to overthro$ the

traditional modes of artistic e(%ression!

*odernism in ja is a very different thing# %rinci%ally because ja originated as %o%ular music!

*odern ja# ushered in by 7ird and Diy in the 1940s# did not re%resent a com%lete rejection of

tradition! till# it re%resented a significant enough advance—and break $ith the %ast—to $arrant the

use of the term!

The avant=garde and free jazz styles of the 19>0s are %robably more in the s%irit of modernism# as

the term is understood in most arts# but that/s not ho$ the term is a%%lied to ja styles! *odern ja#

as $e kno$ it today# customarily refers to contem%orary# mainstream ja $ith close ties to the

straight=ahead style of modern ja forged in the 19'0s and 19>0s!

,ostmodernism in 6a

,ostmodern +rt

7roadly s%eaking# postmodernism may be vie$ed as a reaction against modernism in the arts!Three fundamental %rinci%les of %ostmodernism are:

1! ,ostmodernism abandons the modernist ideal of originality instead it o%enly relies oncitation and allusion

5! ,ostmodernism embraces all artistic styles# including the %o%ular arts this is in contrast to

the highbro$ tendencies and seriousness of modernism

2! E(%ression and emotional a%%eal are im%ortant goals of art1!

,ostmodernist art tends to look for the humor in a situation and not take itself too seriously!6u(ta%osition of contrasting styles is not uncommon! elf=contradiction# ambiguity# absurdity# %assion



—these and all other conditions of the human e(%erience do not have to ?fit@ into some tidy orderthat $ill hel% us make sense of things# according to %ostmodern thought! The rational mind is not theimmediate evaluator of a $ork of art! +rt is an e(%erience! +nd it is the unconscious mind that?%rocesses@ that e(%erience and determines for us the value and $orth $e ascribe to a $ork of art!

am Aivers B 6oe Daley

The %ostmodernist movement in ja gre$ out of the avant=garde and free ja movements of the

19>0s! In a very real sense# %ostmodernism reflects the evolution of avant=garde ja# from the first=

generation ?highbro$@ seriousness of %olitically charged ?freedom@ ja# to a more jaded# glib# hi%#

self=conscious# tongue=in=cheek a%%roach to the art!

It should be %ointed out that the term ?%ostmodernism#@ as a%%lied to ja# has not gained $ide

currency! *any ja historians continue to use the term ?avant=garde@ to describe this music! The

term ?%ostmodernism#@ though# is useful in dra$ing distinctions bet$een the early avant=garde—

$ho# in some res%ects# e(%lored e(tremes of style to the %oint of sonic anarchy—and the later $ave

of avant=garde# $ho have dra$n u%on not only these e(tremes of style# but also every style of ja

that %receded the avant=garde movement!

If any one trait characteries a %ostmodern style of ja# it $ould be the conscious incor%oration and

restructuring of all %revious styles of ja! +nything# from the collective im%rovisation of an early Ce$

rleans t$o=ste% to the most far=reaching# shrieking +ylerian utterances# can find its $ay

into postmodern jazz—even $ithin the same %iece5

+nthony 7ra(ton

+ number of organiations of %rogressive musicians s%rang u% in +merican cities in the mid=19>0s to%romote avant=garde ja# notably in Ce$ Fork# os +ngeles# t! ouis# Detroit# and .hicago! Themost influential of these grou%s $as the +ssociation for the +dvancement of .reative *usicians++.*3# founded in .hicago in 19>'! +s a non=%rofit organiation# the ++.* has continued to the%resent $ith an em%hasis on music education for .hicago inner city youth!3

+mong the early members of the ++.* $ere com%oser# sa(o%honist# and multi=instrumentalist +nthony 7ra(ton as $ell as members of the grou% +rt Ensemble of .hicago +E.3# led by

sa(o%honist# clarinetist# flautist# and multi=instrumentalist Aoscoe *itchell! "hile avant=garde andfree ja of the early 19>0s %rovided a creative stimulus for these musicians# their musicale(%lorations have since been far ranging and enduring! 7y and large# the .hicago musiciansdemonstrated a fascination $ith sound# s%ace# and te(tures—an interest that $ould lead many ofthem to become multi=instrumentalists!



+nthony 7ra(ton

+nthony 7ra(ton b! 194'3 has been as far ranging as anyone in his e(%loration of musical sound!Cot content to limit himself to the musical $orld of ja# 7ra(ton has embraced the musicalinfluences of such classical avant=garde com%osers as choenberg# tockhausen# Genakis# and.age! )e has been a %rolific com%oser# $riting %ieces that run the gamut in sie and sco%e# fromsolo %ieces and intimate duos to $orks for orchestra—and even one com%osition for four orchestras

+s a %erformer# 7ra(ton has demonstrated a similar o%enness to diverse %ossibilities! In 19>8# herecorded For Alto# the first full=length album for solo sa(o%hone! In 19&0 and 19&1# 7ra(ton $as amember of the %rogressive ja Huartet .ircle# led by %ianist .hick .orea! In 19&4# he recordedt$o In the Tradition albums# demonstrating his virtuosity and love for mainstream ja# $hile raising

eyebro$s among devotees of the Ce$ Fork <oft 6a< scene! <oft ja< in Ce$ Fork in the 19&0s$as literally %erformed in converted industrial lofts! The scene $as dominated by high=energy%layers emulating the free=ja style of .oltrane# +yler# and others!3 7ra(tons 19&> album CreativeOrchestra Music remains one of his most highly regarded $orks# and it offers %robably the mostdirect evidence of 7ra(ton/s %ostmodern tendencies# including as it does a host of ju(ta%osedmusical styles and genres that have %o%ulated the +merican cultural landsca%e over the last century#

reaching as far back as the marches of 6ohn ,hili% ousa1!

J! tockhausen ,hoto: Jathinka ,asveer3

7ra(ton/s o%enness to Euro%ean as $ell as +frican musical influences has been a %oint ofcontention# dra$ing criticism from some Huarters! 7ut des%ite his detractors# 7ra(tons career as amusician has thrived since the mid=19&0s! )e has also been a music %rofessor since the mid=1980s!In 1994 he $as named a *ac+rthur ;ello$!

Duke Ellington did not like to be categoried as a ?ja@ com%oser# and 7ra(ton e(%resses a similarvie$ about his o$n $ork: ?I kno$ I/m an +frican +merican# and I kno$ I %lay the sa(o%hone# but I/m

not a ja musician! I/m not a classical musician# either! *y music is like my life! It/s in bet$een theseareas5!@

There is no such thing as a ?ty%ical@ %iece by +nthony 7ra(ton! o $e/ll sim%ly e(%erience musicfrom one of his novel collaborations# Birth and Rebirth# his 19&8 duo album $ith drummer *a(Aoach! The album/s o%ening %iece# 7irth Ks%otifyLM bookends the album along $ith ?Aebirth#@ theclosing track3!

n 7irth Ks%otifyLM# 7ra(ton %lays his %rinci%al instrument# alto sa(o%hone! +n introductory section is

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Fellows_Program

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Fellows_Program



characteried by a rela(ing# almost sultry melodicism# $ith delicate %ercussive inter%lay coming fromAoach! )o$ever# at the 1:5& mark# the drums announce that the duo has come to %lay—and %layhard Their sound builds steadily# from riveting hard bo% to +ylerian=ins%ired freny! 7ra(ton/s %layingreaches such a clima( &:243 that he leaves it to Aoach to close the %iece $ith a solo 8:143!et/s listen Ks%otifyLM!

Birth [spotify♫] (Braxton-Roach), New or!, "eptem#er $%&' nthony Braxton, a*tosaxophone+ Max Roach, drms

+rt Ensemble of .hicago

Aoscoe *itchell

+nother early member of the ++.* $as multi=reedist Aoscoe *itchell b! 19403# leader of the +rtEnsemble of .hicago +E.3! The +E./s motto# ?-reat 7lack *usic—+ncient to *odern#@ set thetone for the band/s %ostmodernist tendencies! +ny and all musical styles dra$n from the +frican and

+frican=+merican tradition $ere fair game for inclusion $ithin the grou%/s music! The +E. alsoincor%orated elements of theater# %ainting their faces and $earing unusual garb on stage!

The +E./s %articular fascination $ith %ercussion and their hundreds of ?little instruments@—a diversearray of items# including <found objects< such as bicycle horns# bells# %arty noisemakers# and $ind

chimes—imbued their music $ith a distinctive sound! The grou%/s music reinforced the broadcategoriation of .hicago free %layers as ?sound landsca%ists@ a term coined by critic Ted -ioia3# incontrast to the Ce$ Fork ?oft 6a@ scene dominated by high=energy %layers follo$ing the modelsset by .oltrane# he%%# Dol%hy# and +yler!

++.*

+s im%ortant as their array of instruments $as to their sound# it $as the grou%/s %hiloso%hica%%roach to music making that $as key! The +E./s leader# Aoscoe *itchell# stated it this $ay:

*usic is '0 %ercent sound and '0 %ercent silence! If you sit do$n and listen to nothing but silence# it/s

very intense! o# $hen you interru%t that silence $ith a sound# then they start to $ork together# de%endingon ho$ you use the s%ace2!

<;anfare for the "arriors< +E./s second album recorded in e%tember 19&2# sho$cases the

Ensemble/s $ide creative sco%e! The collective vision of the artists is embodied in <7arnyard cuffel

huffel< ester 7o$ie3# <Illistrum< 6ose%h 6arman# $ith a %oem com%osed and recited by *alachi

;avors3# <Conaah#< <Tnoona#< and <The Jey< Aoscoe *itchell3# and <"hat/s to ay#< the title track

by 6ose%h 6arman! The record also includes masterful %iano im%rovisations by *uhal Aichard







+bramsof# the grou%/s mentor! In his homage to the +E.# 6ohn inclair $rites: <)ere# as on Bap-

Tizm# the +rt Ensemble %ulls out all the sto%s to %resent a startling %rogram of original music dra$n

from the historical s%ectrum# integrated $ith %ost=modern solo %assages and grou% im%rovisations

and %ro%elled into the %reviously uncharted %resent and future of the idiom! ne minute ester

7o$ie is blo$ing a fiercely intelligent solo# the ne(t the grou% s$ings into a vintage AB7 groove from

the late 40s# and the ne(t minute they/re ra%%ing out a collective im%rovisation that/s really $ay outthere# but yet not unconnected to the develo%ing aesthetic of the com%osition and the %rogram as a

$hole!<

*ark Jeresman of the Free Jazz/Avante arde C! Revie"s $rites: <"hat/s To ay< Ks%otifyLM is a

beautiful# shimmering fusion of the %ercussion musics of +frica# the +E.s free=$ith=abstract=lyricism

aesthetic# and a touches of the im%ressionism of Debussy $ho $as himself influenced by !E!

+sian music3!< et/s listen to <"hat/s To ay< Ks%otifyLM from this album!

rt nsem#*e of .hica/o, 01hat2s 3o "ay0 [spotify♫] (4oseph 4arman) 5ester Bowie, trmpet, drms, horn, 6oca*s+ 4oseph 4arman, c*arinet, f*te, soprano sax,a*to sax, tenor sax, #aritone sax+ Roscoe Mitche**, c*arinet, f*te, #on/o, con/a,drms, horn+ Ma*achi 7a6ors, #ass+ 7amodo 8on Moye, #on/o, con/a, drms,horn

"orld a(o%hone Nuartet

David *urray

The "orld a(o%hone Nuartet "N3 $as established in 19&># bringing together a "est .oasttrans%lant to the Ce$ Fork loft scene David *urray3 $ith three early members of the t! ouis

collective 7lack +rtists -rou% 7+-3: 6ulius )em%hill# liver ake# and )amiet 7luiett!

David *urray b! 19''3# a native of akland# .alifornia# learned music from a young age! )is mother $as a church %ianist# and *urray $as accom%anying her on sa(o%hone before he $as a teenager!)is most %rominent early influence outside the home $as AB7# but he $as introduced to free jazz incollege! Dra$n to the high energy of free ja and the loft scene that develo%ed from it# *urrayrelocated to Ce$ Fork in 19&'!

*urray/s early %laying reveals the influence of +yler# Dol%hy# and .oleman! 7ut in true %ostmodern










s%irit# his musical tastes have al$ays been omnivorous# and he has continued over the decades toe(%lore virtually every nook and cranny of the stylistic $orld of ja! )is collaborations $ith hisbandmates in the "orld a(o%hone Nuartet have reflected some of this %ostmodern eal!

et/s sam%le a %iece by "N! ;rom a 1981 live %erformance in Ourich# $iterlandcomeste%%in/ Ks%otifyLM! To someone unfamiliar $ith "N# the %iece might seem at the outset like

a bit of ?chamber ja@: the o%ening theme %resented by this Huartet of $ood$ind %layers almostinvites com%arison $ith a classical string Huartet! 7ut any suggestion of chamber music formality isdis%elled $hen the grou% starts to s$ing half a minute in 1:543!

till# this is challenging music# much as avant=garde ja a generation earlier had been! 7ut the$ays in $hich the individual Huartet members ?deconstruct@ the thematic material in their collectiveim%rovisations reveal a %layfulness and humor that is irresistible! +nd they carry on a remarkablyintelligent—and nearly intelligible—conversation The e(%erience is such that# $hen the grou%returns to the head to close the %iece >:0>3# $e sim%ly cannot hear it in the same $ay that $e did atthe outset! et/s listen Ks%otifyLM!

1or*d "axophone 9artet, "teppin: [spotify♫] (4*is ;emphi**), <rich "witzer*and,

No6em#er =, $%'$ 8a6id Mrray, #ass c*arinet+ 4*is ;emphi**, sopranosaxophone+ >*i6er 5a!e, soprano saxophone+ ;amiet B*iett, a*to f*te

6ohn Oorn

6ohn Oorn

a(o%honist=com%oser=?%rom%ter@ youll see $hat this term means in a minute3 6ohn Oorn b! 19'23

is among the better=kno$n %ostmodernists in ja! )e has an alto sa(o%hone style that has beendescribed as ferocious although he has demonstrated that he is ca%able of some restraint3# and heis $ell res%ected as a %erformer in ja circles!

Oorn/s %ostmodern tendencies are on am%le dis%lay in his com%osition Cobra 19843# $hich %resentsa marvelous mi( of sound blocks that o$e a debt to the avant=garde $orks of Aussian com%oserIgor travinsky listen Ks%otifyLM3—as $ell as to cartoon music! It/s a %iece that only occasionallysounds like ja! Fet# as ?%rom%ter@ of his ensemble# he allo$s his %erformers great im%rovisatorylatitude $ith his hand signals and $ritten %erformance instructions# referring to these %rom%ts as











<game %ieces< and to the com%osition itself as a <game!< ee Discover Pideo for a %erformance# orgame# of Cobra!3

Oorn/s most celebrated $ork is an album devoted to inter%retations of the film music of Ennio*orricone titled The Bi# undo"n 198'3 see Discover Pideo3! )e has similarly ?covered@ otherhigh=%rofile film music# notably the 6ames 7ond theme and 7ernard )errmann/s title theme fromTa$i

!river listen3! Oorn has ventured into hardcore %unk $ith his band Caked .ity and %robed thesounds of thrash metal $ith yet another band# ,ainkiller!

ome of Oorn/s most accessible %erformances may be heard as a member of the onny .lark*emorial Nuartet! The Huartet/s album# %oodoo 198>3# $as a tribute to hard #op %ianist onny.lark 1921=19>23# regarded by some as an underrated genius of ja %iano! n this album# Oorncontributes %erformances that are much in the mainstream of contem%orary ja! )is tone may bedescribed as dry and hard# and he tends to %lay on the high shar%3 side of the note! Aemarkably—for Oorn—his melodic ideas are $ell $ithin the norms of mainstream %ost=bo% ja! .ooltruttin/ Ks%otifyLM %rovides a good e(am%le!

The sa(o%honist solos over five choruses 5:'2=4:283! T$o moments suggestive of Oornsadventurous s%irit come in his fourth chorus 4:05=4:113# $hen he ado%ts an almost %ointillistic

a%%roach to melody# and in his fifth chorus 4:5&=4:213# $hen he briefly unleashes a flurry of notesthat am%ly demonstrate his virtuosic techniHue! et/s listen Ks%otifyLM!

"onny .*ar! Memoria* 9artet, .oo* "trttin: [spotify♫] ("onny .*ar!) 4ohn <orn,a*to sax+ 1ayne ;or6itz, piano+ Ray 8rmmond, #ass+ Bo##y ?re6ite, drms

*asada

ince the early 1990s# 6ohn Oorn has embraced $hat he calls ?radical 6e$ish culture#@ and his band

*asada has dra$n u%on klemer music as a source for the Huartet/s strikingly %ostmodern

collaborations! Jlemer music is Eastern Euro%ean in origin# and it has strong associations $ith thetraditional dance music of 6e$ish $edding celebrations! Trum%eter Dave Douglas shares a similar

sensibility $ith Oorn on the front *ine# $hile bassist -reg .ohen and drummer 6oey 7aron

demonstrate their versatility in moving fluidly bet$een segments of structured and unstructured

sounds!

Oorns com%osition <Jaraim< re%resents his absor%tion of klemer motifs into avant=garde ja! It is

%art of the double album Bar &o'hba# originally recorded in +ugust 1994# December 199'# and

*arch 199> at the 7aby *onster tudios# CF# featuring music from Oorns *asada %roject#

rearranged for small ensembles! The follo$ing video features 6ohn Oorn# alto a( *arc Aibot#

guitar 6amie aft# organ Trevor Dunn# bass Jenny "ollesen# drums and .yro 7a%tista#

%ercussion in an outstanding %erformance of <Jaraim<!

This ne(t video contains a full %erformance of Bar &o'hba filmed on 6une ># 1999 during the

"arsa$ ummer 6a Day in ,oland!

Four %rogress on this item is being tracked! ,lease click the tracking icon to mark thisitem done $hen youve com%leted it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ993EgN9BI






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ993EgN9BI






Ceo=.lassicism in 6a

"ynton *arsalis

Neo-c*assica* jazz a!k!a! neo=traditional ja# neo=conservative ja3 emerged in the 1980s as areaction against the various ja ?fusions@ of the 19&0s! Ceo=classical ja also marked an effort to

counter the influence of the %rogressive ja %layers a!k!a! avant=garde# %ostmodernists3 that hadgained strongholds in many +merican cities! It signaled a return to traditional ja instruments andthe fundamental +frican +merican elements of the art that derived from the Ce$ rleans tradition:blues and s$ing!

The central figure s%earheading the neo=classical movement in ja is trum%eter=com%oser=bandleader "ynton *arsalis b! 19>13! + %henomenally talented %rodigy# *arsalis gre$ u% in Ce$rleans in a musical family! )is father Ellis is a ja %ianist $ho continues to %erform3# and three ofhis brothers are musicians as $ell!

"ynton *arsalis %rogressed ra%idly in his youth# both as a classical and ja trum%eter! In 1980#$hile a student at 6ulliard# he joined +rt 7lakey/s 6a *essengers! ver the ne(t three years# he%erformed $ith other ja notables# including )erbie )ancock# Aon .arter# and Tony "illiams! 7yage 55# *arsalis had $on -rammy a$ards for his recordings in both the ja and classicalcategories# an un%recedented achievement!

*arsalis/ combo recordings from the mid=1980s suggested he $as %re%ared to carry for$ard the%rogressive style of the *iles Davis mid=>0s Huintet albeit 50 years later3! The December 198>double=.D recording of the "ynton *arsalis Nuartet# (ive at Blues Alle) # and the grou%s studioalbum Marsalis *tandard Time+ %ol, Ks%otifyLM# recorded a fe$ months earlier# are regarded bymany as *arsalis/ most intense and %rogressive $ork!

"hile the debt to Davis is unmistakable on these albums# *arsalis and his sidemen—*arcusAoberts on %iano# Aobert )urst on bass# and 6eff ?Tain@ "atts on drums—%robe this ja style $ithforcefulness and daring! n the live album# *arsalis also demonstrates his brilliance as a com%oser

—a facet of his musical talents that a decade later $ould earn him a ,uliter ,rie for his jaorchestra $ork# Blood on the Fields!

Jno=*oe=Jing Ks%otifyLM# the o%ening track on the 5=.D album (ive at Blues Alle) # is a %rimee(am%le of the e(cellence of the Huartet—and of *arsalis the com%oser and %erformer! This is someof the most %rogressive %laying in the trum%eter/s long and storied career!

tarting $ith the scantest of <tunes< 0:02=0:0'3# "ynton takes off on an im%rovisational tour de force0:0'=5:'83 that relies on the res%onsiveness of all four musicians! +lmost out of the gate they are in









'Q4 meter# but that Huickly changes! The array of meters and modes that organie this %iece isvariable and de%ends entirely on the res%onsive interactions of the %layers! This is a live%erformance# and they are %erforming <$ithout a net!< It is a testament to the e(cellence of all fourmembers that they succeed in such an ambitious undertaking! The rhythm section is first=rate!During the %iano solo 2:01=':'43# $e are essentially treated to a legendary %iano trio %erformance$ith *arcus Aoberts on %iano# Aobert )urst on bass# and 6eff <Tain< "atts on drums! "hile *arsalis

and Aoberts merit our attention as soloists# much of the success of this %iece is o$ed to )urst and"atts in the rhythm section!

3he 1ynton Marsa*is 9artet, @nozz-Moe-@in/ [spotify♫] (1ynton Marsa*is),1ashin/ton, 8., 8ecem#er $% and A, $%'= 1ynton Marsa*is, trmpet+ MarcsRo#erts, piano+ Ro#ert ;rst, #ass+ 4eff 03ain0 1atts, drms

The ,hiloso%hy of Ceo=.lassicism

The critic tanley .rouch $as and continues to be3 a friend and mentor to "ynton *arsalis! )e isconsidered by some to be res%onsible for *arsalis conservative vie$s regarding ja! In the linernotes to Marsalis *tandard Time+ %ol, # .rouch %resents his underlying artistic credo# $hich could

substitute for a treatise on neo=classicism# even italiciing a key sentence for ma(imum im%act:The responsibilit) passed on to the more ambitious artists o. each #eneration is to learn ho" to rede.ine

the .undamentals "hile maintainin# the essences that #ive the art its scope and its #randeur ! In ja#

those essences are s$ing# blues feeling# and the level of logical# im%rovised res%onse and develo%ment

that gives ensemble %laying the clarity of skillful orchestration!

"hether due to .rouchs influence or not# *arsalis chose a distinctively conservative stylistictrajectory# even as the larger %ublic enjoyed his most %rogressive live %erformances from the(ive atBlues Alle) recording! +nd his %laying is masterful# as .rouch attests again in the albums linernotes3:

*arsalis demotes the avant=garde trum%eters one and all# %laying $ith such force and bold fluidity that

one $onders $hat the course of ja $ould have been had he arrived t$enty years earlier!*arsalis/ Huartet# for its %art# delivers the goods! n an album devoted to ?standard time@ and jastandards Marsalis *tandard Time+ %ol, 3# *arsalis and his band e(%lore time itself—through abroader metric conce%tion and %ersonal innovation—rendering such classic tunesas.aravan Ks%otifyLM first made famous by Duke Ellington3 $ith a fresh harmonic vocabulary and a$ealth of interactive# com%le( metric counter%oint!

The %iece is a >4=bar ++7+ song form 0:1>=1:243# and the grou% is true to the %ieces original s%irit—that of a journey in a far=off# e(otic land! "hen *arsalis begins his solo 1:243# he starts $ith atritone descent from 7=flat to E=natural# taking him all the $ay do$n to the trum%ets lo$est note—$hich sounds for a fleeting moment like trombone ver the course of three choruses# *arsalise(%lores sound# s%ace# and register# creating a broad melodic arc that lands him close to his %oint of de%arture! Aoberts follo$s $ith his o$n $ell=sha%ed solo over the ne(t t$o choruses 4:15=>:483before the band returns to the head!

1ynton Marsa*is, .ara6an [spotify♫] (4an 3izo*), New or!, May A%-C or "eptem#er AD-AE, $%'= 1ynton Marsa*is, trmpet+ Marcs Ro#erts, piano+ Ro#ert;rst, #ass+ 4eff 03ain0 1atts, drms

The ,olitics of 6a









6a at incoln .enter

ike .rouch# *arsalis himself has been outs%oken on the subject of neo-c*assica* jazz! In an oft=Huoted intervie$ $ith ja critic ;rancis Davis# *arsalis remarked

"hen I first came to Ce$ Fork in 19&9!!!the established cats $ho should have been setting an e(am%le

$ere!!!$earing dresses and trying to act like rock stars! o $hen %eo%le heard me# they kne$ it $as time

to start takin/ care of business again'!

.ritics of *arsalis fired back! In a %ointed rebuttal# trum%eter and co=founder of +rt Ensemble of

.hicago ester 7o$ie res%onded# ?"hat about the innovationR If you retread $hat/s gone before#even if it sounds like ja# it could be anathema to the s%irit of ja>!@

"ynton *arsalis

Fet# amidst such controversy# "ynton *arsalis succeeded in establishing himself as the $orldsmost reno$ned ambassador of ja# as $ell as an im%ortant advocate for ja education! In 198&#he co=founded a ja %rogram at incoln .enter! ess than 10 years later# 6a at incoln .enter6+.3 $as inaugurated as %art of the incoln .enter for the ,erforming +rts! +nd in 5004# 6+./sne$ %erforming arts com%le(# ;rederick ,! Aose )all# o%ened its doors! "ynton *arsalis serves as

+rtistic Director for 6+. as $ell as *usic Director for the 6+. rchestra!

*arsalis has been criticied for using his %osition at 6+. to shut out advocates of fsion andavant=garde ja! +nd the criticism e(tends further# to his role in the Jen 7urns documentary

film Jazz # for $hich he served as %roducer and on=screen commentator! The musician# lecturer# and ja critic David A! +dler $rites:

"ynton/s coronation in the film is not merely biased! It is not just aesthetically grating! It is unethical#

given his integral role in the making of the very film that is %raising him to the heavens! ;urthermore# it

misleads by suggesting that all $orthy %ost=1980s ja has adhered to "ynton/s creativeQideological

im%eratives&!

-iven the considerable controversy surrounding "ynton *arsalis# it seems fitting to let the musichave the last $ord! The final track from Jen 7urns '=.D set Jazz is a 1995 recording of the incoln.enter 6a rchestra under the direction of David 7erger# $ith "ynton *arsalis %laying in the



trum%et section! The orchestra %erforms the 7illy trayhorn tune made famous by the Duke Ellingtonrchestra# Take the S+/ Train Ks%otifyLM!

The %iece is a sho$case for %ianist Aoland )anna! )e %lays the first t$o choruses as a %iano solo0:00=1:1>3 before the rhythm section joins him for the ne(t t$o 1:1>=5:223! +t last the full bandenters $ith a com%lete statement of the chorus 5:22=2:153# and it is remarkably reminiscent of

Ellingtons 1941 recording! "hen e$ oloff begins his trum%et solo in the ne(t chorus 2:15=2:'53#he is literally using Aay Cances solo as his model! imilarly# the ne(t chorus follo$s the Ellingtonrecording# beginning $ith the same four=bar insertion that effects a modulation from the key of .major to E=flat major! +s $ell# the chorus features a ca**-and-response bet$een the orchestra andtrum%eter that also %atterns itself after the original# right do$n to the dissonant clash of horns at theend of the bridge 4:543!

ne of the significant differences bet$een this %erformance and the original is the tem%o! "hileEllingtons band took the %iece at a comfortable gait of less than 1&0 beats %er minute# the incoln.enter 6a rchestra %icks u% the tem%o to nearly 500 beats %er minute# yet $ith a modern jasensibility that also smoothes out the meter! The musicianshi% is outstanding# and the %erformanceis su%erb! et/s listen Ks%otifyLM!

3he 5inco*n .enter 4azz >rchestra, 3a!e the F2 3rain [spotify♫] (Bi**y "trayhorn),New or!, >cto#er $, $%%A Marcs Be*/ra6e, 1ynton Marsa*is, 5ew "o*off, 4oe1i*der, trmpet+ rt Baron, 1yc*iffe Gordon, Britt 1oodman, trom#one+ 4erry8od/ion, Norris 3rney, a*to sax+ Bi** as*ey, 3odd 1i**iams, tenor sax+ 4oe3emper*ey, #aritone sax+ "ir Ro*and ;anna, piano+ Re/ina*d Hea*, #ass+ ;er*inRi*ey, drms+ 8a6id Ber/er, director







Documents

Jazz Chapter 13 Notes