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70 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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-the free jazz movement emerged at an inauspicious moment in jazz history
-record sales were declining and fewer venues were available to play at -jazz musicians were facing some serious challenges to earning a living -one of the first efforts to maintain an audience came in October 1-4, 1964 |
The October Revolution in Jazz
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-trumpeter Bill Dixon produced “The October Revolution in Jazz” at the Cellar Café on West 91st Street in New York
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*non-stop musical performances by known/unknown free jazz musicians
*also included panel discussion on “The Economics of Jazz” “Jim Crow and Crow Jim” “The Rise of Folk Music and the Decline of Jazz” *this was a successful venture (700 people) |
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it was an inter-racial cooperative whose purpose was to sponsor concerts and to collectively bargain with record companies
*its spirit caught on and inspired the formation of a number of other cooperatives throughout the country *inspired the Black Arts Repertory Theater-School and the Collective Black Artists in New York *also inspired the Associate for the Advancement of Creative Musicians |
after october revolution in jazz Bill Dixon established the Jazz Composers Guild
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Free jazz collectives of the 1960s – the what and why; AACM (you do not have to know specific names of other collectives)
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the purpose of these collective was to support musical endeavors, including grant writing and the creation of new works, concerts, and recordings
-the origins of the Art Ensemble of Chicago (and the AACM) stem from an early 1960s ensemble known as the Experimental Band, led by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams -created a vibrant free jazz scene in Chicago that rivaled New York’s and included concerts, theatrical performances, and jam sessions |
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New York’s lower east side was the traditional homebase of the city’s avant-garde (very modern) arts scene
-artists began to set up studios in abandoned warehouses and run-down buildings where they could jam and put on concerts; free from concerns of commercial endeavors -one of the most influential musicians in the burgeoning loft scene was saxophonist/composer Sam Rivers -Sam Rivers and his wife opened Studio Rivbea, a performance space on Bond Street -Studio Rivbea became a hub of the 1970s loft scene in the lower east side -these lofts served as much as community centers for artists and musicians and adventurous audience as they did music venues |
Studio Rivbea and the loft scene in the Lower East Side of NYC in the 1970s
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*multi-instrumentalist: alto, clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute
*abstained from drugs and alcohol *developed a virtuosic style *used to mimic birds with flute *could play modern-free jazz, but could also play lyrical music |
Eric Dolphy
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gained exposure by joining the Chico Hamilton Quintet
-moved to New York and joined Charles Mingus’s Jazz Workshop -recorded 3 albums under his name, toured Europe with Mingus, joined Coleman’s Free Jazz album, and participated in Cliff Walk Manor anti-festival at Newport -his musical trademarks *the use of several woodwind instruments and the complete technical mastery of each *willingness to take chances musically *being comfortable playing in both “inside” and “outside” setting *writing of strikingly original compositions |
Eric Dolphy
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Out to Lunch!
*crowning achievement; 1964 album *recorded in one day at Van Gelder Studios *features Dolphy on alto, bass clarinet, and flute *Hat and Beard-evokes Thelonious Monk *Straight Up and Down-conjures up images of a staggering drunk |
Eric Dolphy
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The impact of his ‘trip’ to Saturn in his early 20s; why he changed his name
*claimed he was abducted Saturn *they aliens told him that he would speak through music *1952 changed his name to Le Sony’r Ra (Sun Ra) to rid himself of his “slave name” Herman Poole Blount *played intergalactic music |
Sun Ra
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The characteristics of his music and the Myth Science Orchestra; Angels and Demons at Play
*they lived together and spent many hours in closed rehearsal *exotic (outer space and Egyptian) costumes and played unusual African instruments *arrangements were fairly conventional and bebop influenced; but there were also hypnotic modal tunes *started moving toward free jazz- Angels and Demons at Play *Sun Ra continued to write, record, and tour *experimented with electronic keyboards and other electronic instruments |
Sun Ra
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free jazz musicians
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Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler
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trumpeter, who produced “The October Revolution in Jazz”
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Bill Dixon
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performances by the group were ritualistic experience, embracing the traditions of African griots with the use of face painting, African costumes and masks, vocal chants, and an assortment of as many as 500 instruments
-the musicians in the group resisted labeling what they played as jazz, preferring instead to call in “Great Black Music” -meditative collective improvisation, creating a hypnotic mood |
Art Ensemble of Chicago
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him and his wife opened the Studio Rivbea
-working class in jazz, widely respected |
Sam Rivers
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literally means “new flair”
-Charlie Byrd introduced bossa nova to Stan Getz -Byrd discovered this jazz style while touring Brazil -slow, moody, and seductive style -developed by Antonio Carlow Jobim and Joao Gilberto -fusion of jazz harmonies with native Brazilian beat known as the samba |
Bossa nova and its English translation
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an electric organ
-Jimmy Smith made this his instrument of choice |
Hammond B3 organ
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-an octave is the musical interval measuring eight diatonic (scale) steps (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C)
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Octave
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-both were founded by producers with individualistic visions about how music should be recorded and released
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CTI Records, ECM Records
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*Creed Taylor founded the label in 1967
*developed a distinctive packaging, elegant photographs and black/orange *had Rudy Van Gelder as the recording engineer and Don Sebesky as an arranger -Van Gelder: the engineer who recorded in his parents’ home *Taylor used some of the best session players in jazz to back up his stars *CTI declared bankruptcy in 1978 -but its catalog was acquired by Columbia (Sony) and remains in print today |
CTI Records:
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*Manfred Eicher founded the label in 1969, Munich, Germany
*the success of Keith Jarrett’s 1971 album was the starting point in ECM’s explosive growth *packaging displayed artwork or photography of remote Nordic nature scenes *many ECM releases blur the lines between jazz, international-flavored folk and classical music *the label was at the forefront of the movement that is now referred to as “world music” *ECM is still in business and is at the forefront of contemporary jazz |
-ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music):
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The major influence on his sound
*one of the most important stylists to play the tenor saxophone in the modern jazz era *his silky smooth tone was rooted in the tradition of Lester Young *he was schooled in the swing bands of Stan Kenton and Woody Herman *Getz defined the modern cool sound of the tenor in the 1950s and 1960s *soon after he left Herman’s band to establish his own career |
Stan Getz
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His personal traumas in the late 1950s and move to Europe
*attempted to rob a drug store in Seattle for morphine in 1954 -infamous photo of him taken in the backseat of a squad car -served a 6month jail sentence *unpleasant divorce and tax problems *1958 he moved to Denmark and was able to sustain a comfortable life *found out his celebrity in the US was slipping so he returned in 1960 |
Stan Getz
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Getz/Gilberto; João Gilberto; Astrud Gilberto; Antonio Carlos Jobim
*tried to get back on track with innovative Third Stream album, Focus -it won a Grammy but then record sales were flat *Getz got his career changing break when guitarist Charlie Byred introduced him to a new jazz style called bossa nova -Byrd discovered it while touring Brazil *Bossa nova was the creation of guitarist Joao Gilberto and composer Antonio Carlos Jobim *Stan Getz recorded the 1962 album with Byrd, Jazz Samba -unprecedented success: several weeks as No. 1 and won a Grammy *next Getz collaborated with the originators of the style, Jobim and Gilberto -brought the 2 to NY in 1962 for a concert at Carnegie Hall -Gilberto brought his wife Astrud Gilberto -Getz wanted her to sing, but Gilberto didn’t -she ends up singing on the album, Getz/Giberto |
Stan Getz
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-he created the definitive jazz organ style with his deep grooves and stunning technique
-defined the sound of the contemporary organ trio -he began on the piano and then switched to organ -he finally choice the Hammond B3, an electric organ -put together a walking bass sound from organ, then made a group with a guitarist and drummer |
Jimmy Smith; characteristics of the organ trio
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The story of Cannonball’s discovery in 1955; the characteristics of his style
*Cannonball and his brother Nat went to hear Oscar Pettiford’s band *the group’s saxophonist didn’t show so they asked Cannonball to fill in *1958 joined Miles Davis’ band and played for the album Kind of Blue *after Davis band, he turned his attention to his Cannonball Adderley Quintet *Cannonball’s style: smooth, soulful style, never strayed far from blues |
Cannonball and Nat Adderley
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-learned to play the guitar with his thumb rather than using a pick
-he developed an innovative way of playing melodies in octaves |
Wes Montgomery; one unique characteristic of his playing
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Characteristics of his musical background; his interest in Zen philosophy
*style: mix of the jazz piano style of the 1940s-50s and the modernists of the 1960s *influenced by Bud Powell, Lennie Tristano, and George Shearing *but he was also able to craft a new, sophisticated modern style *studied the piano, the violin, and the flute *he began gigging at 12 years *he was very disciplined and worked hard because he thought he wasn’t that talented *drafted for a little bit, then took a year off to read and study Eastern philosophy -studied Zen (emphasizes meditation) |
Bill Evans
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Why he joined the Miles Davis Quintet; the drug and race issues that resulted
*1958, break into big time, hired for the Miles Davis band *Davis had begun working with modal harmonies, already had recorded “Milestones” *Evans had worked with modal guru Russel, so Evans seemed like a perfect fit -However, Evans did not provide the power and drive that Davis wanted -Evans was also ostracized for being the only white member *Evans had very low self-esteem and became an outsider -this turned him to heroin *after only 8 months Evans left the Davis group *but Davis brought him back in the spring collaboration of Kind of Blue -Evans was a crucial part to that album |
Bill Evans
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*after Evans left the Davis group, he started his own trio (piano, bass, drums)
*found Scott LaFaro, a bassist who could play freely and melodically and could interact instinctively with Evans *trio created a three-way musical conversation *Paul Motian was an inventive drummer who added just the right amount of spontaneous interplay to balance Evans and LaFaro *Bill Evans Trio redefined small group jazz -brought a new level of spontaneous interaction to the rhythm section -LaFaro reinvented jazz bass playing *Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby: both albums made in one day -enduring masterpieces, greatest live albums in jazz history -meditative, Zen-like quality *LaFora died in a car accident 11 days later |
The Bill Evans Trio
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The years following the release of Kind of Blue and his resistance to free jazz
*in the months following this album Davis was at the top of the jazz world *however, then Cannonball Adderley quit 3 months after the release of Kind of Blue *and he found out from a newspaper that Coltrane wanted to quit -and Coltrane did in early 1960 *he was beaten by an officer outside of Birdland *Ornette Coleman made his debut at the Five Spot and caught everyone’s attention *Davis and Kind of Blue became the “old thing”; Davis did not like the “new thing” |
Miles Davis
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its characteristics and why Miles disbanded it in 1968
*finally Davis put together a band in 1963; it would rival Coltrane’s quartet *it became known as his “60s Quintet” or his “Second Quintet” *drums became the center of the group’s sound *got rave reviews at a jazz festival in France and a benefit concert for the NAACP *straddled the fence between hard bop and free jazz *Davis was older compared to his young band, so he was a mentor -however they embraced the “new thing” so he also learned from them -even though Davis first hated free jazz *band had a great ability to communicate with each other, always played a song differently than the previous performance (never the same) *Shorter wrote most of the band’s music, created a new catalog of jazz standards *Davis then got a divorce and met a young woman (Betty Marby) |
The 60s Quintet
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: The Bridge; how and why he floundered in the 1960s
-Rollins voluntarily pulled himself out of the music business in 1959, to study harmonies and to better himself as a musician -spent hours practicing at night on the Williamsburg Bridge -when Rollins returned he formed a quartet and released the album The Bridge *this album was very standard jazz, sent the message that he wanted to “save” jazz -however his next album was in a more freer, Coleman-esque style *showed he was in touch with the new music -started having a mid-life crisis, jealous of Coltrane’s popularity -when Rollins returned in 1971 he came with a fusion band *electric bass and keyboards |
Sonny Rollins
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his exile in Europe and subsequent return in 1976; Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard
-played in LA and NY -became the first notable bebop tenor player -huge honking sound; bluesy laidback melodic style -Gordan’s fortunes dimmed in the 1950s, he struggled with drugs and 2 prison sentences -1962 he moved to Europe, he lived there for 14 years -1976 he moved back to the US, made a triumphant return in NY *live recordings from this engagement were released on the double album “Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard *the double album became a top seller *beginning of the renewed interest of mainstream jazz, at a time when electric jazz/rock was popular |
Dexter Gordon
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: piano
His American and European (Belonging) Quartets from the 1970s *played with the Jazz Messengers and the Charles Lloyed Quartet *1966, Jarrett put together a trio with a bass and drummer -later it was expanded to a quartet in 1971, added a tenor -this group became known as his “American” Quartet -released 14 albums between 1971 and 1976 *Jarrett put together a second “European” Quartet in 1974 -it was also known as the “Belonging Quartet” after their first album release of the same name *Jarrett was playing with Davis and leading/writing music for 2 quartets at the same time |
Keith Jarrett
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The characteristics of his solo piano recitals and recordings; Solo Concerts: Bremen and Lausanne
*began his highly successful solo career in 1971, along with Davis band and his 2 bands *went against the current electric jazz/rock trend *created a blueprint for future solo piano albums *his second solo effort was the 1973 three-album: Solo Concerts Bremen/Lausanne -one of the most remarkable achievements in modern jazz -3 discs: 2 hours of music recorded at recitals in Germany and Switzerland -all of the music is completely spontaneously composed |
Keith Jarrett
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founded CTI in 1967
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Creed Taylor
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founded ECM in 1969
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Manfred Eicher
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-one of the most sought after trumpeters, because of his fiery technique and smooth lyricism
-Hubbard signed with CTI, he released a string of popular rock influenced albums *including “Red Clay” |
Freddie Hubbard
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a Brazilian jazz style developed by Antonio Carlow Jobim and Joao Gilberto in the 1950s
Soul jazz: a popular substyle of hard bop that drew heavily from R&B and soul music influences World music: a term to describe music that incorporates influences form different regions and cultures |
Bossa nova
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: a small watering hole for abstract expressionist painters and beat writers
*site of Monk’s celebrated 6-month engagement two years earlier |
Five Spot Café
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The impact of Ornette Coleman’s debut at the Five Spot Café in November 1959
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Coleman had never played in NYC before and few people had actually heard him or his records
-however reports had been filtering in over the summer that he was gifted and uniquely original improviser who was going to have a profound effect on jazz *one of the first reports came from the leader of MJQ, John Lewis -by November the buzz surrounding the Five Spot engagement had reached a fever pitch -everyone in the NY jazz and arts community was anxious to hear what all the fuss about -with overflow crowds, the band was able to extend their engagement by another two months -those in attendance experienced one of the most surreal moments in the history of jazz *gave the impression that they were playing toy instruments -Coleman played a white plastic sax and Cherry played a tiny pocket trumpet *the band was integrated the bass player Haden was white (everyone else was black) *there was no pianist *their music was loud, noisy, chaotic, disorganized, and unstructured *there were no familiar standards *came from new jazz vocabulary (not from familiar bebop licks) *some were appalled, others said the was playing revolutionary music -by the time the five Spot gig was over in early 1960; it seemed that jazz was about to embark on a journey with destination unknown |
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abandoned the elaborate chord structures of bebop and replaced them with simple modal frameworks and utilized a flexible form
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Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue:
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explored odd and complex time signatures
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Dave Brubeck’s Time Out
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struck a balance between pre-composed orchestral jazz and spontaneous free improvisation
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Charles Mingus’s Mingus Ah Um:
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was mainly a signpost of the end of the era of overly complex chords structures; however it was the peak of this approach and a benchmark in Coltrane’s career
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John Coltrane’s Giant Steps
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broke from nearly all the norms and traditions of jazz; helped open up a brave new world liberated from conventional chordal or harmonic rigidity; Free Jazz
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Ornett Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come:
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The New Thing
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-the groundbreaking music that Ornette Coleman unleashed in 1959
*initially called “The New Thing” -but his 1960 album Free Jazz gave the movement its permanent name -the Free Jazz movement was as revolutionary as bebop had been to an earlier generation -but free jazz did not build on to earlier traditions of jazz -free jazz went about destroying existing traditions and forced nothing less than rethinking of the creative process -free jazz was a new frame of mind of musically leaving things unresolved -musicians called this “playing outside” -the thought that any musical tradition or convention is open for reinterpretation |
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free jazz often dispensed with formal choruses and the head-solo-head structure in favor of a more spontaneous and open-ended approach
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Form
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free jazz musicians disregarded the tendency to resolve dissonances, and often play in an atonal fashion
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Tonality
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free jazz not only rid itself of the current language, but also rejected the very notion of establishing a new standard of vocabulary
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Vocabulary
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by the nature of the music they played, free jazz musicians undermined their ability to achieve any sort of commercial viability
-just playing to play; not necessarily to make a living |
Commerciality
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free jazz challenged all of these traditional roles, both by casting instruments into different roles and non-traditional instrument groupings
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Role-Playing
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free jazz musicians explored new ways of producing sound, including squawks, screams animalistic cries, talking, and microtonal tunings
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Sound
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the abandonment of the primary key center or tonality that is present in most Western music
-atonal music can sound as if it has no direction or resolution |
Atonal
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Historical precedents to the free jazz movement (Lennie Tristano, etc)
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-not just Coleman was involved with the beginnings of free jazz
*Coltrane challenged jazz convention at his performance with Monk at the Five Spot -he used multi-phonics and sheets of sound *Lennie Tristano made what are considered the first jazz recordings *however these were just “shots in the dark” *Coleman was fully committed to the idea of free expression -Coleman quickly converted skeptics into followers *Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, and John Coltrane |
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The difficulties he faced in the early years of his career
*his road to jazz immortality at the Five Spot was long and difficult *father died when he was seven, forced family to live in extreme poverty *at 14 his mom scraped enough money to buy him an alto sax *taught himself how to play *within a year he was sitting in with local R&B bands *Coleman developed a raunchy, bluesy sound and style in tune with the R&B (that had influences of jazz) bands of the era *late teens: listening and learning bebop, learning to read music, and working his way into more upscale club work *began to realize R&B and bebop were too restrictive for the music he wanted to play *started to develop an eccentric style and sound that was outside the realm of either *1949 he traveled in shows and R&B bands -he would occasionally launch into an experimental and unconventional solo -after one of his shows a young women enticed him to step outside during a break -he was surrounded by 3 men who beat him because they did not like his music *musicians now would walk off stage or refuse to let him play his solos *1950: Coleman joined a road band but the leader fired him while in LA -he was stranded in LA and moved into Skid Row hotel and lived off canned foods his mom mailed to him -he finally gave up and moved home *Coleman returned to LA after 2 years; found most musicians still objected to his music *Rejection was a common theme to his life *he eventually hooked up with other like-minded young musicians -they began rehearsing in a garage together -included future Five Spot band mates Don Cherry and Billy Higgins -exchanged ideas about creating a new language for playing music -also began learning Coleman’s newly written original compositions -able to get an audition; signed a contract with the small local Contemporary label -1958: the group recorded The Music of Ornette Coleman –Something Else!! * “Invisible” was recorded at their very first recording session -sales weren’t good |
Ornette Coleman
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*over the next year, Coleman hooked up with 2 musicians who were to become pivotal to advancing his career; the MJQ’s John Lewis and bassist Charlie Haden
*Lewis helped Coleman enroll at the esteemed Lenox School of Jazz in 1959 *Lewis also helped him secure a contract with Atlantic Records *Charlie Haden was the perfect bassist to complement Coleman’s style -allowed group to go without a pianist -different pianoless group than the famous Gerry Mulligan Quartet of 1952 *going pianoless for Coleman Quartet meant that there was no longer a need to follow established chord changes *in 1959 alone, the quartet recorded six albums -The Shape of Jazz to Come and Change of the Century (2 of these 6 albums) -was before the Five Spot engagement and helped establish Coleman as the visionary leader of the “New Thing” (free jazz) *Coleman continued to record prolifically and performed often *he also had several lengthy stays at the Five Spot |
his Five Spot quartet
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Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation; the unusual instrumentation used
*Dec. 1960 Coleman recorded the influential but controversial album -Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation *this album used a double quartet -Coleman, Cherry, Higgins, and bassist Scott LeFaro *appeared on the left channel of the stereo mix -Charlie Haden, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bass clarinetist, Eric Dophy, and drummer Ed Blackwell *appeared on the right channel of the stereo mix *the album consisted of one 37 minute song “Free Jazz” *most talked about albums in history and probably the most misunderstood *the album is an important milestone in redefining the highly structured jazz performance form that had been religiously followed since the 1920s |
Cole dog
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Why he withdrew from music for two years, and what was unusual about his return
*in the short time between his debut at the Five Spot and the release of Free Jazz, Coleman managed to completely reshape the jazz ideas and spirit of the time *however he found himself still bound by playing a what saxophonist Archie Shepp referred to was the “crude stables (clubs)” -black men are groomed and paced like thoroughbreds to run until they bleed *Coleman found out that Dave Brubeck was getting paid twice as much at the Five Spot *so Coleman tripled his fee; but then he was not asked back *he then tried to produce his own concert and barely broke even *a very discourage Coleman withdrew from the music business for more than 2 years *1965: Coleman returned at an engagement at the Village Vanguard -he was playing the trumpet and violin (which he taught himself how to play) -he had a new group (trio: David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums) *1966: he recorded the controversial album The Empty Foxhole with his 10yr old son *throughout the late 1960s he began to expand his horizons -he wrote music for small string and woodwind ensembles -he also wrote for major orchestral works *example: 1972 Skies of America for the London Symphony Orchestra -began experimenting with electronic free funk with his group Prime Time *2 electric guitars, 2 drummers, and 2 bassists |
Coleman
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His lasting influence on jazz
*Coleman is one of the most important figures in the history of jazz *his influence on jazz in the 1960s was dramatic and indisputable *he introduced a new vision for jazz and a new vocabulary *Feb. 2007: he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards |
ornatte colefarts
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Why his musical background is different than Ornette Coleman’s
*began taking piano lessons at 5 years old at the urging of his mother (actress and dancer) *he also studied percussion in his youth *1951: enrolled at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) -studied theory, composition, and piano *musical idol was Duke Ellington *also interested in the piano playing of Dave Brubeck and Lennie Tristano -European influenced styles *after NEC graduation Taylor moved back to NY -like Coleman he found himself matched with musicians unable to understand his style and unwilling to work with him for long -but eventually found the music scene with young people with similar ideas *he released his first album in 1956: Jazz Advance -included three musicians with whom he would work often over the next years -bassist Buell Neidlinger, soprano sax Steve Lacy, and drummer Dennis Charles -album contains tunes by Monk and Ellington -however there are elements of Taylor’s innovative style -he used dense tone clusters, an extremely percussive attack, and very fast Tristano-like melodic lines *the album generated positive response and helped Taylor secure a 6-week engagement at the Five Spot and an appearance at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival |
Cecil Taylor
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Characteristics of his playing style
*both thick harmonic textures and complex melodic lines became important elements in Taylor’s mature piano style *his playing had a non-flowing, rigid rhythmic quality and did not swing |
Cecil Taylor
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The story behind the ‘imaginary concerts’
*after the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival work became scarce and hard to come by *to make ends meet Taylor worked various times as a deliveryman, cook, dishwasher, etc. *he held imaginary concerts in his loft to try to retain energy of performing before audiences *he encountered hostility from audiences, club owners, and fellow musicians *undeterred Taylor continued to record and perform sparingly with his group *1958: recorded for the first and only time with Coltrane |
Cecil Taylor
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Why his music became even more inaccessible in the mid 1960s; Unit Structures
*in the early 1960s Taylor began integrating different saxophonists into the group * Taylor began to depart from music based on a traditional beat with the addition of drummers Sunny Murray in 1960 and Andrew Cyrille in 1964 *excellent examples of the metrically free rhythmic direction of the group can be heard in the 1966 album Unit Structures and Conquistador *liberating himself form a steady beat became one more barrier for Taylor’s audiences to work through *work remained scarce throughout the 1960s and 1970s as Black Studies departments were initiated on college campuses in response to the civil rights movement *Taylor obtained teaching appointments at the University of Wisconsin, Antioch College, and Glassboro State College -he received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1973 |
Cecil Taylor
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-late 1950s: John Coltrane was at an artistic threshold
-his 1959 landmark album Giant Steps was the culmination of the first part of his career *characterized by sheets of sound, complex harmonies, and his membership in Miles Davis’s Quintet and Sextet -now he needed to go in a new direction: away from complex and toward simple -it was also time to lead his own working group for the first time |
John Coltrane
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*a few weeks after quitting Davis’s group in early 1960, Coltrane opened at NY’s Jazz Gallery with his new group the “John Coltrane Quartet”
*soon after 8 weeks of success, Coltrane made personnel changes *Tyner’s piano comping was energetic and had an open quality that lent itself to freer improvisation *Jones was a bombastic drummer and was polyrhythmic powerhouse *Coltrane also began playing the soprano saxophone *first full album recorded by group: My Favorite Things -was a hit with fans and critics *used simple modal harmony structures *over next 2 years Coltrane continued to explore modal harmonies, longer solo improvisations, and the soprano saxophone *there were also more personnel changes *Coltrane added a fifth member to the group, bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy -a veteran of both Charles Mingus’s groups and Ornette Coleman’s -he improvised in a style that bordered on the fringes of free jazz and often evoked screams, squawks, and other non-traditional sounds *first album of the new classic group: Live at the Village Vanguard 1961 -was controversial -Coltrane’s 80-chorus solo (played with only bass and drums accompaniment) is filled with wails, cries, and screams |
The characteristics of the John Coltrane Quartet
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The evolution of his playing style and the critical reaction to it
*Coltrane was getting a lot of criticism for not only the length of his solos but also for their content *he was a gentle and earnest man and took criticism in stride *not just about long solos *1962 and 1963: released 3 albums of standards that bewildered many critics and fans -on each of them he plays with beautiful lyricism *1964 did not even have a solo *showed that he could play in a variety of different styles |
John Coltrane
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*1960: became aware of the “New Thing” and began moving in a different direction
*long exploratory solos showed that he was trying to move in a new direction *but it wasn’t until 1964 that he fully committed to free jazz *A Love Supreme: signaled a transition to most turbulent and final chapter in his career -recorded in one night at the Van Gelder Studio -the album is a 4-part mediation inspired by his decision to refocus on his spiritual awakening of 1957 -it is deeply moving, devotional album, a musical meditation -4 parts: “Acknowledgment” “Resolution” “Pursuance” and “Psalm” *this marked a turning point, from this moment on Coltrane’s music would get increasingly more spiritual, free, and adventurous *also rumors that he was experimenting with LSD during this period *Coltrane’s interest in other cultures was also a part of his musical explorations -Africa, India, and Liberia |
A Love Supreme: (john coltrane)
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*1965: Coltrane recorded Ascension one of the most controversial albums of his career
-one forty minute collective improvisation -played by an 11 piece ensemble -not as successful as Coleman’s Free Jazz *his headfirst leap into free jazz did not last long *his health began declining rapidly due to the onset of liver cancer *at his last live performance he was overweight and had to sit down *was the most influential musician of the 1960s *musicians who dismissed Coleman and Taylor could not ignore Coltrane’s musical journey *he was the ultimate “insider” who worked his way up through the ranks as a sideman in the 1950s and eventually led his own group *this group ultimately shaped the dialogue of the free jazz movement in the 1960s *all jazz solos became longer *Coltrane was the most prolific composer |
Ascension and the music of Coltrane’s final years
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a jazz style from the 1960s that is characterized by a willingness to break conventional rules and norms
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Free Jazz
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