Introduction
In this assignment two Jazz works from two different decades will be compared. The 1959 recording, “Take Five” by Paul Desmond(Wikipedia, 2015) will be compared with “Hallelujah Time” by Oscar Peterson, recorded between1963 and 1966(Wikipedia, 2013). Firstly, the influence from the composer’s background and experiences on his composition will be discussed; secondly, the development of technology and its effect on the composition will be examined; finally, the use of instrumentation and compositional devices of each work will be discussed and compared.
Take Five – Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond: Background and Influences
“Take Five” was composed by Paul Desmond and first performed by The Dave Brubeck Quartet(Wikipedia, 2015). Paul Desmond,
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Take Five was recorded at Columbia Records’ 30th Street Studio on July 1 1959 in New York City. ‘Take Five’ became one of the best-selling jazz singles of all time, two years later. (Wikipedia, 2015).The first live performance by the Quartet of ‘Take Five’, was at the Village Gate nightclub in New York in 1959(Wikipedia, 2015).
Take Five was inspired during a tour of Eurasia which was sponsored by the U.S State Department. In Turkey, street musicians performed traditional Turkish folk songs with Bulgarian influences which used a rare meter of 9/8, in comparison to Western music(Wikipedia, 2015). Brubeck was influenced by this meter and was therefore inspired to create an albumin which he experimented with different exotic styles that he had experienced(Wikipedia, 2015). He additionally aimed to move away from the usual 4/4 meter and use meters such as 9/8(Wikipedia, 2015). The influence of different meters and styles are evident in Paul Desmond’s work, Take
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‘Take Five’ uses a simple ABA form which consists of the Head, Improvisation/solos and then the Head again.The Head is seen from bars 4 to 28. The Head too uses ABA form where the main theme is played in bars 4 to 12, followed by the second theme from bars 3 to 20 and then again the main theme is played, starting in bar 20 until bar 28. The improvised section begins from bar 29 and lasts for 25 bars, finally ending in bar 53. In bar 56 the main theme or Head reappears. Therefore this is in ABA
“Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived.” Stated Abraham Lincoln. That quotes applies to Slaughterhouse-Five because even when you think you have conquered something and achieve the victory doesn’t mean that it will last long. Billy Pilgrim is the protagonist of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. anti-war novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. Billy Pilgrim is non-heroic in the anti-war novel which makes the theme of the book Slaughterhouse-Five a man who is “unstuck” in time.
Kurt Vonnegut is the author of Slaughterhouse Five and he was a soldier during World War II. Slaughterhouse Five is a fictional story of what a man named Billy Pilgrim went through as a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II. Vonnegut experienced the bombing of Dresden in Germany when was a prisoner of war. Vonnegut's prison in Dresden, Germany was a slaughterhouse that the Germans forced the prisoners of war to live in. He relates some of his experiences during World War II to help him create the fictional story about Billy Pilgrim. Billy Pilgrim is a fictional character that Vonnegut created in order to somehow tell his store of Dresden. Most of Billy Pilgrim's experiences are similar to what Vonnegut actually experienced as a prisoner of war during World War II. PTSD is a disorder that disrupts someone's life keeping them from having an normal life because of a traumatic event that they experienced. PTSD is very common among soldiers returning from war because they went through many traumatic events during their deployment. It is very obvious to see that Vonnegut and Billy Pilgrim are suffering from PTSD after their deployment in Germany during World War II.
Jazz music of the 1940’s and 1950’s was defined by a history of change since its beginning at the dawn of the 20th century. Almost every decade brought a new flavor to the movement, and by the 1940’s jazz had developed into a mature, complex form of music, with many nuances and avenues for continued change. It is important to trace the early movements in jazz to better understand the innovations of the Bebop and Cool jazz eras of the 40’s and 50’s.
The music of jazz became an important aspect of American culture in the early 20th century. The crisp syncopation of ragtime and the smooth tunes of the blues seeped into American mainstream music through dance halls and saloons and later through ballrooms. Instruments like the piano, trumpet, trombone and clarinet became important and symbolized the “swing-feel” of jazz because of their capability to syncopate and improvise precisely. With the help of the booming recording industry, musical geniuses were discovered and their talent and contributions to the emergence of jazz spread throughout the entire country. Such musicians include composer, arranger and pianist Jelly Roll Morton who heavily influenced the development of early jazz by his unique piano style, his “invention” of musical notation for jazz, and his compositions that have become the core in the jazz repertory. Because the style was new and different and so successful in drawing in large audiences, musicians around the world tried to mimic it. Furthermore, Morton’s masterpieces were the first to show notation for complicated jazz music and thus, formed the basis for standard notation in jazz compositions today.
The group ranged from ages nine to fourteen. They group was brought to Berry Gordy’s attention by Bobby Taylor of the Vancouver. Berry Gordy fell in love with Michael. He sang his songs with so much feeling and inspiration and pain. It was like he had gone through everything he was singing about. Right off top, they exploded onto the pop and R&B charts in the 1969 with “I Want You Back”. Diana Ross played a big part in the Jackson 5’s debut. She allowed them to be an opening act for herself and the Supremes concert in Los Angeles, California in 1969. A few day later the group was on their way to stardom. Four chart-topping releases followed over the next eleven month with songs “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I'll Be There”. That made Jackson 5 only group to have its first four records reach number 1 on the charts. This group captured the hearts of young people and a lot of other people ranging from different ages with their talent and charm. It was the youngest Michael in the group that was the lead singer and who stood out the most to the people. Years later, Berry Gordy recalled the group as a determination to succeed in his autobiography. He wrote their hard work was unconditional, and they were willing to sweat to
Vladimir Bogdanov. All Music Guide to Jazz. Forth edition. Ann Arbor, MI: All Media Group, 2002
were merely inspired by the earlier music and used the idea to write their own compositions. One
Baruch Spinoza once said “Experience teaches us no less clearly than reason, that men believe themselves free, simply because they are conscious of their actions and unconscious of the causes whereby those actions are determined.” He compared free-will with destiny and ended up that what we live and what we think are all results of our destiny; and the concept of the free-will as humanity know is just the awareness of the situation. Similarly, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five explores this struggle between free-will and destiny, and illustrates the idea of time in order to demonstrate that there is no free-will in war; it is just destiny. Vonnegut conveys this through irony, symbolism and satire.
Kernfeld, Berry. New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, The. Vol. II London: The MacMillan Company, 1988
Teachout, Terry. "John Hammond's jazz." Commentary 122.3 (2006): 55+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
He pushed his sons including Michael into forming a group called the Jackson five. Their group quickly arose from playing local talent shows to landing a contract with the renowned Motown label at the end of 1968. During the early '70s the group became well-known, with "baby", Michael as the lead singer of the group. This talent dragged on for decades and gradually getting better and better, Michael taking the lead and as the main source of income for the family for proving and presenting his talent to many music labels and organizations throughout the years.
Jazz music prospered in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Jazz was created by African Americans to represent pain and suffering and also represented the adversity that racial tension brought. (Scholastic) African American performers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie “Bird” Parker came to be recognized for their ability to overcome “race relati...
The fifth song was a ballad called “Last Night When We Were Young.” This song had a relaxing and romantic sound. It had a steady and constant tempo. The bassist also used the pizzicato technique during his solo in this piece.
The next song played was “River” which is originally by Joni Mitchell. This song included the beautiful vocalists Sonya Kitchell and Amy Keys. “River” took a very different approach and was a lot mellower than the first, definitely not in the jazz fusion genre. Although, jazz fusion is my favorite I do have to say Herbie Hancock originally started off with classical music and like I mentioned before was not introduced to fusion until joining Miles’s band. This being said, Herbie Hancock played very slowly and softly in the piano. And everyone else followed the same
The Central Park Five. Dir. Sarah Burns, Ken Burns, and David Mcmahon. Public Broadcasting Service, 2012. Online Streaming.