MUSC 2140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Musical Improvisation, Bud Powell, Jazz Harmony
13 Dec 2016
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History of Jazz Unit 9 Notes
Jazz Improvisation and Composition
How does musical improvisation work?
- Improvisation and composition are often framed as opposites
o Composition is characterized as a process that is written and takes place over long
stretches of time involving self-conscious deliberate decisions, editing,
intellectualization, and formal training in theory and history
o Improvisation has been characterized as aural, immediate, unedited, instinctual,
ad atual eithe ou a do it o ou at—it at e taught
▪ Neither of these definitions is completely true except in extreme cases as
some composers work very fast, rely on their musical instincts and are
untrained. Likewise, many improvisers spend years studying their craft,
practice for hours every day, are highly trained in musical theory, and are
very aware of the jazz tradition and where they fit into it.
- Composing in the 20th century came to be held in higher esteem than improvisation
o Composition was seen as more of an intellectual exercise and as the value of
rationality and written language in Western culture grew, so did the value of
atioal oted opositio
▪ This is opposed to the purported irrational aural nature of improvisation
o Composition represented European musical strength and was framed as the
pinnacle of musical creativity in contrast to improvisation, which was the typical
of the music by the colonized racial other
- Jazz usiias lea the jazz laguage so that the a speak ad ipoise
o This is why they spend years studying how to improvise either formally or
informally
▪ Today it is generally a combination of these two approaches
o They have to make sure their improvisation fits the musical context appropriately
so the notes and musical phrases are appropriate for the harmony of the moment
and are in the right place in the musical structure, in the rhythm, and play the
appropriate role in the ensemble
- Composition
o There is a tension b/w improvisation and composition in jazz
o Its ot easil defied i usi die by improvisation
o From the twentieth century on, records often eliminated the need for scores,
making the idea of improvisation as lasting music possible
o A composition is a musical work that may be played by any number of musicians
and bands while remaining basically unchanged
o An improvisation exists first and foremost as a particular performance
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Thelonious Monk
- Monk is a well-known pianist but he is more famous for his compositions which have
eoe stadads of the ode jazz epetoie
o His composition and performance style were unusual, characterized by quirky and
exploratory use of unusual dissonant intervals and unusual phrasing
o His pieces were primarily 12-bar blues and 32-bar song forms
- It is difficult to classify him as a Bebopper b/c his composing and improvising are so
idiosyncratic
- Ellington wrote b/w 1500 and 2000 pieces while Monk wrote around 70
o Moks piees hae ee adapted fo sig ad, Diielad, ool jazz, had op,
avant-garde, and classical music settings
- He was born in North Carolina but moved to New York when he was 4. In grade school he
ega asoig his sistes piao lessos. Whe she uit, he eae he teahes
favourite student
- In 1940 he was recruited by Kenny Clarke to play in the house band at Mitos Plahouse
o Bud Powell, whom Monk mentored, admired his quirky rhythmic attack and
progressive harmonies
▪ The things that Powell admired were the things that other criticized about
Monk.
- His family felt that he was afflicted with bipolar disorder, which may have been
exacerbated by his fondness for drink and amphetamines
o Monk was known for his mood swings and episodes of idiosyncratic behaviour:
onstage dancing, frequent all-nighters, and an obsessive concentration on a few
compositions
- The most ipotat of Moks eal opositios as the allad ‘oud Midight hih
trumpet player Cootie Williams recorded in a big-bang version in 1944 with Powell on
piano
o Williams made it his theme song
- Moks opositios ae astatios of the sog fos that had always predominated
in jazz and popular music: AABA tunes and blues
o the particular dissonances he favoured, including minor ninths, flatted fifths
(tritones) and minor seconds (half steps) had been widely regarded as mistakes
until he established the as essetial opoets i jazz hao
- Monk believed that a meaningful improvisation should flow from and develop the
composed theme
- Thelonious (Monk, 1947—Blue Note)
o 36-bar variant on the AABA song. The A sections are 8 bars, the bridge is 10 and
the last A section includes a 2-bar coda
o the result is a kind of short-form piano concerto, incorporating various elements
of jazz history from stride to bop
- Rhythm-a-ning (Monk, 1957—Riverside)
o AABA tue is ased o the hod hages of I Got ‘hth ut the pia -bar
melody draws on 2 big-ad eodigs of the s: Duke Elligtos Duk
Wuk ad Ma Lou Willias Walki ad “igig
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Improvisation and composition are often framed as opposites: composition is characterized as a process that is written and takes place over long involving self-conscious deliberate decisions, editing, stretches of time intellectualization, and formal training in theory and history. Likewise, many improvisers spend years studying their craft, practice for hours every day, are highly trained in musical theory, and are very aware of the jazz tradition and where they fit into it. Composition: there is a tension b/w improvisation and composition in jazz. It is difficult to classify him as a bebopper b/c his composing and improvising are so idiosyncratic. Ellington wrote b/w 1500 and 2000 pieces while monk wrote around 70: mo(cid:374)k(cid:859)s pie(cid:272)es ha(cid:448)e (cid:271)ee(cid:374) adapted fo(cid:396) s(cid:449)i(cid:374)g (cid:271)a(cid:374)d, di(cid:454)iela(cid:374)d, (cid:272)ool jazz, ha(cid:396)d (cid:271)op, avant-garde, and classical music settings. He was born in north carolina but moved to new york when he was 4.
