Term Paper on "Jazz Gillespie Live in '58: Analyzing"

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Jazz

Gillespie Live in '58: Analyzing and Appreciating a Historic Jazz Concert

The live performance given in Belgium in 1958 by Dizzy Gillespie and some notable band mates is both historically important, helping to solidify the spread of modern jazz to Europe, and aesthetically pleasing today. Despite being a half-century old, the sounds that this group produces still sound fresh, causing almost any listener to start toe-tapping and finger-snapping. Joining Gillespie on his ubiquitous trumpet are Sonny Stitt on saxophones (tenor and alto), Lou Levy at the piano, Ray Brown on bass and Gus Johnson on the drums, and this quintet puts modern jazz through its paces with a variety of songs and sounds. The varying roles that each player and instrument has in each song demonstrates the level of mastery that each of these musicians brings to the group and the performance.

Blues After Dark

A mute solidly in his upward-slanting trumpet, Gillespie is joined by Stitt on the tenor sax as they begin "Blues After Dark" by playing the simple melody in unison, with Lou Levy's piano breaking in only to fill the spaces between the sparse melodic spurts provided by the fronting duo. The song gives way relatively quickly to a solo by Gillespie, during which Gus Johnson's drums become slightly more noticeable if only for their almost non-presence under the lightly brushed strokes of the restrained percussionist. Neither Johnson nor Brown ever move out of the basic rhythm section on this piece, and Levy's piano also remains primarily in the background though without the strong rhythm of a stride piano or of the bass and drums. After Gillespie's solo, thr
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oughout which Stitt stands silently to the side, the saxophonist steps to center stage for his own solo, which Gillespie punctuates with short blasts on occasion before standing aside and letting Stitt take over. Johnson has moved from brushes (or a brush) to sticks at some point, and the song picks up intensity ever so slightly under his insistence.

His solo completed, Stitt steps off to join Gillespie on the sidelines while Levy enjoys a brief yet relatively tame solo, interesting becoming more predictable in its rhythm -- a heavier left hand more reliably hitting every downbeat -- before the horn players come back to the melody. Levy again fills the silences, though with les improvisation and much greater simplicity. Throughout these final repetitions of the melody, the bass and rums have become all but invisible, with Johnson again relying on his brushes to provide just a whisper of sound and with Brown's bass contributing an undercurrent to the subdued chords of Levy's piano. Gillespie's solo is the clear standout here, beginning with an ornamented version of the melody before breaking into a counterpoint melody and then indulging in loud blasts and fast chromatic trills and including melodic nods to other songs. This highly successful solo is reminiscent of Armstrong and points of things to come from Miles Davis. By returning the listener to earth with an almost-unchanged repetition of the main melodic line, Gillespie satisfies emotionally by calling up a yearning that still seems to be controlled or perhaps even satiated.

Sunny Side of the Street

As with "Blues After Dark," "Sunny Side of the Street" begins with Gillespie and Stitt sharing the melody, though the bass under Brown's strumming fingers much brighter and almost seeming… READ MORE

Quoted Instructions for "Jazz Gillespie Live in '58: Analyzing" Assignment:

LONG LISTENING ASSIGNMENT FORMAT (FOR ASSIGNMENT 3)

VIDEO REPORT

SEE YOUR SYLLABUS FOR GROUP 1 AND GROUP 2 DUE DATES

For this assignment, you will watch specific videos on YouTube (or on a DVD that is

on reserve at the Douglass Room on the 3rd floor of the Knight Library) and report

on what you see and hear. These are movies of a jazz concert and utilize many of the

techniques of jazz that we have discussed.

For the YouTube URLs, see below for individual songs.

For the DVD at the Douglass Room: Jazz Icons: Dizzy Gillespie VIDEO DVD 01670

ï‚ŸBegin each report with the basics: the full personnel (musicians*****' names, plus all the

instruments they play in the songs you*****'re reporting on), and where and when the

concert took place (if you don*****'t know more, at minimum: country and year). Set the

scene. I highly recommend that you access this Web site for more information on

this performance: http://www.jazzicons.com/ji_gillespie.html

ï‚ŸThen report on what you heard and saw for the four exact songs specified in the

assignment. Use terms from class to describe the styles of each song (for example

Early Jazz, Swing Era, Bebop, Modern Jazz, Ballad, Afro-Cuban Jazz) and the roles

played by each instrument for each song. Do not use *****"same as above*****"! Here are

some of the instrumental roles that we*****'ve discussed so far: ride pattern, comping,

walking bass, stride piano, sticks or brushes on the drums. (See your lecture notes,

your textbook and its Audio Primer CD, the Basic Jazz Terms (found on Blackboard

in Course Documents) and the Jazz Video Demonstrations (Blackboard).

If a musician changes instruments from one song to another, make that clear. If the

trumpeter uses a mute, or if there is a vocal, or if a musician does not play on a

particular song, make those clear. Make it clear if the drummer is playing with

sticks or brushes or mallets or a combination. (See your lecture notes, your

textbook, the Basic Jazz Terms, the Modern Jazz Comparison, and Jazz History

Overview found on Blackboard (Course Documents).

Present them in the order listed:

1. *****"Blues After Dark*****" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3jPpYFc4Yo

On DVD: chapter1

For *****"Blues after Dark,*****" also discuss the performance in greater detail. To the styles of each

song and the roles played by each instrument (see above), add the following: a sequence of

events from the beginning to the end of the chosen song. These could include: an

introduction, melody statements (the *****"head*****"), solos (by which instrument, in the correct

order), trading between soloists, an ending, and so forth. Then select one solo within your chosen song to describe in more detail. State which solo you*****'ve chosen! How did the solo

progress from beginning to end? Which soloist(s) heard in class did it remind you of? In

your view, was the solo successful? Why or why not? What was your emotional response

to it?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. *****"On the Sunny Side of the Street*****": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8UEGmAvWfM

On DVD: chapter 2

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. *****"Lover Man*****": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY9ywcx7-bA

On DVD: chapter 3

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. *****"The Blues Walk*****": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ondhKp0dde8

On DVD: chapter 5

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ï‚Ÿ End your report with a half page describing your emotional response to the overall

performance. Was it pleasing to you? Why or why not? Be specific. Was there

anything specific about it that you liked?

A NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: If you choose to view the videos or DVD and brainstorm

with a classmate, that*****'s fine. BUT, once you sit down to type out your report, all the

writing must be your own. Your data (the name of the group, the names of the songs,

the names of the instruments) may be the same as another classmate*****'s data, but the

actual writing of sentences must be your own. Students who submit work that

involves plagiarism will receive zero on the assignment, and may face stronger

discipline. Also, you are responsible for keeping your assignments confidential and

not letting others gain access to them. If one student copies from another student*****'s

work, both students will get zero on the assignment.SAMPLE CHECKLIST (FOR YOUR INFORMATION; THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE

PERFECTLY COMPLETE OR TAKE PLACE OF THE INSTRUCTIONS)

Full personnel (musicians*****' names and instruments)? .

Where and when the concert took place?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Blues after Dark

style(s) of the piece

role(s) of piano

role(s) of bass

role(s) of drums (including sticks or brushes or mallets)

role(s) of horn players (don*****'t overlook this)

IN GREATER DETAIL:

Sequence of events: complete or incomplete?

FOR YOUR SELECTED SOLO WITHIN THIS SONG (IDENTIFY WHICH SOLO):

How did the solo progress from beginning to end?

Which soloist(s) heard in class did it remind you of?

Was the solo successful? Why or why not?

What was your emotional response to it?

2. On the Sunny Side of the Street (do not use *****"same as above*****")

style(s) of the piece

role(s) of piano

role(s) of bass

role(s) of drums (including sticks or brushes or mallets)

role(s) of horn players (don*****'t overlook this)

3. Lover Man (do not use *****"same as above*****")

role(s) of piano

role(s) of bass

role(s) of drums (including sticks or brushes or mallets)

role(s) of horn players (don*****'t overlook this)

4. Blues Walk (do not use *****"same as above*****")

style(s) of the piece

role(s) of piano

role(s) of bass

role(s) of drums (including sticks or brushes or mallets)

role(s) of horn players (don*****'t overlook this)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONCLUSION:

Emotional response to the overall performance:

Was it pleasing to you? Why or why not?

Specific?

Half page?

Overall: Checked spelling and grammar?

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