Music from the Stone Age

And I don't mean the theme to The Flintstones! Here is an article about the discovery of a 35,000 year-old flute in a cave in Germany. There is also a sound clip of a replica of the flute so you can hear what it may have sounded like "back in the day" at the end of the Ice Age, which is also when modern humans first began creating art by carving sculptures out of ivory.

Hello from Wisconsin!

This week I'm attending a workshop on Comprehensive Musicianship at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. The Wisconsin music associations have truly cornered the market on CM teaching, which is the subject of my dissertation. Essentially, they are promoting the teaching of performance, theory, history, and composition as a single, integrated topic. Too often, we teach the latter three disciplines in a specialized course, like Music Theory at DHS. This workshop challenges us as directors to go beyond teaching notes and rhythms to provide a "comprehensive," or complete, music education in our ensembles. So, when I teach about different chords in band rehearsal or talk about the history of the composer, I am engaging in CM teaching. This is something I've done all along, but this workshop is giving me some ideas about how I can do it in a more organized, intentional manner.

Next year, I hope you will recognize when I am asking you to be analysts, composers, and critics in addition to performers. Don't get me wrong--our main focus will still be learning to play our instruments well so that we can experience high quality music and perform it at the highest level possible. We'll just add on to that traditional model in a way that will make us all better musicians. Think of it as not just performance, but performance with understanding. Stay tuned!

(By the way, I am too old to be staying in a dorm without air conditioning. Just thought you should know that.)

Jazz Band Summer Listening, Part One

To the 2009-10 Jazz Band:

Here it is, your first monthly installment of the summer listening! What I'd like you to do is listen to these two albums and send me an email with your impressions, thoughts, and/or questions. Since these are provided courtesy of Lala.com, you will only be able to listen to each track once. After that, you will only be able to listen to 30 second samples unless you join and purchase the album.

The first album up is one of the many great albums from 1959 that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Mingus Ah Um by the great composer and bassist, Charles Mingus. Some important things to listen for:

• Most of what Mingus wrote is steeped in the blues, and this album is no exception. Listen to the bluesy phrases even in tunes that aren't in the 12-bar form (for example, the head to "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat."
  
• Mingus' band is very loose--they always stay together in perfect time, but it never feels uptight. There is always that sense that he values each player's individuality enough to allow them some flexibility in playing the heads.
  
• "Better Git It" is a great example of bluesy, gospel-style playing.
  
• "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" was written in memory of the great swing-era tenor player, Lester Young, who was known as "Prez," short for "The President."
  
• "Self-Portrait" is a rare jazz tune with no improvisation. It's a single chord progression of 14.5 bars (there's a 2/4 bar in there somewhere). The horns play it three times, adding a counterline the second time and another on the third.
  
• "Open Letter" and "Bird Calls" are tributes to Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker, respectively.
  
• "Fable of Faubus" is one of the many tunes that Mingus wrote and then gave politically charged titles. Orval Faubus was the Arkansas governor who, in defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court, ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the "Little Rock Nine" from integrating a Little Rock high school.
  
• "Jelly Roll" is for the the great early jazz pianist, composer, and band leader, Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton.

The final three tracks are optional listening. They were not on the original LP release in 1959 due to the fact that vinyl records could only hold about 45 minutes of music total. You can read a bit more about the album on AllMusic.

Ah Um - Charles Mingus

The next album I'd like you to check out is much more recent, and it's by another bassist composer, Ben Allison. Little Things Run the World was released in 2008, and it is much more rock-influenced. Read these reviews as you listen to the album:

• All About Jazz
  
• AllMusic
  
• Palmetto Records--this is the label that released the disc, and the article includes some of Allison's own thoughts about the recording.
  

Little Things Run The World - ...

That's all for June. Enjoy your listening!

Summer is here!

Classes are done, all the grades are turned in, the music and instruments have been put away, and the uniforms are on their way to the cleaners. Summer is here!

Remember to keep practicing so you come back in good shape for the fall. The first football game is August 28, and the Potpourri Concert is on September 23. No summer chops!

Best wishes to the entire DHS band family!--Mr. B

Cool Concert This Thursday

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has a training group called the Civic Orchestra (sort of like a AAA farm club). It is a fantastic ensemble led by Cliff Colnot, and they perform several times a year for free. This Thursday, June 11, at 9:30 AM, they will present Dvorak's 9th Symphony, commonly known as "The New World Symphony." The fourth movement of this work will remind you of John Williams' theme from the movie Jaws, although it's important to note that Dvorak wrote his work several decades earlier. The second movement is one of the most beautiful melodies of all time, an English horn solo also known as "Going Home." It sounds very much like an old-time African-American spiritual. In fact, Dvorak, a Bohemian (Czech) composer, wrote this symphony in part to show his American counterparts how they could use the music of African and Native Americans to forge a unique style that was less influenced by European romanticism.

The concert will begin with a multimedia presentation on the background of Dvorak's piece, followed by a complete performance after intermission. It will be held in Symphony Center on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Click here for more details. Let me know if you get a chance to attend and celebrate your first day of summer vacation in style!

Spontaneous Public Music Making

For the last several rehearsals, all but seven members of the Wind Ensemble have been rehearsing with the orchestra for graduation. That left me with one trumpet, one euphonium, four alto saxes, and one baritone sax. So, instead of sitting around with nothing to do, we put together two fun ensembles. The first is a quick arrangement I did of Canzon III a 6 Voci by Giovanni Gabrieli. This was written in the early 1600s, probably for brass instruments, but it works surprising well for our chamber group. My music theory class was down to one student after the seniors left, so I encouraged him to write an original work for the same instrumentation. He came up with a delightful modal piece in 3/4 with interesting syncopations and texture changes.

We worked on both pieces for a few days and then decided to take our show on the road. We wandered around the school during our class period looking for odd places to play. We began in the student union where we were largely ignored, except for the appreciative teacher who was supervising the empty space:

We then played in the open hallway space known as "The Blocks." Some people seemed very annoyed with our disrupting their precious social time, but one student decided to be a groupie and follow us.

Our next stop was the front entrance. Bad acoustics but lots of natural light:

We found a much more receptive audience in the north gym, where a number of girls were on treadmills and exercycles. The guys lifting weights next door went about their business, clanging barbells and grunting:

After picking up another groupie, we went to the library lobby. Here we drew a large audience and more followers:

When we finished up in the courtyard, we had a number of fans listening, as well as the rest of the Wind Ensemble, who had just gotten out of rehearsal. All in all, it was an interesting experiment, and we brought live music to some people who would have otherwise heard only their iPods and car stereos today.

Ravinia--Summer Music Under the Stars

Those of us here on Chicago's North Shore are blessed with one of America's truly great summer music fests, Ravinia. Located in a beautiful park setting in a neighborhood just east of us in Highland Park, their eclectic line-up, quality sound system, and great dining choices make this a wonderful place to spread out a blanket and soak up great music under the stars. You can sit in the pavilion if you have the cash for the ticket, but I enjoy plunking down $10 or so and sitting on the lawn. The parking is pricey ($10-20), so I suggest parking in one of their shuttle lots along the train tracks on St. Johns. A free bus brings you directly to the park. Plan to arrive a couple of hours before show time to enjoy a meal and social time with friends! Look for some of your friends from band who are working as ushers this summer (what a great job!).

After perusing the schedule, I'd like to recommend the following events to my students:

Classical

• June 18, Music of Handel
• July 12, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, with actual cannons! (This will be very crowded--arrive early!)
• July 18, Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Probably also very crowded)
• July 19, Mahler's 9th Symphony (two ninths in two nights!)
• July 24, Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays Gershwin and Bernstein (West Side Story Dances!)
• July 25, Dvorak's New World Symphony (this is probably where John Williams got the Jaws movie theme)
• August 9, James Galway (one of the greatest flutists in history!) with the CSO

Jazz/Pop/World

• June 12, Ramsey Lewis (Chicago jazz legend) and his tribute to Abraham Lincoln
• July 1, Femi Kuti and King Sunny Ade, two African pop legends, guaranteed to get you dancing ($16 lawn tickets)
• August 11, James Galway (see above) playing Cuban and French jazz
• September 2, Kurt Elling (incredible jazz singer) and Ernie Watts recreate a famous John Coltrane with vocals album

If you want more information, click here for the official Ravinia website.