Happy Holidays!

Well, the Jazz Band played their traditional, pre-break front hall gig this morning, and the Choraliers are off spreading holiday cheer at local schools, so it must mean that it's time for a well-deserved break. On behalf of the DHS Bands, I wish you and yours a joyous holiday season and a healthy and prosperous new year!

Here's a little Leroy Anderson to get you in the spirit:

See you in January!

Another musical legend is gone...

Ravi Shankar, the man who brought Indian classical music to a world stage, died yesterday at the age of 92. He was the leading player of the sitar, a long-necked lute, and was an inspiration to the Beatles in their explorations of South Asian sounds. Shankar was easily one of the most famous musicians on the planet, and over the years he collaborated with John Coltrane, Yehudi Menuhin, and Jean Pierre Rampal, performing everywhere from the Monterey Pop Festival to concert stages throughout America and Europe. His children include jazz-pop singer Norah Jones and sitarist Anoushka Shankar. He leaves behind an incredible legacy of recordings, film scores, and proteges. Here he is performing at Monterey in 1967:

Elliott Carter, Dave Brubeck, and now Ravi Shankar--three musicians who were all active into their 90s (Carter into his 100s!) and were highly influential in the musical world. That's a tough stretch of losses.

R.I.P. Dave Brubeck

Last month, the world of classical music lost its elder statesman, Elliott Carter, and today, we bid farewell to legendary nonagenarian jazz musician, Dave Brubeck. The pianist/composer/bandleader died on the eve of his 92nd birthday. You'll be hearing lots of news stories about him in the coming days; here's his obituary from Downbeat magazine and another in the Chicago Tribune. I'd like to spin a more personal tale.

As a middle school saxophonist, I was just getting started in jazz and checking out various players via the record collection at the local public libraries. Dave Brubeck was one of the first musicians I got excited about. I was drawn to his compositions on the classic album Time Out, which were groundbreaking for their use of non-standard time signatures like 3/4, 5/4, and 9/8. Nowadays, nobody thinks twice about playing in these meters, but in 1959 it sounded very exotic. Even in the late 70s when I started listening, they were still pretty out there. I was especially impressed by the tune "Take Five," written by his alto saxophonist Paul Desmond. I listened to that record so much that even today you can hear his tone and phrasing in my sax playing. During my senior year at Glenbrook South, I played "Take Five" in the annual variety show, and introduced all my peers to his music.

Since then, I went on to "hipper" musicians--Brubeck always took a bit of a bum rap for not being bluesy enough or adventurous enough after his early days. (I assume there was a bit of reverse racism there, as Brubeck was a white man in the predominantly black world of jazz. People are more enlightened today.) But as the years went on and Brubeck kept playing and touring, I had to give him props for being at the forefront of the cool jazz era and for his sheer longevity. He played into his 90s, including a 2011 Father's Day concert at Ravinia when he shared the stage with his four musician sons.

So here's to one of my very first jazz heroes--thanks for the great music, Dave!

Jazz Band Gig for School Chest

Tonight the Jazz Band performed an hour set at the Deerfield Hyatt for the School Chest benefit dinner and auction. It was attended by over 300 people who enjoyed the sounds of the JB while perusing the items and snacking on hors d'oeurves. A number of band parents showed up to cheer us on, and we received many nice compliments on our playing. Everybody got to stretch out on some longer solos, and, as always, we added some holiday tunes to our repertoire. Here's our set list:

• Billie's Bounce
• Lemoncello
• I Had a Little Dreydl (swing version)
• Christmas Time is Here
• Rhythm-a-ning
• Some Other Blues
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (big band version)
• Chanukah, Oh Chanukah (klezmer version)
• Milestones
• Inchworm
• Sudwest Funk
• Auld Lang Syne (funk version)

Next up for the Jazz Band is the annual last-day-of-school-front-hall gig. It's a tradition here at DHS to perform while people are entering the school on the day before a break. For this one, we always set out a guitar case to solicit contributions for School Chest. This year's beneficiary is Lungevity, an organization that supports lung cancer research. As a school, we will be raising thousands of dollars for them over the next three weeks.

Who chooses the music you hear at the mall?

Want to know why you hear Skrillex when you shop for Under Armour and Tropical Punk when you're at Nordstrom's? Here's an excellent article about a highly successful DJ who is also a professional "playlister" for companies all over America. It's a fascinating look at the business side of pop music.

The article is from a blog I follow called "The Record," which is part of the National Public Radio Music site. I read a lot of their content about jazz, pop, and classical music. They also have lots of streaming audio and video to enjoy. It's a great way to stay on top of what's happening in both the mainstream and independent scenes.

DHS Band Happenings

Well, it's been a busy few weeks for the DHS Bands. Last week was our annual Fall Concert, which featured Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and our 8th graders. I thought the highlights were our performances of music by Vaughan Williams and the JB's closing number, "Rhythm-a-ning." The latter included a triple-sax battle as our soloists duked it out over rhythm changes. We were also blessed with a good sized crowd enjoying the concert.

The annual fine arts assembly was last Friday. I was so impressed with all of our students and my colleagues. We had three very different dance numbers, one of which was choreographed by a member of the Joffrey Ballet. There was a scene from INSIDE/OUT, a play co-written by eight of our theatre students and members of Buzz22 Chicago. It was a satirical look at how teenagers unknowingly invite total strangers into their personal lives through social media.

The visual art students contributed a video showcasing their work with pieces in a variety of media including photography, graphic design, sculpture, painting, drawing, and fashion design. It was very impressive. Then, of course, we had the Choraliers, Jazz Band, and Symphony Orchestra performing music from their recent concerts. All in all, it was very successful, thanks especially to the fine tech theatre students providing sound, lighting, and stage managing. I was very proud of everyone involved.

We closed the fall season with an informal performance for the grandparents yesterday during 7th period. Once again, the Choraliers sang, the Chamber Orchestra played, and the Warrior Marching Band closed the set. It was a fitting end to the grandparents' visit to DHS. Next up is a Jazz Band performance at the School Chest Benefit and the citrus delivery. Musically, we'll be heading into SB/WE units on the Baroque Era, African-American music, and chamber ensembles. The JB is learning about blues improvisation as we prepare for a presentation at the Illinois Music Educators Conference in Peoria in January. Lots to do between now and winter break!

So, as it's Thanksgiving week, I leave you with a Vince Guaraldi Thanksgiving tune from one of the old Peanuts specials. Enjoy!

Elliott Carter, 1908-2012

The Dean of American composers, Elliott Carter, has died at the age of 103. Winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, he was one of the last links to a much earlier era, as he was a protege of early American composer Charles Ives and French composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. He was a contemporary of Copland and Bernstein, and he continued to write music until his death. He wrote more than 40 pieces in his nineties, and 12 since becoming a centenarian. His last work was completed in August, and the Seattle Symphony will premiere another recent work, Instances next February. His music is decidedly modernist, full of dissonance and thorny passages, but the intrepid listener will find it to be tightly constructed and starkly beautiful.

Here is a Spotify playlist of many of his pieces. Check out Shard, Eight Pieces for Four Timpani, the Woodwind Quintet, and Two Controversies and a Conversation. There are also a number of solo pieces for wind instruments--click around and try to find your instrument.

Here is NPR's piece on Carter's career. There is also a video of his last interview, where he speaks to a young cellist about his cello sonata.