Nature has long inspired creative impulses. In music, an extensive line of composers – from Hildegard of Bingen’s ‘O viridissima virga’ to Oliver Messiaen’s explorations of bird calls – have looked to the environment to guide their work. But in an age where we are increasingly distanced from anything outside a screen-driven social media bubble, […]
We continue our conversation (check out part one here) with NEA Jazz Master Dave Holland by digging into his solo works, bluegrass music, music from around the world, and more. PG: Since musical relationships are very important to you, it would be interesting to know more about your solo bass work on both Emerald Tears […]
Ludwig van Beethoven once noted, “Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend.” Such knowledge includes a unified understanding of humanity in which we all, to some extent, influence one another. Given the brilliance of their output, it is often easy to assume […]
Often, one of the first things a young child learns about a band is that it divides into sections. Horns lead the melodies and craft harmonies, while percussion and bass provide a rhythmic backdrop. However, this segregation of instrumental voices relies on a deeply flawed premise built upon oversimplification. Is a tongue hitting a reed […]
Artists inevitably bring their own perspectives and biases into their interpretation of any work. It is impossible to completely divorce current work from the tinctures of one’s background. A great example is the work of Béla Bartók. Often considered one of the most important composers of the Twentieth Century, Bartók was a founding father of […]
There is a tendency to mythologize someone like Wayne Shorter, who seems larger than life. Or to put the subject on a pedestal with the label “great” without providing a sufficient and accurate discussion of why they truly are so. It becomes all too easy for people with little understanding of the facts to jump […]
Judeo-Christian theology tells the story of the Tower of Babel to explain the existence of different languages and cultures. In the Book of Genesis, a united humanity aimed to build a tower to the heavens until God struck them down and forced the people to have different tongues to confuse them and scatter them around […]
The Newport Jazz Festival has survived seven decades primarily due to how forward-looking it has been. The event has generally recognized talent above notoriety. If you present high-quality artistry, people will support it. Many of the greats tied to the Newport legacy made their most important appearances when they were underrecognized or overlooked. Before placing […]
As the legendary Newport Jazz Festival turns seventy years old, it is all too easy to look back at the ages passed and the brilliant artists who made their way to the City by the Sea. However, sole nostalgia does little to push the music forward. That is not to say that lessons should not […]
We continue our conversation with NEA Jazz Master Stanley Clarke. You can read part one here. PostGenre: You were one of the first people to fully take the electric bass from the background rhythm section to being featured as a melodic instrument. Do you have a sense of why musicians did not do that previously? […]
