Belmont University School of Music Faculty Concert Series presents Bruce Dudley ~ Double Quartet
Personnel
Tracy Silverman*, violin
Ryan Joseph*, violin
Anna Eyink**, viola
Carmine Miranda*, cello
Carter Murphey*, bass
Alex Graham*, saxophones
Marcus Finnie*, drums
Bruce Dudley*, piano
*School of Music Faculty
**School of Music Alumna
Program Notes
The concert opens with two indelible compositions by jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. They appeared on opposite sides of a 10” shellac disc long play record (LP) that Monk recorded for the independent record label Prestige Music in 1952 under the title Thelonious Monk Trio. The arrangement heard tonight combines the two pieces into one by interweaving and alternating between the two pieces’ melodic and harmonic structures, alternating a phrase of one followed by that of the other, and continuing until both have reached their conclusions. In current parlance, this might be called a “mash-up.” For the improvisational sections, an AABA structure was adhered to, as both pieces individually use an AABA form. However, the A section of “Monk’s Dream” was used in its harmonic entirety, while the B section uses the harmonic progression of “Little Rootie Tootie.” The later piece had been composed nearly ten years earlier, around 1943, and titled “The Pump,” but was re-named for Thelonious’s son, Thelonious Sphere Monk III, a drummer who is known professionally as T.S. Monk and whose nick name as a child was Toot.
“Very Early” was composed by jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans while he was a student at Southeastern Louisiana University in 1949, making it one of the earliest of his more than 50 compositions that he recorded over the course of his career. In addition to composing and recording his own pieces, Evans was a masterful interpreter of songs from the Great American Songbook, as evidenced in his recorded output of more than 70 albums as a leader. “Very Early” retains sublime melodic lyricism while pushing harmonic boundaries with ever changing tonic centers. In the first five measures of the piece, for example, he tonicizes C major, Eb major, and Db major, before returning to C major. Other key centers in the piece include D major and B Major, along with returns to Db and C major. Yet, despite all if this harmonic intrigue, he brilliantly crafted a tuneful melody and harmonized it with colorful chord extensions and voice leading.
“Tango D’Orfeo” was composed in 2004 and appears on Bruce Dudley’s 2010 album Mostly Monk. The music was deeply inspired by Dudley’s love and fascination for the powerfully sensual and energetic music of Argentinian composer and bandoneon player
Astor Piazzolla. Like many of Piazzolla’s compositions, “Tango D’Orfeo” has several sections of melodic and harmonic organization that recur and develop, including sections that feature improvisation for the tenor saxophone, cello, and piano. The piece was originally titled just “Tango,” however after listening to the full recording of the work it seemed to suggest a deeper story; one of dark intrigue, fear, courage, longing, etc. The Italian spelling was chosen for Orpheus, the Thracian bard from Greek mythology.
“The Peacocks” is a beautiful and haunting melody that composer and jazz pianist Jimmy Rowles set to rich harmonic sonorities that are mostly in a minor key. He first recorded it in 1975 with saxophonist Stan Getz on the album The Peacocks. It has subsequently been recorded by Bill Evans, John McLaughlin, and Esperanza Spalding. It was featured in the soundtrack to Bertrand Tavernier’s film Round Midnight, featuring Herbie Hancock accompanying Wayne Shorter’s soprano saxophone.
“T.T.T.” composed by Bill Evans, stands for Twelve Tone Tune because the melody consists of a strict succession of the twelve different chromatic pitches that make up the European construct of dividing the octave into 12 equally spaced tones. This 12-tone row is played three times over the course of the 12-measure form, with differing rhythms and octave placements each time. The harmony belies the potential for atonality that 12-tone music often possesses, and instead supports the melody with colorful harmonic root motion of descending fifths with chains of minor seventh chords, two-five cadences, and three consecutive major seventh chords that descend by half-steps. The piece was first recorded by Bill Evans on his 1971 album the Bill Evans Album.
“Misterioso” was one of the first blues-based compositions that Thelonious Monk ever composed. It was first recorded in 1948 for the Blue Note independent record label and released on the album Wizard of the Vibes under Milt Jackson’s name in 1952. Its hypnotic melody consists of a series of intervals of ascending sixths played in constant eighth-note rhythm. This arrangement features improvised solos by seven of the eight members of the ensemble.
“Ask Me Now” was composed by Thelonious Monk and first recorded by him in 1951 for the Blue Note label and released on the album Genius of Modern Music. It is among the most memorable of his ballads and after four sets of chromatically descending ii-V7 cadential chords, settles into the key of Db major. This arrangement was arranged for the string quartet alone and could be considered a thought experiment: “What would Monk’s thematic and harmonic material sound like if it had fallen into the hands of a late nineteenth century European composer who might have appreciated his chromatic tendencies?”
Jazz composer, saxophonist, trumpeter, and violinist Ornette Coleman ushered in avantgarde musical tendencies to the jazz world during the late 1950’s and continued to create new and unique music over the next four decades. “Free” was recorded in 1959 for the album Change of the Century, which featured Coleman on alto saxophone, Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. On the liner notes for the album, Coleman is quoted: “When our group plays, before we start out to play, we do
not have any idea what the end result will be. Each player is free to contribute what he feels in the music at any given moment...our final results depend entirely on the musicianship, emotional make-up, and taste of the individual member.” This arrangement features every individual of the double quartet playing “freely” and “interactively” in the spirit of Ornette Coleman and includes a slower, funkier interlude composed by the arranger.
The following references were accessed in the writing of these program notes: Kelley, Robin D.G. (2009). Thelonious Monk: The Life and times of an American Original. Free Press. Pettinger, Peter (1998). Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings. Yale University Press. Coleman, Ornette (1960). Change of the Century (liner notes). Ornette Coleman. Atlantic Records. SD 1327. Program notes compiled by Dr. Bruce Dudley, School of Music Faculty
Upcoming Concerts and Events
World Fiddle Ensemble
Wednesday March 29, 10:00 am
Massey Concert Hall
Jazz Small Groups II and III
Wednesday March 29, 7:30 pm
Massey Concert Hall
Jazz Band II
Thursday March 30, 7:30 pm
Massey Concert Hall