Jonathan Fragale, Tenor Saxophone
Jonathan was born on September 29th, 2003 Since the beginning, music has always been a large part of his life. His family is full of musicians. His father has been playing bass guitar in rock bands for more than thirty years. His grandfather was in a singing group. On his mother’s side, many of them either sang or played guitar. One of his mother’s cousins also went to West Chester for music and was even drum major of the Ram Band. Even before he was born, Jonthan was always responsive to music. A story his mother loves to tell from the time when she was pregnant with him, she was sitting out on the deck of the house one night. His father’s band was rehearsing in the garage. When they would start playing, Jonathan would stir about. When the band stopped, so would he. From then on, his family knew that music would likely be part of his life. And right they were.
Jonathan went to school in Roxbury, New Jersey, where he joined band in fifth grade. He started on clarinet. Initially, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep playing and thought about switching instruments. Luckily, he got the opportunity to switch to the alto saxophone the following year. This decision set him on the path he has been following ever since. He fell in love with the saxophone and making music as a whole. He played all through middle school and even joined the school’s Honor Band in eighth grade. Once Jonathan got to high school, his passion for music only grew. He played in concert band, jazz band, Indoor Percussion, took lessons, and played in the Eastern Wind Symphony Youth Band. He knew then that he wanted to pursue music as a career. But his biggest musical passion turned out to be marching band. Jonathan fell in love with the marching arts. Something about the activity just felt right. Spending time with friends, the feeling of being “in” the music, long hours of everyone working together to achieve excellence, and the feeling of putting out a product months in the making that everyone can feel proud of.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to everything during Jonathan’s junior year of high school. Like everyone else, he went from a life full of different ensembles and rehearsals to being stuck at home and attending virtual classes. Without band, Jonathan’s life felt empty. Luckily, school returned for his senior year, but with all the strange schedules, masks, and COVID protocol. There wasn’t really a marching band season other than playing at football games. Indoor Percussion didn’t run that year. School wasn’t the same. Band wasn’t the same. Life wasn’t the same. However, once Jonathan got to college, things started to change. He showed up to the pre-camp rehearsals, things changed for the better. The first time all 250 or so wind players got together in the loading dock of Swope. The winds warmed up and then got to play the Chorale. That was the moment that reignited Jonathan’s passion for music that had been dulled by the pandemic.
Throughout college, Jonathan has been fortunate enough to be part of many new musical experiences. He has participated in the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band, Basketball Band, Concert Band, Sax Ensemble, Jazz combos, Men’s Chorus, saxophone lessons with Professor Ragonese and Dr. Granger, and a number of other opportunities. Jonathan also took the opportunity to learn to play tuba for marching band and had been participating in drum corps since 2022. This summer will be his age-out season with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps. Jonathan is also a brother of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a national men’s music fraternity, in which he was initiated in the spring of 2022. He is currently the Fraternity Education Officer for the Rho Sigma chapter here at West Chester University. Jonathan has also had the opportunity to help teach high school marching band in his time as an upperclassman.
Throughout his time as a member of the Wells School of Music, Jonathan has been able to learn a great deal of new information about the saxophone, music as a whole, teaching techniques, and teaching philosophies. In an environment where music can seem more like a chore and no longer a passion, he has lately had to remind himself why he enjoys music. For him, music is meant to be fun. Making music with friends is fun. The process of making music with others is what Jonathan fell in love with. That’s why he took to the marching arts. As an educator, that philosophy is what he hopes to instill in his future students. Most of the students that will enroll in his music classes and ensembles will not pursue music as a career. Jonathan often says, “I want kids to enjoy band. I want them to enjoy making music with their friends. I know that ninety-nine percent of the students that will enroll in my classes
and ensembles aren’t going to be virtuosos. They all won’t be performers. They all won’t become music educators. But if I can provide an experience that they enjoy and want to come back to every year, then I will have done my job. And as far as building a good, successful program, kids aren’t going to want to improve if they aren’t enjoying the process. But that’s secondary. The most important thing is that my students can walk away from school music having learned useful skills, made lasting memories, and just to enjoy their time making music.”
After college, Jonathan’s goal is to become a high school band director. His teachers were the ones that inspired him to pursue music education, so he wants to give that back. He wants to be the one to help the next generation of musicians find their passion for music.
BlackOrpheus, WayneShorter(1933 – 2023)
"Manhã de Carnaval" ("Carnival Morning"), often referred to as "Black Orpheus", is a song originally composed by Brazilian Luiz Bonfá and lyricist Antônio Maria.
"Manhã de Carnaval" appeared as a main theme in the 1959 film Orfeu Negro, directed by Marcel Camus. "Manhã de Carnaval" appears in the film, including versions sung or hummed by both of the main characters (Orfeu and Euridice), as well as an instrumental version, so that the song has been described as the film’s main theme.
"Manhã de Carnaval" became one of the first Bossa Nova compositions to gain popularity outside Brazil. Particularly in the United States, the song is one of the most important Brazilian Jazz/Bossa songs that helped establish the Bossa Nova movement in the late 1950s. This version of the song was performed and recorded by Wayne Shorter, with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet. The recording was released on Shorter’s album Wayning Moments, released in 1962.
HighFry,EddieDavis
(1922 – 1986)
Edward F. Davis, more widely known as Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, was an American tenor saxophone player born in New York City. The nickname “Lockjaw” came from the way he bit down hard on his mouthpiece. Davis played with big name musicians, such as Cootie Williams, Lucky Millinder, Andy Kirk, Eddie Bonnemère, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie, as well as leading his own bands and recording music Starting in 1955, and up to 1960, Eddie Davis pioneered the tenor sax/Hammond organ combo, in a group featuring Shirley Scott on the Hammond B3. Davis passed away in California at the age of 64.
In the tune “High Fry,” the saxophone/organ combo is on full display, in addition to drums and baritone saxophone, as they play an up-tempo blues. The song was released as part of his 1958 Smokin’ album with Shirley Scott.
PureImagination,LeslieBricusse&AnthonyNewley(1931 – 2021, 1931 – 1999)
“Pure Imagination” was written for the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It was written by British composers Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. Both Bricusse and Newley wrote music for a number of other films. The original song was not popular when it was first released. The film itself was not a blockbuster and other songs from the soundtrack performed better. It was not until the movie began appearing on television reruns in the 1980s that the film and "Pure Imagination" became more well known. The song has appeared in lots of different media and has been covered by several artists, which include Lou Rawls, Ben Vereen, Barbara Streisand, and many others. The song was also performed by Timothy Chalamet in the prequel Wonka.
YellowJacket,ShaunMartin(1978 – 2024)
Shaun Martin was born in Dallas, Texas in 1978. He was a musician, producer, composer, and arranger and was most known for playing keyboard in the Jazz Fusion band Snarky Puppy. He released a number of his own albums, as well
as many others with various musicians. throughout his music career. Martin unfortunately suffered a stroke in 2023. He required constant medical attention and passed away in August of 2024.
The album, “7 Summers,” was his first solo album, released in 2015. The album is meant to be a story of his life and a contribution to the world of music from Martin’s perspective. The song “Yellow Jacket” is the third track on the album. The major key and light, buoyant melodies really bring out the feeling of joy that was intended by Martin. The recording is only a quartet (piano, bass, drums, and percussion), yet the arrangement by Jonathan Fragale features a small horn section in an attempt to resemble a Big Band-like sound, as well as bring in more musicians to make the music a more collaborative effort.
Mr.PC,JohnColtrane(1926 – 1967)
John William Coltrane was born and raised in North Carolina, where he spent most of his youth. He moved to Philadelphia to study music. After his time in the military, he continued to perform in the Philly music scene and eventually became one of the most notable jazz saxophone players in the Bebop, Hard-Bop, and experimental genres. Coltrane spent a lot of time playing with big names, such as Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, and many others. Coltrane passed away from liver cancer in 1967.
The tune, “Mr. PC” is one of the most popular tunes to come from Coltrane. The song is an up-tempo minor 12-bar blues and was released on the Giant Steps album in 1960. This version is based off of a Big Band arrangement by Terry White and adapted to a small horn section. Instead of a fast blues, the tempo is dialed back slightly for a cool Big Band swing feel.