Thelonious Monk

(Requested by ing)
[NOTE: The second post in the Musical Theory series of posts is below]

Link (Thelonious Monk website):
http://thelonious-monk.com/

Name: Thelonious Sphere Monk
Born: October 10, 1917
Died: February 17, 1982
Instrument: Piano

Early Monk:
There isn't much known about Monk's childhood, except he was born in North Carolina, starting playing piano at age six, and moved to Manhattan with his family in 1930. There, Monk's first gig was making rounds as an organist, backing an evangelical preacher. He got a house gig at Minton's Playhouse, which is where he would cement his unique improvisational style, hard-swing. Influences of Monk include Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, James Johnson, and many other early stride pianists. He released his first LP as leader, Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1, in 1947.

Monk vs. "The Man":
Monk had many run-ins with the police during his career, much like every other working black musician in New York at the time.

One such incident was in August 1951, when the New York police searched a parked car occupied by Monk and his friend Bud Powell. As was typical of the time, they found narcotics in the car, which they believed belonged to Powell. Monk refused to testify against his friend, and his Cabaret Card was confiscated. The Cabaret Card was a license, at the time, for a musician to play in a venue where liquor was sold. Without this card, Monk's gig options were severly limited. He spent most of this time playing theatre gigs, out of town, composing and recording.

A second incident was in 1958, when Monk and Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, a wealthy patron of several Jazz musicians of that era, were arrested and detained in Delaware. When monk once again refused to cooperate with the police, he was beaten with a blackjack. The police were authorized to search the vehicle, and once again found narcotics. It is unknown if these, and the narcotics found in 1951, actually belonged to Monk and his companions, or if they were planted by the police. Judge Christie of the Delaware Superior Court ruled that the detention of the pair and beating of Monk was unlawful and rendered the consent to the search void, as it was given under duress.


Monk's Work:
Monk recorded with Blue Note Records in the period from 1946-1952, Prestige Records 1952-54, and signed with Riverside Records following that. Monk's work was highly respected by other professionals in the music trade, but was difficult for record companies to market to the public. Monk's first record with Riverside was Thenlonius Monk Plays Duke Ellington which made him more accessible. Following this, he was requested to put out one more cover album before he released Brilliant Corners in 1956, his first LP of all original Monk material. Monk appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1964, and was signed to Columbia records about this same time. After Monk died in 1982, his music gained a wider audience and he eventually became a Jazz icon. Clint Eastwood made a documantary, Straight, No Chaser, about Monk's life and work in 1989.


Possible Illness and Death:
During the early 1970's, Monk disappeared from the Jazz scene. His last recording was completed in November 1971, and it was said that during this time Thelonious became an extreme introvert. He could go entire tours without talking to anyone. Occasionally, he would stop playing, stand up, and dance while the band continued without him. His playing style was highly unusual, syncopated, and percussive. He was hospitalized several times for mental illness, and although the diagnosis is not known, guesses include bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Symptoms that Monk exhibited would later be seen in Syd Barrett, of Pink Floyd fame. It is unknown whether this was a serious mental disorder, or if Monk was simply "ahead of his time".

Recommended Monk Listening:
- Thelonious Monk And John Coltrane
Fantasy OJC-039
Wilbur Ware, Shadow Wilson, Art Blakey

- Thelonious Monk, Tokyo Concerts
Columbia 38510
Charlie Rouse, Butch Warren, Frankie Dunlop
*listen to the quirky solo on I'm Getting Sentimental Over You

- The Complete Blue Note Recording of Thelonious Monk
Mozaic 101
Four LP set covering from 1947-1957

[Link Removed, File Available Upon Request]

Musical Theory II

Minor keys and their relative majors

Last week we finished with the list of sharps and flats for each respective major key. The major key is the most common of modes, and produces a pleasant sounding, happy result. The second most common of the modes is the minor key, which tends to produce a sad or melancholy result.

The natural minor of any key starts on the 6th note of the relative major scale, keeping the original key signature of the key. For example, the key of A minor would have the relateive major of C (as A is the sixth note of the C major scale). This means that an A natural minor scale would be to play the notes from A to A, with not sharps or flats. Now we know that the key of A major has three sharps, F#, C#, G#. Those of you familiar with the sound of major scales will probably feel like there are "wrong notes" being played in this scale. It just takes a little getting used to.

We didn't call a major key a "natural major" key, so why refer to the minor as natural minor? Because the natural minor of a key is the theoretical minor. In practice there are two played minors, the harmonic and the melodic. The natural minor is the basis for both of these minor scales.

The harmonic minor is the same as the natural minor with the exception of the seventh note, which is raised by one semitone. In our example of A minor, this would have G go to G#, as it would be in A major. The result is a slightly Middle Easern, or Egyptian sounding scale. The harmonic minor scale is the same ascending as descending, much like all of the other scales we have dealt with so far. The melodic minor is slightly different. Ascending, the melodic minor is based on the notes from the natural minor with the sixth and seventh notes raised a semitone. In our example of A minor, this would have F# and G#, resulting in on the the third (C#) being indicative of the minor key. Descending, the natural minor is played.

The above wheel is a circle of fifths. The concept of the circle of fifths is an easy one, the next key starts on the 5th note of the previous key. This circle has both the major and minor keys, as well as the key signatures listed. The circle of fifths will be revisited later as related to chord progressions.

Next week we will cover the modes, in both the Church (Gregorian) and Greek names.

Miles Davis

(Requested by E.L. Wisty)
[NOTE: Basic Theory Post below, first in musical theory series of posts]

Link (Miles Davis official website):
http://www.milesdavis.com/

Name: Miles Dewey Davis III
Born: May 26, 1926
Died: September 28, 1991
Instrument: Trumpet

"Who's that motherfucker? He can't play shit!":
A response from Miles Davis when asked about Cecil Taylor, a free-jazz piano player. Most people either love Miles, or loathe him. He has been regarded as a man who changed the face of music more than once, the father of fusion, an innovator not only in the jazz genre, but one who influenced rock, and also a drug-addicted trumpet player who played many "wrong sounding" notes. Even if listening to his work is a matter of taste, the influence he had on the industry is undeniable.

"I’ll play it and tell you what is later.":
Miles came from a musical family, as so many of "the greats" do. However, even though his mother was a competant blues pianist, she kept this from her son as she felt that kind of music was too low-brow. Instead, Miles was sent to learn at the famous Juilliard School of Music in New York city, an education which he quickly abandoned to track down Charlie "Bird" Parker.

While learning his craft by doing, instead of the strict study environment of Juilliard, Miles also picked up a heroin habit much like his Jazz heros. During this time, his work was stilted, less than spectacular, and in fact, it sucked. Realizing that his career was in jeopardy, Miles returned to East St. Louis, and with the help of his father he kicked his habit. Even though the subsequent year saw the recording of "Bags' Groove", "Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants", ande "Walkin' ", which were considered important recordings at the Prestige label, Miles' career didn't fully recover until he played the Newport Jazz Festival. His rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" redeemed him, and he was back in the game.

Miles formed his first quintet in 1955, with John Coltrane on sax, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on the drums. He made several recordings with this group, later adding Cannonball Adderley on alto sax to record the famous "Milestones". In 1959 Miles Davis recorded "Kind of Blue" which is widely regarded as his masterpiece. Also, during this time, he worked on many recordings with Gil Evans. Miles was no stranger to the music industry rule: "Never turn down a gig".

The second Miles Davis Quintet was formed in 1965, with Wayne Shorter on sax, Herbie Hancock on piano (later to be replaced by Chick Corea), Ron Carter on bass (also later to be replaced, by Dave Holland), and Tony Williams on drums. With this quintet, Miles moved into what is called his "time no changes" period. Unlike the previous movement of bebop, this method of playing is referred to as "out there" and reflects the musical ideas that come to the player as they come to the player, unrestricted by the almost mathematical formulas of the chord changes.

"There are no wrong notes." (Bitches Brew):
Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew", released in 1970, is probably one of the most influencial recordings in music, while also being one of the most difficult to listen to. The concept is a fairly simple one: a group of talented musicians, many of whom are high at the time, play free-form in a recording studio for hours on end. The result of this was taken by Miles and Teo Macero, and spliced together into rather prolific (20min) tracks. While the idea is simple, the result was an extremely complex and interesting recording which influenced the work of many in the music industry, not just restricted to the genre of Jazz. This is the work that seperates the Miles Davis lovers from the haters. Bill Meyer from Ink Blot magazine, a critic, expressed this best when he said: "Davis drew a line in the sand that some jazz fans have never crossed, or even forgiven Davis for drawing."

Personnel on Bitches Brew:
Miles Davis (trumpet)
Wayne Shorter (soprano sax)
Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet)
Joe Zawinul, Larry Young, Chick Corea (electric piano)
John McLaughlin (guitar)
Dave Holland, Harvey Brooks (bass)
Lenny White, Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Don Alias, Jumma Santos (percussion)

"For me, music and life are all about style.":
It must be mentioned that although Miles Davis' style was highly improvisational, it was not what is known as "free jazz". In fact, Miles hated "free jazz". Even though Miles' music could be highly dissonant, as well as spontaneous, it was well planned beforehand to produce a certain result. Miles Davis' work was not based on the "happy accident" philosophy. Miles and Gil Evans would prepare skeletal harmonic frameworks before recording sessions, this was the planning stage. In order to preserve the improvisational nature of his work, the other musicians would only see this framework on the day of the recording. For this reason, Miles Davis hired some of the most talented sidemen in Jazz, and a further study of "the greats" in Jazz can be done by looking into each of the sidemen on any Miles Davis recording.

While able to solo in the busy bebop and post-bop manner, Miles is also well known for his haunting melodic lines. Not only could he weave a beautiful modal line, he knew how to play the empty space between his notes. He is a perfect example of the notion: "What you don't play is just as important as what you do play". A well executed silence can be as potent as a well played note.

Modal Jazz, which made Miles Davis' solos so original, broke many musical rules by inserting notes that would not usually be considered as "in the key of the piece", such as seconds, nines, and sharp thirteens where the chord changes didn't call for them. Miles would do things such as solo in dorian mode, which is a scale based on the second note of the key of the piece. This is an extremely dissonant mode as it is so close to the "correct" key, but not that key, that the ear of the listener keeps begging for it to resolve. A good example of this can be found in Miles' piece "So What". The structure of this piece is AABA, where the "A" sections of the piece are in D dorian mode (or the D major scale played from E to E), and the "B" sections of the piece are in Eb dorian mode (or the Eb major scale played from F to F). While this may sound "wrong" to classically trained musicians, it also creates a tension unexplored before in jazz.

Modes and Moods:
Dorian (I) - happy or joyous, the one we are most used to, the major scale
Hypodorian (ii) - serious, haunting, melancholy, highly dissonant ("wrong" sounding)
Phrygian (iii) - angry
Hypophyrigian (IV) - tender, tempered fierceness
Lydian (V) - happy, sounds extremely close to the Dorian mode
Hypolydian (vi) - pious or sad, the second most common mode, the minor scale
Mixolydian (vii) - pleasant sadness

"A legend is an old man with a cane known for what he used to do. I'm still doing it."
Miles Davis died of a stroke at age 65, on September 28th, 1991. His last album was released in 1992.



[Link removed - available upon request]

Musical Theory I

The basics about scales and key signatures:

A scale is a sequence of notes based on the idea of semitones and tones. A tone is a way of measuring the difference in pitch between two notes. A semitone is half a tone. A scale is a sequence of 8 notes (the first and the last being the same note) which are a set interval apart from one another. These set intervals are:

I -tone- ii -tone- iii -semitone- IV -tone- V -tone- vi -tone- vii -semitone- VIII (I)
For a major scale (e.g. C D E F G A B C)

I -semitone- ii -tone- iii -tone- IV -tone- V -semitone- vi -tone- vii -tone- VIII (I)
For a (natural) minor scale (e.g. A B C D E F G A)

This can be best seen on a piano keyboard:
As you can see by looking at the examples for the two given scales above, tones occur where there is a black key inbetween two white keys, and semitones occur where this black key is missing. A semitone by definition on a keyboard would be two notes that are directly next to eachother (i.e. not seperated by another key). Therefore, from C to C# on this keyboard would be a semitone, as would B to C. On a guitar, the distance between two adjacent frets is a semitone. If you skip a fret, that interval is a tone.

These intervals work out fine for a major scale using the white keys from C to C (the C major scale), but what if we wanted to play a major scale from the notes D to D (the D major scale)? Our semitones and tones would be misalligned if we just used white keys. This is why sharps (#) and flats (b) exist. [Note: A flat usually has a more pointed bottom on it, but it does closely resemble a lower case "b", so for our purposes here we will use "b"]

A sharp is defined as a semitone above the given note. For example, D# would be the next key to the right of D, which would be the black key we can call D#. In a similar respect, E# would be the next key to the right of E, which is a white key already named F. Thus F = E#. A flat is defined as a semitone below the given note. For example Db would be the next key to the left of D, which would be the black key we can call Db. You will also notice that in the above diagram this key is labelled C#. That is because every key is to the right and to the left of another key, so every note is a sharp and a flat. Db = C#. Similarly, Cb would be the key to the immediate left of C, which is a white key already named B. Thus, Cb = B.

These sharps and flats, also referred to as "accidentals", can be used to adjust our scale from D to D so that it is a proper major scale by definition. We would raise the third and seventh notes (F and C, respectively) by a semitone in order to obtain our D major scale. Thus the "key of D major" has F# and C# in it. A key signature indicates which notes need to be sharped or flatted to make sure the scale has the correct intervals between each of it's notes. A piece of music is in a particular key when that piece uses (only) notes from the scale which shares a name with the key.

But, let's face it, to figure out all of this semitone and tone stuff every time we want to play a certain scale would be a hassle. There is an easy way to remember which major scales have which key signatures.

"Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle"

When read from left to right, the first letter of each word indicates a sharp. This is the order in which sharps occur (FCGDAEB). When read from right to left, the first letter of each word indicates a flat. This is the order in which the flats occur (BEADGCF). Then you only need remember how many flats or sharps each major key has.

Sharp Key------# of Accidentals------Flat Key
C---------------------none------------C
G----------------------1--------------F
D----------------------2--------------Bb
E----------------------3--------------Eb
A----------------------4--------------Ab
B----------------------5--------------Db
F#---------------------6--------------Gb
C#---------------------7--------------Cb

Minor keys derive their key signatures from a relative major. Minor keys and their respective key signatures will be covered next week.

Bird (Charlie Parker)

Link (courtesy of Professor Tommy D.): http://www.charlie-bird-parker.com/

Name: Charlie "Yardbird" Parker
Born: August 29, 1920
Died: March 12, 1955
Instrument: Alto Saxophone

Interesting Trivia:
Bleeding Gums Murphy on The Simpsons was modeled after Bird.

Where does the nickname come from?
Charlie Parker loved chicken. Good old fashioned homestyle fried chicken. He is also known as "Yardbird", but the shortened version "Bird" is the more frequently used nickname.

The song "Lullaby of Birdland" is referring to a New York jazz club established in 1949 that was named after him.

Lullaby of Birdland (look up under: Ella Fitzgerald, George Shearing)

Lullaby of birdland, that's what
I always hear when you sigh
Never in my woodland
Could there be words to reveal
In a phrase how I feel

Have you ever heard two turtle doves
Bill and coo when they love
That's the kind of magic
Music we make with our lips
When we kiss

And there's a weepy ol' willow
He really knows how to cry
That's how I cry in my pillow
If you should tell me
Farewell and goodbye

Lullaby of Birdland whisper low
Kiss me sweet & we'll go
Fliyin' high in Birdland
High in the sky up above
All because we're in love

Starting Out: Everyone Has Bad Days
Bird quit school at the age of 15 to follow the dream and become a musician. He didn't realize that jazz songs were only played in a few keys, so he learned the songs in all keys. This, of course, is a marvelous way to learn to play something. But Bird didn't start out as a legend. In fact, once he tried to play Body and Soul in double time on a gig and was laughed off the stage. Another time, while jamming with Count Basie's orchestra he got lost playing I Got Rhythm and the drummer, Jo Jones, threw a cymbal at the young Bird's feet. This is probably the best motivation for learning, and Bird did some real wood-shedding during the subsequent years.

Bebop
Every single sax player wants to play like Charlie Parker. All of them. Parker was a leading figure in the bebop scene in New York. He soloed by building chords on the higher intervals of a song's harmonies, something that sounds incredibly strange unless you are used to it. Fast tempos and a sense of liberation from the original melody-based soloing of the days before were his signature. Also, the flatted fifth is one of the key aspects of Bebop. Strongly dissonant ("wrong" sounding), it soon became just as common as the undetermined thirds and sevenths in traditional blues. Between these, and the tritone substitution, and the diatonic scale, and the modal jazz of the soon to evolve "hard bop" the danceable jazz of the old days was quickly being replace by the frantic, nervous, fragmented and chaotic.

Bebop Scales
Bebop Minor -> I - II - bIII - IV - V - VI - bVII
Bebop Dominant -> I - II - III - IV - V - VI - bVII - VII
Bebop Half-Diminished -> I - bII - bIII - IV - bV - bVI - VII

And example of tritone substitution:
A progression of -> IIm7 - V7 - I
Would become -> IIm7 - bII7 - I

Downfall
Bird had a car accident as a teenager and developed a morphine addiction while in hospital. This soon developed into a heroin addiction which created the illusion for many that his musical genius was related to the drug use, and unfortunately it may have led to many habits in later musicians. Charlie Parker eventually died while watching Tommy Dorsey on television in a hotel room. The cause of death was officially pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, but drug and alcohol abuse had made him so haggard that the coroner mistakenly estimated Bird to be between 50 and 60. He had a wife, a daughter Kim Parker, who is a musician, and a son Baird Parker.

"BIRD LIVES!!" -- Ted Joans

The above is a lead sheet for All My Tomorrows. It gives the melody and the chord changes, and the rest is improvised by the players. This is why jazz is said to be "intellectual music". The players have to know their changes, know what they can do with the changes that will work, and be able to do so at a lightning fast tempo... most of the time while stoned out of there trees. (Let's face it here, it is too often the case.)
A little secret: While improvising in a solo, if you hit a note that sounds wrong, slide it a semitone up or down, and chances are it'll sound better. Never sit too long on a dissonant note, unless you know what you are doing, and are doing it on purpose.

The following mp3 is a sample of Bird playing along with the great Miles Davis (trumpet):

[file removed, available upon request]

The file isn't complete, but you get a good feel for his playing style. Bird's playing is completely unique, his tone has never been matched. A good horn-player's tone is like a man's voice, completely his own. When you listen to the soloing, see if you can hear where the tune would fit in underneath it. It's tricky, but there are clues in places as to where in the chorus he is.

Everyone wants to play like Charlie Parker, no one ever will.

(I will be removing the old mp3's at the end of every week, cause I'm sure I'll be breaking every copyright law known to man. If anyone objects to me putting up the recordings, I will take them down, just request it.)

Settin' 'er up! (...man)

I'm going to spend the next couple of days getting this somewhat set up. First post will be midnight this Sunday, Mountain Standard Time, which is 7 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. First article shall be on "Bird" (Charlie Parker).

If you would like to become a contributor please comment here and I will add you to the group. I've allowed anonymous posters for comments as well, so that people don't have to be bloggers to share an opinion, story, or just generally contribute.

Thanks for the comments all, hope to be up and running soon!