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Notes From An Interview With John Garvey

Great band directors have been few and far between in the history of jazz though there have been many great leaders who moulded bands in one way or another. Ellington and Basie did it mostly by hiring musicians with the right experience and leaving them alone. Gerry Mulligan, and Quincy Jones have made particular artistic choices and communicated them well to their respective bands and there have certainly been others in the professional world who have accomplished outstanding things with their ensembles. But the particular skills involved in taking a disparate group of musicians and demonstrating the meaning of music...

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Miscellaneous Notes for Jazz Musicians

Play (sing) as if you could not speak.Music which assaults the mind and restricts it with a numbing drone, commands the brain not to think and holds thought hostage while it rapes the ear. (This includes all music in which there is insufficient change of activity in one or another element of the musical texture. Much jazz radio programming falls into this category.)Become conversant with harmony by employing the conceit that it doesn't exist. Discover the appropriate chords by looking at everything as if it were counterpoint. This works as a general principle from the simplest textures to the most...

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Music In Context

Artistic communication seems to work best when the performer/creators are operating in a context which is well understood by the audience.  There have been many historical examples when, for one reason or another,  a fortuitous alignment of purpose existed between the creative musician and the listener.  Although there is no guarantee that the best work will always be the most deeply appreciated, it is safe to assume that there is a more reliable chance for understanding when the audience is “in on the rules” of the artist’s “game”. One could imagine such a circumstance existing in Bach’s congregation as his cantatas...

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An Unpopular Perspective on jazz Education

Over the years, as I have assumed the role of “Jazz Educator”, both within and outside of “institutions of higher learning”, I have often been approached by students seeking help along the path of learning to be a jazz musician.  In order to understand the student’s direction and to gain some perspective about the background that stimulates their desire, I have learned to ask a revealing question.  “Who is your favorite musician?” It is remarkable that more often than not, I get no clear answer.  There is sometimes a period of uncomfortable silence broken by occasional throat clearing noises, while...

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Department of Lesser Amplification

Music communicates from one human body to another through vibrations in the air.  Anything which intercedes in this connection can only serve to pollute and demean the potential of this communication.  In the light of this observation, the current practice of placing electronic amplification between performer and audience must be understood as interference. Arguments are often put forth which seem on the surface, to refute this one.  “We are bringing the performer closer to the audience through electronic magnification.”  “We’re only adjusting the imperfect balances in the acoustic output of voices or instruments.” “ We’re only adding a little.”  “We...

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