Lesson 6 Essay Sample

Listening Log 4,A. Sound of the music: What does the first selection sound like? (How can we describe it in terms of melody, harmony, rhythm, tone color, and form? How is the sound similar to or different from music you are more familiar with?) (2 points)“Four Brothers” by Woody Herman is fascinating because of its structure, in which four saxophones (the “brothers”) all play together and have an opportunity to take their own unique solos. The beginning section is very pleasing because of its use of harmony to allow all four saxes to stand out, while each solo is incredibly warm in its tone color along with the call and response from the trumpet hits in the background. Despite it being a single section of solos, the four saxes are all distinctive in sound and syncopation, making it unique from other jazz songs of its type.B. Defining characteristics: How is this selection representative of bop? (List 2-3 musical characteristics that you can hear and the location in the song where they can be found.) (3 points)--Answer below:

The average tempo of the piece is incredibly fast, comparatively so when stacked against jazz or swing, throughout the song.

Also, throughout the song, the suspended cymbal provides the majority of the timekeeping rhythm in the drum section of the song.
Around 1:36 is one of several examples of the use of chords to guide the improvised solos, as the chord progression was used in bop (and this song) to act as a starting point from which the soloists could experiment (189). C. Compare and contrast: Now compare the first selection with the second. (In what ways are they alike, and how are they different? How can you characterize the Gillespie sound as different from Herman's? Refer to the Listening Guides in the textbook.) (3 points)--Answer belowDizzy Gillespie’s sound, as his name implies, is much faster and more kinetic than Herman’s, offering an incredibly fast tempo and very complex solos in among the timekeeping rhythms of his big band sound. The tone color is very hot, with a great deal of piano comping and bass walking, along with the horns offering darting, dizzying phrases and complex solos dashing around the steady timekeeping rhythms. D.Your opinion: What is your SUBJECTIVE reaction to these selections? (Do you like one more than the other? Why? Based on what? Of what might they remind you?) (2 points)--Answer below:I have two extremely different reactions to “Four Brothers” and “Things to Come” as the former is very relaxing and soothing, whereas the Gillespie piece screams at you to keep up at times. It can admittedly be very disorienting, and yet at the same time very thrilling, as the musicians play almost too fast for you to keep up. While the Herman piece is probably the one I like listening to more, Things to Come intrigues me in the same way as a magic trick – I just have to know how those trills and fast solos are even possible. Internet Scavenger Hunt. 1. Choose a jazz artist or jazz group, possibly one you will consider using in your music report later in the course. Use one or more of the various search engines and find at least two links that you might use as an information source of supporting material for your music report. For each of the links, list two reasons that the link can be useful to you. (3 points)a. Provide the first link and list the two reasons:http://www.allmusic.com/album/birth-of-the-cool-mw0000111184
- Detailed look at Miles Davis’ musical complexity and influence
- Provides many other reviewed and academic sources with which to expand on informationb. Provide the second link and list the two reasons:http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/oct/13/miles-davis-second-great-quintet
- Offers a comprehensive history of Miles Davis’ influence on jazz
- Provides dates and titles of influential albums and songs2. Choose any one of the jazz periods covered in the text (i.e. early jazz, swing, hard bop, jazz-rock fusion) and list at least two related sites below. For each of the links, list two reasons that the link can be useful to you. (3 points)a. Provide the first link and list the two reasons:http://www.allmusic.com/subgenre/hard-bop-ma0000002634
- Provides a comprehensive look at many influential hard bop artists
- Organized by artist, song, album, date for easy accessb. Provide the second link and list the two reasons:http://www.wwnorton.com/college/music/jazz/ch/12/outline.aspx
- Connected to reputable textbook
- Offers an easy to follow outline for progression and important points of genre3. Find two pictures of either the jazz artist or group and download them onto your desktop. Provide the site or sites below. (2 points)a. Provide two links:http://cp91279.biography.com/BIO_Bio-Shorts_0_Miles-Davis_150550_SF_HD_768x432-16x9.jpg
https://3trior.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/miles-davids-6.jpg4. Find two music files related to the jazz artist or period and download it to your desktop. Provide the sites below.. (2 points)a. Provide two links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8kjOpfMBbM (Birth of the Cool)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNu8V_Dyg1E (Bitches Brew)