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| Program Archives, All that Jazz! |
ALL THAT JAZZ! – Concert Program
March 22, 2009 at 2:30 P.M.
Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts
Richardson, TX
Tommy Thompkins, emcee
One O’Clock Trio^
-Michael D’Angelo, drums
-Ryan Hagler, bass
-Ben Haugland, piano
John Mackey, distinguished visiting composer
Shannon Kitelinger, guest conductor*
Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor
PROGRAM
| Damn |
John Mackey (b. 1973) |
| Star-Spangled Banner |
Arr. by Luigi Zaninelli (b. 1932) |
| Metroplex: Three Postcards from Manhattan |
Robert Sheldon (b. 1954) |
| Blackbird^ |
John Lennon (1940-1980) and Paul McCartney (b. 1942)
Jazz Setting by Shelly Berg (b. 1955) |
| Symphonic Dances from West Side Story |
Leonard Bernstein (b. 1918-1990) |
| Intermission |
| Strange Humors |
John Mackey (b. 1973) |
| Second Prelude* |
George Gershwin (1898-1937) |
| Stablemates^ |
Benny Golson (b. 1929) |
| Blue Shades |
Frank Ticheli (b. 1958) |
ALL THAT JAZZ! – Program Notes
Damn (1998)
John Mackey
John Mackey wrote, “Damn was my first collaboration with choreographer Robert Battle. Robert's request was for a short, dark, rhythmic, angry piece, and this was the result.”
Metroplex: Three Postcards from Manhattan (2005)
Robert Sheldon
Metroplex: Three Postcards from Manhattan was written for Normal Community West High School Band of Normal, Illinois and their 2005 performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The composer describes the work, “A musical portrait of Manhattan’s cityscape, Metroplex opens with a vision of the New York City skyline, evoking looming buildings and concrete canyons. From there, the melody travels to the heart of an urban jazz scene, characteristic of the city’s famous night clubs. Finally, the piece takes us on a wild taxi ride through the heavy traffic of a bustling metropolis. The skyline is seen once more as we leave Manhattan, hopefully to return again soon.”
Blackbird (1968/2005)
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Jazz Setting by Shelly Berg
Blackbird is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles (also known as The White Album). McCartney wrote the song in reaction to racial tensions escalating in America in the spring of 1968. McCartney revealed in 2006 that the guitar accompaniment for “Blackbird” was inspired by Bach's Bourrée in E minor, a well known classical guitar piece. McCartney adapted a segment of Bourrée as the opening of "Blackbird," and carried the musical idea throughout the song. “Blackbird” was recorded in June 1968 in Abbey Road Studios incorporating recordings of a blackbird singing in the background.
Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (1961/2007)
Leonard Bernstein
Trans. by Paul Lavendar
Symphonic Dances from West Side Story was first performed by the New York Philharmonic four years after the opening of West Side Story on Broadway. The songs of the musical had immediately become popular standards, while at the same time, the dance music had been sophisticated enough to find its way into the concert hall, similar to music of a ballet. The following dances are included in Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances: The Prologue; “Somewhere,” a dream sequence in which the two gangs are friendly; Scherzo, a continuation of the dream, as the gangs break out of the city into a world of open space; Mambo, a competitive dance between the gangs; Cha-Cha, Tony and Maria see one another for the first time; Meeting Scene, a short, musical underscoring for their first words together; “Cool,” the Jets anticipate a fight; the Rumble, in which the two gang leaders are killed; and the Finale, love music and a procession that recalls “Somewhere” but now in a tragic mood.
Strange Humors (2006)
John Mackey
Strange Humors was premiered by the Baylor University Wind Ensemble in 2006 at the American Bandmasters Association annual convention in Richardson, Texas. Mackey originally composed Strange Humors for string quartet and djembe while he was a graduate student at The Juilliard School. He later adapted the piece to accompany Robert Battle’s choreography for the Parsons Dance Company. The piece attempts to merge pseudo-African hand drumming and pseudo-middle eastern folk music. A prominent feature of Strange Humors is the pulse provided by the djembe, an hourglass-shaped drum played with bare hands, that has its origins in West Africa.
Second Prelude (1926)
George Gershwin
Second Prelude is set in the form of a simple song (ABA). The plaintive “blues” melody unfolds and develops through a richly harmonic accompaniment into a contrasting middle section and then returns to the original theme. The overall mood is one of contemplation and introspection, a fascinating view into the past.
Blue Shades (1996)
Frank Ticheli
Blue Shades was commissioned by a consortium of university, community, and high school concert bands. Ticheli writes: “As its title suggests, the work alludes to the Blues, and a jazz feeling is prevalent -- however, it is in not literally a Blues piece. There is not a single 12-bar blues progression to be found, and except for a few isolated sections, the eighth-note is not swung. The work, however, is heavily influenced by the Blues: "Blue notes" (flatted 3rds, 5ths, and 7ths) are used constantly; Blues harmonies, rhythms, and melodic idioms pervade the work; and many "shades of blue" are depicted, from bright blue, to dark, to dirty, to hot blue.”
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