Listening "Blues After Dark." Belgium 1958 ~ Term Paper

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Listening

"Blues After Dark."

Belgium 1958 ~ Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Sonny Stitt (tenor and alto sax), Lou Levy (piano), Ray Brown (bass), and Gus Johnson (drums)

Style of the Piece: Jazz blues (Early Jazz)

Role(s) of piano: The piano is heard in the background, against the horn. The piano player Lou Levy has a solo towards the end of the song but it is brief.

Role(s) of bass: The bass provides a deep sound to counter the loud horns and intermittent piano sound.

Role(s) of drums (including sticks or brushes or mallets): The drum is barely audible, seeming present to serve the rhythm more than anything. He uses sticks on both the drum and cymbals.

Role(s) of horn players: The horn player is the first sound that is heard in the piece and is the most audible. Gillespie uses a mute on his horn for this piece.

In Greater Detail:

For your selected solo within this song:

Identify the Solo: The solo is performed by Dizzy Gillespie from about the 2-minute mark to the 4. He is playing the horn.

How did the solo progress from beginning to end?

The solo begins soft and then builds to a crescendo, slowly becoming louder and more profound until the horn speaks alone among the many instruments.

Was the solo successful? Why or why not?

The solo was extremely successful because it drew attention to Gillespie and seemed to drown out the other players.

What was your emotional response to it?

While listening to the piece, it seemed that at first the horn player was trying to find a voice, representing someone who was not heard in society. Then as he got louder it was like he was forcing people to hear him. It was very powerful to me.

2. "On the Sunny Side of the Street.

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Belgium 1958 ~ Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Sonny Stitt (tenor and alto sax), Lou Levy (piano), Ray Brown (bass), and Gus Johnson (drums)

Style(s) of the piece: Up tempo jazz (Swing Era)

Role(s) of piano: Bass and piano work together to provide the basic song melody during the saxophone solo. During the horn solo, the piano is even more audible.

Role(s) of bass: Bass and piano work together to provide the basic song melody during the saxophone solo.

Role(s) of drums (including sticks or brushes or mallets): The job of the drummer is in keeping the rhythm with sticks; sounds almost like a soft-shoe tap dancer. Symbols pick up during saxophone solo to provide counterpoint.

Role(s) of horn players: Gillespie plays with a mute on his horn. The horns are the most prominent part of the ensemble, serving to replace the vocals for much of the piece. The sax and horn actually seem to be talking to one another as if they are having a discussion through music. Towards the end of the song, Gillespie sings but it is atonal and not entirely pleasant, making the audience desire him to return to the horn.

In Greater Detail:

For your selected solo within this song:

Identify the Solo: Saxophone solo by Sonny Stitt

How did the solo progress from beginning to end?

Starts of strong, continues with long runs which repeat from high notes to lower ones.

Was the solo successful? Why or why not?

The solo was less successful because it took away from the strong melody of the piece.

What was your emotional response to it?

Whereas the rest of the song has a sort of melancholy cheerfulness to it, the solo is sad and somber making it seem disconnected to the rest of the piece.

3. "Lover Man"

Belgium 1958….....

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