Jazz Composers Workshop
The Jazz Composers Workshop was an American jazz group in the area of Third Stream, founded by Charles Mingus, Teo Macero and John LaPorta.
The workshop
Under the influence of Lennie Tristano's musical ideas, 1953, the Jazz Composers Workshop was created by the bassist and bandleader Charles Mingus, clarinetist and alto saxophonist John LaPorta and the tenor and baritone saxophonist Teo Macero. Earlier, there had been 1953 concerts under the name Jazz Workshop in Putnam Center in Brooklyn, organized by Mingus. The concept of this band was to set distinct boundaries in closer to European classical music traditions of collective jazz improvisation: Such a tool should be the respective leading and the others accompany it or comment on it. It should rather melodic themes and moods are created as chord sequences. At the same time Mingus ' contributions to the plates of the workshop direct relationships with his later work: the piece Thrice Upon A Time leads directly to Jump Monk ( 1955), Minor Intrusions Pithecanthropus Erectus to (1957). In his later jazz workshop projects Mingus but solves more of predetermined composition frame.
A strong influence on the group had the music of the trumpeter and arranger for Count Basie, Thad Jones, and Bennie Green: Charles Mingus had taken the trombone on his debut record deal and played at the Four Trombones project with that of jazz workshop concerts in 1953 emerged with Kai Winding, JJ Johnson and Willie Dennis and Green. Another musician, saxophonist George Barrow (ts, bs), the pianist Mal Waldron, John Lewis, Wally Cirillo, vibraphonist Teddy Charles, cellist Jackson Wiley and drummer Rudy Nichols, Art Taylor and Clem de Rosa participated in the workshop.
The music of Charles Mingus appeared at that time less experimental, but " academically " oriented and closer to the cool jazz and contemporary music concert than on bebop. Overall, the recordings have a more sombre, muted tone (which they also earned the scorn of Miles Davis, the pieces partially as " tired painting ," partially " depressed " occurred ), as opposed to later jazz workshop.
The term jazz workshop was Charles Mingus continue to use for his band projects and plates; so comes the album Pithecanthropus Erectus by Charles Mingus Mingus Jazz Workshop and even named his record label and its existing publishing today after setting the operated jointly with Roach Debut Records Jazz Workshop and let protect this term as a trademark. His groups, such as the early and mid -1960s, with Eric Dolphy, operating under the same name.
The records of the Jazz Composers Workshop
- Charles Mingus: Jazz Composers Workshop ( Savoy SV 0171, 1954-55 )
The plate includes two sessions of the workshop in different occupations. The first recording session on October 31, 1954 contains four compositions by Mingus, Purple Heart, Greg Arian Chant, Getting Together and Eulogy For Rudy Williams, and the standard Tea for Two. Except Mingus involved: Teo Macero (ts, bs), John La Porta ( cl, as) Mal Waldron (p) and Rudy Nichols (dr ).
Charles Mingus wrote in the liner notes: " " Greg Arian Chant "and" Getting Together " are new inventions an old idea I played this kind of" Head Arrangement " in 1946 in the Down Beat club in Los Angeles in a band called " Stars. of Swing. " with musicians like Buddy Collette, Britt Woodman and Lucky Thompson I mean, to play in this style is the safest way of musical expression (...) to. " Purple Heart " listed Mingus: I wrote it as easy as possible. of Miles Davis to record it with baritone saxophone, bass and drums " Eulogy for Rudy Williams" was written as a tribute to the late tenor saxophonist, member of the Savoy Sultans to " Tea For Two " Mingus notes,. I used this one title, but you can just as "Body and Soul ", " Perdido " or even "Prisoner of Love" hear
The second session of 30 January 1955 on the Mingus also was involved, was led by pianist Wally Cirillo, who all contributed pieces and arrangements (smog LA, Level Seven, Transeason, Rose Geranium ). In addition, George Barrow, Kenny Clarke and Teo Macero played with.
- Charles Mingus: Jazzical Moods (Period SIP 1107 )
This plate in December 1954 under the title intrusion ( Ember CJS 832) published. She appeared as a CD under the title The Jazz Experiments of Charles Mingus ( Bethlehem ) and Abstractions ( Affinity AFF 750). It contains more music from the environment of the Jazz Workshop, as the Cole Porter standard " What Is This Thing Called Love," " Stormy Weather " by Harold Arlen, the Mingus compositions " Minor Intrusion ", " Four Hands ", "The track of The Moment " (based on George Gershwin's" S ' Wonderful ") and" Thrice upon A Time ". The piece " Abstractions " comes from Teo Macero. Besides Charles Mingus ( b), and Teo Macero (ts, bs) play John LaPorta ( as, cl ), Jackson Wiley (cello) and Clem de Rosa (dr ) with.
The CD also contains the Abstractions instrumental pieces of the later album A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry from 1957, namely " Nouroog ", " Duke's Choice " and " Slippers" with Bill Hardman ( tp) Jimmy Knepper (tb ), Shafi Hadi (ts ), Bob hammer Horace Parlan or (p) and Dannie Richmond ( dr).