Music For Brass - Dimitri Mitropoulos & Gunther Schuller

 

Jazz Suite For Brass

The Jazz and Classical Music Society presents a program of
Music For Brass by Gunther Schuller, John Lewis, J. J. Johnson
Conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos and Gunther Schuller
Soloists: Miles Davis, J. J. Johnson, Joe Wilder
Cover: Don Hunstein / Peter Adler
Columbia Records CL 941
1957

ORCHESTRA PERSONNELS

Symphony for Brass and Percussion: Trumpets (first section): John Ware (solo), Ted Weiss, Joseph Alessi. Trumpets (second section): Mel Broiles, Carmine Fornarotto, Isidore Blank, Horns: Joseph Singer (solo), Roy Alonge, Arthur Sussman, Gunther Schuller. Trombones: Gordon Pulis (solo), Gil Cohen, John Clark. Baritones: John Swallow (solo), Ronald Ricketts. Tuba: Bill Barber. Timpani & percussion: Dick Horowitz.

Other works: Bernie Glow, Arthur Statter, and Joe Wilder replaced Weiss, Alessi, and Blank in the trumpet section. Jim Buffington replaced Schuller in the horn section. Urbie Green and J. J. Johnson replaced Pulis and Cohen in the trombone section. Horowitz does not play on the Johnson composition. Milt Hinton (bass) and Osie Johnson (drums) are added on the Johnson and Lewis works. The Miles Davis solos are played on fluegelhorn, except for his first solo in the Lewis composition, which is played on trumpet.

From the back cover: By George Avakian and Gunther Schuller – The Jazz and Classical Music Society is an organization started in 1955 by John Lewis and Gunther Schuller (it was then called the Modern Jazz Society) to present authoritative and exemplary concert performances of rarely heard music. The emphasis was placed on contemporary music, including that written by composers in the jazz field who would not otherwise have an opportunity for their lessconventional work to be presented under concert conditions.

The Society gave a concert at Town Hall in New York in 1955 and planned a second one in 1956, which was cancelled when an unexpected conflict developed with a performance by the New York Philharmonic-Symphony of the key work of the Society's program, Gunther Schuller's Symphony for Brass and Percussion. Work had already begun in recording some of the music to have been presented at that concert; so it was completed nonetheless, and this album is the finished result.

The aims of the Society were, and are, of a nature de- signed to bring together musicians in both the "classical" and jazz fields. Gunther Schuller exemplifies this intention in this recording, in that he appears as a composer whose work is conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos, a as a conductor of the works by the jazz musicians (whose compositions, however, are not jazz as such), and even as a performer in the Brass Ensemble.

The grave problem of preparing good performances of difficult music is only one of the reasons for forming the Society, but as musicians and composers both Lewis and Schuller felt that it was an extremely important one. For years they felt that the greatest obstacle to the appreciation of unfamiliar music is the number of poor performances. The cost of adequate rehearsals and the finding and assem- bling of capable, willing musicians (not to speak of the countless musical and stylistic problems involved) made first-rate performances of new music a great rarity. When they do occur, they are inevitably the result of considerable financial expense, selfless devotion to the music, an ability to resist the temptations of compromise, and needless to say the necessary musical qualifications of the interpreters. Therefore Lewis and Schuller decided that only a society of musicians (and their friends, whose support and contributions have been invaluable), devoted to such an ideal, could accomplish these goals under the present conditions of the concert field.

The Society's planning of its concerts to date has been. centered around various basic instrumentations. Thus in the first concert the emphasis was on woodwinds, supported by a harp and the Modern Jazz Quartet, a combination of instruments which resulted in a more or less subdued chamber music sound. In the second concert (which will now be given in the fall of 1957), the planning turned to a large brass ensemble, building the program around the Schuller Symphony. With this piece as the representative of contemporary "classical" music, two Gabrieli works to exemplify the earliest innovations in brass writing over 300 years ago, and with the jazz world represented by three of its most outstanding performer-composers, an unusually complete sampling of all aspects of brass writing and playing was programmed. All but the Gabrieli pieces can be heard on this recording.

Gunther Schuller's Symphony for Brass and Percussion was first performed (minus the last movement) in 1950, and presented in its entirety for the first time in the following year at an ISCM (International Society for Contemporary Music) concert, Leon Barzin conducting. It has also been used by Jose Limon as the foundation for one of his chore- ographies, "The Traitor."

In Gunther's own words, "The purpose in writing this work was primarily to write a symphony. Secondarily it provided me with an opportunity to make use of my experiences of sitting day in, day out in the midst of brass sections, and to show that the members of the brass family are not limited to the stereotypes of expression usually associated with them. Thus, there is more to the horn than its "heroic" or "noble" or "romantic" character, or to the trumpet than its usefulness in fanfares. Indeed these instruments are capable of the entire gamut of expression. Their full resources and the amazing advances made-especially in America-in the last 30-odd years have been left largely unexploited by most contemporary composers.

The concept of the symphony is of four contrasting movements, each representing one aspect of brass characteristics. Unity is maintained by a line of increasing inner intensity (not loudness) that reaches its peak in the last movement. The introductory first movement is followed by a scherzo with passages requiring great agility and technical dexterity. The third movement, scored almost entirely for six muted trumpets, brings about a further intensification of expression. The precipitous outburst at the beginning of the last movement introduces a kind of cadenza in which the first trumpet predominates. A timpani roll provides a bridge to the finale proper, which is a sort of Perpetuum mobile. Running through the entire movement are sixteenth note figures, passing from one instrument to another in an unending chain. Out of this chattering pattern emerges the climax of the movement, in which a chord consisting of all 12 notes of the chromatic scale is broken up in a sort of rhythmic atomization, each pitch being sounded on a different 16th of the measure."

As for a discussion of the other works, let's have Gunther, who conducted them, take over at this point. – G. A.

Just about the only common denominator among the three jazz scores is the instrumentation. In every other respect the three works are widely contrasting and represent three definite styles and personalities. Where J. J., the most eclectic (and the only brass-player) of the three, delights in extracting rich, full-bodied sonorities from the instruments, Giuffre in his score tends toward a leaner, more concentrated, almost completely contrapuntal concept of brass-writing; and John Lewis seems to me to stand somewhere between the two. Where J. J. uses the instruments with an intimate knowledge of their every subtle characteristic (and even with a certain degree of caution) which is directly attributable to his first-hand knowledge of brass instruments, Giuffre makes them more subservient to the musical material. Again John seems to combine the best of both concepts.

J. J. Johnson's Poem for Brass opens with a stately introduction, alternating the full brass with cymbal rolls which lead to the main body of the movement, an allegro. Mix- tures of muted and open brass predominate. Miles Davis soon enters, improvising over (and at times almost absorbed by) a constantly active background. J. J. then also solos, in his best unequivocal manner, using previously stated thematic material. A sudden slackening of the tempo leads to an interlude in which the four horns (led by Joe Singer) and the tuba indulge in some luscious parallel har- monies. The following section features Joe Wilder's sensuous trumpet in a balladlike strain.

Osie Johnson's cymbal sets the pace in the third movement, subtitled Meter and Metal. Various brass combinations, sparked by Bernie Glow's driving trumpet, alternate with cymbal breaks. Soon the line of continuity is broken; short chordal outbursts remain, isolated, as if left hanging in silence. Suddenly the six trumpets in unison announce the theme of the following free fugue which forms the main body of the movement. The tuba starts the fugal ball rolling, and as various groups of instruments enter, the web of sound thickens, and the impending climax becomes inevitable. At this point J. J. has ingeniously combined five con trapuntal lines which sound perfectly, both horizontally and vertically; i.e. they make sense both as melodic lines and as harmonic progressions. Milt Hinton's wonderful bass gives this section a special lift. This idea having run its course, four final declamations based on material from the first two movements bring the work to an exciting close. The golden-toned high C that John Ware came up with at half past three in the morning to end the session seemed to me at the time like the final strikeout in a pitcher's no-hit game.

John Lewis's Three Little Feelings show a side of his musical personality not generally known to those who know him only from his work with the M.J.Q. The instrumentation gave him an opportunity to present a more forceful side of himself and to work with a wider dynamic range than the more intimate level of the quartet would seem to allow.

Without benefit of introduction three thematic motifs, drawn in solid unison lines, present themselves in quick succession. These three themes, cast in a minor key, emphasize a certain blue-note feeling, in this case through the use of the flatted fifth. As the themes pile up on top of each other one by one, an ominous note is introduced by a timpani and cymbal roll; but this is quickly dispersed by a relaxing trombone counter melody, played by J. J. Soon Miles enters, playing one of the three motives, a chromatic four-note pattern whose center of gravity is the flat fifth. Out of this eight-bar statement emerges his first improvisation, disarming in its simplicity and economy, but blending perfectly into the character of the piece. Osie Johnson's strong playing sparks the next section, a powerful, snapping outburst in the brass. Later against a background of richly voiced lower brass, Miles returns for a short solo, as if reminiscing, and the piece closes with an almost Brahmsian feeling of gravity.

The second movement, again featuring Miles, presents John in an even more nostalgic and poignant mood. An idyllic atmosphere pervades everything, especially in the middle section where John gently extends two measures in such a way as to give them an almost timeless feeling. The undulating movement in the trombones and baritones makes the chord seem suspended in time, while Miles is free to wander about unhampered, as it were. Also listen to the rich tone of Bill Barber's tuba as he underlines the entire piece, blending when necessary with Milt Hinton's bass.

The third movement returns to the minor key and tempo of the first section. A horn call, beautifully intoned by Jim Buffington, introduces the piece. Then a variant of the chromatic motive from the first movement makes its appearance, leading to J. J.'s finely conceived, perky forty-bar solo. A strong climax and a recapitulation of the horn call (this time played by all four horns) end the piece. In this movement John has made particularly excellent use of the timpani, without resorting to mere effects or bombastic noise.

These pieces are superb examples of John Lewis's creative talent. In a very simple, unspectacular way he combines the romantic and the classical in a judicious blending. His great melodic gift is very much in evidence. John has that rare ability to create a melody which is thoroughly conventional, immediately hummable, sounds as if one had heard it somewhere before, and yet is in fact absolutely original. Above all, this music has that unassailable quality of right- ness for which there is no substitute.

Giuffre's approach, as indicated above, is quite different. In his own words, "brass instruments in large numbers suggest to me ceremonies of perhaps a royal nature, a sense of excitement, as though something momentous were about to happen."

The stage is set by the timpani, playing a rhythm which, says Giuffre, "suggested Egypt to me, and when the brass enter I imagined the approach of a great Pharaoh and his court; hence the title."

The form of the work is quite original, developing out of the thematic material itself. Different sections feature different groups and material. Outstanding, for instance, is the magnificent six-part writing for trumpets alone (about half- way through the piece), where Bernie Glow's high C shines forth like a beacon in the dark. Another highly interesting moment is the bridge featuring a trio of trumpet, horn and timpani. The difficult high horn part is played with consummate ease by Joe Singer.

All the thematic material is finally gathered together for the final climactic section which ends in a blaze of sound, topped by Bernie Glow's high F. (At 3:00 A. M., towards the end of a lip-withering recording session, Bernie's infallible accuracy and power nearly lifted the roof off at Columbia's vaulted studios.) – G. S.

DIMITRI MITROPOULOS musical director of the New York Philharmonic-Symphony, needs no introduction, either as one of the world's greatest conductors or as a champion of contemporary music. His keen interest in the Schuller Symphony and his enthusiastic support of the aims of the Society persuaded him to participate in this unusual recording.

CUNTHER SCHULLER, first horn with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, is self-taught in composition. Among his public appearances, he has been heard as soloist in his own concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony, Eugene Goossens conducting. The present work developed from this appear- ance, having been written at the suggestion of Ernest Glover, director of the brass ensemble of the Cincinnati Conservatory, and conducted by him. Schuller has also performed frequently with jazz groups, including the now famous Miles Davis nine-piece recording group.

JOHN LEWIS, musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet, is responsible for the commissioning of the Johnson and Giuffre works. His first major work was Toccata for Trumpei and Orchestra, introduced at a 1947 Carnegie Hall concert by Dizzy Gillespie, with whose band John first became known as a pianist and arranger.

J. J. JOHNSON has won more jazz polls as the outstanding trombonist of recent years than the New York Yankees have won pennants. He is also an exceptional arranger, most of whose work has been for small combinations. After many years as a featured member of both big bands and small groups, J. J. organized an extraordinary quintet with another fine trombonist, Kai Winding, and since 1956 has been leading his own unit. Poem for Brass is his first large-scale work.

JIMMY GIUFFRE is the only one of the composers in this album to have studied composition extensively; he is, of course, much better known to the jazz public as a saxophonist and especially as a clarinetist. He is one of the musicians associated with the development of a rather unique style of modern jazz on the West Coast, and his new trio is considered to be the brightest and most individual new group to have emerged from this school.