Charlie Parker: Fact and Mythology

      There are true facts that become our personal history. This includes famous personalities. Our lives are a combination of extraordinary and mundane events that make-up who we are. Charlie Parker was a phenomenal alto saxophonist and composer who lived a life of trials and tribulations while making his mark with his saxophone and be bop.

     Charlie Parker was born August 29, 1920, in Kansas City, KS. Eventually Charlie Parker`s parents would separate from each other, with Charlie Parker and his mother moving across the river to Kansas City, MO at age ten. Charlie Parker began playing alto saxophone after his parents separation. He began playing at Lincoln High School, where he quickly became first chair in his high school band. Purchasing his first saxophone at age 11 after being inspired by Rudy Vallee, and turning pro at age 13 is simply a myth; not true.

     With success in high school band, young Charlie Parker was laughed off stage while sitting-in with professional musicians at a jam session. This public humiliation occurred at the Reno Club in Kansas City, MO. While on stage timing and communication issues took place, while Jo Jones was on drums as a guest in the rhythm section. On "I Got Rhythm" Jo Jones timing was behind Parker, as Charlie Parker continued to rush-through the music. Jo Jones stopped playing, as young 16 year old Charlie Parker froze in place. Jo Jones threw a cymbal at Charlie Parker`s feet, and of course laughter and catcalls soon followed, with Charlie Parker leaving the stage.

     This event happening to Charlie Parker created a desire for Parker to practice upward to 15 hours per day for three or four years. Charlie Parker`s musical success was hard work, discipline and determination to become an absolute master of his instrument. Popular myth would have you believe that his heroin addiction led to his genius; not his hard work.

     In 1936, along with the humiliation suffered at the Reno Club, Charlie Parker married his high school sweetheart, Rebecca Ruffin. Soon after their marriage Parker and Rebecca Ruffin parted ways, with Rebecca Ruffin leaving, and taking their son.

     Charlie Parker and his crew invented a whole new genre of music called be bop. Charlie Parker, famous jazz saxophonist and composer died at age 34, on March 12, 1955, in New York City.

The Essential Elements Of Music

      As I was searching for a topic to write this blog I stumbled upon a tread on Just Plain Folks (an on-line group for musicians) about the components of music. Contributors on this tread suggested there are three or four components of music. I disagree. In music there are five components. Not just components, but essential elements of music. These five essential elements of music are melody, form, harmony, rhythm, and expressive qualities. In this blog I will further describe each essential element.

     Articulation markings, dynamics, style, and tempo markings represent expressive qualities. Expressive qualities serve to express music in meaningful ways. They are signs or words used to indicate aspects of a composition other than pitch and rhythm.

     Form represents shape and structure of composition and song by its pitches and rhythms. A number of organizational elements of a song or composition may determine the formal structure of a piece. Those organizational elements can be broken down to phrases, which a composition will have many.

     Harmony is the result of two or more pitches sounding together. This is basic harmony. As was mentioned, harmony is produced when at least two pitches are sounding simultaneously, whether playing two notes together, or mashing all 88 keys on a piano harmony is produced. However, there is an organized structure for harmony: two notes produce basic harmony, three notes produce a triad, and three or more notes produce a chord. Chords and chord progressions having a pleasant sound are known as consonance, or sounds producing a beautiful effect. Harmony can also produce sounds that are unpleasant, known as dissonant harmony.

     Melody represents that singable tune of a song or composition. Melody is a succession of single pitches that is musically satisfying. A melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm. It is the foreground to the background accompaniment. Melodies consist of musical phrases usually repeated throughout a composition of song.

     Rhythm is concerned with the organization of time through the duration of sound and silence. Rhythm organizes time by regularly recurring beasts. Beats are a succession of strong and week beats, with repeated patterns of movement or sound.

     This is a snap-shot of the essential elements of music. For those interested in learning more about the essential elements of music take a music appreciation class at your community music school, community college, or enroll in a college or university music class. Also, check YouTube, or register for a music appreciation class on-line. I hope this blog has given you at least a basic introduction of the essential elements of music.         

Music Programs in the Detroit Public Schools Community District

      It`s always good to look through my Facebook feeds to see musicians I went to high school and college with. That list also includes musicians from Jr. high. I do not remember the young musicians I grew up with in elementary school, and if some of them are still playing.

     I have developed life long friendships, shared experiences, and a career in music which includes those friends and musicians. Non of this would have happen if not for the Detroit Public Schools and their music education department. If anyone is hawkish on not funding music and arts education, you are closing doors on lives of many who depend on those programs and classes. From 1999 - 2016 that happened.

     Governmental action from those in charge of the State of  Michigan led to substantial cuts in budget and funding for arts education. However, focus has been restored to arts education funding in 2018. The Detroit Public Schools Community District began its commitment to arts education by investing in children to educating the whole child. This phase 1 initiative of Detroit Public Schools Community District k - 8 plan returned arts education programming that was cut during the Rick Snyder years.

     Tier 1 Arts - Intensive (feeder) Schools is geared towards getting serious performing arts students to attend Detroit`s premiere arts high school. Detroit School of Arts is a nationally recognized performing arts high school in Detroit, and has a partnership with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which is only one of 20 partnerships. Other partnerships include MSU Jazz and Community Music School, Motown Museum, Wayne State University, just to name a few. If you are interested in what the Detroit Public Schools Community District is doing with music and arts education, read their plan from 2018 - 19 - Fine And  Performing Arts Plan: Detroit Public Schools Community District. This is a comprehensive plan to restore performing arts and arts education as an essential component to its curriculum.

Making Music During A Global Pandemic

      Practice, practice, practice is what I tell my students to do everyday, even during this global pandemic. Music has not stopped during COVID - 19. I do not mean to suggest the music industry has not been effected by this global pandemic, because it has, with concerts being cancelled, gigs called off, and just getting together to play music is a problem during this time with COVID - 19. Rehearing in public parks in Michigan is seasonal at best. Zoom technology works, but there are challenges to over come.

     Neal Diamond`s video of thousands joining in to participate in singing his song "Sweet Caroline" makes you happy,  but how practical is this to conduct rehearsal, or generally speaking for music making? well, during this global pandemic very practical. Something is better than nothing. Let us all be grateful that vaccines are now available to combat against this virus, and hopefully we can return to life the way we knew it.

     Currently, and before the pandemic, I generally had four performing opportunities available: Student Recitals, Keith Gamble Quartet, BF Legacy Jazz Orchestra, and Freelance performances. Student Recitals are Spring and Christmas recitals my music students participate in each year performing prepared pieces learned during music lessons. Although I am still providing music lessons, COVID- 19 has placed a hold on my student performances. However, we are looking to resume in the spring and winter of 2021.

     As a professional musician before February, 2020, I was not performing daily, but I was performing at least once or twice per month. True, performing one or two monthly performances is not a lot, but those performances with music students do provide a living. For me and my situation COVID - 19 has placed a hold on Keith Gamble Quartet and freelance performances. BF Legacy Jazz Orchestra also saw no performances, but BF Legacy Jazz Orchestra has kept active with out-door rehearsals, Zoom meetings, and trying to stay active using Zoom technology.

     For all of us 2020 has been trying, and I think it is safe to say we are glad to see an end to 2020, and an ushering in for 2021. Happy New Year to all, and looking forward to seeing you on the band stand or in the audience.

Supporting Musicians During COVID - 19

     COVID - 19 has effected all of us in the music business. Some of us are fortunate to continue performing for live audiences, but even those lucky few are not performing the number of gigs before the virus. In other words, there is no sustained work for musicians. This includes symphony orchestra musicians.

     Symphony orchestras operate with an overhead of financial commitments to its employees. These employees are not only musicians, but other support and professional staff to oversee and promote orchestra business, such as ushers, box office personnel, and maintenance workers. This has not gone unnoted to supporters of orchestras. Supporters of the Boston Symphony Orchestra have put-up a GoFundMe account to raise $100,000 for laid off employees of that orchestra.

     An organizer supporting Boston Symphony employees who have been laid off established a GoFundMe fund for laid off employees to secure financial assistance of $500.00 for furloughed employees. Each employee received more than the original $500.00 goal. Employees of the Boston Symphony Orchestra were laid off on August 21, 2020, began receiving disbursement of funds the week of September 14. These pay-outs were given to both full-time and part-time BSO employees.

     During COVID - 19 fans are not flocking to concert halls to see orchestras, or any musical groups at 100% capacity. However, music organizations are putting together performances for a limited number of people, with social distancing, face mask, and other protective measures. 

        

Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Music and Politics During The Black Arts Movement

Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Music and Politics During The Black Arts Movement:       Let me begin by stating the obvious - as musicians we love to play music. Do we get involved in music to fulfill a political agenda? w...

Music and Politics During The Black Arts Movement

      Let me begin by stating the obvious - as musicians we love to play music. Do we get involved in music to fulfill a political agenda? well, I suppose some do, but generally speaking musicians play music for musics sake; we love to play. Not all musicians during the Black Arts Movement were motivated by political and social issues, but were expressively creating and experimenting with innovative approaches to improvisation, sounds, and interpretation as a canvass for new music at that time.

     Creative musical expressions from African American musicians of jazz avant-garde in the 1960s was viewed as authentic artistic blackness. Authentic artistic blackness was seen as a way to fight against racism and oppression, while maintaining a self - determination for black identity. Authentic artistic blackness meant no separation from art and life, and black identity and struggle. "Black music as black identity" (The Challenge of the Changing Same: The Jazz Avant - Garde of the 1960s, the Black Aesthetic, and the Black Arts Movement - Jason Robinson, University of California, San Diego) is a repeating theme of authentic artistic blackness. This idea of authentic artistic blackness also extends to Christianity and the black church.

     In Dr. James Cone`s book - A Black Theology of Liberation, published in 1970, argues "Christianity and Black Power were not only compatible, but were critical for continued Black-American survival, resistance, and liberation" (pg. 207, The Aesthetics of Blackness: Theology, Aesthetics & Blackness in the Black Arts Movement Western Aesthetics and Blackness, by Damon Powell, Ph.D. - The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol. 11, no. 6, April 2018). Music of the Black Church serves as a starting and departure point for many in the African-American community. As black music evolves it moves away from church. However, Amiri Baraka`s argument maintains "the new jazz" (or jazz avant-garde) is conscious regarding religion. For example, John Coltrane`s A Love Supreme.

     A connection has been made to suggest Black Art is aesthetically and spiritually linked to concepts of Black Power. This was an African-American led movement centered around activism and art, with a message of black pride. Jazz avant-garde contains three pillars - the press, writers of the Black Arts Movement, and musicians performing jazz avant - garde music. Did every African-American musician performing jazz avant - garde buy-in to the tenets of the Black Arts Movement? Some did, but not everyone.

     John Coltrane`s discussions with music critics during this period spoke of his music in technical and expressive elements, not nationalistic terms. In his letter to Down Beat magazine in 1967, Ornette Coleman stated that we "get off this war - jazz, race - jazz, poverty - jazz, and b.s. and let the country truly become what it is known as (GOD country)" (The Challenge of  the Changing Same: The Jazz Avant - Garde of the 1960s, the Black Aesthetic, and the Black Arts Movement - pg.18). These comments demonstrate not everyone was embracing the Black Arts Movement as a political and social stance, also, not simply performing music for musics sake, but to proclaim technical and expressive components. It all goes back to musicians love to play.