Impressions explanation

As one can see, my aim with this project was to translate my impressions of Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” and emotions from it onto paper. I listened to the tracks once through and then wrote my first take on it in my journal. I then realized the album’s potential as an in-depth writing assignment, so I listened to it again, recording the words and thoughts that came to mind. I decided to have no filter – like the recording, the process was a one-run ordeal where I just wrote words and phrases that felt and images that I saw. Obviously, parts of speech and proper form didn’t matter.

Finally, it’s important to note that I wrote this before reading Ashley Kahn’s A Love Supreme, which provides a comprehensive analysis of the song and its making.

Thus, as my journal entry shows, my interpretation of Coltrane’s work was different from his intent. Knowing the title, I thought the four parts of “A Love Supreme” were symbolic of four stages of love – the acknowledgement that one loves someone, the resolution to act on those feelings, the pursuit of the love, and the psalm that comes afterward. However, I felt my own interpretation broke down at the last song because the title didn’t really make sense and the entire mood of the song wasn’t the happy-go-lucky feel that defines new couples. In my journal entry, I wrote that it could possibly represent a break-up or divorce, but deep down I felt this wasn’t completely right either.

Oddly enough, my first-instinct writing exercise above turned out to hold the clue to what Coltrane meant by his album. Coltrane, of course, dedicates the album to God, and “A Love Supreme” refers to his love for the Almighty. After reading the book, I went back and looked over what I wrote for “Psalm.” Without realizing the deeper meaning, I had already attributed words such as “heavenly,” “auspicious,” and “mystical” to the piece. I found this very interesting because my rational guess as to what Coltrane was trying to convey with his album was wrong but my natural reaction when listening to it was fairly close to his intent.

Seeing this caused me to start wondering about the nature of art and artist’s intent. In almost all forms of art, the artist and the viewer (or listener) of the art are removed. Though an author may intended to convey a certain theme in his book, a reader may come to an entirely different conclusion of the book’s meaning after reading it. This naturally leads to the question – who is right, the author or the reader? Because that is an age-old question that has no solid answer, I will attempt to apply the question to Coltrane’s work specifically rather than address it as a whole. In this case, I would have been left with my different interpretation had I not read the book. However, my linking the song to the divine hints that maybe Coltrane so skillfully conveyed his intent through his work that his interpretation of the song is nearly universal. Though I am only basing this on the exercise above, I honestly think the song has a divine aspect that is probably apparent to most people who listen to it. Because it was unfiltered and completely spontaneous, writing whatever came to my mind was a unique and interesting way to explore artist’s intent, and I feel it worked well in this case.

A Love Supreme- impressions

Mystical. Anticipating. (0:30) Familiar. Repeating. Growing. (1:05- Sax solo) Melodic. Calm. Sunny day. Jumpy but rhythmic. Clear. Resonant. Smooth. Purposeful. Repeating but different. Blowing wind. Peace. Acceptance. Brief strife. (4:55) Return. Melody. Predictable yet changing. Experiments. (6:08) Chanting. Repetitive. Trance. Hypnotized. (6:43) Return to simplicity. Hushed excitement. Fading. (7:25) Slowing. Thoughtful. Acknowledgement.

Still Thoughtful. (0:21) Explosion. Rhythm. Singing. Repeating. Thinking. (1:52- piano solo) Delicate. Light. Floating. Clouds. Flying. Sky. Clear. Melodic. Dance. Building. Chords. (4:00- sax) Earth. Ground. Grass. Walking. Admiring. People. Carefree. Different. Habit. Everyday. (7:05) Fading. Resolution.

Explosion. Pulsing. Rapid. Avalanche. Chase. Flood. (1:30) Respite. Running through a busy city. Obstacles. Rhythmic. Comfort despite uncertainty. Slowing. (4:19) White-water. Crescendo. Bursting. Alive. Fast. Crazy. Random yet methodical. Morphing. (7:12) Slowing. Denouncement. Change. Turn-around. (7:50- bass solo) Thoughtful. Delicate. Plodding. Tranquil. Contrast. Drawn-out. Introspective. Pursuance.

Tempest. Omen. Auspicious. Love. Peaceful. (1:45) Heavenly. Swelling and Receding. Clear. Meditative. Singular. Message. (4:00) Steady. Unchanging. Floating. Mystical. Poetic. True. Calm. Sun. Grand. (6:30) Beauty. Freedom. Truth. Psalm.

A Love Supreme.

Jazz experiment

Jazz originated in the inner city with Harlem hosting the first major jazz club, Minton’s. As a direct result, those around the music faced many of the same problems that those around hip-hop, for example, face today: drugs, poverty, and violence. In the 40’s and 50’s, drugs were a part of jazz partially because drugs were in the environment where jazz thrived, which is probably why early artists got into them in the first place. After that, a vicious cycle took over – jazz was trapped in a drug-infested area, the inner city, and drugs became a form of validation for artists.

Jazz is one of the most complicated genres in music because it flies in the face of all that classical music theory preaches. Gone are the well-tuned chords and perfect harmonies of the piano. In “Little Rootie Tootie,” Monk plays clashing chords throughout the song, a sin no classical piano player would ever commit. Thus, my conjecture is that the drugs were, and possibly still are, a tool to compose and comprehend jazz. In particular, marijuana is known to alter perception in general and can affect how an artist feels the musical space of a certain song. When listening to jazz, I often wonder how anyone has the mental capacity to arrange jazz pieces. Rock stars, r&b artists, and classical composers have a set of rules (chord progression, music theory, etc.) that they follow to make their music, but jazz doesn’t have any of that. Furthermore, pieces that are improvised are more difficult still to play – the average musician would have a very hard time playing a piece well spontaneously.

To see if my hypothesis held any truth at all, I decided to set up an experiment and test it. I got some friends together and explained my paper and problem to them. They agreed to help me test my hypothesis, that marijuana aids the understanding of and creativity within a musical space. We picked songs of various genres to increase the scope of our experiment. The songs picked were Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd), Going to Califronia (Led Zeplin), Because (The Beatles), Blueberry Yum Yum (Ludacris), Higher (Twista), and Yeah (Lil’ John). I purposely left a jazz song off the list because I wanted the songs to be ones that everyone was familiar with. The songs were all listened to first once through and then again under the influence of marijuana. The results were clear – marijuana definitely influenced the way the music was perceived.

The most overwhelming feeling was that I was inside the music. The first time through, I felt that we were hearing the music and could pick it apart, but the music was definitely more distant. The second time through was completely different – though it sounds cheesy, I actually felt at one with the music. I could focus in on individual components of the songs and drown out all the other parts instantly. The time of the music also seemed slowed down, making analysis of the songs easier. Furthermore, I attached symbols and meaning to different aspects of the songs much quicker than I normally would have done. Different instruments and sounds seemed louder and oddly distorted but in an audibly pleasing way. From an artist’s standpoint, it would be much easier to immerse oneself in the music and spontaneously harmonize with other instruments after smoking marijuana, provided the loss in dexterity due to it is not too much.

Thus, I concluded that my hypothesis was at least partially correct. Marijuana definitely has the capacity to increase musical creativity. Even if artists didn’t do it while they played, it could possibly have assisted them in composing material. It possibly taps into an unconscious part of the brain that allows the senses, hearing in particular, to be manipulated and sharpened while simultaneously freeing one from standard societal confines. Jazz, a genre nonconformist in nature, would be a prime example of an expansion in musical creativity due to marijuana.

Love Supreme (2nd)

I decided to write a second time on A Love Supreme after reading the book because I realized how wrong my "interpretation" was. Coltrane dedicated his work to the Lord, a possibility that I completely overlooked. So I was very wrong. However, this got me pondering a different question - how important is intent in the arts? No one really knows the message Da Vinci was trying to convey through the Mona Lisa, but part of a reason for the painting's fame is simply because we don't know his intention. I think one of art's qualities that makes it so special is that its meaning is abstract. Physics formulas and economic principles aren't open to interpretation, but art definately is. So, even though my take on A Love Supreme was completely different from Coltrane's message, I think it still holds some validity as an interpretation.

A Love Supreme

As a continuation of the listening exercise I did with Acknowledgement (the first part of A Love Supreme), I listened to all of A Love Supreme and realized that perhaps Coltrane is trying to tell a story with his four works. The first clue is their respective titles - Acknowledgement, Resolution, Pursuance, and Psalm. Deeper than that, each individual piece seems to tell its own story, revolving around its title. The most obvious of these is Pursuance, which is the fastest paced song of the 4 and immediately gave me the image of someone pursuing someone else. It is filled with ups and downs and varying tempo, but maintains a fairly frantic pace most of the time, as any good chase song should and even slows down at the end to symbolize a successful pursuit. Likewise, Acknowledgement and Resolution are both slower and more thoughtful, as they represent the introspective emotions and actions that accompany love. However, most of Psalm is also slowly paced, which seemed odd at first. Upon further examination, though, it makes sense as it symbolizes a break-up or devorce from his love, as the song has a definate sad mood to it. Overall, this could just be an incorrect interpretation but I think I found a storyline that Coltrane may have been trying to convey.

Note: this was written before reading the book

Listening

I decided to focus on the listening aspect of music. Much like the exercise where I sat outside and didn't talk, I put on the first part of Love Supreme, closed my eyes, and made sure there were no other sounds. My goal was to really hear the music. At first, it was tough to pick out the instruments, but it quickly became easy and a short while later I felt like I was in the music. I could easily pick out each instruments and concentrate on its own rhythm. Cooler still, based on the pitch of the instrument I was listening to, I could perceive the other sounds spacially - when concentraing on the bass, for example, I felt that the tenor sax was somehow above me. It's an odd phenomenon to describe, but that is exactly how I felt. Each part became magnified when I'd focus on it but would fade into the background when I wasn't. I realized how much was going on and couldn't believe I had been almost literally not hearing all that went on in the song. Despite the limited number of instruments, so many things are happening at any moment of the song that it is impossible to hear all of them the first time through. Overall, truly listening to Coltrane's masterpiece was an awesome experience and one I intend to do again.

Recording Technology

Over the past 50 years, as jazz artists have risen to prominence and then slowly declined, recording technology has changed the way we hear and remember those artists. When Monk first became popular, layering technology was not really around. On many of Monk's and Ellington's pieces, one can hear the flatness of the music - there is no depth to the sound and the quality is very poor. This is obviously because the technology to make the music crisper and layer was not around back then. With more recent songs, the sound is much clearer and one can tell that the individual insturments were recorded seperately and then put together. They are easier to pick out and seperate from one another.

One pecularity we discussed in class was why certain bands today choose to go for the "garage band" sound. That is, despite the plethora of technology available, they choose to record at a low quality. I don't completely agree with the conclusion the class came too - that artists do it to make their music sound more authentic and "real." I think this is only partially the answer, and that in reality the artists don't have much choice. Since their chord progressions and general sound is so pedestrian and average that recording it in high quality would not be interesting. Most "garage bands" don't have a lot of originality and complexity in their songs and stick to the same rock chord progressions. Thus, recording low quality blends the various instruments together better and allows for an unoriginal piece to sound more interesting. I don't know if they do this conciously, but I think this is a fairly big reason.

Friday the 13th

I chose to listen to this song at first because it's interesting name. However, after listening to it I realized that it was a pretty good piece, so here I am writing about it. It is fairly upbeat throughout and is fairly length, clocking in at 9 and a half minutes. Monk opens the song in his signature style with a short, melodious piano solo. The sax copies the solo rift and repeats it at various points throughout the song, as if it is the piece's melody. The piano and bass comp for a short while until the song proceeds into the sax solo. The solo is very light and quick-paced. Monk follows with a solo of his own. As usual, he does more with space and silence rather than filling the sound with rapid succesion of piano notes. Towars the end, the sax comes back in and comps fairly well. The sax has another minute-long solo, and then the song comes to a close.

White Christmas

I knew I had to hear (and write) about this song from the moment I saw it on the list of mp3s because I love jazz covers of other songs. Furthermore, Parker's rendition of one of my favorite Christmas carols was something I didn't want to miss. And it didn't dissapoint. As I partially expected, the song isn't just White Christmas, but a medly of christmas carols with Parker's improvisation thrown in. The song begins with a verse of White Christmas but then breaks off and plays little portions of many carols. In between, Parker improvises scales that help the songs string together seamlessly.

Cotton Tail

This lively piece by Duke Ellington is typical of his upbeat, big-band style. With a drum keeping a steady beat, the song is characterized by the tenor sax and other wind instruments. The sax is at the forefront nearly the entire songs and often does scales, though a lower sax has a solo towards the beginning of the song. The song maintains an upbeat rhythm throughout, enhanced greatly by the rolling melody of the sax and steady beat of the drum. The bass also underscores the beat. Though there are many instruments playing, they blend together well and sound very cohesive. Without listening closely, I found it hard to pick out the individual instruments, and it was even difficult once a I tried. This can be attributed to the plethora of instruments that play in the background, so I "hear" them, but I don't really hear them. Overall, I like the song because it is swift and upbeat. In fact, it borders on swing, which may have been a criticism from jazz fundamentalists of his day. Regardless, swing or jazz, it is a well crafted piece.

Africa (Coltrane)

Though many students seemed to have difficulties creating a visual space of Coltrane’s “Africa,” I found the task much easier than I expected it to be. On the whole, I don’t consider myself a very artistic or creative person. However, on this occasion, once I sat down with the song and really thought about what it brought to mind, the ideas flowed like a river.

The first part of the assignment, choosing a physical lay out for the project, ended up being the toughest. Initially, I figured I would paste words and pictures on a single sheet of paper, but that seemed hackneyed, especially once I got to class and found that that was what most people had done. I realized my original set-up was too small and lacked color. So, I used a large sheet of green paper because green was the color that came to mind when visualizing the song as a whole, which was probably because it brought to mind images of forests and plains. As I began brainstorming for images to paste on the paper, I decided that my focus for the song, the two and a half minute drum solo approximately from 10:00 to 12:30, wasn’t a very “green” part of the song. I felt that yellow better conveyed rhythm of the drums and symbolized how it was glaringly different from the rest of the piece. Finally, I stapled both papers to a piece of cardboard to add rigidity because portions of the song radiate strength and courage (especially the parts that are tribal-like), and the paper by itself was not very strong.

Once the design was in place, the pictures and words came naturally. Though many members of the class did otherwise, I left my visual space more free and open than cluttered, representing the nature of the piece. Most of the song is devoid of many instruments playing simultaneously or a quick tempo – Coltrane, much like Monk, makes use of space, silence, and a slow tempo. The piece as a whole brought forth peaceful images to mind. Even the faster tempo portions did not seem vicious – I pictured a resting tiger rather than a roaring lion. I could almost see the vast savannah and luscious forests of Africa. As the song progressed, the images did likewise, moving from a artistic jazz musician to the more natural impressions toward the end of the song.

The one glaring exception was the almost three minute drum solo. At first, it seemed odd because it felt as if it had been needlessly put there. However, after a couple listens, I realized that it served a purpose while I slowly became enamored with it. The deep sound of the drum conveyed strength and quickness, symbolized by the lightning and roaring lion. Most of all, the pulsing beat reminded me primarily of the African tribes and tribal rituals. It conjured up vivid visualizations of the native people’s lifestyle, as Coltrane probably intended. Much as drums did for the tribes, the drum in the song carries the beat and sets a rhythm that creates a mood for the entire piece.

Overall, the interesting juxtaposition of the drums and the rest of the song are, in my mind, the essence of Coltrane’s work. Thus, I put the representations for both parts back-to-back, as they are starkly different and yet inevitably tied together. Though the thought process behind my visual space seems intricate, the ideas flowed very freely, especially after I had a layout in mind. I really enjoyed the experience because it caused me to open my eyes and see a song, as well as myself, in a different light. In the end, I think my surprisingly creative interpretation of the song helped ease the task of creating the visual space.

Sounds of silence part 2

(transcribed from handwritten copy)

So, it's a beautiful spring day, a great time to go out onto College Green and listen to Penn, literally. The second listening exercise was quite an interesting experience. At first, I felt I couldn't really hear anything. Sure I could hear people talking, but that was about it. As I concentrated, I realized I could focus my hearing, eavesdropping on entire conversations quite a distance away from me. Slowly, I let myself relax and unfocus, choosing to hear the sea of voices all around me. My hearing floated above the voices, as odd as that may seem, and I could slowly pick out other sounds. The wind gently brushed the leaves, and the generator atop the hospital provided a grumbling backdrop that was steady and yet went through sonic cycles, growing louder and softer periodically. After concentrating on it, I realized that the generator was actually quite loud and wondered why the noise didn't bother people more than it did. It must be because the kind of sound it makes is not bothersome unless one focuses on it specifically. Overall, I was pleased to find that my hearing has progressed since the first assignment. It took me much less time to become adjusted to the sounds around me and start "playing" with my hearing by focusing and unfocusing it. I was able to pick out sounds much easier and focus on them. I've actually realized this while listening to jazz (and other music as well), I can pick out individual components of the music easier now than at the begininning of the semseter, probably as a result of the class as well as my a capella group, where I do similar exercises to focus on my voice part.

Little Rootie Tootie

Thelonious Monk’s “Little Rootie Tootie” is an energetic, upbeat song that cleverly and uniquely incorporates dissonant chords as part of its chorus. Monk composed the piece for his son and modeled the music around the sounds of a train. The fairly quick tempo helps create an optimistic and playful mood that is enhanced by solos on the tenor sax, the trumpet, and, of course, Monk’s piano.

The introduction is typical Monk, a short set of single notes that make more use of space and silence than chords. As the drums, tenor sax, and trumpet come in, the song quickly gains an upbeat feel, with Monk complementing the other instruments on his piano. This part of the piece has a strict form that includes repeating verses and choruses, marked by three dissonant chords on the piano. After a couple minutes, the tenor sax has a solo marked a by a melodic, relaxed pace. Immediately following the tenor sax is a trumpet solo, but this one is at quicker tempo. Halfway through the solo, Monk’s comping turns into his part for the chorus, blending well with the trumpet. Monk has a solo afterward, which slows the tempo back down, characterized by his unorthodox way of making dissonant chords and clashing notes audibly pleasing despite their unattractive nature. This feeds back into the chorus, followed by another relaxed tenor sax solo. However, when the trumpet comes back in, the tempo speeds up and reaches a frantic pace at times, contrasting nicely with the more laid back atmosphere of the rest of the song, before slowing back down towards the end of the piece.

Monk modeled “Little Rootie Tootie” after the various sounds of the train, the most obvious being the whistle, which he represents by the three rapid dissonant chords during each chorus. The entire song has a methodical, marching feel that Monk probably intended it to have, and yet it simultaneously conveys an aura of playfulness. The tempo of the song is a key contributor to the train metaphor that Monk sets up. When it is at a medium pace, I envision a train moving along through the countryside, not traveling too slowly or too quickly. The points in the song when the tempo speeds up symbolize the train accelerating or traveling through a big city, where life moves much faster. The tenor sax adds an element of lightheartedness with its medium pitch and easy-going pace, and the trumpet does the same at times with its higher pitch, suggesting that Monk had a toy train in mind rather than a real one, a conjecture supported by the title. The atmosphere throughout the song remains light and playful, which makes sense because Monk composed the song for his son, and the tune has a swing-feel to it at times.

Overall, Monk masterfully combines the various elements of “Little Rootie Tootie” to achieve his goal with this piece. It superficially seems to be a lighthearted song about trains but is filled with intricate dissonant chords and varying tempos that convey and allow for its lightheartedness. Monk comps the medium and higher pitches of the tenor sax and trumpet, respectively, extremely well. In conclusion, the entire piece embodies the title by bringing to mind images of “Little Rootie Tootie.”

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk features a variety of instruments and experiments with tempo in his song “Brilliant Corners.” The song starts off at a slow pace with a simple introduction on the piano. After the introduction, the drums and brass instruments are added to the mix. The two saxophones play in unison for a minute but in different octaves, giving the music a soulful and deep sound yet simultaneously keeping it high and light. Shortly thereafter, the tempo quickens and the lower sax drops out, leaving the tenor sax (I believe), which makes for an upbeat, higher-pitched sound. The mood of this part of the song is very optimistic and lighthearted, due mainly to the faster tempo and the tenor sax. This part of the song gives way to an extended drum solo, marking a changing point in the song and connects the music to the conclusion, which lasts the last minute of the piece. By the end of the song, the upbeat atmosphere returns with the tenor sax playing a large role once again.

Though the song is by Thelonious Monk, the piano is oddly not the main instrument, as is the case with most of his other pieces. Though the piano is part of the instrumental medley most of the time, it is never the focus except for the introduction and a small portion about halfway through the song. Overall, “Brilliant Corners” is an upbeat piece that showcases the tenor sax throughout. Monk employs higher-pitched tones and a quick tempo to create an optimistic mood for the song. Though the tempo varies, it usually returns to a fast pace, perhaps symbolizing the concept of resilience because though the beat slows down at times, it always returns to a quick, optimistic tempo.

Sounds of silence

Jan 13

"Turn off the alarm."
"Dude, you're not supposed to talk."
"Oh yeah. Damnit."

That's how my day began - I slipped. I was trying to go the entire day without talking, and it was the first thing I did when I woke up. But, I eventually controlled my natural inclination to talk better. I went to class from 9-10:20 and later 1:30-3. Staying silent was just plain weird, especially for me because I am a talkative, extroverted person. In the morning, it was a fun challenge. I carried around a pen and paper and signed or mouthed words to communicate. I went to lunch with a single friend, which made for interesting "conversation" and silences that would have been awkward if we both didnt know about my "no talking" rule. However, it was my time between classes where not talking really impacted me. Usually, I hang out with hallmates and friends to pass the time. After trying that for a while, I realized it was pointless and retreated to my room, content to watch movies on my laptop. As I left for my second class, my silence was really getting to me. It sucked that I couldn't communicate with others beyond simply handmotions and gestures. While returning from my afternoon class, I realized what a beautiful day it was (65 degrees and sunny), so I decided to round up some people and play football on Hill field. Without talking. But, I managed. However, when we got outside and began to play, my instincts kicked in (I played football along with other sports in high school), and I began to talk, ending my day of silence. I tried to stop talking once I got inside, but I couldn't do it. Oddly, I felt slightly guilty about talking even after I decided to break my silence. My thoughts on the day were mixed. It really was maddenning remaining silent when I wanted to express a though or emotion. On the flip side, I got a kick out of listening to others and the world around me. There are a plethora of sounds that we tend to "overlook" in day to day life, be it the whispering of the wind or the creaking of a door. I guess the biggest thing I learned is that there is often much more going on sonically that I initially thought.