(Review by Russell).
Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society’s most recent
meeting at Gateshead Central Library heard Jenny Evans explain the rudiments of
Western musical composition with reference to jazz and other genres. Newcastle
College lecturer Evans made the argument that Elvis, Mozart and jazz artists
were, essentially, using the same building blocks to compose, and with specific
reference to jazz, improvise. Three
chords and the pentatonic scale were an essential prerequisite to
understanding, and creating, a musical masterpiece.
Jenny Evans’ entertaining talk, illustrated at the
keyboard, required the dreaded ‘audience participation’ element that makes some
look for the exit! Excuse me, I’ve left
the gas on.. The task at hand was to write down a series of chords, hand it
to teacher, and hear the left hand scale work with a right hand pentatonic
melody. Evans caught sight – Excuse me,
I forgot it’s – and seized upon, your
correspondent’s scribbling – the cat’s
funeral…
Well, Ms Evans is a talented sort. Looking at the
(hopefully) illegible scrawl she played it as the composer intended! The piece
opened:
C E G A D
A G C E D
D C E G A
G D E C A
The result was a ragime (ish) masterwork! The
Society’s regulars thanked Ms Evans for a most entertaining presentation. Your
correspondent dashed off to a gig (a corker of a gig; Don Forbes and the boys at
the Jazz Co-op playing ‘Modern’ jazz as it should be played), then back to the garret
to work late into the night on that next
masterpiece.
Russell.
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