Viennese guitarist-composer Burkhard Stangl has played in a variety of musical contexts, from modern, chamber jazz projects (check his work with trumpeter Franz Koglmann), to collective, free-improvised outfits that explored noisy spectrums as the Polwechsel quartet, efzeg quintet, Schnee duo (with Christof Kurmann) and Chesterfield duo (with.

BILL EVANS’ KIND OF BLUE
LINER NOTES

March 2, 2018 by SFJAZZ

Miles Davis (Kind Of Blue album cover)

There is a Japanese visual art in which the artist is forced to be spontaneous. He must paint on a thin stretched parchment with a special brush and black water paint in such a way that an unnatural or interrupted stroke will destroy the line or break through the parchment. Erasures or changes are impossible. These artists must practice a particular discipline, that of allowing the idea to express itself in communication with their hands in such a direct way that deliberation cannot interfere. Proface gpw-cb03.

The resulting pictures lack the complex composition and textures of ordinary painting, but it is said that those who see well find something captured that escapes explanation.

This conviction that direct deed is the most meaningful reflections, I believe, has prompted the evolution of the extremely severe and unique disciplines of the jazz or improvising musician.

Left to right: John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis + Bill Evans

Group improvisation is a further challenge. Aside from the weighty technical problem of collective coherent thinking, there is the very human, even social need for sympathy from all members to bend for the common result. This most difficult problem, I think, is beautifully met and solved on this recording.

As the painter needs his framework of parchment, the improvising musical group needs its framework in time. Miles Davis presents here frameworks which are exquisite in their simplicity and yet contain all that is necessary to stimulate performance with sure reference to the primary conception.

Miles conceived these settings only hours before the recording dates and arrived with sketches which indicated to the group what was to be played. Therefore, you will hear something close to pure spontaneity in these performances. The group had never played these pieces prior to the recordings and I think without exception the first complete performance of each was a 'take.'

Miles Davis and Bill Evans

Although it is not uncommon for a jazz musician to be expected to improvise on new material at a recording session, the character of these pieces represents a particular challenge.

Briefly, the formal character of the five settings are: 'So What' is a simple figure based on 16 measures of one scale, 8 of another and 8 more of the first, following a piano and bass introduction in free rhythmic style. 'Freddie Freeloader' is a 12-measure blues form given new personality by effective melodic and rhythmic simplicity. 'Blue in Green' is a 10-measure circular form following a 4-measure introduction, and played by soloists in various augmentation and diminution of time values. 'All Blues' is a 6/8 12-measure blues form that produces its mood through only a few modal changes and Miles Davis' free melodic conception. 'Flamenco Sketches' is a series of five scales, each to be played as long as the soloist wishes until he has completed the series.

Pennsylvania Jazz Collective

The Pennsylvania Jazz Collective (based in the Lehigh Valley) is a Pennsylvania non-profit, non-stock company organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. Our goal is to foster growth in jazz appreciation through a regular series of public performances and education initiatives.

The Pennsylvania Jazz Collective focuses on the art of improvisation. Most of the school districts in our region have jazz band programs. However, the art of improvisation remains the most elusive aspect of their jazz experience. Pennsylvania Jazz Collective artists are world class musicians. Our November Jazz Series is a perfect example of our objective to work with regional jazz band directors and ultimately give students the experience of working with these artists.

It is not our goal to make professional musicians, rather to expose students to the depth of America’s unique art form. We also believe the art of improvisation could be a valuable experience for non-musician students and have programming developed in that direction.

Our most challenging education task is to convince the local community of the value of our program. We are hopeful that these efforts will ensure future audiences.