Noah Unterberger

Frederic White
AP Literature P.3
30 September 2016
Annotated Bibliography
1
1. Limb, Charles J., and Allen R. Braun. Neural Substrates of Spontaneous Musical
Performance: An FMRI Study of Jazz Improvisation. PLoS. N.p., 27 Feb. 2008. Web. 30
Sept. 2016.
2. The purpose of this work is to investigate the effects of improvisation (primarily
present in jazz music) on the brain. The article shows that musicians who are
improvising show more activity in their prefrontal cortex than those who play overlearned musical sequences.
3. Authors Charles Limb and Allen Braun include many visual representations of
findings to support their hypothesis. They indulge into what about improvisation
activates the prefrontal cortex, as well as what other areas of the brain are activated with
different forms of music.
4. This work would most likely be viewed by sound engineers or music producers,
as it focuses on the neurological effects of jazz. People seeking to stimulate certain
senses in clients would likely be viewing this article.
5. This article is relevant to my senior project because it is all about jazz. As the
album I am writing is mostly jazz, I figured it would be a good idea to research just how
jazz affects the brain, and I discovered why jazz improvisation is so enjoyable.
6. There are no special features for this article.
7. I do not see any defect or bias in this article because all of the authors findings
are backed by evidence.
2
1. Percino, Gamaliel, Peter Klimek, and Stefan Thurner. Instrumentational
Complexity of Music Genres and Why Simplicity Sells. PLoS. N.p., 31 Dec. 2014. Web.
30 Sept. 2016.
2. This article directly contrasts the previous article in the sense that its purpose is
about the benefits of simple music. Authors Percino, Klimek, and Thurner show us why
audiences are more likely to keep listening if the musical form is simple and
recognizable, than if it is too complex.
3. This article reveals exactly what makes an audience want to listen through use of
pictures and formulas. The authors use modern examples to support their claim, and
they use custom models to shed light on an audiences interests.
4. I would suspect that amatuer music composers would be viewing this article. It
describes in depth why composers should be sticking to simple chord progressions and
melodies, and why a too complex piece of music could lose an audiences interest.
5. In relation to my senior project, this article helps immensely. When composing
my album, I can remember that I should not use every drum [I] own, as it is stated in

the introduction of this article that too much in one piece can lose an audience. I now
understand more about the complexity of music and where it is best implemented.
6. A special feature in this article is that the authors make use of mathematical
formulas to relate an audiences interest level to the simplicity of a musical piece.
7. This article did seem a little biased towards jazz music as a whole, for jazz
revolves around the concept of complexity. Though not stated directly, I felt the authors
believed that jazz is less intriguing than other forms of music.
3
1. Getz, Donald. "The Nature and Scope of Festival Studies." Ed. Charles Arcodia.
The International Journal of Event Management Research 5.1 (2010): n. pag. 2010.
Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
2. This work focuses primarily on managing an event, and goes in depth on
festivals revolving around the arts. Author Donald Getz defines the study of festivals as
unique, in the sense that no two festivals are the same. He writes about the different
reasons one would hold a festival and why festivals are of cultural significance.
3. In his work, Getz shows how popular festivals have become in our modern
society. He uses various charts to show how the publics interest in music festivals has
grown.
4. This work definitely attracts an audience of event managers. Getz discusses
every aspect of festivals, and anyone looking to host an event can find very much
information from this article.
5. This article is crucial in the production of my own music festival because it goes
in depth about every little aspect there is about the history of festivals. Cultural festivals
have shifted and certain themes have become more popular than others.
6. A special feature in this article is the fact that the author used a very large
amount of sources. Getzs work cited section takes up twenty-five pages (more than half
of the article); something Ive never seen before!
7. I did not find any weakness or bias in this article, for the author and editors used
primary sources and large sample sizes to draw their conclusions on festival statistics.
4
1. Marantz, Bart. "How to Stage a Jazz Festival." Music Educators Journal 68.9
(1982): 33-36. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
2. The purpose of this work is to inform readers how to properly stage a jazz
festival. Author Bart Marantz sees the average jazz festival as outdated, so he provides
tips to hosting a festival fit for today.
3. Marantz discusses budget, clinicians, and many other crucial aspects involved in
hosting a jazz festival. He even includes an adjudication sheet for judges at festivals,
which also covers all aspects of a proper jazz band (formation, interpretation, etc.).
4. I see this article being read by event managers and jazz musicians. The former
is fairly obvious, but I include the latter mainly because jazz musicians would probably
want to know what to expect at a modern jazz festival.

5. This article directly relates to my senior project in the sense that I also plan to
host a jazz festival. I may not have judges and twenty-odd groups perform, but it will
function like a jazz festival, and Marantz does a great job of compiling the necessary
steps to host one.
6. This article does not have any special features.
7. This a very straight forward, non-biased article. I did not find any defects or
weaknesses.
5
1. Smith, John C. "Form Analysis for Jazz Arrangers." Music Educators Journal 66.9
(1980): 36-37. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
2. This article is meant to educate jazz musicians on the concept of composition. In
jazz, a big part of writing is understanding form structure, and author John Smith
describes many techniques used to create a working form.
3. Smith claims that the study of form should occur at the same time as the study of
chords, an essential jazz building block. He discusses the importance of the use of
dynamics and tension when arranging a jazz chart, and describes when and where they
should be implemented.
4. This work is definitely directed towards younger, up-and-coming musicians
seeking help with arranging jazz. Smith makes everything seem simple enough for a
five year old, and I can definitely see myself using this article as a guide on arranging.
5. This article is relevant because I plan on arranging many jazz tunes for my senior
project. Techniques described in Smiths article are ones I would definitely implement in
my own arrangements.
6. Something very interesting in this article is an included road map of the form of
the jazz standard Heres That Rainy Day. Smith included this graphic to show unique
every jazz form can be, and it is really interesting to look at (from a musicians point of
view).
7. With jazz being an enormous genre of music, I could definitely see Smith writing
more material on the same matter. But, this article was more for learning musicians, so
its depth is not very important at the moment.