cacob Hammonds

English 1320

Action Essay

Musical Excellence and Jazz

The art of music is something that mankind created because of the lack of ability to

express every human emotion orally. We use music as a means to communicate on a higher level

and one¶s ability to convey their thoughts and emotions successfully through music determines

their musical excellence. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, states that musical excellence

is obtained through 10,000 hours of practice. This is, however untrue. Musical excellence isn¶t

obtained alone in a room, hammering out etudes. Musical excellence is gained by experiencing

life, and one¶s ability to communicate on a human level using musical sound.

Miles Davis is considered one of the most revolutionary artists in music history. He

transitioned from blues to bop to modal effortlessly and brought rhythmic and harmonic

innovation along with him where ever he went. Davis¶ influence was so great that, in response to

a statement Davis made about ³learning all the chords´ Composer George Russel wrote ³!



  
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 u llman 5). Davis did this

all in spite of the fact that his technique wasn¶t that good. In fact, his lack of ability to play

quicker bebop lines is one of the reasons he made Kind of Blue. ³Kind of Blue stands as the most

influential example´, and it was born out of constraint rather than technical brilliance uChambers

309).Davis didn¶t even let his band rehearse tunes before they performed them. In an interview

with Herbie Hancock, who played in Davis¶ second great quintet, he said that Davis wouldn¶t let

them rehearse performance pieces because he wanted to add danger to the performance. More
than his performances, Davis¶ compositions allowed him to express his musical ideas freely. His

compositions gave him a canvas specifically designed to afford him musical freedom. uneed

quote). Davis was a communicator, just within the record kind of blue he projects musical

images of pain, joy, frustration, and humor. Those qualities are not learned practicing they are

learned through living.

Louis Armstrong developed jazz from ragtime and developed it into the form we know today,

and is possibly the most influential American singer ever. Bing Crosby described him as the

³beginning and end of American nusic.´ Armstrong is possibly the be-all-end-all exception to

Gladwell¶s definition of musical excellence.´ Armstrong had no formal training´ and in spite of

that not only revolutionized American music, but also changed perceptions of African Americans

uGiddens 3). Compared to the musicians of his day Armstrong³surpassed them all in terms of

creating new forms, rhythms, and musical drama´ u
anfare 1).To be a great musician, you also

must know how to change your music to better communicate to them. Louis had the ability to

³take into account the changing identity of his audience´ uGiddens 13).Armstrong was more than

the music, he transcended musical sound and embodied his art. His music served as a catalyst

that propelled him into the American consciousness. Armstrong influenced the American dialect

even bringing in new terms such as ³pops´, ³your boy´ uGiddens 3). ³Armstrong was an artist

who happened to be an entertainer´ uGiddens 5). So much of musical excellence lies in one¶s

ability to perform and performance isn¶t learned in a practice room.

Musical mastery has more to do than just kinesthetic articulation of a pattern of notes.

Thelonious Monk abandoned classical piano technique entirely and created his own. His

percussive key strokes ³influenced his pitch selections rather than with other sonic

considerations´ uGivan 240). Rather than focus on performance technique he decided to focus on
themes and motifs. ³Independence and individual creativity are dominant themes in his own

memories of his musical education´, and these qualities pushed monks music forward and

allowed him to be successful. Another huge factor to monk¶s excellence was his compositional

style. Round midnight by Monk is the most recorded song in history, appearing on ³more than

1000 albums´, it is one of the most popular jazz standards ever uallmusic.com). Monks

compositional style was assisted by his unorthodox playing technique as well as his neurosis.

Monk was able to paint pictures of chaos and beauty. That is what made him a master.

There are so many qualities that make great music other than just physical mastery of a

piece. Versatility is a quality that allows a musician to seamlessly transition ³The wonder is that

Hubbard seemed to fit in everywhere: he was playing with the ultimate hard bop band, Art

Blakey¶s Jazz Messengers, while recording Dolphy¶s brilliant, challenging Out toLunch´

u llman 3).Master of music requires one to be able to not only perform music but also be able to

listen and communicate musically. Music is a language and must be learned like any other

language, immersion. Without a well-rounded understanding of multiple musical backgrounds, it

is impossible to communicate musical ideas to a wide audience. Ella
itzgerald is a fine example

of a great musical communicator. With no formal training, and no music reading ability

itzgerald had to rely on her aural ability alone to interpret and perform music. In her 1960

recording of ³How High the Moon´,
itzgerald quotes ³a Tisket a Tasket´, ³Rhapsody in Blue´

and ³Ornithology´. The different musical references allowed the record to be more accessible,

and won her a Grammy.

Compositional ability also plays a big role in musical excellence. Without a great piece of music

to perform an artist is left without a canvas to paint on. Pop music over the last few decades has

not been musical or excellent. Due to advances in technology and pressure to sell, the recording
industry has cut out artists from the equation. Record companies, to ensure return on their

investments can hire out song writers and use recording technology to give non-musicians record

worthy performances. Esperanza Spalding, with the added publicity of her recent Grammy, is

revolutionizing the modern singer-songwriter. Spalding is a musician with the goal of ³writing

and performing music that appeals to the same audience that enjoys listening to the Top 40 on

the radio, but with all the jazz elements that I enjoy.´ To write music that can contain the musical

depth and structure of jazz while still remaining accessible enough for a modern audience takes

skill and an understanding of your audience. Stevie Wonder also managed to incorporate

theoretical and emotional depth, while still appealing to a wide audience. In his 1976 tribute to

his favorite jazz artists ³Sir Duke´, Wonder uses many jazz formats used by jazz great Duke

Ellington and a major blues horn break in the middle of the song to convey a sense of

traditionalism, while the chorus grounds the song and keeps its radio friendly. The hook can be

described as ³a hugely catchy line that hooked a nation, ensuring a second consecutive number

1´ uLodder 211). Musicianship, not coupled with compositional ability, inhibits ones ability to

properly communicate musically.

Music if anything is just a higher form of communication. We use music to tell stories and

convey emotions; we use it to say what word cannot say. It¶s very shallow to think music or any

other art can be mastered with a mere 10,000 hours of practice. To be a great musician you must

be able to communicate on a human level. Without the human experience we wouldn¶t even have

music so it¶s foolish that we try to disconnect the two. Charlie Parker said, ³If you don¶t live it, it

won¶t come out of your horn.´ Musical mastery is about the connection a musician has with

his/her audience, not about a specific amount of practice time.

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