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Publication Date

4-2-2018

Year of Release

2018

Note(s)

Lars Swanson, Bass

In Collaboration With:

Hogan Bentle, drums

Timothy Smith, piano

Special Guests:

Jeffrey Wolfe, trumpet

Christopher Clark, tenor sax

Daniel Cecil, bass

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Jazz Studies. Lars Swanson is a student in the studio of Mr. Daniel Cecil.

Witch Hunt

"Witch Hunt" is the haunting modal opener from Wayne Shorter's album Speak No Evil. From the liner notes, the composition is " ... fundamental and blues-like in style, but ethereal and haunting enough in execution to fully justify the title." This arrangement of the tune utilizes an up-tempo, straight eighth note feel under the melody played in half-time, building off of the inherent tension of the tune by creating more open space in a more frantic feel.

Witchcraft

"Witchcraft" is a standard made famous by Frank Sinatra's 1957 single release. The introductory melody and opening solo, played by Lars, are performed in arco style, or with bow. This choice is not made without precedent; historically, virtuosic bassists such as Leroy "Slam" Stewart, Jimmy Blanton, and Paul Chambers used the bow to expand the improvisatory vocabulary and capability of the double bass. While the bass is often featured in duos with mixed instrumentation (guitar and bass, piano and bass, saxophone and bass, etc.), the combination of two basses presents unique and interesting challenges to the players involved.

Dolphin Dance

Herbie Hancock's 1965 album Maiden Voyage is a concept album using marine themes and titles to create programmatic pieces. This album is landmark in jazz history, setting a precedent for the "post-bop" style in both composition and performance practice. "Dolphin Dance" is Maiden Voyage's closing composition, depicting a serene oceaning atmosphere at the end of a turbulent depiction of the ocean's raw power. "Dolphin Dance" utilizes simple melodies based in slowly shifting tonal centers. The complexity of the tune comes from its chord progression and form, which gives the simple melody choices deeper meaning in context.

On Green Dolphin Street

Composed for a film of the same name, the 1947 composition "On Green Dolphin Street" became a jazz standard when Miles Davis recorded the tune in 1958. While the original composition is as harmonically intricate as the standard arrangement performed by groups today, the 1947 Jimmy Dorsey recording is a slow swinging vocal ballad. However, the standard jazz arrangement (performed today) follows the organization of the 1958 Miles Recording. This arrangement features a bass vamp and shifts between latin and swing feels during the presentations of the melody.

Relative Suspicion

"Relative Suspicion" was composed for MU Combo I's performance at the 2018 Marshall University Winter Jazz Festival. The use of pedal point (repetition of a note in the bass) technique in the first section of the tune is used to create tension, which is then released by the "bop-like" chord progression of the second section. "Relative Suspicion" plays on the relationships of the chords. The tune opens with a Suspended chord, denoted often as "sus." Although the chords sound as if they progress naturally, there is no direct relationship between the tonal centers.

Blues for ABT: Now I Just Pretend to Be A Voicemail

The structure of "Blues for ABT" was influenced by my time working at a call center in downtown Huntington, WV. The opening two notes represent the "hello" at the beginning of the voicemail message; the following bass riff represents me beginning my scripted greeting, and the abrupt re-entrance of the band represents the voicemail message playing after the awkward pause. Overall form of the chord progression leaves off one measure of the standard twelve-bar blues. The piano does not come in until improvisation begins; the lack of piano during the melody is a nod to Ornette Coleman, who utilized this textural organization on his first album, Something Else!!!

Counter-Facts in Blue

The title of this composition explains its format and structure. "Counter-Facts" is derived in this title from a combination of the words "counterpoint" and "contrafact." This is a contrafact of Kenny Dorham's composition "Blue Bossa." The composition is performed by a group without piano. While the chord progression is important to the composition, the relationship of the lines communicates the chord progression throughout the tune.

Responsibility

"Responsibility" is one of many compositions which came from a weekly melodic fragment challenge as part of Professor Jesse Nolan's Jazz Composition and Arranging course. I began to find myself in unfamiliar territory in leadership positions and truly began to conceptualize that the success of these endeavors reflected upon my successes. Because of this overwhelming sense of responsibility, this composition is highly reflective and utilizes textures and materials which allow every member of the group to be challenged, yet shine in their own right.

Note

Jomie Jazz Center Forum

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Fine Arts | Music | Music Performance

Marshall University Music Department Presents a Senior Recital, Lars Swanson, Bass, In Collaboration, with, Hogan Bentle, drums, Timothy Smith, piano, With special guests, Prof. Jeffrey Wolfe, trumpet, Prof. Christopher Clark, tenor sax, Prof. Daniel Cecil, bass

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