Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'composition'

Richard Sudhalter On Cornetist Bix Beiderbecke

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:08:00 EST

A cornetist and jazz scholar, Sudhalter remembers overlooked cornetist Bix Beiderbecke with Marian McPartland. Beiderbecke had a short career in the 1920s, but he influenced a wide spectrum of artists, from Hoagy Carmichael to Miles Davis. McPartland plays Beiderbecke's most famous piano composition, "In a Mist," before getting together with Sudhalter on "Davenport Blues."

William Bolcom Joins Teens To Play His Music

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:05:00 EST

This week, gifted young musicians perform compositions by an America original — William Bolcom, who joins them in a concert of his music. A 17-year-old violinist plays the "Graceful Ghost" rag, a 14-year-old soprano enlivens a cabaret song, and a teen string quartet performs music Bolcom wrote at age 12.

John Harmon On Piano Jazz

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 17:41:00 EST

John Harmon is an enthralling jazz pianist, a tireless educator, and a widely commissioned composer. In both his playing and his compositions, Harmon draws on his love of the outdoors and Native American traditions as you'll hear when he performs his own composition, "Taos Pueblo."

Old Cats, New Lions Celebrate Woody Shaw

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:17:00 EST

The Festival of New Trumpet Music staged a major retrospective of Woody Shaw compositions at the Jazz Standard this past fall. Old Shaw bandmates backed three young-lion horn players with chops. Hear the Woody Shaw Legacy Ensemble: Brass Knights and get to know Woody Shaw on JazzSet.

Sam Reider On Piano Jazz

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:55:00 EST

Piano Jazz introduces another amazing young jazz pianist, Sam Reider. The San Francisco native has an album with his group, Uptown Trio, and recently wrapped up a tour of the West Coast. Reider performs his own composition, "Tatiana," before joining McPartland for a duet of Ellington's "Warm Valley."

Arliss Parker: 'Taken To Antrim'

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:07:00 EST

Arliss Parker is really Chris Parker, a former Colorado resident turned Brooklyn transplant. After arriving in New York in 2006, Parker dove into his music, transforming his acoustic guitar compositions into folktronica pieces, using toy keyboards, glockenspiel and any other random instrument he came across. The result became his recent debut EP, Handsome Like a Lion.

Australian Brett Dean Wins Grawemeyer Award

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:32:00 EST

The Lost Art of Letter Writing, a violin concerto by Australian Brett Dean, has won the Grawemeyer Award, the world's richest composition prize. Dean's piece is based on letters written by Brahms, Van Gogh and Australian outlaw Ned Kelly.

Geri Allen On Piano Jazz

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:23:00 EST

Detroit-born pianist, composer and educator Geri Allen is a musician of great depth and creativity. She's recently been presented with a Guggenheim Fellowship for music composition. Allen displays her compositional skills and plays the music of Monk and Strayhorn with McPartland.

Duke Ellington: The Composer, Pt. 2

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:25:00 EST

The scope and breadth of Duke Ellington's compositions were far-reaching, drawing many influences together to create a cohesive and diverse sound. Composing consumed Ellington around the clock, and his musical legacy is a timeless contribution to American music.

Obama's Team Filling Up With Clintonistas

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to bring change to Washington, but his administration appears to have a lot of familiar names from the Clinton years. Presidential historian Robert Dallek discusses the composition of the new White House.

Brooke Waggoner On Mountain Stage

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:33:00 EST

Louisiana native Brooke Waggoner studied composition and orchestration at LSU before moving to Nashville to advance her career as a performing songwriter. Her quirky sense of song structure and her experimental nature bring to mind the wide range of influences that Mountain Stage host Larry Groce mentions in his introduction: from Chopin to Simon & Garfunkel to Rogers & Hammerstein.

West Coast Cool: The Jazz Sound Of '50s California

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:39:00 EDT

As opposed to the hard-bop sound dominant on the East Coast during the '50s, the West Coast sound was a bit mellower and more lyrical, with blended harmonies and more interest in composition and arrangement than improvisation. In these five songs, you'll hear all the definitive aspects of the West Coast jazz sound.

Mambo! Afro-Cuban Takes On Jazz Classics

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:34:00 EDT

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, here are five Latin interpretations of songs written by jazz musicians, a process that isn't as easy as playing the chords of a jazz composition over a mambo rhythm.

They Might Be Giants On Mountain Stage

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:33:00 EDT

With a catalog that includes children's songs, television themes, audiobook compositions and chart-topping hit singles, perhaps no band in pop music has worked in as many media as They Might Be Giants, whose members recently stopped by Mountain Stage to perform.

Punch Brothers: Beyond Bluegrass

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:42:00 EDT

Founded by mandolin virtuoso and Nickel Creek alumnus Chris Thile, the band plays traditional bluegrass instruments while immersed in progressive compositional ideas. Hear Punch Brothers show off selections from a new suite on Mountain Stage.

Etude For Squeaky Toy, Other New Compositions

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:54:00 EDT

Today's young composers are breaking out of old stereotypes. At the Yaddo Colony for artists and writers in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Carl Schimmel uses squeaky toys and whoopee cushions in his work.

A 639-Year-Long Concert

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EDT

John Cage's composition "ASLSP" is better known as "As Slow As Possible." A church in Germany is taking that title literally, with an organ performance of the piece set to last 639 years. A new note was played a little over a week ago — the next note is set for November.

Jaleel Shaw: A Cause For 'Optimism' In Jazz

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:47:00 EDT

While there's no shortage of protean young improvisers in New York, Shaw benefits from a real-world apprenticeship with a master musician: Roy Haynes. The alto saxophonist shares three original compositions for jazz quintet in a WBGO studio session.

Vocalist Elizabeth Doyle on Piano Jazz

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:34:00 EDT

Singer, pianist and composer Elizabeth Doyle is one of Chicago's most captivating performers. She blends a dreamy vocal style with swinging piano playing, deftly accompanying herself on both classic standards and her own unique compositions.

Marco Benevento: Indie-Rock Meets Jazz

Thu, 01 May 2008 10:42:00 EDT

Better known as the "keys half" of the Benevento/Russo Duo, Marco Benevento developed Invisible Baby from a batch of compositions that didn't fit the duo format. Here, he plays jazz piano backed by spot-on rhythmic textures and powerful crescendos.

Duke Ellington: Master of the Jazz Song

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:38:00 EDT

Ellington was the most prolific jazz composer of all time, writing and performing tirelessly for more than 50 years. Many of his compositions also bear the name of composer Billy Strayhorn, his longtime collaborator and friend. Ellington's mark can be found everywhere on jazz, both past and present.

Joe Jackson Returns with 'Rain'

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:59:00 EDT

For 30 years, the English singer-songwriter has helped define and redefine pop, rock, alternative, and new-wave music, when he's not delving extensively into classical composition. Hear an interview and performance from WXPN.

Charles Mingus: 'Fables of Bass,' Part 1

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT

A prolific writer of extraordinarily innovative, highly personal music, as well as an influential leader, the powerful bassist brought a fiery virtuosity to hundreds of original compositions.

The Evolution of Video Game Music

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:07:00 EDT

In the early 1970s, video game music wasn't exactly symphonic, but it was effective. Video game composition has become a power unto itself with its ability to guide the player. Now, it's being performed in concert halls by some of the finest orchestras in the world.

The Evolution of Video Game Music

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:46:00 EDT