MUS 356 Essays

Coltrane - Style

• Bebop, modal, avant-guard

• Long solos

• Spiritual influence

Coltrane - Instrument

• Tenor Sax

• Re-popularized soprano sax

Coltrane - Legacy

• Changed the role of sax in jazz from chords to exploring scales (modal)

• One of the most influential jazz artists ever

Coltrane - Career 1st Phase

• Played with Miles & Monk

• Fascinated with Harmony

• Composed Giant Steps

Coltrane - Career 2nd Phase

• Modal

• Classic Quartet

• Spiritual Deepening

• Composed “A Love Supreme” - his masterpiece

  • Very spiritual

• Soprano sax

Coltrane - Career 3rd Phase

• Avant Guard

• Collective improv

• Deeply Spiritual

Davis - Styles

Fusion and Modal

Davis - About this Era

• Pioneer of the Fusion Genre

• Criticized for “selling out” or “becoming corporate”

Davis - 2nd Great Quintet

• Wrote Song “ESP”

• “Controlled Freedom”

• Included Wayne Shorter, “The Idea Man”

Davis - Bitches Brew

Regarded as one of the most influential jazz albums to this day

Davis - Wynton Marsalis

Played with Wynton for a bit before Wynton left and became a critic of Miles/fusion - Neo-Classicism

But Not For Me Notes

• Hersch on Piano - emphasizing space while still retaining complexity

• Esperanza Spalding on Vocal

  • Playful, sometimes spoken word vocals to emphasize storytelling. Gives a comedic and self-aware feeling

• Contemporary Style

• Constantly responding to each other