Bobo Stenson's "Song of Ruth:" A Jazz and Classical Hybrid
Presentation Type
Oral and/or Visual Presentation
Presenter Major(s)
Music
Mentor Information
Kurt Ellenberger
Department
Frederik Meijer Honors College
Location
Kirkhof Center 2259
Start Date
11-4-2012 9:30 AM
Keywords
Arts
Abstract
Bill Evans' performance on the landmark recording, Kind Of Blue, was the turning point which allowed other pianists to begin the transformation from the Bebop style of the 1950s, to the modern European style of artists like Bobo Stenson, John Taylor, Tomasz Stanko, and others. With unique attention to chord voicings, tone production, and harmony, Evans embedded the style of the great classical impressionists, such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, into the jazz vernacular, creating a hybrid of musical styles. The infiltration of foreign musical elements into jazz continues to this day. In this presentation, the music of Bobo Stenson, an exemplar of the European style, will be analyzed by comparing his piece, Song of Ruth, to several selected classical composers whose music contains similar stylistic elements, but predated Stenson's by many decades. By using this method of analysis, this presentation will identify some of the salient features in the evolution of the European style.
Bobo Stenson's "Song of Ruth:" A Jazz and Classical Hybrid
Kirkhof Center 2259
Bill Evans' performance on the landmark recording, Kind Of Blue, was the turning point which allowed other pianists to begin the transformation from the Bebop style of the 1950s, to the modern European style of artists like Bobo Stenson, John Taylor, Tomasz Stanko, and others. With unique attention to chord voicings, tone production, and harmony, Evans embedded the style of the great classical impressionists, such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, into the jazz vernacular, creating a hybrid of musical styles. The infiltration of foreign musical elements into jazz continues to this day. In this presentation, the music of Bobo Stenson, an exemplar of the European style, will be analyzed by comparing his piece, Song of Ruth, to several selected classical composers whose music contains similar stylistic elements, but predated Stenson's by many decades. By using this method of analysis, this presentation will identify some of the salient features in the evolution of the European style.