In this he meant that jazz suffered from a great lack of compositional development.[2] He was correct in many ways. Most jazz compositions simply involve the creation of a very simple theme that is not greatly developed, in a classical sense, during the composition. This is often because the improvisers in the group simply do not have the skill to do so. Also 99% of the time, the out head is exactly the same as the in head! This does of course serve a purpose by creating a very defined improvisational space, but really this is also an example of compositional laziness on the part of the jazz composer. It is not so difficult to write at least a slight variation on a melody for an out head, but this is rarely done.
Jazz also
suffers in a classical sense from improvisations that are often way too long.
In this I mean that all compositional material suggests an appropriate length
of development, i.e. a very simple motif may perhaps suggest a shorter
composition than a longer more varied harmonic form; however, the greatest
composers like Beethoven could take unusually simple thematic material and
maintain interest during long compositions through the use of rigorous
development. Curiously the greatest jazz improvisers are also capable of the
same thing but composing in real time. If we compare the initial melodic motifs
of Beethoven’s Fifth symphony with A Love Supreme by John Coltrane we see a
number of remarkably similar features.
Firstly
note that both melodies use only two intervallic ideas and both share the minor
third as their opening interval: Beethoven prefers the major third as his
second interval while Coltrane uses the perfect fourth, giving him access to the minor
sounds and all the more pentatonic based ethnic modes. The Beethoven melody has
four different notes Ab, F, G and Eb while the Coltrane composition has only
three, Bb, Ab, and F. Coltrane develops his composition in four movements, with
a total recorded time of 32’45” while the Beethoven’s 5th by the Berlin
Philharmonic that I have in my collection also has four movements and lasts a
total time of 32’ 43” !
Any jazz
composer who has studied composition formally or who has actually taken a four
note motif with a rhythmic structure and tried to develop it for even ten
minutes will know how hard this really is. One realises very quickly the genius
of the great composers when one attempts such an exercise.
In a pure
compositional sense, the majority of jazz composers are really babies and this
is why very few jazz composers have achieved anything but a modicum of success
in the classical word. It would be wise not to misinterpret this too
hurriedly; however, for it is extremely unlikely that Beethoven could have composed a Nardis or a Solar. The fact is that a successful jazz composition sets out to
achieve something that is not important at all in the classical world.
Successful jazz composition first and foremost must create good improvisation
and one can only learns the subtleties of this art in the bullring itself.
The history
of jazz has been riddled with composers who wished to be accepted as composers
in the classical sense. Most have failed miserably. However, herein lies the
great compositional paradox that exists in jazz: jazz itself is at its best when
the musicians are happiest and most musicians are happiest when they have found
something new in an improvisational sense. These moments are therefore limited by severe
complexity, especially within compositional forms. Composition in jazz is not
so much concerned with the designing of melodies as it is with the creation of
forms or vehicles that inspire spontaneous composition or improvisation. Many
of the great jazz composers were aware of this. As I have already mentioned,
Charles Mingus did not like his musicians to learn compositions using
manuscripts. He preferred to sing or play the piano and Miles Davis also
clearly favoured very simple forms. By the time of the Bitches Brew album and
the concert in front of six hundred thousand people at the Isle of
White on August 29th, 1970, he had almost abandoned composition in anything
other than a rudimentary rhythmic or melodic sense.
[1] Ross Harris, saxophone player and astounding modern composer from New Zealand.
[2] Compositional development: the ability to take a melodic theme and utilise its essential elements i.e. rhythm, melody and harmony and then re-introduce those elements in new ways during the natural flow of the composition. This can be achieved by perhaps inverting, twisting, or re-organising these essential elements to produce variations that are still subtly related to the original melodic information.
