An analysis of the music of Gil Evans (and others)
This is a repost. It was one of the first posts on this blog. I have reposted as I will write a new post building on to this idea soon. Doublings in ensemble passages One of the most well know things about Gil's music is his use of texture and timbre. I'll keep this post … Continue reading Orchestration #1 – Density (Repost)
This post is a continuation of the previous two about the harmony of Miles Ahead, they can be read here and here. Bar 25-29 End of the theme repeat In the first instance this phrase started with a Bbmajor9#11 recalling the influence of C mixolydian or F major. On the repeat he changes things by … Continue reading Harmony #8C – Miles Ahead
The video post was quite a lot of fun, but it misses some of the detail that I usually put into my analyses. So here is a closer look at some of the harmonies in Miles Ahead. As is noted in the video analysis, Miles Ahead utilizes a ambiguous harmonic language that mostly hovers between … Continue reading Harmony #8B – Miles Ahead
I thought I'd try a blog post in video form. Check it out below, and let me know what you think. https://youtu.be/KBicClva1S8
I recommend reading the first couple of posts about counterpoint before this one. They can be found here and here. I’ve borrowed this paragraph from Openmusictheory because I couldn’t have said it better myself: Counterpoint is the mediation of two or more musical lines into a meaningful and pleasing whole. In first-species counterpoint, we not … Continue reading Counterpoint #6 – More Bass Lines
This post the highlight some of the beautiful orchestration moments from the opening track of the Miles Davis & Gil Evans album Porgy and Bess. Initially the piece opens with a loud full tutti brassy sounds that gives way to a graceful and light piece that ends with a tuba melody. Audio examples at the … Continue reading Orchestration #11 – Buzzard Song
This post is a continuation of the last few, but will focus on more muted tutti voicings. If you haven't yet read the other posts you can do so here and here. Music examples can be found at the bottom of the page My Ship - 2nd A section Gil employs a full tutti behind … Continue reading Orchestration #10 – Tutti Voicings D
This post will be a continuation of the last where I analyze a couple more loud and bright tutti voicings by Gil. The music examples are at the end of the post. Sort Kinda - Intro This arrangement from the Claude Thornhill era starts with a nice bright opening that concludes with a full tutti … Continue reading Orchestration #10 – Tutti Voicing C
I have previously posted about Gil's tutti voicings. But I thought it would be good to show some more tutti voicings in different settings. This post will focus on bright loud moments such as endings or shot notes. Music examples can be found at the bottom of the post. There's A Boat Leaving Soon for … Continue reading Orchestration #10 – Tutti Voicing B
This post is a continuation from the last one which is focusing on instrumental combinations of three instruments. The music examples can be found at the bottom of the post. The Duke - backings in the solo section Behind Miles improvisation is a nice combination of alto sax, bass clarinet and trombone. In this case … Continue reading Orchestration #9 – Trios B
It is quite common in ensemble jazz music to harmonize a melody or backing chords in 3-part harmony. In this post I have picked out some of these moments in Gil's music. I'll be discussing different instrumental combinations and how they have been orchestrated to sound interesting and stand out from any backgrounds. Trumpet (flugelhorn), … Continue reading Orchestration #9 – Trios A
This will be the final post concerning the opening of Moon Dreams. This post will look more closely at the the specific voicings and orchestration that Gil has utilized in the first few phrases of this classic arrangement. Bars 1-4 The general outlay of the voicings was discussed in the previous post. As can be … Continue reading Orchestration #8B – Moon Dreams
