Wynton Marsalis - Lecture on Music - Vol 1

- Why Toes Tap: Marsalis on Rhythm - At the Tanglewood Music Center - 1995 1) Wynton introduces the concepts of melody, rhythm and meter. He establishes the fact that without rhythm, there can be no music. He contrasts the odd meter feel of Tschaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers” to the even meter feel of the Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn arrangement of the same piece. Throughout the DVD, pieces from Tschaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” and the Ellington/Strayhorn’s modern jazz arrangement of “The Nutcracker” are used illustratively. 2) Wynton introduces the organizing concepts in music; bars, rests and measures. He also establishes that there can be a range of motions in music and has the viewer visualize the motion of the notes on the page of a score. The Classical and Jazz versions of “The Nutcracker March” are performed to illustrate motion. 3) Wynton introduces tempo and its importance in imparting energy and feeling to music. The “Russian Dance” is performed at proper tempo and at a slower speed to illustrate this principle. 4) Wynton talks about the great importance ground rhythms have in influencing how we hear a piece of music. He also touches on the importance of beat and pulse – the 1, 3 classical pulse as opposed to the jazz backbeat of 2, 4. “Sugar Plum Dance” is performed to illustrate how the changing ground rhythm affects how we hear the music. 5) Wynton talks about the contrasting use of drums and percussion in the orchestra and the jazz band. He develops the concept of the rhythm section in the jazz band being the motor of the band. Drums, bass and piano are the swinging foundation that the jazz band works on top of. 6) Wynton emphasizes the importance of playing with intensity and exuberance no matter what the tempo of the piece. To illustrate this, they perform both the classical and jazz versions of “Dance of Reeds”. 7) Wynton touches for the first time on the importance of syncopation (he will re-address and expand on this in Sousa to Satchmo). He emphasizes the need in music to purposely go against the meter, to do something unexpected from time to time to keep the listener’s ear and make the music interesting. 8) Wynton summarizes the principles learned in the show: I) If there’s no rhythm, there’s no melody and no music. II) There can be odd and even feel meters. III) The meter is defined in measures. IV) Tempos can be fast, slow or anything in between. V) Varying accents and rhythms enhance music. VI) The ground rhythm establishes the music’s vitality. VII) In jazz, the rhythm section swings. VII) You have to always play with intensity and soul. IX) Syncopation keeps music interesting by doing the unexpected. To wrap up, “The Nutcracker Overture” is performed in both the classical and jazz versions. * * * * From the Norbert Susemihl Jazz Archive -