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Home , Brandee Younger, Dorothy Ashby

MUS262 Final Presentation: Unconventional Instruments in

Zachary Stier

April 29, 2019 Examples we’ve seen so far

(a) Charlie Parker (b) Ornette Coleman (c) Don Cherry Outline

Today, I will discuss the following instruments not often seen in jazz, and yet that have exponents who record on them:

I , both huge and tiny

I the harp

I bagpipes (!) Saxophones

I sopranissimo/soprillo (B[)

I sopranino (E[)

I soprano (B[)

I alto (E[)

I tenor (B[)

I baritone (E[)

I contrabass (B[)

I subcontrabass (E[) Saxophones

(a) soprillo (b) subcontrabass Harp

I Noted performers include (1932–1986) and (1937–2007)

I Both learned the harp at Cass Technical High School, , MI (one of the few HS harp ensembles in the country)

I Contemporary jazz harpists include (1983–) and Zeena Parkins (1956–)

(a) Dorothy Ashby (b) Alice Coltrane Alice Coltrane

I Coltrane’s early style featured gospel and traditional Christian elements

I Later, she studied Bud Powell’s brand of

I Her later style, as with her husband’s, was greatly influenced by Indian thought and music

I She took a Sanskrit name, Turiyasangitananda, and entitled much of her music in the language Dorothy Ashby

I Ashby was influenced by her father, a jazz guitarist, but also included African and Latin styles

I Her most notable album was Afro-Harping, 1968

I She can also be heard on ’s “If It’s Magic,” 1976

I Her approach to the harp–making it sound like a guitar and piano at once while being its own instrument, was innovative Bagpipes

I Rufus Harley (1936–2006) started out on and flute

I First heard bagpipes on JFK’s funeral broadcast, 1963

I Within six months, became a self-taught professional jazz bagpipe player

I First album: Bagpipe Blues, 1965

I Harley continually toured and recorded throughout the rest of his life

I Performed with many artists including Sonny Rollins and Harley with Sonny Rollins Harley’s debut album cover Textual sources

I Dorothy Ashby: Red Bull Music Academy, https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2018/05/ dorothy-ashby-detroit-harp-pioneer I Alice Coltrane: Red Bull Music Academy, https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2016/05/ universal-consciousness I Rufus Harley: Atlas Obscura, https: //www.atlasobscura.com/articles/meet-rufus-harley Image sources

I Charlie Parker: Toronto Star, https: //www.thestar.com/entertainment/2011/07/08/toronto_ pop_chronicles_the_greatest_jazz_concert_ever.html I Ornette Coleman: The Guardian, https://www.theguardian. com/music/2015/jun/11/ornette-coleman I Don Cherry: Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Cherry_(trumpeter) I Soprillo: University of Idaho, https://webpages.uidaho.edu/sax/pictures.html I Subcontrabass: Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subcontrabass_saxophone I Dorothy Ashby: Discogs, https://www.discogs.com/artist/91960-Dorothy-Ashby I Alice Coltrane: YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUMuDWDVd20 I Rufus Harley and Sonny Rollins: Atlas Obscura, https: //www.atlasobscura.com/articles/meet-rufus-harley I Bagpipe Blues: Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/ Bagpipe-Blues-RUFUS-HARLEY/dp/B004WDPXRQ