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When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination http://eprints.soton.ac.uk UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON School of Humanities: Music Making the weather in contemporary jazz: an appreciation of the musical art of Josef Zawinul by Alan Cooper Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy October 2012 i UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT Making the weather in contemporary jazz: an appreciation of the musical art of Josef Zawinul by Alan Cooper Josef Zawinul (1932-2007) holds a rare place in the world of jazz in view of the fact that as a European he forged a long and distinguished musical career in America. Indeed, from a position of relative obscurity when he arrived in New York in 1959, he went on to become one of contemporary jazz’s most prolific and commercially successful composers. The main focus of this dissertation will be Zawinul’s rise to prominence in American jazz during the 1960s and 1970s. In this vital period of his creative life he is associated with a variety of jazz contexts: performing with Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley’s band as a hard bop pianist in the early 1960s; developing new approaches as a composer and keyboard player for Adderley’s group during the ‘soul jazz’ period (1966 to 1969); recording independently under his own name (1966 to 1970); collaborating with Miles Davis in the late 1960s and early 1970s; and co-founding the influential contemporary jazz ensemble Weather Report (early 1970s onwards). Most significantly, he was a key figure (both as a performer and composer) in the new electro-acoustic jazz that emerged in the mid-1960s and his unwavering commitment to this hybrid idiom has left a substantial and wide-ranging body of work. ii Given the impact and scale of Zawinul’s contribution to contemporary jazz in the second half of the twentieth century, it surely prompts the question: why has there been a dearth of scholarly discussion concerning his artistic legacy? With the aim of rectifying this omission, it is hoped that this dissertation will therefore go some way towards bringing long overdue critical engagement with his music. To this end, this study will examine a selection of Zawinul’s mature works and attempt to explicate not only the diverse range of influences (musical and cultural) that were essential to his artistic development but also the nature of his aesthetic eclecticism from which he created an individual compositional language. iii Contents 1 Introduction: Josef Zawinul and the contemporary jazz controversy 1 2 Open jazz: transcending classification and stylistic boundaries 12 3 Jazz and the counter culture: the radicalism of open jazz in context 100 4 Artistic recognition and musical identity 138 5 New artistic pathways: the formative years of Weather Report 188 6 Anatomy of a contemporary jazz standard: ‘Birdland’ 232 7 Conclusion: The way of sound 261 Appendix 268 Bibliography 283 Discography 294 Videography 298 iv Tables/Illustrations Figures 2.1 Table showing the main events in ‘It’s About That Time’ 92 4.1 Table showing the main events in ‘Baptismal’ 146 4.2 Cover, Josef Zawinul, Zawinul LP 162 4.3 Table of tracks on Zawinul showing their principal tonalities 167 4.4 Table showing the main events in ‘Doctor Honoris Causa’ 169 4.5 Table showing the main features of the solos in ‘Doctor Honoris Causa’ 174 4.6 Table showing the main events of ‘In A Silent Way’ 178 5.1 Table showing the main structural framework of ‘Orange Lady’ 211 5.2 Table showing the main structural framework of ‘Unknown Soldier’ 213 5.3 Table showing the main structural framework of ‘Boogie Woogie Waltz’ 217 5.4 Table showing the structural sections of ‘Nubian Sundance’ 220 5.5 Table showing the rhythmic structure of ‘Man In The Green Shirt’ 222 5.6 Table showing the main structural framework of ‘Man In The Green Shirt’ 223 5.7 Table showing the main structural framework of ‘Badia’ 226 5.8 Table showing the main structural framework of ‘Black Market’ 229 6.1 Table showing the main structural framework of ‘Birdland’ 238 6.2 Table showing the musical textures used in ‘Birdland’ 240 6.3 Table showing the G related tonalities of ‘Birdland’ 243 v 6.4 Table showing the principal melodies of ‘Birdland’ 244 6.5 Table showing the four pedal points of ‘Birdland’ 248 6.6 Josef Zawinul’s sketch of ‘Birdland’ 256 6.7 Transcription of ‘Birdland’ 257 vi List of tracks on Zawinul Project CDs 1. Zawinul Project CD I o Track 1. ‘Bernie’s Tune’ arranged by Gerry Mulligan o Track 2. ‘The Preacher’ by Horace Silver o Track 3. ‘So What’ by Miles Davis o Track 4. ‘Pithecanthropus Erectus’ by Charles Mingus o Track 5. Part One of ‘Free Jazz’ by Ornette Coleman o Track 6. ‘It’s About That Time’ by Miles Davis o Track 7. ‘Baptismal’ by William S. Fischer o Track 8. ‘The Soul of a Village – Part II’ by William S. Fischer 2. Zawinul Project CD II o Track 1. ‘Doctor Honoris Causa’ by Josef Zawinul o Track 2. ‘In A Silent Way’ by Josef Zawinul o Track 3. ‘Orange Lady’ by Josef Zawinul o Track 4. ‘Unknown Soldier’ by Josef Zawinul o Track 5. ‘Boogie Woogie Waltz’ by Josef Zawinul o Track 6. ‘Nubian Sundance’ by Josef Zawinul o Track 7. ‘Man In The Green Shirt’ by Josef Zawinul o Track 8. ‘Badia’ by Josef Zawinul vii 3. Zawinul Project CD III o Track 1. ‘Black Market’ by Josef Zawinul o Track 2. ‘Birdland’ by Josef Zawinul viii Academic Thesis: Declaration Of Authorship I, ……………………………………………………………………………………………. [please print name] declare that this thesis and the work presented in it are my own and has been generated by me as the result of my own original research. [title of thesis] ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …… I confirm that: 1. This work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for a research degree at this University; 2. Where any part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree or any other qualification at this University or any other institution, this has been clearly stated; 3. Where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly attributed; 4. Where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work; 5. I have acknowledged all main sources of help; 6. Where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself; 7. Either none of this work has been published before submission, or parts of this work have been published as: [please list references below]: Signed: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Date: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ix Acknowledgements The completion of this project would not have been possible without the help and support of numerous people. First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to David Nicholls for his invaluable analytical perspective, pragmatic criticism and strong support throughout the entire process. I could not have wished for a more stimulating mentor. In addition to the authors and musicians mentioned in the text whose work has informed my thinking about music and society, I am indebted to Gunhild Bond who generously gave her time and provided all the German translations; a substantial amount of work. By the same token, I owe a special thanks to Kathy Chillistone for her patience and enthusiasm in reformatting the whole text before submission. Many friends and colleagues have seen me through the stages of planning, researching and writing this thesis. In particular I want to warmly thank Richard Daniels (a kindred spirit), who over the course of our long friendship has been an important sounding board for many of my ideas. I owe more than can be repaid in words to my wife Kate for her unflagging support, encouragement and help throughout this project. Further, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to my children, Maya and Gemma and my mother Edna, for providing such vital and continuous support during the years of my inaccessibility; and lastly to my late father, Albert Cooper, a highly gifted musician and inspirational teacher, who nurtured my love of music from early on and to whom this work is dedicated. 1 Chapter One Introduction: Josef Zawinul and the contemporary jazz controversy Zawinul is extending the thoughts that we’ve both had for years. And probably the thoughts that most so-called now musicians have not yet been able to express.1 For the greater part of his creative life, the Austrian composer and keyboardist Josef Zawinul (1932-2007) was a leading figure in the world of contemporary jazz. From the trajectory of his career, one may observe a musician struggling with and principally overcoming the constraints of his social and national identity. It is a journey that epitomized an open-minded willingness to venture beyond categories, and one that led him to confront traditional aesthetic and societal boundaries.