Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos George Russell Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos On October 4th, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first object placed by humanity in orbit around a celestial body, thus inaugurating the era of the space race. Inevitably, composers were also inspired by the new adventurous spirit that this era seemed to contain. In 1960, George Russell and a group of jazz stars recorded Jazz in the Space Age, a historic record already featuring some ideas from the composer’s revolutionary Lydian Chromatic Con- cept of Tonal Organization. But what does this music do anyway? JAZZ IN THE Everything. It gravitates. It draws us in, it pushes us away. It allows us to wander around, perhaps looking at this nearby planet, inter‑ secting with a star, perhaps deviating from a meteorite at high SPACE speed. Russell wrote the score for Jazz In the Space Age and inten‑ tionally left a space open for free improvisation – he fixed the sat‑ ellites in orbits and the imagination of his celestial bodies did the AGE rest. He brought the universe with all its possibilities and mysteries into the music. A cosmos that could seem infinite to us, just like music. Sixty years later we allow ourselves to gravitate to this score, today with other celestial bodies that gaze upon this music through its unique cosmic dust. George Russell eorge Russell (1923­‑ His talents as an arranger and his in the context of this album, is to hospitalization contributed to George 2009) had a winding originality then began to reveal understand in what sense Russell’s Russell’s concentration on his studies, formative career, themselves: in 1947 Dizzy Gillespie’s thought has shaped his music and and between 1950 and 1953 he created from playing drums orchestra played his double Cuban that of several of the most influential his influential theory, fuelled also by in a school context composition Be/Cubano Bop, the first composers and soloists ever (names classes with the German composer Gto becoming a central figure in ever fusion between Cuban Afro like Miles Davis, Bill Evans, John Stefan Wolpe, professor of several jazz jazz teaching at the New England rhythms and jazz. Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, for musicians of that time. Conservatory starting in 1969 and To talk about the composer, we example), and how it is fundamental to The complexity of George Russell’s continuing for decades. However, mustn’t leave out the theoretical the emergence of such central objects ideas makes his study somewhat back in 1941, tuberculosis took him side. George Russell developed the as Miles Davis’ album Kind of Blue – unreachable to a layman in music to hospital for six months, and there Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal simply the most successful jazz theory and difficult even for the he met another patient who gave Organization, the result of reflections album ever. instrumentalist who is not dedicated to him the fundamentals of harmony and experiences begun in the 1940s, Russell’s impetus for his research improvisation or composition. In short, and arrangements. He played with with a first restricted edition in 1953 is said to have been the answer he Russell starts from the analysis of Benny Carter’s band, but would be ­‑ and successive re­‑editions added in received from Miles Davis to a question music that preceded him, both in jazz replaced by Max Roach ­‑ leading him 1959, 1964 and 2001. It is common to of his own: What would be Miles’ great (especially soloists like Lester Young, to give up the drums. Already in New say that it is the only musical treatise musical goal?; “I want to learn all the Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Parker) York, he was attending musicians’ born in jazz ­‑ and even if it is not the changes”. Since Miles had already and in classical tradition (he analyses meetings at Gil Evans’ house, which only one today, it is certainly the most mastered all the chord progressions, excerpts from Ravel or Bach in the included figures such as Miles Davis, original and complete, the one that Russell interpreted the answer as a 2001 edition of the book), and suggests Gerry Mulligan, Max Roach, Johnny is at the origin of all the theories that desire to discover a new way of playing a method contrary to the formatted Carisi and, at times, Charlie Parker. followed it. But what really matters, on harmonic structures. Another thought of the Western musician: the basis of music is not a scale from which that this is only the initial foundation Ornette Coleman. Anyone who knows to build chord sequences; but rather, on for George Russell’s proposals, which, the music of these three figures will the basis of the chord, different scales in fact, extend to variants of this know that we are speaking of very can be used, with sequential levels of Lydian mode, including blues scales different, sometimes even apparently dissonance up to total chromaticity and the traditional major and minor contradictory, languages. The scope (use of all 12 notes of an octave). ones, to the point of allowing for the of Russell’s study is such that it allows The primary scale is the so­‑called overlapping of different harmonic for a connection to all these languages, Lydian mode, offering a stability layers and for reaching different without imposing any restrictions, from which tensions and resolutions densities according to the choices instead allowing for the most varied may (or may not) be created. What of the improviser/composer. degrees of approach to improvisation/ happens with the use of a major scale To a greater or lesser degree, and composition on chord progressions. as a basis is that it already entails a sometimes with other nomenclatures, In any case, this theory has been more direction, already implies tensions and George Russell’s proposals are still naturally associated with a current resolutions, and therefore constrains the basis for much of the improvisation of jazz that was born as its direct the improviser/composer. The Lydian techniques that are taught in jazz consequence: modal jazz. mode, on the other hand, peacefully schools today. In his time, they marked overlaps with a major chord, without a revolution in the musical thought of imposing tensions and resolutions jazz (with foundations in the previous ­‑ as happens with the Doric mode on practice of great improvisers) and a minor chord. Hoping not to have were particularly important when alienated the less patient reader from embraced by exceptional musicians these notes with the theories of music, such as Bill Evans, Miles Davis (both we conclude this section by saying in the modal and electrical phases) or he proposal of the happen later in the album Jazz in the Orquestra Jazz de Space Age, the line separating the Matosinhos for the written parts from the improvised concert recorded here ones is very tenuous. Bill Evans, who is a reinterpretation played on both records, illustrated it Tof the original Jazz in the Space Age, by saying: “George composes things a seminal disc by George Russell which sound improvised. You have edited by Decca in 1960. By this time, to be deeply involved in jazz and his first record The Jazz Workshop understand all the elements to be (1956) had already been released, able to do that”. revealing a writing inspired by the This improvised character of phrasing of the great soloists and written music brought an additional manifesting the intention to create challenge into this project of the melodies as intense as if they had Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos: in been the result of the moment. The the absence of scores, a transcription composer’s writing was soloistic, of the arrangements was made by but there was naturally room for Telmo Marques, a work that required improvisation itself. But Russell an interpretation that differentiated created the sections for improvisation the written sections from those with resources unlike the usual that were (and were also in this ones: the structure did not need concert) improvised. to be restricted to the traditional The music on the album has exposure ­‑ solos ­‑ re­‑exposure, and the form of a suite with a recurring solos could be based on new chord theme, presented in the three sequences or ostinatos (continuously parts of “Chromatic Universe”. repeated bass lines). Here, as will In “Dimensions”, we hear a sequence of solos for the first time that provides simultaneously. Thus, a sequence that In memory of Woodwinds Production us with a characteristic sound derived would sound completely harmonious Manuel Jorge Veloso José Luís Rego Pedro Guedes / OJM from the ideas of the Lydian Chromatic gains much more suggestive contours. João Guimarães Video Mário Santos Alexandra Côrte‑Real­ Concept. Despite the space naturally The reinterpretation of a José Pedro Coelho reserved for individual expression by historical album, in concert and on this Rui Teixeira Casa da Música, soloists, Telmo Marques’ transcription edition, may intrigue some of those November 30th 2019 departs from recorded solos to who see OJM as an orchestra that Trumpets Luís Macedo Design suggest, for example, the use of the favours ­‑ and it is true ­‑ composition Ricardo Formoso Dobra so­‑called “Lydian Diminished scale”, and original arrangements. Or even Rogério Ribeiro a symmetrical eight­‑note scale that those who think of jazz as a language Supports Trombones was already made known by Olivier that always demands future­‑oriented FOUNDER Daniel Dias Messiaen in his treatise Technique de thought, often not realizing that this Xavier Sousa mon langage musical (1944). Originally dogma can even keep them bound to Gonçalo Dias featuring pianists Bill Evans and Paul certain pasts. More interesting will INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT Bley, the arrangements explore the be thinking of this return to 1960 as Rhythm Section Carlos Azevedo dialogues between the two pianos on a trip to the source of creativity that (Fender Rhodes) PATRONS several occasions, but also include George Russell made available to the Eurico Costa solos of various winds. The use of most advanced musicians of his time. (guitar) polymodality, that is, of different The recording of this album ­‑ and Demian Cabaud (double bass) SUPPORT overlapping scales, has a very clear particularly the solos of the guests Marcos Cavaleiro example in the theme “The Lydiot” João Paulo Esteves da Silva and (drums) ­‑ the harmonized melody heard in José Diogo Martins, as well as of the the trumpets, a perfectly tonal riff, soloists of OJM – makes it clear that Recorded live and mixed by MEDIA PARTNERS which is doubled by two trombones, this source is still fertile. Carlos Lopes but these play half tone and one tone above the first trumpet, all Fernando Pires de Lima Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos

Musical Direction Pedro Guedes Guest Soloists João Paulo Esteves da Silva piano José Diogo Martins piano

Jazz in The Space Age [48:28]

Side A 1. Chromatic Universe, Part 1 2. Dimensions 3. Chromatic Universe, Part 2

Side B 4. The Lydiot 5. Waltz from Outer Space 6. Chromatic Universe, Part 3

Composition and arrangement by George Russell Transcription of the arrangement by Telmo Marques