THE MASTER PLAN: THE PROCESS OF COMPOSING, RECORDING AND PRODUCING AN ALBUM KENNETH MALCOLM MCDONALD A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN MUSIC YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO NOVEMBER 2009 Library and Archives BibliothSque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'Sdition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-62305-3 Our file Notre r6f6rence ISBN: 978-0-494-62305-3 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by partelecommunication o u par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondares ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. Canada ABSTRACT The writing, recording and production of a jazz recording are processes that differ for each individual. The discipline for a project of this grandeur has to be self-automated and will incorporate several trial and error procedures in order to complete it successfully. This thesis will document the process of creating the recording The Master Plan and how it serves as a step towards a career as a professional musician. Included will be the scores of all compositions composed during the process along with other relevant transcriptions and analysis. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to formally thank Professor David Mott, Professor Barry Elmes and Professor Michael Coghlan for their wisdom, guidance and encouragement over the course of my studies. I would also like to thank Karen Ng, Demetri Petsalakis, Jay Sussman, George Karounos, Barry Romberg and Jeff Elliot for their creative and professional involvement in the recording. Finally I would like to thank Jacklin Falconer and the McDonald and Falconer families for their ceaseless support throughout this entire project. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract iv Acknowledgements v List of Figures vii Introduction 1 Chapter One: The Purpose of the Master Plan - Explaining the Need to Compose 3 - Urgency 12 - Why Now? Pros and Cons 13 Chapter Two: Issues of Aesthetics - What Makes for a Good Jazz Ensemble? 18 - What Makes for a Good Jazz Composition? 26 - What Makes for a Good Jazz Recording? 31 Chapter Three: Influences - Jazz Influences 33 - Other Musical Influences 36 - Non-Musical Influences 41 Chapter Four: The Compositional Process - Preparation 44 - Theories and Techniques 46 - Making The Cut 49 Chapter Five: Preparing for the Session - Rehearsals 52 - How Rehearsal Changed the Compositions 54 - Choosing a Studio 56 Chapter Six: Capturing the Moment - The Recording Session 59 - Mixing, Mastering and Manufacturing 62 Conclusion 65 Appendix 68 Bibliography 122 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure One "The Outlaw" from Further Explorations by the Horace Silver Quintet 5 Figure Two "Nica's Dream" from Horace-Scope 7 Figure Three "To Whom It May Concern" from Horace Silver and The Jazz Messengers 8 Figure Four "One by One" by Wayne Shorter 10 Figure Five "Juju" by Wayne Shorter 11 Figure Six "From 10 To 11 Blues" Alto Solo Excerpt 21 Figure Seven "Peace" Ornette Coleman Solo Excerpt 29 Figure Eight "Waltz for JS" Lead Sheet 38 Vll Introduction For my master's thesis I compiled a body of original compositions and recorded them for professional and commercial purposes. From August 2007 to July 2008 I wrote fifteen compositions that would be suitable for a jazz recording. I picked the eight strongest compositions and had them recorded and pressed as my debut recording entitled The Master Plan. I have included scores of all fifteen compositions along with other relevant transcriptions that help explain my feelings towards the music. Within this thesis I plan on demonstrating why composition is important myself as a musician and to music in general. I will do so by elaborating on the development of my compositional skills and by investigating the developing careers of other significant composers. I will also discuss the important elements of a jazz composition and compositional practice using examples of my own work and the work of others. I will document how the compositions of The Master Plan were chosen, rehearsed, recorded and indicate how they were developed through these processes. Then I will further notate how this recording has since helped me initiate a professional music career and a strong work ethic. This thesis serves as my rite of passage into the world of the professional musician. Before this my education in jazz music had been exclusively formal and academic. Very little had been done outside of the university environment to further my career as a jazz musician. So I was compelled to take action. Even though this thesis counts as an academic accomplishment it also serves as something much more specific and practical. It was mostly self-automated (with some help from my professors) and has led to many other extra-curricular ventures such as self promotion, grant applications, concert bookings and touring, none of which were related to the 1 thesis. This thesis project has enabled me to become a better musician and has made me more ambitious towards what I want to accomplish. 2 Chapter One: The Purpose Of The Master Plan Explaining the Need to Compose So, if we waive for a moment the question of ethics and morals, and simply go to the point where 'responsibility' means 'being aware of all the needs of oneself in order to maintain one's existence,' then I propose that the role of the composer is to retard the decay of the system. The decay of the system is here not meant to be a purely biological fact, like getting old or becoming redundant, but is connected a little bit with the loss of information that prevails whenever one explores a system. The more we know about it, the less there remains to be known. So that curiosity for exploration decreases with age. In order to retard that decay of curiosity - this decay of delight in exploration - the composer stipulates certain configurations he calls 'new systems,' says about them that for him (and if possible for his society) these are unexplored systems (with other words, in a kind of disorder or chaos), and proceeds to systematically order it by exploring it and documenting the traces left by this exploratory process. These are then compositions, sometimes.1 Herbert Brim's statement effectively describes the importance of composition in an evolving musical climate. Jazz has a vast repertoire that gives many "systems" for musicians to explore. That being said, the idea of using someone else's system may seem rather limiting and building new systems may be more appealing. While composing music intended for improvisation, I am creating a new musical structure that allows me to explore rhythmic and harmonic elements that interest me at this particular moment in time. I can input ideas developed upon through private musical practice (be it instrumental or compositional) or I can take ideas that I have discovered through other recordings or compositions. This is a great way to delay musical boredom when one is tired of playing standard jazz repertoire. While I still enjoy performing standard jazz repertoire through improvisation, I do get the urge to create new musical structures that are exclusive to myself and differ from standard melodic, harmonic and rhythmic traditions. 1. Briin, Herbert. "Towards Composition," When Music Resists Meaning, ed. Arun Chandra (Widdleton: Wesleyan University Press, 2004) 78-79. 3 The compositions featured on The Master Plan provided new musical systems for my ensemble to explore. Often I will compose with a certain instrumentalist in mind and create something that accents their musical strengths. This allows for the given musicians to express their musical tendencies in a system that is exclusive to them. For example, "A Fistful of Swing," the penultimate composition on my recording, was written with saxophonist Karen Ng in mind. I wanted her to play the baritone saxophone, an instrument she plays well but does not play as often as the alto saxophone, on at least one composition. I did this because Ng adapts well to different and challenging musical situations and comes up with ideas that are different from what she would usually create. Not only did I write a composition where she needed to play a different saxophone but I used an awkward key (Ab minor concert).