Evocations of the Dance IV: Crossovers: When Highbrow Went Lowbrow, When Lowbrow Went Highbrow (2)


http://www.jazzstudiesonline.org/files/Jazz%20as%20Decal.pdf

Fair warning: this is an exercise in false dichotomies – jazz and classical music in the twentieth century were often feeding off similar roots. But my key contention is that even now, long after Gunther Schuller’s ‘Third Stream’, the phenomenon that is the appeal of ‘World Music’, and the fusion of everything that isn’t bolted down (to mix a metaphor), we still have a sense of what is jazz and what is classical music.

It could be borrowings of melodic, harmonic or rhythmic qualities, or it could be the tendency of jazz musicians to favour more complex harmonies or to otherwise show their allegiance to the avant garde, which seems to me more of a highbrow borrowing from the classical music world than an indigenous jazz trait.

Something about confluences, tributaries here.

So, the following list of tracks represent a slightly selective history of jazz tracks with classical elements and classical tracks with a jazz influence.

I want this list to be an organic thing. If you can suggest any tracks I’ve neglected, please leave a comment.

The 1920s

YearThe Jazz Side Of ThingsThe Classical Side Of Things
1920
Adieu, New York (Georges Auric, 1920) - Andrew West - 2000
1921
Jazzy (from Three Moods) (Copland, 1921) - Leo Smit - 1978

Caramel mou (Shimmy) (Darius Milhaud, 1921) - Andrew West - 2000
1922That Da-Da-Strain - Ethel Waters & Her Jazz MastersRagtime (from Suite ‘1922’, Paul Hindemith, 1922) - Simone Pedroni - 1993
The Okey Laughing Record - Karl Valentin & Liesl KarlstadtSexema - Rudy Wiedoeft - 1922
1923
La Creation Du Monde (Milhaud, 1923) - cond. Milhaud 1932
1924
Rhapsody In Blue (Gershwin, arr. Grofé 1924) - Paul Whiteman’s Concert Orchestra (p. George Gershwin) - 1927

Allegro (from Concertino for Piano & Orchestra) (Honegger, 1924) - Minneapolis S.O., cond. Eugene Ormandy, p. Eunice Norton - 1934
1925
Jazz Symphony (George Antheil, 1925) - San Francisco Symphony, cond. Michael Tilson Thomas - 2000
1926
Chanson (pour Robert Stolz) (from Cinque Etudes de Jazz, Erwin Schulhoff, 1926) - Erwin Schulhoff - 1928

Sentimental Melody (Copland, 1926) - Leo Smit - 1993
1927In A Mist - Bix Beiderbecke
Washboard Blues (1927, Hoagy Carmichael) - Connee Boswell - 1932
1928Poor Butterfly - Red Nichols And His Orchestra, v. Scrappy Lambert - 1928
West End Blues - Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five - 1928The Rio Grande (Constant Lambert, 1928) - Harty, St. Michaels Singers, Hallé Orch., dir. Lambert - 1930
Stop Kidding (Neckbones and Sauerkraut) (Arr. John Nesbitt) - McKinney’s Cotton Pickers Orchestra - 1928
1929You’ve Got To Be Modernistic (James P Johnson) - Jimmie Johnson & His Orchestra feat. Fats Waller
Futuristic Rhythm - Louisiana Rhythm Kings - 1929
Weird and Blue - Jabbo Smith - 1929
Numb Fumbling - Fats Waller - 1929
Two Guitars (Russ. trad) - Eddie South - 1929

Download Part 3: The 1920s here.

The 1930s

YearThe Jazz Side Of ThingsThe Classical Side Of Things
1931Creole Rhapsody - Duke EllingtonAllegramente - Piano Concerto in G (Ravel, 1931) Marguerite Long - 1932
1932Hell’s Bells - Art Kassel and his Castles in the Air Orchestra - 1932
1933Dance of the Octopus - Red Norvo - 1933
Tiger Rag - Art Tatum - 1933
Hole in the Wall - Red Norvo
Queer Notions - Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra
1934Have You Forgotten God (Cooke, 1933-1934) - Alistair Cooke - 1955
Jazznocracy - Jimmy Lunceford - 1934
The House is Haunted (Billy Rose & Basil G. Adlam) - Glen Gray & Casa Loma Orchestra - 1934
Deep Purple (Peter De Rose) - Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra - 1934
1935
Bess, You Is My Woman (from Porgy and Bess) (Gershwin, 1935) - Todd Duncan & Anne Brown - 1940
1936Nightfall (Carter) - Benny Carter - 1936
Waltzing The Blues (Carter) - Benny Carter - 1936
Interlude In B Flat (Live in NYC) (Shaw) - Artie Shaw - 1936
1937Powerhouse (Scott, 1937) - Raymond Scott Quintette - 1939
Improvisation - Django Reinhardt - 1937
Surprises No 1 - Rudy Vallee
Smoke Dreams - Mildred Bailey & Red Norvo - 1937
Sweet Sue - Don Redman & his Orchestra - 1937
1938Stop, Look and Listen - Tommy Dorsey
Quaker City Jazz - Jan Savitt & His Orchestra - 1938
In the Dark (Beiderbecke) - Bunny Berigan - 1938
The Miserere (Gregorio Allegri) ‘Straight’, then ‘Swung’ - Jelly Roll Morton - 1938
1939Montmartre - Rex Steward And His Feetwarmers feat. Django ReinhardtSea Fugue Mama - Alec Wilder Octet - 1939
Child Of A Disordered Brain - Earl Hines - 1939
Echoes of Spring - Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith - 1939

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