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Conceptual Jazz-Listen to Your Sound
Conceptual Jazz-Listen to Your Sound
Date Posted: January 06 2011
Written By: Frank Caruso
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In this article I would like to take a rest from theoretical/rhythmic analysis and ponder a very important aspect of performance––sound. As an ongoing student of jazz, I look for four main elements when trying to emulate and understand other players:
1) Time feel
2) Sound of the instrument
3) Harmonic approach
4) Rhythmic devices
These are the four ingredients I am listening to when studying and playing with musicians. I would go so far as to say that these are in order of importance.
A musician’s sound, also known as his “voice,” is a major part of his trademark. For instance, Charlie Parker’s sound is different from Paul Desmond’s. This is the first thing you hear when listening, and the primary way by which you identify them. For example, Cannonball Adderly’s sound is closer to Charlie Parker’s than it is to Paul Desmond’s.
In developing your own sound, take these two elements into account:
Determine the basic sound and timbre of your instrument, and work on this aspect each time you play.
Begin to develop your own individual “voice” within the reasonable parameters of your instrument.
Your individual voice will be determined primarily by your dedication to your instrument, your personality and your message. It is usually strongly affected by the musicians you have chosen to listen to early on in your development.
There are a select few who have transcended the sound of their instruments. They actually play music on a different (and higher) level. These are, in my opinion, “pure musicians.” Their primary purpose in life is playing music. They are a minority, but crucial to the evolution of all forms of music, but that is the subject of another article.
A person who had a profound impact on me as a young player was actually a saxophonist, Rich Fudoli. I had the fortunate opportunity of playing with Rich on a regular basis when I was seventeen. He was a great mentor, and I still speak with him today. He is a pure musician. After hearing him play I said, “That’s how music should sound on any instrument!”
From that point on I began to work on my sound. Up to that point in my life I was mostly working on my “time feel” and “changes,” and judged my sound in terms of those two things. Rich Fudoli and Stan Getz are two saxophone players whose sound transcended anything that I had previously heard or experienced. There are singers and other musicians who have had that same imprint on my soul, but I don’t wish to get too far afield from the subject at hand.
A musician’s sound allows you to experience both the instrument they are playing and the soul of the musician, and is crucial in every musician’s development. Better earlier than later. As educators, we have a serious responsibility to address this aspect with vigor and passion.
With the introduction of electronic music, keyboard players like myself have a much larger task, as we are forced to listen to many different instruments and must develop a perfect memory for how those instruments sound. We then need to possess the technical control to produce the necessary attacks, decays and releases to “copy” the various instruments (these go beyond the programmed attacks, delays and releases supplied by the keyboard manufacturers).
However, nothing sounds quite like the real instruments. Percussionists fall into the same category, perhaps to a greater degree than keyboard players. There is a danger that keyboard players can forget to maintain their sound on acoustic piano. It is very important for them to spend enough time on their primary instrument to maintain their own voice. Woodwind and reed players are in the same situation due to the demands of “doubling” placed on them in the workplace. An excellent doubler is a craftsman, and should be held in high esteem by all musicians. Doubling is a high calling when done with any degree of excellence.
So it is a reminder for all of us who bear the burden of creating great jazz to be mindful of the quality of our sound and make any adjustments that bring us closer to the perfect expression of our beloved musical form, whether it be intonation, phrasing, appropriate volume, coloring, or any other aspects of excellent sound.
I am presently obsessed with the sounds that classical players and symphony musicians are required to produce on demand. The longer I live, the more I realize what these musicians have dedicated their lives to. We as jazz artists have the same mandate if we are to do justice to the art form.
In Chicago, developing musicians are lucky to be able to hear musicians on virtually every instrument who have achieved an excellent sound. Supporting and taking advantage of these opportunities is important in our quest for a great music community.
Recently I heard the CSO under the superb conducting skills of Pierre Boulez perform Debussy, Ravel and a stellar performance of Ligeti’s Violin Concert by concertmaster Robert Chen. I am compelled by that performance to revisit certain aspects of my playing as a jazz musician. Remember: playing is “singing” and “thinking” with your body. Playing piano is “singing” and “thinking” with your hands. So listen to your sound—your voice––and to what it is telling us.
Frank Caruso currently serves on the jazz studies faculties at North Central College and Elmhurst College. Caruso also teaches at his home studio and has recently published a book in piano improvisation, which is available on-line at pianoimprovisationsystem.com. Caruso may also be contacted at carusopiano@yahoo.com.
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