American Mavericks: Program 4: It don't mean a thing, if it aint got that Swing!





	Separate as their audiences may seem, jazz and classical musicians have always kept an ear on each other and learned from each other. Charles Ives worked ragtime into his piano music in the 1890's; Scott Joplin, the king of ragtime, wrote an opera in 1911; "Duke" Ellington learned from the orchestration of Debussy and Ravel. In the 1920's, jazz seemed like the necessary pedigree composers needed to make their music seem authentically American, and it does seem at times that a jazz sense of rhythm is our primary national musical distinction. Inspired by erstwhile jazz figures like Rosco Mitchell and Muhal Richard Abrams, the free improvisation of the 1980's was the most thoroughgoing of many attempts to fuse two musical streams. For most of that decade, jazz and avant-garde music were nearly indistinguishable.

"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!"
An essay by music critic and author Kyle Gann.

Musicologist William Banfield tracks the development of orchestrated jazz.

100 years of "The Maple Leaf Rag"
Rex Levang takes a look at Scott Joplin and his influence on the 20th century.

George Gershwin
Maurice Ravel
George Antheil
Igor Stravinsky
Scott Joplin
Charles Ives
Claude Debussy
Darius Milhaud
John Alden Carpenter
Aaron Copland
James P. Johnson

William Grant Still 1 2

Duke Ellington 1 2
Ornette Coleman

Pauline Oliveros

Terry Riley
John Coltrane

Gunther Schuller
Muhal Richard Abrams
Anthony Braxton
John Zorn

In addition to host Suzanne Vega and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, this show includes the voices of these composers, performers, and scholars:

Bill McGlaughlin
William Banfield
Charles Amirkhanian: "Interview" (76:02s)
Gunther Schuller
Henry Brant: "Interview" (51:41s)
Fred Ho: "Interview" (59:37s)

Additional interviews
Carei Thomas talks about the AACM, chumming with Sun Ra, and an open-minded concept for musical exploration
"Interview" (44:22s) .

James P. Johnson - Duke Ellington Orchestra - Ornette Coleman - Scott Joplin

Music heard in the radio show:

"Livery Stable Blues" ("Ken Burns Jazz"/Columbia Legacy CK5 61432)

IGOR STRAVINSKY: "Ragtime"(Boston Chamber Players/DGG 463 667-2)

Ragtime played by (New Columbia Brass Band/Dorian DOR-93165)

CHARLES IVES: Ragtime Dance No. 1 (Orchestra New England/Sinclair/Koch 3-7025-2 HI)

DARIUS MILHAUD: "The Creation of the World," (New World Symphony/Tilson Thomas/RCA 09026-68798-2)

JOHN ALDEN CARPENTER: "Skyscrapers," (London Symphony Orchestra/Klein/Albany TROY 235)

JAMES P. JOHNSON: "Carolina Shout" (EPM Jazz Archives 158952)

JAMES P. JOHNSON: "Charleston" (EPM Jazz Archives 158952)

JAMES P. JOHNSON: "Yamekraw" (Marcus Roberts/St. Luke's Orchestra/Sadin/Sony SK 68488)

JAMES P. JOHNSON: "Harlem Symphony" 3rd movement (Concordia Orchestra/Alsop/Music Masters 01612-67140-2)

WILLIAM GRANT STILL: "Afro-American" Symphony, 3rd movement (Chicago Sinfonietta/Freeman/Cedille CDR 90000 055)

DUKE ELLINGTON: "Take the 'A' Train" (Duke Ellington Orchestra/EPM 159432)

DUKE ELLINGTON: "Koko" (Duke Ellington Orchestra/EPM 159432)

DUKE ELLINGTON: "Black Brown and Beige," (Columbia CK 65566)

ORNETTE COLEMAN: "Free Jazz" (Atlantic 1364-2)
JOHN COLTRANE: "Russian Lullaby" (Prestige PRCD-7142-2)

GUNTHER SCHULLER: "Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee" (Radio Philharmonic of Hanover/Schuller/GM 2059 CD)

DON MOYE: "nfamoudou-boudougou" (Art Ensemble of Chicago/Koch KOC-CD-8500)

ANTHONY BRAXTON: "For Alto" (Delmark DE-420)

JOHN ZORN: "Cobra" ("Pendet"/Tzadik TZ 7335)

JOHN ZORN: "The Big Gundown" ("Milano Odea"/Tzadik 7328)



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