The initial idea for “Common Ground” came pretty quickly and then details like form and instrumentation came together more slowly. A few things come to mind about this tune. One, is how ideas come about in the composing process. I have tried off and on to write away from an instrument altogether. Mostly unsuccessfully unfortunately. There are a couple of reasons why it might be good though. After playing an instrument for a while your hands tend to fall in certain patterns instead of relying on your ear to guide you. So without your instrument you have to really hear your ideas. Also when I’m writing for instruments other than the piano, it really helps to have some knowledge of that instrument’s range, sound etc… In that respect I’m glad I had the experience of playing the trumpet for many years in school bands. One definitely cannot play the trumpet without taking breaths or other woodwind instruments as well for that matter. In this tune I thought some kind of interplay between the soprano sax and flute might be interesting sound and it seemed to work pretty well orchestration-wise. Recently I was playing an instrument that I hadn’t played in a year or so, an old Wurlitzer electric piano. For some reason the sound and feel of the instrument drew out some of the musical ideas in this tune. I think sometimes a certain instrument can do that, not sure why. So perhaps this music wouldn’t have come about if I hadn’t been playing on the Wurlitzer? Hard to say.

Lately I’ve listening to music by the Brazilian guitarist/pianist Egberto Gismonti and I think some of that sound seeped in unconsciously. Also I was thinking about how Antonio Carlos Jobim develops his melodies and harmonic structures. Definitely one of my all time favorite composers. In fact when playing with jazz musicians and it comes time to play a Latin-type tune, most of the time a Jobim tune is suggested. I think there is a reason for that.

As for the title and its meaning? Well not sure if there is a definitive answer but, I am always trying to find a balance (musically and otherwise) between being tied to ideas and being open to unfamiliar ones or the ones that emerge unconsciously. This music seemed to reflect that to me.

For this week’s composition, Ice-Berg, I thought the clarinet would be a good choice. Luckily, John can play pretty much all of the instruments in the woodwind family. That is versatility for you.

A lot of the written music you see as a jazz musician is in the form of a lead sheet. A lead sheet usually contains the melody and a set of chord changes. The chord changes are also usually used for improvising as well as accompanying the melody. Chord changes could be thought of as musical shorthand, they give you a harmonic roadmap, but don’t necessarily spell out all the details. Sometimes it is difficult to really describe a chord voicing that I want, it is just easier to write out the notes. So if you take a look at the PDF for Ice-Berg you will see the chords written musically as well as the chord symbols. The second dilemma was that chords were pretty difficult to improvise over. Pretty chromatic. In this case I decided to play shapes over the harmony instead of worrying that every note fit every chord. Is there really such a thing as a wrong note? As long the note that follows makes sense to the previous one, does it matter? Music is not static like a painting. In taking that approach I also wanted the melody to always be played in order to provide some continuity. Basically to keep it from being too atonal sounding. The classic recording of Nefertiti by the Miles quintet of 1960′s basically play the melody chorus after chorus. The effect is a more subtle change than drastic.

What is interesting is what causes one to hear a sound as dissonant? In western music we have 12 individual notes, that are divided into octaves and repeated. Combinations of two notes form intervals, with three notes a triad and so on. Generally speaking the interval of a 5th is considered consonant while a minor 2nd dissonant. My harmonic approach is this tune was use dissonant and consonant intervals side by side. The music of twentieth-century composer Alban Berg made use of dissonance as well as the serial composition, the use of 12 tone rows. The line between harmony and atonality begins to disappear, or melt like an Ice-Berg. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Stephen Foster is a composer of true Americana.  His songbook is filled with compositions known by Americans of all walks of life -- songs like “Oh! Susanna,” “Camptown Races,” and “Beautiful Dreamer.”

This week, I’ve arranged Foster’s “Hard Times, Come Again No More” for the Duo Chronicles project.  Although not as well-known as the songs I mentioned above, it’s still a very common song, especially in the folk circles.  For example, my favorite version was performed by James Taylor with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O’Connor.

For the Duo Chronicles version, I stretched the harmony, but not so much that the song is hidden -- it’s just presented in a different light.  I also tried to stay true to the lyrics and mood of the song, which transitions between hopeful and dark imagery.  Here are Foster’s original lyrics:

Let us pause in life’s pleasures and count its many tears,

While we all sup sorrow with the poor;

There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears;

Oh Hard times come again no more.

Chorus:

Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,

Hard Times, hard times, come again no more

Many days you have lingered around my cabin door;

Oh hard times come again no more.

While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay,

There are frail forms fainting at the door;

Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say

Oh hard times come again no more.

(Chorus)

There’s a pale drooping maiden who toils her life away,

With a worn heart whose better days are o’er:

Though her voice would be merry, ’tis sighing all the day,

Oh hard times come again no more.

(Chorus)

Tis a sigh that is wafted across the troubled wave,

Tis a wail that is heard upon the shore

Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly grave

Oh hard times come again no more.

This is our first departure from original material in the project besides the holiday songs -- we’ll be back to original compositions next week.