Goodbye Pork Pie Hat by Charles Mingus disscusion paper - Essay Example

Berndt (52) further notes that Jazz involves vitality and spontaneity of musical production which involves improvisation. Berndt also holds that Jazz contains “a manner of phrasing and sonority that mirrors the Jazz musician’ individuality (73). Holding a similar view, Berndt (63) noted that Jazz music originated in the Southern United States among the African-American communities, combining European music and African music. According to Shipton (23) Jazz music started developing in 1880 during the Atlantic slave trade which brought Africans to the U.S. Shipton (34) holds that the Jazz music, therefore, early Jazz had rhythms that reflected the African speech pattern was characterized by the pentatonic scale which led to the blue notes that commonly characterize Jazz.

Focusing on Jazz music, this paper provides an in-depth analysis of “Goodbye Porkpie Hat,” a historic jazz style. The paper will focus on discussing general characteristics of the historic jazz style and the individual stylistic characteristic for which the performer is known. The paper also focuses on one piece that features a notable performance while providing observations from listening to such apiece. The paper concludes with an overview of the aforementioned issues while highlighting the significance of the piece and performer of the Jazz music featured.

Before, discussing the aforementioned issues it is important to examine the jazz music featured. Goodbye Porkpie Hat, which was later renamed Theme in memory of Lester Young is music piece or a jazz standard, which was composed by Charles Mingus. The jazz standard recorded in 1959, by his sextet, and released on the album of “Mingus Ah Um.” He wrote it as in memory of Lester Young, a saxophonist, who passed on before the recording was done and was reputed for wearing a broad-rimmed of pork pie hat.

Good-bye porkpie Hat is Mingus widely known musical composition and many jazz fusion and Jazz artists have recorded his music. For instance, Mitchell Joni added lyrics to the songs for his album Mingus, which was recorded jointly with Mingus in the months prior to his death. Besides, Kirk Rahsaaan also composed some lyrics to the song, which was included in his album, of The Return of 500lb Man. “Goodbye porkpie Hat” is a ballad composed for a saxophonist Lester Young, and it is named after young’s reputable signature headwear.

The melody is beautiful and haunting plays in Octaves or in unison by tenor saxophonists Booker Ervin and Handy John except for one note, where they play the dissonant interval of either a minor second or ninth (Artist Direct 1). Ideally, the single dissonance resembles wince, and it is perhaps a subtle nod to the pained life of Young. Charles Mingus was an influential Jazz double bassist composer as well as bandleader. His musical compositions had a hot soulful feel of hard bop and credits to black gospel music and free jazz, Third stream and classical music (Open Culture 1).

Yet he avoided categorization, thus forging his own unique music brand, which fused traditions with the unexplored jazz realms (Open Culture 2). Mingus emphasized on collective improvisations, which is similar to old New Orleans jazz while paying much attention to the interactions of each band member with the group. He recruited band members on not only skills but also their personalities. Besides, Mingus receives credit for the double bass