About two years ago, I was approached by the editors of the Journal for Music-In-Education (Larry Scripp & Patrick Keppel) to write a short response to a story they were publishing by & about jazz pianist Michael Cain (perhaps best known for his work with Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition band). Cain’s article addresses some of the social and cultural stereotypes he has encountered as a jazz musician, as well as the journey into the mindset of the high-visibility performing musician; a process he terms ‘Initiation.’

Scripp and Keppel were interested in my response to Michael Cain’s writing, primarily because I studied privately with him while at NEC, and because Scripp (a WAITIKI supporter) deemed my work with that group as a sort of ‘Initiation’ of my own. To make a long story short, when I began to write my response (which was originally intended to be just a few paragraphs), I discovered how complex and nuanced the story behind WAITIKI truly is &emdash; and thus found my way into writing a full-length article. (Consequently, I further ended up becoming Associate Editor of the JMIE, and contributed several more writings to it before publication in July).

The JMIE has since been published and circulated throughout the world. It is now in the hands of hundreds (soon to be thousands … and more) of music educators, professional teaching artists, arts education policy makers, action researchers, performers, and artist-teacher-scholars. Additionally, this particular edition will be used as a textbook at the university level in several states. I am excited to know that many people, who had not formerly had an affiliation with exotica, will be introduced to some of the lesser-discussed cultural nuances of the genre, and the artistic choices that musicians are faced with when working with an artform whose whole is the sum of many different cultural parts.

JMIE website:

journal.music-in-education.org

MICHAEL CAIN ARTICLE

http://journal.music-in-education.org/pdfs/JMIE2007_Cain_article.pdf PDF - 10 pages [268 KB]

RANDY WONG’S ARTICLE:

http://journal.music-in-education.org/pdfs/JMIE2007_WongExotica_article.pdf PDF - 8 pages [532 KB]

Thanks to two successful performances (including the world premiere) of L’Ours Chinois, I’ve had a number of inquiries as to what the specific influences of composer Maurice Ravel are, in regards to the formation of exotica — and particularly, my piece “L’ours Chinois.”

Without a doubt, one of the easiest ways to answer this question is the obvious use of Ravel’s faux Orientalist melodies. Quite often, he would write material that used pentatonic/modal scales that are commonly used by Chinese and Japanese traditional songs. To buttress these melodies, he would harmonize them using seventh and ninth chords; particularly of the Major 7 and minor-Major 7 variety.

Even a cursory comparison of the String Quartet in F Major and a tune like Les Baxter’s “Jungle River Boat” can quickly turn heads of unassuming listeners. I conducted an experiment this weekend, when carousing with my colleagues in Project Copernicus: I played a few short snippets of Martin Denny and Les Baxter recordings, and asked them to name what composers came immediately to mind. Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy were among the most frequently cited.

Further parallels can be found when examining instrumentation and orchestration techniques. Ravel chose Western instruments that could mimic those found in other civilizations; such as the epic flute solo in the second Daphnis and Chloe suite. Through the usage of the middle and low ranges of that instrument, he was able to paint tone colors different from what his contemporaries were using. Flute in its low register is commonly found in exotica, particularly through the uses of the Alto Flute.

… To be continued … (I’m at the airport and need to pack up my computer, sorry!)

The ‘Alo-hop’ Beat: What is it? And where did it come from?

These are questions that have been plaguing Okonkuluku University students for decades. Lucky for you, dear reader, today’s lecture is a diagram of the beat and its origins.

Sacred & Secular Dance Music of the Ancient & Modern Worlds

The ‘Alo-hop’ Beat has three influences: the ipu rhythms of Hawaiian hula kahiko, the guiro patterns of Latin music, and a bass line borrowed from Usher’s hip-hop anthem “Yeah.”

The diagram below shows the interaction of the ipu rhythm and hip-hop bass line. Note that the downbeat of each bar simultaneously serves as the first note of the bass line and the first heel slap of the ipu. Whereas traditional usage of the ipu would dictate using the heel of one’s hand (as marked, ‘Heel’) and the lengths of one’s fingers (as marked, ‘Slap’), it is suggested that alo-hop performers substitute kick drum for the ‘Heel’ and mounted temple block (or wood block) for all ’slap’ sounds.

The next diagram shows the adaptation of the classic guiro pattern, double-timed for hi-hat.

Listen to an excerpt of “Cave of Uldo” as performed by WAITIKI on the album Charred Mammal Flesh: Exotic Music for BBQ:

• Cave of Uldo Excerpt