has there ever been a jazz ballet?

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

like by ellington, or kenton,- any big band/large group arr. or even for a jazz combo? (instead of an classical orchestra) that is my inquiry

[Daniel A]

I'm sure there have been others, but Swedish jazz basist Georg Riedel (has played with many Swedish greats as Jan Johansson, Lars Gullin, Rolf Billberg, Jan Allan etc.) wrote a ballet in 1967, 'Riedaighlia'. It was made specifically for TV and won the Prix Italia that year. Sorry to say, I don't know of any recordings.

[brownie]

Ellington scored ballets for the 'Drum Is a Woman' TV special back in the late '50s. Duke also composed music for the 1970 ballet 'The River' with Alvin Ailey.

Alvin Ailey did quite a number of jazz-based ballets. Check this!

Then there was the New York City Ballet production of 'N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz' which was choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Opus Jazz

[Claude]

Wynton Marsalis composed the music for the ballets "Jump start" and "Jazz - Six Syncopated movements".

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/...on+Marsalis.htm

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...752C0A965958260

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

hmm...

[mikeweil]

Flutist Lloyd McNeill wrote a ballet music for Washington in the 1970's.

I'm sure they're plenty of 'em.

[JSngry]

I'm pretty much ignoranat about this, but doesn't "ballet" technically refer specifically to the dance? Unless the choreography is the work of the composer of the music (of it the creation of both is done in tandem), shouldn't any piece of music be suited for a ballet, and shouldn't "music for ballet" be used to designate music composed specifically for a ballet?

I'm probably all worng about this, so please correct me.

I do know that Ellington's "Night Creatures" took on life as a ballet withing a few years after its premier. But I don't know if it was composed with an eye towatds becoming a ballet or not.

[P.L.M]

"LA NUIT EST UNE SORCIERE" ("THE NIGHT IS A WITCH") de SIDNEY BECHET.

ROLAND PETIT (sp?) was the choregrapher, I think.

Maybe Brownie can say more about it.

[marcello]

Citi Movement (Griot New York)

Wynton Marsalis w/ Garth Fagan

Edited October 1, 2006 by marcello

[Stefan Wood]

I thought Milt Jackson wrote one that appeared on an Atlantic lp in the late 50's or ear;y 60's. Too early in the morning to get the brain working, though.

[sidewinder]

John Surman composed and performed in tandem with a French dance company back in the 1970s I believe - not sure if it was ballet.

[Claude]

The music on John Surman's album "Private city" was composed for a ballet of the same name.

This is from an interview:

You’ve composed many pieces for ballet, with works for the Paris Opera being just one of many examples. How do you approach composing for ballet?

You really need to know what the dancers are looking for. If I say ‘listen’ again, you’re going to be bored. I guess the thing here is listening and watching. Try to see what it is the dancers are trying to convey. Sometimes, if they’re trying to convey a great deal of energy, it’s useful to them if the music doesn’t have a lot of its own energy. The music might need to be strong, but a lot of rhythmic energy may not be good if they’re trying to get their rhythmic energy across. They can drown in the musical energy. Conversely, sometimes if they are trying to convey things with lots of long lines it works well to have contrasting music. The whole concept of contrast in dance and music takes a while to learn to be able to handle. I’ve learned a bit about that. I’ve also learned that tempo is something you can’t mess around with. I’ve done some things that are semi-improvised, but if you’re doing things with five or six dancers then you need to have something like a synthesizer background that is substantially the same every night because the piece would be based on the tempo and feel of that, while I might take my horn and play quite differently and focus in on one or more of the different dancers on different nights. Solo sections are also sometimes totally improvised with the dancer.

http://www.johnsurman.com/bio_5.html

[alocispepraluger102]

hemp:

The Julius Hemphill Sextet

Over the past thirty-five years Julius Hemphill has earned a reputation

as one who broke down boundaries and defied labels. A prodigious

composer, who wrote luscious and shimmering sonorities with the

ever-present tang of the blues, Hemphill was as comfortable writing for

full orchestra as he was for his Sextet or Big Band. THE LAST SUPPER AT

UNCLE TOM'S CABIN: THE PROMISED LAND, composed for choreographer Bill T.

Jones and featuring the Julius Hemphill Sextet, toured the United States

and Europe with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Co. during the 1990-91

season to a chorus of raves. In 1991, Hemphill received a Bessie Award

for each of his dance compositions, LONG TONGUES: A SAXOPHONE OPERA and

THE LAST SUPPER AT UNCLE TOM'S CABIN: THE PROMISED LAND. An improviser

of immense talent and saxophonist who could coax the best out of any

musical unit, Hemphill performed in almost every major jazz festival and

hall in North America and Europe, including Berlin, Montreal, Kool,

Rome, Paris, Den Haag (North Sea), and Warsaw. Julius Hemphill died on 2

April 1995.

Edited October 1, 2006 by alocispepraluger102

[brownie]

"LA NUIT EST UNE SORCIERE" ("THE NIGHT IS A WITCH") de SIDNEY BECHET.

ROLAND PETIT (sp?) was the choregrapher, I think.

Maybe Brownie can say more about it.

Not much I can say about it except that despite being a huge fan of Bechet, 'La Nuit est une Sorcière' is a Bechet achievment I fail to get excited about.

The ballet was premiered at the Paris Palais de Chaillot theater in 1953 and was not a success. It was revived two years later and was better received. Not sure Roland Petit was the choregrapher but if it's true, no wonder it did not meet with the expected success.

[P.L.M]

Not much I can say about it except that despite being a huge fan of Bechet, 'La Nuit est une Sorcière' is a Bechet achievment I fail to get excited about.

Never like the music either, first of all because it tries to emulate "classical music".

In the sixties, it was the kind of record that you would find in the collection of people who didn't like jazz.

But aniway a "jazz ballet" of some sort.

[Nate Dorward]

Try Randy Sandke's Subway Ballet.

I believe Cecil Taylor also wrote a ballet.

[ghost of miles]

Ellington scored ballets for the 'Drum Is a Woman' TV special back in the late '50s. Duke also composed music for the 1970 ballet 'The River' with Alvin Ailey.

Alvin Ailey did quite a number of jazz-based ballets. Check this!

Opus Jazz

There is a solo piano version of The River on the recent Ellington Storyville CD THE PIANO PLAYER. The liner notes allude to Ellington orchestra recordings of The River being made as well--I think these came out on THE PRIVATE COLLECTION V. 5. (A friend told me that THE PRIVATE COLLECTION is being reissued, which I hope is true--I'm missing most of those volumes.)

[Chuck Nessa]

Add Bill Dixon and Tadd Dameron.

[JSngry]

The music on John Surman's album "Private city" was composed for a ballet of the same name.

This is from an interview:

You’ve composed many pieces for ballet, with works for the Paris Opera being just one of many examples. How do you approach composing for ballet?

You really need to know what the dancers are looking for. If I say ‘listen’ again, you’re going to be bored. I guess the thing here is listening and watching. Try to see what it is the dancers are trying to convey. Sometimes, if they’re trying to convey a great deal of energy, it’s useful to them if the music doesn’t have a lot of its own energy. The music might need to be strong, but a lot of rhythmic energy may not be good if they’re trying to get their rhythmic energy across. They can drown in the musical energy. Conversely, sometimes if they are trying to convey things with lots of long lines it works well to have contrasting music. The whole concept of contrast in dance and music takes a while to learn to be able to handle. I’ve learned a bit about that. I’ve also learned that tempo is something you can’t mess around with. I’ve done some things that are semi-improvised, but if you’re doing things with five or six dancers then you need to have something like a synthesizer background that is substantially the same every night because the piece would be based on the tempo and feel of that, while I might take my horn and play quite differently and focus in on one or more of the different dancers on different nights. Solo sections are also sometimes totally improvised with the dancer.

http://www.johnsurman.com/bio_5.html

Very interesting. Thanks for posting that, Claude!

[(BB)]

Here you go, sort of...

[Alexander]

John Alden Carpenter wrote a jazz ballet based on George Herriman's "Krazy Kat" comic strip in 1921...

[Ken Dryden]

What about Dave Brubeck's Points on Jazz?

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

ChuckChuck: what do mean Tadd Dameron? can u please elongate your comments on this! THATS what im talking about! Tadd is rad

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

Many Dameron stories have entered into jazz folklore—an Oberlin pre-med doctor story; a Sir Thomas Beecham connection; I Love Lucy theme rumors; Dimitri Tiomkin and the Love Theme from the film Giant; a Mexican ballet; and more. As I researched my book, I naturally sought the truth.

Interviews with people who knew Tadd going back to the 1930s (including someone who saw Tadd make his public debut playing Stardust with the Snake White band in 1936), research at the Oberlin alumni archives, talks with Beecham's road manager, and with Tadd's widow Mia, brought us most of the answers. You'll have to read the book. For now—the Mexican ballet story is untrue.

?!?!? i love what now?!?!?

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

have any of you heard the i love lucy rumour?