Who was Lyle Murphy?

[Bright Moments]

and what is "12-tone music"

(see Contemporary C3506)

[Dave James]

From Marc Myers JazzWax blog:

http://www.jazzwax.com/2009/12/lyle-murphy-west-coast-tonal.html

His recordings are well worth seeking out.

[AllenLowe]

he worked for the Musicians Union, too - about 15 years ago I had to call there for some reason, and this really old guy answers the phone, who was obviously very deaf and who could barely hear me. We screamed at each other for about 5 minutes (in a nice way; though I do not know why he was answering phones) - and he said "this is Spud Murphy." I almost fell off my chair. Nice man.

Edited May 24, 2010 by AllenLowe

[chitownjazz]

Lyle "Spud" Murphy

[Bright Moments]

sounds like a full life!

but what is "12-tone" music?

[jeffcrom]

sounds like a full life!

but what is "12-tone" music?

Music in which none of the twelve notes in the Western chromatic scale is given any more emphasis than any of the others. In the key of B flat, B flat is the most important note, F is (arguably) the next most important - those notes are given more weight. In twelve-tone music (and this is a simplified explanation), none of the twelve notes can recur until all twelve have appeared. Since none of the twelve tones is emphasized, there's little or no feeling of key center; the music is atonal - which doesn't mean it's cacophonous or chaotic; it just means that there's no key center.

In jazz, besides Murphy, David Mack made a really nice album of twelve-tone music - it's pretty obscure. And John Carisi used a modified twelve-tone technique at times.

More info here.

Edited May 24, 2010 by jeffcrom

[Joe]

IIRC correctly, there are also a couple of serial works on the Teddy Charles / Shorty Rogers / Shelly Manne / Jimmy Giuffre COLLABORATION WEST LP.

My assumption (not sure where it comes from, though) is that a lot of the Los Angeles-based musicians of the era got "turned on" to Schoenberg via Dr. Wesley La Violette. Does anyone know if La Violette actively taught serial techniques?

[Bright Moments]

sounds like a full life!

but what is "12-tone" music?

Music in which none of the twelve notes in the Western chromatic scale is given any more emphasis than any of the others. In the key of B flat, B flat is the most important note, F is (arguably) the next most important - those notes are given more weight. In twelve-tone music (and this is a simplified explanation), none of the twelve notes can recur until all twelve have appeared. Since none of the twelve tones is emphasized, there's little or no feeling of key center; the music is atonal - which doesn't mean it's cacophonous or chaotic; it just means that there's no key center.

In jazz, besides Murphy, David Mack made a really nice album of twelve-tone music - it's pretty obscure. And John Carisi used a modified twelve-tone technique at times.

More info here.

thanks!!

[Free For All]

A few 12 tone jazz compositions that come to mind are Trane's Miles' Mode, Bill Evans Twelve Tone Tune and Bob Brookmeyer's ABC Blues.

[Spontooneous]

A few 12 tone jazz compositions that come to mind are Trane's Miles' Mode, Bill Evans Twelve Tone Tune and Bob Brookmeyer's ABC Blues.

And I think there's one on the CD by that Paul McKee guy.