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A Comparative Study of the Jazz Trumpet Styles of Clifford Brown, Donald Byrd, and Freddie Hubbard: An Examination of Improvisational Style from 1953-1964.

Moore, James Harrison (2012) A Comparative Study of the Jazz Trumpet Styles of Clifford Brown, Donald Byrd, and Freddie Hubbard: An Examination of Improvisational Style from 1953-1964. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This study is a comparative examination of the musical lives and improvisational styles of jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown, and two prominent jazz trumpeters whom historians assert were influenced by Brown—Donald Byrd and Freddie Hubbard. Though Brown died in 1956 at the age of 25, the reverence among the jazz community for his improvisational style was so great that generations of modern jazz trumpeters were affected by his playing. It is widely said that Brown remains one of the most influential modern jazz trumpeters of all time. In the case of Donald Byrd, exposure to Brown’s style was significant, but the extent to which Brown’s playing was foundational or transformative has not been examined. With regards to Hubbard, assertions of his affinity for Brown’s playing during his formative years are well founded, but how much of Brown’s influence was retained by Hubbard as he developed his own personal style has been unexamined. This study examines the early life, musical training, significant professional experiences, and musical influences of Clifford Brown, Donald Byrd, and Freddie Hubbard to assist in forming a more complete picture of the evolution of their respective improvisational styles. In order to call into question the extent of Brown’s influence upon Byrd and Hubbard I scrutinize the playing of these three men in a comparative manner, focusing on traditionally analyzed elements such as melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic tendencies as well as performance elements specific to the trumpet. When one jazz musician is influenced by the improvisational style of another many of the aforementioned elements may be transferred and adopted in the formation of style. Therefore, by identifying the elements that make up Clifford Brown’s modern jazz trumpet style and looking for commonalities and differences among the three trumpeters, a more complete and accurate understanding of the interrelationships between Brown, Byrd, and Hubbard is achieved.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Moore, James Harrisonjamesmoorejazz@gmail.com
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairDavis, Nathanndavis@pitt.eduNDAVIS
Committee MemberRosenblum, Matthewrosenblu@pitt.eduROSENBLU
Committee MemberGlasco, Laurencelag1@pitt.eduLAG1
Committee MemberRoot, Deanedlr@pitt.eduDLR
Date: 29 June 2012
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 29 March 2012
Approval Date: 29 June 2012
Submission Date: 3 April 2012
Access Restriction: 5 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 5 years.
Number of Pages: 366
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Music
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Jazz Trumpet Clifford Brown Donald Byrd Freddie Hubbard
Date Deposited: 29 Jun 2012 19:07
Last Modified: 29 Jun 2017 05:15
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/11673

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