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FROM PITTSBURGH TO THE PERSHING: ORCHESTRATION, INTERACTION, AND INFLUENCE IN THE EARLY WORK OF AHMAD JAMAL

Mackey, Michael (2017) FROM PITTSBURGH TO THE PERSHING: ORCHESTRATION, INTERACTION, AND INFLUENCE IN THE EARLY WORK OF AHMAD JAMAL. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Despite over sixty years of international recognition and the enduring respect of his fellow musicians, pianist Ahmad Jamal’s omission from jazz discourse is most curious. Stanley Crouch hailed Jamal as second only to Charlie Parker as the most influential individual on the development of jazz after 1945. While Jamal was still a teenager in Pittsburgh, the eminent Art Tatum deemed him a “coming great.” After establishing himself as one of Chicago’s leading pianists during the 1950s, his album But Not for Me: Live at the Pershing (1958) remained on Billboard’s album chart for 107 weeks and has become one of the best-selling jazz albums of all-time. However, detractors of Jamal continually questioned his commercial success and claimed that his use of space, light touch, and emphasis on ensemble balance point to a lack of virtuosity. Yet these were the very qualities that first attracted the attention of Miles Davis, who once claimed “all my inspiration today comes from the Chicago pianist Ahmad Jamal.”

This dissertation engages Jamal’s life and musical output from several perspectives. Jamal’s biographic narrative is constructed by tracing his youth and musical development in Pittsburgh through the reception of his highly-influential album, At the Pershing, with particular attention to socio-cultural movements accompanying the historical context. Transcribed recordings and interviews are used to examine the extent of Jamal’s conceptual influence on Davis and his sidemen, particularly in how Jamal’s trios of the early 1950s affected the repertoire, phrasing, groove, and overall aesthetic of Davis’s own output. Drawing from Ingrid Monson’s theory of intermusicality, analysis of Jamal’s trio recordings reveals practices of orchestration and interaction that challenge conventional notions of collaborative improvisation. Ultimately, this dissertation initiates dialogue on Pittsburgh’s distinguished legacy of jazz pianists and on the applicability of Jamal’s orchestrational concepts in jazz performance pedagogy.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Mackey, Michaelmackey.mike@gmail.commpm630000-0001-7356-2969
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairHeller, Michaelmichael.heller@pit.edu
Committee MemberWilliams, Amyamywill@pitt.edu
Committee MemberRoot, Deanedlr@pitt.edu
Committee MemberGlasco, Laurencelarryglasco@pitt.edu
Committee MemberAllen, Gerigaallen@pitt.edu
Date: 29 June 2017
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 31 March 2017
Approval Date: 29 June 2017
Submission Date: 23 May 2017
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 237
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: ahmad jamal, jazz, piano, trio, improvisation, interaction, interplay, intermusicality, orchestration, Pittsburgh
Date Deposited: 29 Jun 2017 13:33
Last Modified: 29 Jun 2017 13:33
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/32139

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