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Second Prize: Karl Stabnau
Eastman Youth Jazz Ensemble
Rochester, NY
Musical Oasis
What was this sound I heard coming from the CD player in the band room during jazz practice? The director prompted us to listen. I closed my eyes to help my ears focus on the music and isolate the various instruments.
Duke Ellington was speaking to me and creating a visual image with his music. It was the 1937 version of "Caravan". As the tune drifted out of the speakers, I heard the ensemble playing together, and individually, as if they were talking to each other. It drew me in. Duke's notes produced an oasis of music.
A caravan appeared in the distance with the quiet first chord. I was lured by the exotic beat of the introduction and felt my body start to move with the cadence of the rhythm section, like a camel entourage lumbering across the sand. I could see shimmering waves of heat rising from the desert as I heard the pulsating rhythm section begin to whisper their musical secrets. The music gradually grew louder as the desert train approached me, and I could hear the instruments speaking with one another as if they were individuals carrying on a lively conversation. The elegant trombone led the way with a bold, defining statement that evolved into a playful banter. The muted trumpet was insistent in its interruption of the trombone, announcing its displeasure with a defiant rasp that let everyone know it was going to have its say no matter what. Then I heard the muscular baritone sax enforcing the peace in velvet undertones with a soothing but powerful response. The sensual clarinet interrupted the bari with its flirtatious squealing. Picking up where it left off, the trombone reappeared as the trumpet continued to aggressively interject its opinion, while muttering in the background. Amidst this mixture, the rhythm section was persistent, moving the train forward. The trombone had the final word in an understated, yet authoritative way, and, as the camels passed me, the music began to fade into the distance like a mirage.
I had heard jazz before but never as powerfully as I heard this piece by Duke Ellington. It opened for me a whole new way of looking at, and experiencing this music. I learned to let the music color the canvas, a picture that Ellington envisioned that inspired him to make the music. And still, the music had something more-it had soul. It had a depth that made the listener want to explore more of what Ellington has to offer.
As we listen to the compositions that Duke Ellington wrote, he offers us a reflection in the music of what he was living, breathing, feeling, and thinking. He expresses his innermost emotions, dreams and experiences through sound, melody and rhythm. Every time I hear Duke Ellington's music, he has something to say to me and to anyone who takes the time to listen. It is as satisfying as a pool of water in the middle of an ocean of sand.
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