Passport. Jazz Sensations: A Tribute to Art Blakey Valery Ponomarev & Friends. Teacher s Resource Guide. just imagine

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1 Passport TO CULTURE Teacher s Resource Guide S C H o o l T i m e P e r f o r m a n c e Grades 7-12 S e r i e s S c h o o l Y e a r Jazz Sensations: A Tribute to Art Blakey Valery Ponomarev & Friends Generous support for Schooltime provided, in part, by just imagine

2 just imagine Arts Education and You The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Arts Education Department presents the 12th season of the Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series. With Passport to Culture, Verizon and NJPAC open up a world of culture to you and your students, offering the best in live performance from a wide diversity of traditions and disciplines. At NJPAC s state-of-the-art facility in Newark, with support from Verizon, the SchoolTime Performance Series enriches the lives of New Jersey s students and teachers by inviting them to see, feel, and hear the joy of artistic expression. The exciting roster of productions features outstanding New Jersey companies as well as performers of national and international renown. Meet-the-artist sessions and NJPAC tours are available to expand the arts adventure. The Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series is one of many current arts education offerings at NJPAC. Others include: Professional Development Workshops that support the use of the arts to enhance classroom curriculum Arts Academy school residency programs in dance, theater and literature, and Early Learning Through the Arts the NJ Wolf Trap Program After-school residencies with United Way agencies In association with statewide arts organizations, educational institutions, and generous funders, the Arts Education Department sponsors the following arts training programs: Wachovia Jazz for Teens The All-State Concerts The Star-Ledger Scholarship for the Performing Arts The Jeffery Carollo Music Scholarship Summer Youth Performance Workshop Young Artist Institute NJPAC/New Jersey Youth Theater Summer Musical Program Students have the opportunity to audition for admission to NJPAC s arts training programs during NJPAC s annual Young Artist Talent Search. CONTENTS On Stage 3 In the Spotlight 4 Music Talk 5 Dance and All That Jazz 6 Before and After Activities 7 Teaching Science Through Music Delving Deeper 8 7 Detailed information on these programs is available online at njpac.org. Click on Education. The Teacher s Resource Guide and additional activities and resources for each production in the Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Series are also online. Click on Education, then on Performances. Scroll down to Download Teacher Guide in Adobe Acrobat PDF format and select desired guide. Permission is granted to copy this Teacher s Resource Guide for classes attending the Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime Performance Series. All other rights reserved. To Teachers and Parents The resource guide accompanying each performance is designed to maximize students enjoyment and appreciation of the performing arts; to extend the impact of the performance by providing discussion ideas, activities, and further reading that promote learning across the curriculum; to promote arts literacy by expanding students knowledge of music, dance, and theater; to illustrate that the arts are a legacy reflecting the traditional values, customs, beliefs, expressions, and reflections of a culture; to use the arts to teach about the cultures of other people and to celebrate students own heritage through self-expression; to reinforce the New Jersey Department of Education s Core Curriculum Content Standards in the arts. 2

3 Photo: Léon Gniwesch On Stage Valery Ponomarev For Valery Ponomarev, there s Art Blakey, and then there s everyone else. If it doesn t swing, it s not jazz, he declares. Take any successful band Duke Ellington, Count Basie at their core, there s always an incredible swing. And, Art Blakey had it more than anybody. Ponomarev would know. He spent over four years working with and playing trumpet with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, the seminal group Blakey led from 1949 until his death in A dream come true for the Russianborn Ponomarev, the experience offered an immersion course in swing and entry into a musical tradition he has proudly upheld through his own four-decade career. In this NPAC performance, Ponomarev will lead the Wachovia Jazz for Teens combo through a repertoire of tunes derived from the Messengers book, jazz standards and original compositions all of which he arranged. Despite his iconic status, he consistently populated his bands with young, emerging players an approach that kept his bands on the cutting-edge and made a lot of people refer to the Messengers as Art Blakey s University of Jazz Music and to Blakey as the professor. The SchoolTime performance of Jazz Sensations features only Wachovia Jazz for Teens faculty. However, Valery Ponomarev, a proud graduate of Art Blakey s University of Jazz Music, follows suit when he performs with his own band. Ponomarev s band, which is often referred to as Our Father Who Art Blakey, reflects the Messengers uniquely diverse composition and character. I always look for players that Art Blakey would have brought into his group musicians who play with emotion and who can really swing! Ponomarev will likely also share some of his favorite Blakey anecdotes during the performance. My life has been a dream come true, and I m always happy to share my experiences, he says. It s all part of bringing the audience into close contact with the master, Art Blakey, and continuing the great legacy of the Jazz Messengers. 3

4 In the Spotlight Valery Ponomarev and Friends A renowned trumpeter, bandleader and composer best known for his work with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Valery Ponomarev s remarkable biography personifies jazz s global impact. Born in Moscow in 1943, Ponomarev dedicated himself to jazz at the age of 18 after hearing a Clifford Brown performance taped from the radio. Ponomarev, who had been playing in local groups, was hooked instantly by Brown s thick tone and the edgy, driving hard-bop style he played. Ponomarev set about collecting whatever hardbop records he could find on Russia s black market and eventually came upon Art Blakey s 1954 classic, A Night at Birdland. The record changed his life. Learning every note and every nuance of the album, Ponomarev began visualizing himself onstage with Blakey and his hard-bop heroes. Incredibly, this musical fantasy would come true just a few years later. Ponomarev tapped a well-connected friend to negotiate an escape from communist Russia, and, in 1973, he set out for New York City where now-legendary figures like Blakey, Miles Davis and Max Roach were defining the hard-bop scene. Ponomarev quickly sought out his hero, Blakey. I introduced myself to him, Ponomarev recalls. We talked, and he asked where my trumpet was. I told him I d bring it the next day. Ponamarev did, and after sitting in with the group for a tune, he landed the job that had once seemed impossible as a full-time member of the legendary Jazz Messengers. The enthusiasm for jazz that prompted Ponomarev to flee his homeland continues to drive his career even today. He recently completed a memoir, On the Flip Side of Sound, and he maintains an active schedule that includes a standing engagement at New York City s legendary Birdland with the Arturo Chico O Farrill Big Band. After Jazz Sensations, Ponomarev will play dates in Hawaii. After that, he will return to Russia, as he does regularly, for a performing and teaching tour. Like Valery Ponomarev, all the musicians appearing with him in this NJPAC SchoolTime performance of Jazz Sensations are faculty members of NJPAC s Wachovia Jazz for Teens. They include Don Braden, music director and tenor saxophone; Mark Gross, saxophone; Ron Jackson, guitar; Mike LeDonne, piano; Earl McIntrye, trombone; Dion Parson, drums; Joris Teepe, bass; and Roseanna Vitro, vocals. After four years, 11 records and uncountable tours, Ponomarev left the Messengers, but he never strayed from Blakey s message. I always look for the type of players Art Blakey invited into his band, he says. And, although Ponomarev s groups vary widely in size and composition, Blakey s musical signatures heavy swinging rhythms and soulful, singable melodies remain at their core. 4 Valery Ponomarev

5 Music Talk Valery Ponomarev and Friends Three core musical elements characterize all jazz: swing feeling - a driving beat that generates forward momentum and is created by nuances in rhythm and tempo. syncopation - stressing normally unaccented beats, often used in Africanderived music. improvisation - composing or performing music without previous preparation. Jazz is unique among modern musical styles for its emphasis on this spontaneous individual or group interplay. Jazz Sensations: A Tribute to Art Blakey showcases two key jazz styles which are characterized by the following terms: hard bop - a style developed in the late 1950s and pioneered by Art Blakey and his contemporaries. Hard bop is similar to bebop in its emphasis on instrumental virtuosity and long-form improvisation, but it is grounded in hard-swinging rhythms and more soulful, often singable, melodies. swing (and the Swing Era) - a style developed in the 1930s and associated with Count Basie, Duke Ellington and their contemporaries. Swing is characterized by big bands and tightlycomposed pieces which feature catchy melodies and a rhythmic organization that states the beat explicitly. Other key terms that will enhance an understanding of jazz specifically the hard-bop and swing styles: bop (bebop) - a style developed by young players in the early 1940s that emphasizes small groups, rapid playing, extended improvisations, and virtuosity. changes - chords defining the harmonic structure of a song. comping - the accompaniment of a rhythmsection instrument to an improvised solo. counterpoint - distinct melodies played simultaneously. downbeat - the first beat of a measure and any rhythm that occurs on the beat. harmony - a confluence of musical intervals or chords which relate to each other. Lindy Hop - an African-American dance based on the popular Charleston that evolved in New York City in 1927 and was named for Lindberg s Atlantic crossing. The Lindy Hop co-evolved with jazz music and is a member of the swing dance family. It is frequently described as a jazz or street dance. mode - the musical scale, or collection of notes, upon which a composition and/or solo is built. modulation - the change from one key or mode to another. phrase - a melodic sequence that forms a complete unit. polyrhythm - the simultaneous use of contrasting rhythmic patterns that is common when blending musical styles. ragtime - a form of music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that uses syncopation in the melody and a regularly accented walking bass. register - the range in pitch of a musical instrument or voice. rhythm - a regular pattern produced by the length of strong and weak musical sounds at a particular speed or tempo; frequently called the beat. solo - a performance by one person. In jazz, a solo is a featured, often improvised, musical departure from the combo by one musician. tempo - the rate at which the rhythm is played. timbre - the characteristic color or quality of a musical sound as produced by a voice or instrument. voicing - the specific order in which a composer groups the notes of a chord and the assigning of these notes to particular instruments. walking bass - bass accompaniment in which a different tone is played on each beat so that a moving sequence of notes is created. 5

6 Did You Know? Dance and All That Jazz In today s culture, jazz is better known for musical virtuosity and sophisticated improvisation than mass appeal, but during the Swing Era of the late 1930s and 40s, it was America s most popular music. Dominating the radio and providing the soundtrack at parties and clubs the way hip-hop and pop do today, the slick big bands of this jazz heydey drew upon jazz s origins as dance music to make an indelible imprint on American pop culture. Photo: ggpht.com A Dance Tradition The Swing Era derived its driving beat and joyous spirit from jazz s formative days when it was anything but a serious art form. Born in New Orleans at the turn of the 20 th century, the music was a unique combination of infectious ragtime rhythms, lively instrumentation (usually dominated by horns) and blues chord progressions. Played in the streets, at parties and in saloons, jazz was high-octane dance music pure and simple. From this freewheeling foundation, jazz proliferated into the American mainstream. Pioneers like Louis Armstrong created the music s modern vocabulary out of its central ingredients horns, buoyant rhythms and improvisation and developed its culture through relentless touring, recording and musical innovation. But, even as the music grew rapidly in sophistication and cascaded through the American culture via theater, film and the emerging record industry, its buoyant, driving rhythm kept it, at its core, a dance style. The Swing Era The relationship between jazz and dance peaked during the Swing Era. Big bands polished jazz s musical framework into slick, tightly arranged compositions, downplaying individual improvisation in favor of hard-driving rhythms and a bright, brassy group sound. Bright, tight and api.ning.com Art Blakey boisterous, jazz was a perfect template for physical movement, and the dance culture evolved accordingly. Interactive dances, like the Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, and Charleston, mirrored the group-interplay of big bands and brought a new sense of physicality, close contact and loose, improvisational movement to American culture. Hard-bop and the Dance Legacy of Swing Interestingly, this physical reflection of the jazz spirit remained clearly visible in modern pop culture even as jazz music itself moved away from the limelight. By the 1950s, bands shrank as musicians began favoring complex improvisation over catchy, swinging compositions. The music grew more agitated, and its relationship with dance became less direct. For the first time in its history, musicians composed and arranged the music primarily to be listened to, not danced to, and this change was a crucial turning point. At the same time, rock n roll and rhythm and blues, two new musical movements, were captivating a new generation of Americans in large part through their own infectious rhythms and danceability. Thus, even as jazz music retreated in the popular consciousness, the dance culture it had spawned only expanded. The hard-bop style, championed by groups like Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in the wake of the Swing Era, in many ways bridges the gap between jazz s legacy as popular dance music and its development into a fine art form. Hard-bop emphasizes improvisation and musical virtuosity; but, true to its name, it also swings hard, recalling the infectious rhythms and dances of the big band era. It is a connection wellsummarized by John Lewis, founder of one of the crucial groups of the hard-bop era, the Modern Jazz Quartet. Jazz began as music people danced to, he states. We are not going out on a limb. We are just putting the music back where it belonged. 6

7 In the Classroom Before the Performance 1. Jazz and Pop Culture - Explore jazz s legacy as popular music by having your students identify their favorite current music video or popgroup and challenging them to draw comparisons to jazz stars from the Swing Era like Duke Ellington or Ella Fitzgerald. As an example, the hip-hop group Digable Planets combines jazz rhythms, walking bass-lines and big-band style horns into their hip-hop compositions. Consider playing the track K.B. Alley from the group s album, Blowout Comb (Capitol Records, 1994), for your class to spark the discussion. (1.4)* 2. Examining Big Bands - Most of us have heard big bands, but we often overlook what instruments are producing that bright, swinging sound. Introduce your students to big bands by presenting photo images of classic bands like those of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Note the composition of the standard big band: The sax section generally five saxophones (two altos, two tenors and one baritone with saxophonists also playing clarinet when appropriate; the trumpet section generally four trumpets; the trombone section generally four trombones; and the rhythm section generally four pieces: piano, bass, guitar, and drums. (1.3) After the Performance 1. Hard-bop - In many ways, the hard-bop popularized by Art Blakey and practiced by Valery Ponomarev represents the musical gateway between the Swing Era, jazz s commercial/ cultural peak and the Bop Era when it evolved into smaller, more personal combos and highly virtuosic improvisation. Which era did Mr. Ponomarev s performance recall most the Swing Era or the Bop Era? Why? (1.4, 1.5) 2. Valery Ponomarev - With your students, discuss Valery Ponomarev s remarkable story being exposed to jazz as a Russian teenager, immigrating to the United States to follow his dream and ultimately joining his musical idol s band. What does this story say about jazz s worldwide influence? What does it say about the American Dream? (1.5) Teaching Science Through Music (Grades 7-12) by Sharon J. Sherman, Ed.D. Arts education allows students to refine their perceptual, physical and technical skills by creating music, theater, dance, and visual arts. The NJ Core Curriculum Content Visual and Performing Arts Standards say that by the end of grade 12, students will be able to demonstrate originality, technical skills and artistic expression in the creation, production and performance of music. They will create music that communicates personal opinions, thoughts and ideas. Integrate science and music by teaching about sound. Early elementary students should understand that differences in sound can be produced by varying the way in which objects vibrate. In secondary school, pupils should be able to demonstrate an understanding of how sound moves through materials. The following activities will help students understand these concepts. Explain that sound is made when an object receives energy and begins to vibrate. Students can tap pencils on their desks to create a drum-like sound. Point out that when they tap on their desks, the energy they supply causes air molecules to vibrate. The vibrations move through the air as sound waves which are picked up by the ears. Then, explain that musical instruments cause air to vibrate. Have students think about how different musical instruments (e.g., strings, brass, percussion, woodwinds) create sound. Ask students who play musical instruments to demonstrate how different instruments produce sound. By changing frequency and amplitude, different tunes and rhythms are created. Students can demonstrate these changes by creating music. Discuss four voice types: soprano, the highest female voice; alto, the medium female voice; tenor, the high male voice; and bass, the lowest male voice. Have students who sing demonstrate these. Ask students to use their knowledge of science to explain what makes the voice types differ. Play recordings of each voice type in random order and have students identify each. Can they name accomplished vocalists of each voice type? You can also integrate science and music by having students study a science topic and write lyrics to show their understanding of a particular concept. There are many web sites where students can find science songs written by others. At tranquility.net/~scimusic/lyrics.html, you can find songs about space, energy and motion, weather, topics in biology, chemistry, and more. Additional websites include ericir.syr.edu/cgi-bin/lessons.cgi/arts/music, heptune.com/geosong.html, teachers.net/lessons/posts//221.html, and teachers.net/lessons/posts//1484. html. Or after studying a science topic, have your students compose a song to show what they have learned. They can critique each other s work in a class discussion. Sharon J. Sherman is a science and mathematics education professor at The College of New Jersey and co-author of Science and Science Teaching: Methods for Integrating Technology in Elementary and Middle Schools (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004). The Teaching Science Through the Arts content of this guide is made possible through the generous support of Roche. *Number (s) indicate the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standard(s) supported by the activity. Additional Before and After activities can be found online at njpac.org. Click on Education, then on Performances. Scroll down to Download Teacher Guide in Adobe Acrobat PDF format and select desired guide. 7

8 Delving Deeper Books for Students Collier, James Lincoln. Benny Goodman and the Swing Era. Oxford University Press, Haskins, James. Black Dance in America. Thomas Y. Crowell Junior Books, Books for Teachers Davis, Francis. Jazz and its Discontents: A Francis Davis Reader. Da Capo Press, Kernfeld, Barry. What To Listen For in Jazz. Yale University Press, Recordings Keystone 3. The Jazz Messengers featuring Valery Ponomarev. Concord Jazz, Out Front. Booker Little. Candid Records, One Night at Birdland - Vol. 1. Art Blakey. Blue Note, DVD The Jazz Life: Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. Sony, 55 min. Classes/Workshops Schools may register for the NJPAC Artist-inResidencyPrograms - Dance Academy, Theater Academy and Early Learning Through the Arts - or sign up for Professional Development workshops by contacting the NJPAC Arts Education staff at x 3115 or via at artseducation@njpac.org. Additional resources can be found online at njpac. org. Click on Education, then on Performances, then on Curriculum Materials. Scroll down to Download Teacher Guide in Adobe Acrobat PDF format and select desired guide. Acknowledgments as of 12/11/08 NJPAC Arts Education programs are made possible by the generosity of: Bank of America, Allen & Joan Bildner & The Bildner Family Foundation, The Arts Education Endowment Fund in Honor of Raymond G. Chambers, Leon & Toby Cooperman, The William Randolph Hearst Foundations, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Johnson & Johnson, Lehman Brothers Inc., McCrane Foundation, Merck, Albert & Katharine Merck, The Prudential Foundation, Richmond County Savings Foundation, David & Marian Rocker, The Sagner Family Foundation, Schering-Plough, The Star-Ledger/Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, The Turrell Fund, Verizon, The Victoria Foundation, Wachovia, and The Women s Association of NJPAC. Additional support is provided by: Advance Realty Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Frank & Lydia Bergen Foundation, Bloomberg, The Bodman Foundation, The Citi Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Veronica Goldberg Foundation, Independence Community Foundation, Meg & Howard Jacobs, Kraft Foods, The MCJ Amelior Foundation, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, New Jersey Cultural Trust, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, New Jersey Department of State, National Endowment for the Arts, The George A. Ohl, Jr., Trust Foundation, Pechter Foundation, Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, PNC Foundation on behalf of the PNC Grow Up Great program, PSE&G, E. Franklin Robbins Charitable Trust, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, The United Way of Essex & West Hudson, Andrew Vagelos, The Edward W. & Stella C. Van Houten Memorial Fund, and The Blanche M. & George L. Watts Mountainside Community Foundation. For even more arts integration resources, please go to Thinkfinity.org, the Verizon Foundation s signature digital learning platform, designed to improve educational and literacy achievement. Arthur Ryan....Chairman Lawrence P. Goldman.....President & Chief Executive Officer Sandra Bowie.....Vice President for Arts Education Sanaz Hojreh......Assistant Vice President for Arts Education Donna Bost-White.....Director for Arts Education/Special Projects Jeffrey Griglak Director for Arts Training Verushka Spirito......Associate Director for Performances Ambrose Liu......Associate Director for Residencies Caitlin Evans Jones.... Associate Director for Residencies Faye Competello......Associate Director for Arts Training Mary Whithed Program Coordinator for Residencies Porsché Hardy Program Coordinator for Arts Training Darlene Gidney... Program Assistant Marie Thompson......Arts Education Sales Associate and Program Administrator Joanna Gibson...Manager of Wachovia Jazz for Teens Mary Lou Johnston & Laura Ingoglia......Editors of Teacher s Resource Guide 8 One Center Street Newark, New Jersey Administration: Arts Education Hotline: artseducation@njpac.org NJPAC wishes to thank Valery Ponomarev for his assistance in the preparation of this guide. Writer: Alexander H. More Editor: Laura Ingoglia Design: Pierre Sardain, 66 Creative, Inc. 66Creative.com NJPAC Guest Reader: Mark Conklin Curriculum Review Committee: Judith Israel Amy Tenzer Copyright 2009 New Jersey Performing Arts Center All Rights Reserved