APPALACHIA RE-IMAGINED: JAZZ SEXTET ARRANGEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL APPALACHIAN FOLK SONGS by Caleb Henry McMahon Honors Project Appalachian State University Submitted to The Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Music May 2018 Approved by: Anderson Page, MM, Thesis Director Michael Dale, Ph.D., Second Reader Jefford Vahlbusch, Ph.D., Dean, The Honors College
McMahon 2 Abstract The combination of musical genres is nothing ne; different traditions have influenced each other throughout history. In the jazz idiom, this is very common: Latininfluenced jazz has a ide variety of subcategories, the hard bop era had a significant influence from more popular forms of funk and soul, and jazz fusion melded elements of jazz and rock. For this project, I arranged four Appalachian folk songs and one original song to be performed by a jazz sextet. The goals of the project ere threefold: to build more knoledge of arranging techniques and formats, to create a ork that ould honor my Appalachian roots in a personal and creative ay hile paying respect to the jazz tradition, and to document and perform a suite of original arrangements.
McMahon Introduction Having spent my hole life in the Appalachian mountains, this region has alays been important to me. Mountains anyhere give me a sense of comfort and familiarity, and Boone s mountains, though different from those in Asheville here I gre up, have provided me ith that same security for the past four years. I have alays had the feeling that I belong here, and I am very grateful that so much of my literal and figurative groth has occurred in and among the Appalachian mountains. My musical groth is also deeply associated ith the mountains--some of my earliest musical memories are of Appalachian folk songs sung ith my family and friends. The decision to attend Appalachian alloed me to maintain the connection beteen my musical development and this region, and I have been very glad to be in this environment for the last four years. After feeling constantly divided beteen jazz and classical study for most of my undergraduate education, I made the decision in October 2017 to study jazz in graduate school. I have benefited greatly from the faculty and resources here at the Hayes School of Music, and I have alays felt supported in the pursuit of my musical interests. The opportunities provided to me to study jazz over the past four years theory classes, improvisation classes, large and small jazz ensembles, sharing the stage ith jazz greats, sitting in at faculty members gigs have been life-changing, and hile I felt prepared for graduate school, one last large jazz-related project seemed an appropriate capstone for my undergraduate experience. My decision to focus on jazz and my sense of home here in Appalachia came together to form the idea for a project: I decided to arrange traditional Appalachian folk songs from my experience groing up here to be performed in a jazz setting.
McMahon 4 The process of creating the ork itself as a fairly structured one. Mr. Page and I designed most of the steps ahead of time, but some developed naturally as the project progressed. The first step, hich occurred before I proposed the project, as to select hich songs I felt ould best come together in a jazz suite and propose them to Mr. Page. When the list of songs as solidified, I compiled notable recordings of each song and transcribed the melody and harmony in its most basic form. I have included these basic transcriptions ith my discussion of each movement of the suite. After listening to the originals quite a bit and finalizing the transcriptions, the next step as coming up ith a general idea of ho each one ould be changed. This step happened fairly gradually, and I finished some full arrangements of tunes before I kne ho I ould change others at all. As the overall changes ere developed, about one tune per eek ould get fleshed out into a grand staff or similar basic outline, discussed ith Mr. Page, and then scored out for the full group. This involved in-depth ork ith melody, harmony, form, feel, and orchestration for each. Once each individual song as finished, e formed the suite by choosing an order and making some adjustments to allo for smooth transitions beteen the songs. When all the music had been ritten, I extracted and visually cleaned up the parts, emailed them to the group, and booked a date for the performance and defense.
McMahon 5 The Songs I. II. III. IV. V. Hard Times Come Again No More (Stephen Foster)...6 Dark As A Dungeon (Merle Travis)...1 Wildood Floer (Traditional)...2 Five Hundred Miles (Hedy West)...0 Hudsonia (Caleb McMahon)...40 All arrangements by Caleb McMahon
McMahon 6 Hard Times Come Again No More Hard Times Come Again No More, by classic American composer Stephen Foster, as originally a parlor song, but has been recorded by Appalachian folk and pop artists such as the Red Clay Ramblers and James Taylor (among others). It has a plaintive melody and very simple harmony based only on the I, IV, and V chords. I chose this song because it has a strong connection to my childhood. I listened to it a lot (especially the James Taylor recording) ith my family hen I as groing up. Choosing music that I connect to personally felt important since the hole project is a creative, personally expressive endeavor. I felt that I could rite more meaningful and poerful music based on orks that I already relate to. I also chose the song as a representative of the Appalachian genre; it has themes of poverty, hardship, and felloship hich I associate ith a lot of Appalachian folk music. Additionally, it has a beautiful, plaintive melody that ould ork ell in jazz instrumentation.
McMahon 7 While trying to preserve the basic structure of the song, I did make some changes to the form to help the structure. A traditional performance of the song ould have a number of different verses set to the same melody and harmony each time. I added an introduction to set up the feel, then changed the format to a more traditional jazz setting: melody once, improvised solos, then melody again. This change eliminated the redundancy that could arise hearing the same melody over and over ithout the lyrics to move the music forard. I also added a coda at the end to close the hole thing and provide a smooth transition to the next movement. Melodically, I adjusted a number of things to get the feeling I anted. I adjusted the rhythms to fit the ne style, passed the melody beteen the horns in different sections to get
McMahon 8 a variety of sounds, and added trombone and tenor harmonies underneath the trumpet melody in the B section. I made some significant changes to the harmony as ell. While the original, more basic harmony is effective and stylistically appropriate in the traditional context, a reharmonization ith more complexity helped get a fresher sound and added some interest for the improviser. For the first half, the harmony rocks back and forth beteen to suspended seventh chords a hole step apart. The effect is a very open-sounding, spacey sonority that emphasizes the plaintiveness of the melody. It also gives an unresolved feeling to the music that fits ith the message of the song. The second half is chromatically moving chords that build the tension for the more intense melody. There ere a fe other considerations in the creation of the tune. Mr. Page and I agreed that the very opening of the movement made it feel like a good beginning to the suite, so e put this one first. I also considered having the solo section be just the to suspended chords, but decided to include the hole form so that soloists could have a ider variety of sounds to play over.
McMahon 9 Trumpet Tenor Saxophone Trombone Keyboard & & # { 4 q = 140 trombone solo until cue # 4 # trombone solo until cue 4 ad lib fills trombone solo until cue Hard Times Come Again No More Stephen Fosterarr. McMahon Ó Œ Œ # 4 n Ó Œ (on cue) String Bass Drum Set # 4 4 trombone solo until cue n q = 140 trombone solo until cue III 5 & # j j Œ Œ j j # Ó 5 # { n n Œ Œ # 5 n n I 1 1 & # Ó III # # { J J Œ Œ J J Œ n n # 1 n n
2 I III 21 & # % # 21 & # # McMahon 10 # b n # # I III # CŒ Š7 C º7 D( ˆˆ4) E Œ Š7(#5) E 7 FŒ Š7 F 7(b5) B7(b9) {& # CŒ Š7 C º7 D( ˆˆ4) E Œ Š7(#5) E 7 FŒ Š7 F 7(b5) B7(b9) 21 29 & # To Coda j j J J j 29 & # # % j b b n E 7 E º7 G7D D º7 CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) E 7 E º7 G7D D º7 CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) To Coda To Coda n b J {& # To Coda n To Coda # n 29 To Coda I III 7 A7 G7 A7 G7 & # A7 G7 A7 G7 & # A7 G7 A7 G7 # A7 G7 A7 G7 {& A7 G G7 F A7 G G7 F #
I III 45 A7 G7 A7 G7 A7 G7 A7 G7 A7 G7 A7 G7 A7 G7 A7 G7 {& # A7 G G7 F A7 G G7 F McMahon 11 & # & # # # I III 5 CŒ Š7 C º7 D( ˆˆ4) E Œ Š7(#5) E 7 FŒ Š7 F 7(b5) B7(b9) & # CŒ Š7 C º7 D( ˆˆ4) E Œ Š7(#5) E 7 FŒ Š7 F 7(b5) B7(b9) & # CŒ Š7 C º7 D( ˆˆ4) E Œ Š7(#5) E 7 FŒ Š7 F 7(b5) B7(b9) # CŒ Š7 C º7 D( ˆˆ4) E Œ Š7(#5) E 7 FŒ Š7 F 7(b5) B7(b9) {& # CŒ Š7 C º7 D( ˆˆ4) E Œ Š7(#5) E 7 FŒ Š7 F 7(b5) B7(b9) # I III 61 E 7 E º7 G7D D º7 CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) G7 & # & # # # E 7 E º7 G7D D º7 CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) G7 E 7 E º7 G7D D º7 CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) G7 E 7 E º7 G7D D º7 CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) G7 E 7 E º7 G7D D º7 CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) G7 F D.S. Al Coda D.S. Al Coda D.S. Al Coda D.S. Al Coda {& # D.S. Al Coda D.S. Al Coda
McMahon 12 4 I 69 & # J j J j III & # n b n b # Ó Ó CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) {& # n n # n CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) CŒ Š7 D( ˆˆ4) n I III 77 & # & # # Brief drum solo: Transition to quick feel Brief drum solo: Transition to quick feel Brief drum solo: Transition to quick feel { G7 & # # Brief drum solo: Transition to quick feel Brief drum solo: Transition to quick # n n n Brief drum solo: Transition to quick feel Brief drum solo: Transition to quick feel
McMahon 1 Dark as a Dungeon Written by Merle Travis, a knon composer of Appalachian folk music, Dark as a Dungeon is a song about the trials of orking in an Appalachian coal mine. The most popular recordings of this song are by Johnny Cash and Merle Travis, but it has been recorded by a number of other folk artists as ell. It s the only song in my project that as originally in a triple meter altz feel. The form is AABA and it s very simple harmonically, using only the I, IV, and V chords. The melody of the song, as is typical of the genre, is based largely on the major pentatonic scale ith some exceptions. I chose Dark as a Dungeon for a number of different reasons. The lyrics contain strong themes of poverty and hardship that I associate ith Appalachian folk music. The song is in triple meter, hich could create needed rhythmic variety in the suite. It s also a ell-knon standard of the region, often played at jam sessions in Appalachian bluegrass circles. All of these elements made it seem like an excellent candidate to be a part of the ork.
McMahon 14 The changes I made to this song ere designed to create an aural picture of the mining scenes the song depicts. I shifted the form around some to accomplish this goal and maintain the continuity of the suite, adding an introduction to make the transition from the previous movement. I added a fe bars ith interjected responses to the melody to make it feel less regular. The call-andresponse of it is designed to emphasize the main melodic statements, saying Listen! as the trombone delivers its message. The bridge of the song is in a 44 shout-chorus style to create contrast. The shift to duple meter is inspired by the lyrics of the bridge: Where the dangers are double and pleasures are fe. After the melody, I added a drum solo section leading into a horn trading solo section. The drums to me give a sound of physical labor to the song and the four-bar trading beteen the horns creates a feeling of the communal nature of the ork. I chose to end the tune on a somber note since the hole song is a sort of arning against the mining lifestyle, so I put a slo horn chorale at the end.
McMahon 15 Regarding the feel, I kept the rhythm in three, using a faster tempo to contrast ith the sloer introductory movement. I used a specific drumbeat and bassline to resemble the sound of machines and miner s pickaxes. I rhythmically augmented the melody to fit over the fast altz, maintaining a feeling of intensity and a fairly somber mood at the same time. In some places, I further elongated and broke it up to build energy and tension, preventing an overly regular sound. I changed the melody of the bridge significantly, adding some jazz language and trying to create the effect of the shout chorus in a big band chart. This as a good opportunity for me to practice riting horn harmonies and creating a style I had never used before. My reharmonization of this tune as intentionally sparse; for large sections of it, I did not include any filler harmony (piano comping or its equivalent), just a melody and bass line. In the places here I did spell out specific chords, I generally replaced the original harmony ith a more open, suspended sound. On the bridge, though, I used a simple ii-v-i progression to give the music direction and imply more specificity in the harmony for the horn lines to connect to. As in Hard Times, the harmony I used in my arrangement as significantly more complex overall than in the original.
McMahon 16 Dark As A Dungeon String Bass Drum Set q = 180 b b b b 4 4 q = 180 5 drums alone bass enters 5 Drums continue, bass enters J J J Merle Travis arr. McMahon VJ VJ VJ V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V 7 b b b b { b b b b 1 play 2nd x only j j j b b b b 1 j J J J J J j J J J J J 1 VJ VJ VJ V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V VJ VJ VJ 14 b b b b b { b b b b j j j j j j j j j b b b b J J j J J J J J j V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V
2 25 & bb b b tpt,tsx response 21 & bb b b tpt,tsx response b b b b Œ Œ McMahon 17 Œ Œ { b b b b b b b b j j j j j j j j j j j j J J J 25 j J J J J J 25 j J J VJ VJ VJ V V V V V V J VJ VJ V V V V V V J VJ VJ V V V V V V J VJ VJ 28 & bb b b & bb b b b b b b Ó j { b b b b j j j j j j j j j b b b b J J J J J j J J J V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V
7 & bb b b Soli break into 44 > > > > 4 j > n bnn & bb b b Soli break into 44 > > > > > 4 J n b n n 5 b b b b 4 Soli break into 44 > > > > > J n b n n McMahon 18 j j b j J J J { & bb b b 4 b b b b j j j 4 b b b b j J J 7 B 7 4 7 VJ VJ VJ V V V V V 4 B 7 Œ Œ Œ Œ 40 & bb b b > > n Œ b Œ ù Œ j j & bb b b > > n Œ b Œ ù Œ j J > > n n b b n b b Œ ù Œ Œ J J b b b b E 7(b9) A ^7 C 7(b5) F7(b9) B 7 E 7(b9) {& bb b b E 7(b9) A ^7 C 7(b5) F7(b9) B 7 E 7(b9)
4 45 & bb b b > Œ ù ù Œ ù & bb b b Œ ù ù > b b b b Œù ù ù Œ A ^7 47 bass pedal Drums play jazz altz feel piano comp, stretch harmony and rhythm horns play unison (8vb) 4 > 4 ù Œ 4 D 7 A ^7 47 b b b b 4 47 4 McMahon 19 {& bb b b 4 5 & bb b b & bb b b b b b b {& bb b b Œ Ó Œ Œ Ó Œ Œ Ó Œ b b b b J VJ V
62 & bb b b Ó & bb b b Ó Œ Œ Œ b b b b Ó McMahon 20 67 drum solo - vamp 8x, gradual decresc Horns gradually drop off, just bass and drums last time 5 {& bb b b b b b b F7(b1 4) 67 J J J J J simplify as needed to fit mood J J J J 67 VJ V V J V VJ V E 7 71 A % & bb b b Alternate soloists every 4 bars Solo break into 44 > > > 4 j 70 & bb b b Alternate soloists every 4 bars Solo break into 44 > > > 4 J b b b b {& bb b b E 7 E 7 A % > Alternate soloists every 4 bars > > 4 J E 7 Alternate soloists every 4 bars E 7 71 A % b b b b J j 4 71 VJ VJ VJ V V V V V VJ VJ VJ V V V V V 4 A % A % 4 Solo break into 44
6 76 & bb b b > > n bnn > j j n Œ b & bb b b > > > n b n n b J j n Œ b > > > b b b b n b n n J J n n n Œ McMahon 21 B 7 E 7(b9) A ^7 C 7(b5) F7(b9) {& bb b b Œ Œ Œ Œ b b b b B 7 E 7(b9) A ^7 C 7(b5) F7(b9) 81 & bb b b > > Œ ù Œ j j Œ ù ù Œ ù & bb b b > Œ ù Œ j > J Œ ù ù > > b b b b Œ ùœ J J Œù ù ù Œ B 7 E 7(b9) A ^7 D 7 85 bass pedal Drums play jazz altz feel piano comp, stretch harmony and rhythm horns play unison (8vb) 4 4 ù Œ B 7 E 7(b9) A ^7 85 b b b b 4 4 85 4 {& bb b b 4
88 & bb b b & bb b b b b b b Π9 McMahon 22 ΠΠ7 {& bb b b 9 b b b b 9 98 & bb b b & bb b b b b b b
McMahon 2 Wildood Floer Based on a parlor song called I ll Tine Mid the Ringlets, Wildood Floer has gradually developed into a folk song over the course of its existence. The original lyrics, hich ere somehat florid, have undergone a significant change through years of being taught and sung by ear. The existing lyrics are no somehat nonsensical and inconsistent from recording to recording; the to most notable recordings (by Johnny Cash and the Carter Family) have different ords in a number of key places. Much like the previous to songs, it has basic harmony (I, IV, and V) and simple, repetitive melody. The melody is fairly disjunct and more upbeat than those of the first to movements of the suite. In looking through recordings, I found that this song had been reimagined by jazz musicians before. I liked ho it as done, but thought I could do it differently and make it my on. I also chose it because the title, focused on floers, makes a thematic connection to Hudsonia and maintains a theme of nature in the ork that fits ith my experience and values groing up in Appalachia.
McMahon 24 I based my interpretation of this song on one of my favorite jazz recordings: Ahmad Jamal s rendition of the Nat Simon song Poinciana, on his album Live At The PershingBut Not For Me. Drummer Vernell Fournier s Poinciana Groove, as it is commonly knon, is frequently used behind other jazz standards as a ay to change the style. As far as the form, I kept it fairly straightforard, adding vamps at the beginning and end and a solo section in the middle. I kept the notes of the melody the same, but I spread it out rhythmically to match the ay Jamal plays Poinciana. The melody is largely in the piano at the top of open, floating chord voicings. It also goes to the bass and horns at different times. I took the original harmony and simplified it to a more modern sound, using suspended chords that go up by step every four bars.
McMahon 25 Tenor Saxophone Trumpet in Bb Trombone Keyboard String Bass Drum Set Poinciana Groove q = 200 8 times, 7-8x only & bb 4 8 times, 7-8x only & bb 4 b b 4 8 times, 5-8x only {& bb 4 Œ V V Œ VJ Ó Œ V b b 4 4 -play chords high melody on top F7 F7 Poinciana Groove q = 200 Poinciana Groove q = 200 Wildood Floer Œ Œ j Ó Œ Œ j Ó Œ Œ j Ó Œ Œ J Ó 8 times, 7-8x only Œ Œ J Ó Œ Œ J Ó 8 times, -8x only Œ Œ 8 times U U V Œ VJ Œ Œ Traditional arr. McMahon 7 & bb & bb b b {& bb G7 A7 b b Œ Œ Œ
2 14 & bb & bb n b b {& bb b b F7 McMahon 26 ΠΠΠΠ1. 1. 1. 21 {& bb 2. 2. % b b Lead % 2. % 28 & bb & bb {& bb b b
{ 4 & bb & bb To Coda To Coda b b To Coda To Coda & bb b b McMahon 27 J J J J To Coda b b J J J J To Coda 40 & bb & bb b b F7 B 1st x only F7 B 1st x only F7 B 1st x only F7 B {& bb F7 B b b J J G7 C G7 C G7 C J J G7 C G7 C J J
4 46 & bb & bb b b McMahon 28 A7 D A7 D A7 D {& bb b b A7 D J J J J n A7 D J J n F7 B D.S. Al Coda & bb F7 B D.S. Al Coda & bb F7 B D.S. Al Coda b b 52 F7 B D.S. Al Coda {& bb F7 B D.S. Al Coda b b b J J J J D.S. Al Coda
56 8 times, 1-2x only & bb Œ Œ j Ó Œ Œ j Ó 8 times, 1-2x only & bb Œ Œ j Ó Œ Œ Ó J 8 times, 1-2x only b b Œ Œ J Ó Œ Œ J Ó 8 times, 1-4x only F7 {& bb Œ V V Œ V Ó Œ J V V Œ V Œ Œ J 8 times, 1-6x only b b Œ McMahon 29 Œ 8 times, decrescendo last 2 5 60 & bb & bb b b Cue figure: V V V V V V V V V V V J V V V V V V V J Cue figure: V V V V V V V V V V V J V V V V V V V J Cue figure: V V V V V V V V V V V J V V V V V V V J {& bb Cue figure: V V V V V V V V V V V J V V V V V V V J b b Cue figure: V V V V V V V V V V V J V V V V V V V J Build don to almost nothing, then sitch to up-tempo sing and crescendo. play cue figure to bring in horn pickups to 500 miles Cue figure: V V V V V V V V V V V J V V V V V V V J
McMahon 0 Five Hundred Miles Written by Hedy West (of Cartersville, GA) and popularized by Peter, Paul and Mary, Five Hundred Miles is another classic American folk song. It has themes of travel, hardship, and a sense of home. The harmony is somehat more complex than that of the other songs in the suite--it uses I, ii, IV, V, and vi. The form, hoever, is simpler, folloing an A A format ith very repetitive lyrics and melody. I chose this song for the personal connection it has to me. The idea of having a sense of home has alays been important to me, and I heard the song a lot groing up and alays loved the simplicity of it. When I as orking ith the harmony of the song, I realized that the melody orks ell over the chord changes to the A section of Confirmation, Charlie Parker s bebop composition. I decided to arrange the song based on that, focusing on applying the bebop style herever possible. I elaborated on the basic form of the song, adding an original bridge to match the structure of Confirmation. In the bebop tradition, the melody of a tune is often angular, rhythmically active, and technically challenging. As I rote the bridge to this movement, I as striving to match the style of other bebop tunes.
McMahon 1 The feel I used as a straight-ahead sing in the bebop style. Since bebop is one of the most important periods in jazz history, I anted to make sure to include that style somehere in the suite, and this tune seemed perfect for it. The sung eighth notes also provide contrast to the preceding Poinciana groove and the straight 8th feel of Hudsonia afterard. I kept the melody largely the same for the A sections; I had to change one note (from the major seventh to the dominant seventh) to fit a chord in the fifth bar, but it just added a bluesier sound that helped further establish the jazz style. On the bridge, I rote a ne bebop-style melody that is based partly on Hudsonia, the final movement, and partly on melodic fragments of the actual Confirmation bridge. I based the harmony purely on Confirmation, but ith a tist: the key center changes throughout the movement. It modulates by minor thirds over the course of the melody, going farther and farther aay from home (as the lyrics lament). Each solo chorus is also in a different key, again going farther aay from home, but the last solo orks itself back to the original key for the melody at the end. I stayed aay from harmony beteen the horns and background figures on the solos because I as going for a more bebop style. In many of the classic recordings of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, they play the entire melody in unison and each play fairly short solos. I chose to follo that format since I as using the chord changes of a famous bebop tune.
McMahon 2 Five Hundred Miles Trumpet in Bb Med. Up Sing q = 190 &... >.. 4 Hedy West % j Œ b j Tenor Saxophone Trombone Keyboard & 4... Œ >.... j. > b j.. J Œ b J {& 4 4 F^7 E 7(b5) A7(b9) D 7 G7 C 7 F7 B 7 Œ Œ V VJ VJ String Bass Drum Set 4 4 Med. Up Sing q = 190 F^7 E 7(b5) A7(b9) D 7 G7 C 7 F7 B 7 Œ Œ V VJ VJ Œ Œ % V VJ VJ 6 &.. 9. j Ó b b b Œ b J b & j Ó... j Œ b bb bb... j Ó b b b b J b Œ A 7 D7 G7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9).. {& V V V V J V VJ VJ A 7 D7 G7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9).. V V V V J V VJ VJ 9.. V V V V J V VJ VJ
2 11 & >.. b b b b & >.. b b > b b b b b.. b b b J b b b j b b b J b b McMahon b j b b b j b b b b b b b b b b J b b b {& F 7 B 7 E 7 A 7 D 7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 A 7(b9) V V F 7 B 7 E 7 A 7 D 7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 A 7(b9) V V V V 17 17 & <b> n # # # # # # # Ó # # n # # & <b> <b> n# # # # # # # n # # # # # # # C 7 F 7 B^7 Ó # # # n # # # Ó n # # {& C 7 F 7 B^7 17
McMahon 4 21.. & <#> # n ΠΠb &.. Π<#> # n <#> # n.. ΠΠΠb b {& E 7 A7 D^7 G 7 C7 E 7 A7 D^7 G 7 C7 25 25. >.. To Coda & j Πb j To Coda &. j Π>.. b j. > To Coda.. J Πb J {& To Coda. j j.. j F^7 E 7(b5) A7(b9) D 7 G7 C 7 F7 B 7 A 7 D7 E % V VJ VJ V J To Coda F^7 E 7(b5) A7(b9) D 7 G7 C 7 F7 B 7 A 7 D7 E % V VJ VJ VJ To Coda 25 V VJ VJ VJ
4 1 {& McMahon 5 E % E7(b9) F^7 E 7(b5) A7(b9) D 7 G7 C 7 F7 B 7 Solo Break & E7(b9) F^7 E 7(b5) A7(b9) D 7 G7 C 7 F7 B 7 V J V J E7(b9) F^7 E 7(b5) A7(b9) D 7 G7 C 7 F7 B 7 V J V J V J V J 8 A 7 D7 G7 G 7 C7 F^7 E 7 A7(b9) D 7 G7 C 7 F7 & {& A 7 D7 G7 G 7 C7 F^7 E 7 A7(b9) D 7 G7 C 7 F7 A 7 D7 G7 G 7 C7 F^7 E 7 A7(b9) D 7 G7 C 7 F7 45 & {& B 7 A 7 D7 G 7 C7 F^7 C 7 F7 B ^7 B 7 A 7 D7 G 7 C7 F^7 C 7 F7 B ^7 B 7 A 7 D7 G 7 C7 F^7 C 7 F7 B ^7
52 & {& McMahon 6 E 7 A 7 D ^7 G 7 C7 F^7 E 7 A7(b9) E 7 A 7 D ^7 G 7 C7 F^7 E 7 A7(b9) 5 E 7 A 7 D ^7 G 7 C7 F^7 E 7 A7(b9) 59 D 7 G7 C 7 F7 B 7 A 7 D7 G 7 C7 F^7 & {& D 7 G7 C 7 F7 B 7 A 7 D7 G 7 C7 F^7 D 7 G7 C 7 F7 B 7 A 7 D7 G 7 C7 F^7 65 65 & {& A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9) F 7 B 7 E 7 A 7 D 7 C 7 F7 B 7 A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9) F 7 B 7 E 7 A 7 D 7 C 7 F7 B 7 Tpt solo A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9) F 7 B 7 E 7 A 7 D 7 C 7 F7 B 7 Tpt solo 65 Tpt solo
6 McMahon 7 72 B 7 E 7 A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9) F 7 B 7 E 7 A 7 D 7 C 7 F7 & {& B 7 E 7 A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9) F 7 B 7 E 7 A 7 D 7 C 7 F7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9) F 7 B 7 E 7 A 7 D 7 C 7 F7 79 B 7 E 7 A ^7 E 7 A 7 D ^7 F 7 & B 7 E 7 A ^7 E 7 A 7 D ^7 F 7 {& B 7 E 7 A ^7 E 7 A 7 D ^7 F 7 86 & {& B7 E^7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9) F 7 B 7 B7 E^7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9) F 7 B 7 B7 E^7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 G 7(b5) C7(b9) F 7 B 7
McMahon 8 92 E 7 A 7 D 7 C 7 F7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 & 7 {& E 7 A 7 D 7 C 7 F7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 E 7 A 7 D 7 C 7 F7 B 7 E 7 A ^7 97 97 {& 97 B^7 B 7(b5) E 7(b9) A 7 D 7 F 7 B7 E7 E 7 A 7 D 7 B^7 B 7(b5) E 7(b9) A 7 D 7 F 7 B7 E7 E 7 A 7 D 7 Trombone solo B^7 B 7(b5) E 7(b9) A 7 D 7 F 7 B7 E7 E 7 A 7 D 7 Trombone solo Trombone solo C 7 F 7 B^7 B 7(b5) E 7(b9) A 7 D 7 F 7 B7 E7 E 7 A 7 104 {& C 7 F 7 B^7 B 7(b5) E 7(b9) A 7 D 7 F 7 B7 E7 E 7 A 7 C 7 F 7 B^7 B 7(b5) E 7(b9) A 7 D 7 F 7 B7 E7 E 7 A 7
8 111 C 7 F 7 B^7 F 7 B7 E^7 A 7 {& McMahon 9 C 7 F 7 B^7 F 7 B7 E^7 A 7 C 7 F 7 B^7 F 7 B7 E^7 A 7 118 {& D7 G^7 C 7 F 7 B^7 B 7(b5) E 7(b9) A 7 D 7 F 7 B7 D7 G^7 C 7 F 7 B^7 B 7(b5) E 7(b9) A 7 D 7 F 7 B7 D7 G^7 C 7 F 7 B^7 B 7(b5) E 7(b9) A 7 D 7 F 7 B7 D.S. AL CODA & Ó b j D.S. AL CODA & Ó E7 E 7 A 7 C 7 F 7 B^7 b j D.S. AL CODA b J 125 {& E7 E 7 A 7 C 7 F 7 B^7 B 7 D 7 D.S. AL CODA +. V VJ D.S. AL CODA E7 E 7 A 7 C 7 F 7 B^7 B 7 D 7. + V VJ D.S. AL CODA. + V VJ b b b
10 & & <b> <b> {& <b> b J b b j b b J b b b b b n J # n b n j # b n J # McMahon 40 n U U U b U b U U U U n b b n U U b U b b U E7 FŒ Š7(#11) E 7 D 7 C7½.. U U U U + V V + J V V + + + + J 9 E7 FŒ Š7(#11) E 7 D 7 C7½.. U U U U + V V + J V V + + + + J.. U U U U + V V + J V V + + + + J
McMahon 41 Hudsonia I included the final tune, Hudsonia, because I anted to end ith an original song. This tune has a strong personal connection for me and fits in ith themes of Appalachian folk music (focus on nature of the mountains), so it felt appropriate to use. My personal connection to this tune begins ith my maternal grandmother, Carol Henry, ho lived in the Appalachian mountains near Burnsville, NC for many years. A local plant and animal enthusiast, she led Camp Carol Henry for many years, a summer camp for local kids that ent on nature alks and learned about the orld around them. On a hike, she discovered the rare ildfloer Hudsonia Montana. At the time, it as only knon to exist in one small colony in Linville Gorge. She reported it, a team of biologists ent up to check, and the site is no protected from human foot traffic. The floer has since been discovered in four other locations, all in the mountains of Western North Carolina and Tennessee. The spot here the hudsonia blooms is up on an exposed ridge near the intersection of the Blue Ridge Parkay and NC Highay 80. I ent up ith my family hen my grandmother died (to scatter her ashes on the hudsonia) and the vie is astounding, ith a clear sight line all the ay to Linville. I rote the song ith that spot in mind, and the scene is reflected in the melody and harmony. The form of the song is fairly basic: AABAA ith an introduction and a three-peat at the end. I decided to have the solos be just on the A section of the tune because the progression is more comfortable to improvise over and I like having a shorter form to ork ith hen I play.
McMahon 42 The melody of the tune is based mostly on the pentatonic scale ith some blues influence. The A section melody stays in one key hile the harmony implies others underneath, and the B section does the same but in a different key. The harmony is very open-sounding ith lots of suspended chords. It mostly moves don by step, and the motion is largely non-functional ith some dominant-tonic movement. This tune as one of the first parts I finished for the project, so I did a lot of experimentation ith different horn harmonies. The ones I ended up ith ere largely inspired by Steve Davis recording A Little Understanding from his recent album Think Ahead. The horns start in a chord of stacked fourths and then move parallel along the pentatonic scale. The open sound of the fourths in the horns matches the suspended sound in the underlying harmonies and helps to convey the open, expansive image I had in mind hile riting the tune.
McMahon 4 Hudsonia Caleb McMahon Keyboard Drum Set F( 4) E ( 4)F {& bb b b.... 4 VJ Œ V Œ + VJ VJ Œ V VJ 4 Set up hits.... VJ Œ V Œ + VJ VJ Œ V VJ Œ + Œ + String Bass F( 4) E ( 4)F b b b b.... 4 j Œ j Œ j Œ j Œ III IV 5 &b b b b % Ó Œ. - j Ó Œ. - b b b b Ó Œ J Ó Œ E % A 1( 4) G % {& bb b b... VJ Œ V VJ Œ V VJ Œ Bossa Nova Œ + >... VJ Œ V VJ Œ V VJ Œ b b b b B 6( 4) Bossa Nova A 1( 4) G >... Œ j Œ j Œ j Œ b % Copyright Caleb McMahon
2 III IV 10 { & bb b b. - Ó Œ j. b b - b b J Ó Œ BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) E % McMahon 44 & bb b b j j j V J b b b b Ó j J J V J V V J V J V V V V J BF A ( 4) E % b b b b b j j j j III IV 14 &b b b b. -. > j j. -. b û > j b b b b J J bû J A 1( 4) {& bb b b > V b b b b A 1( 4) > V
McMahon 45 III IV 17 & bb b b b b b b j j J J G % BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) {& bb b b > > V b b b b G % BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) > > V V I 21 &b b b b Œ j n n n Œ n j n A7( 4) G7( 4) FŒ Š7 E 7(b5) A7(b9) {& bb b b Bridge........ V V Œ J V VJ Œ + V V Œ J V VJ Œ +........ V V Œ J V VJ Œ + V V Œ J V VJ Œ + b b b b A7( 4) G7( 4) FŒ Š7 E 7(b5) A7(b9) Bridge........ V V Œ J V VJ Œ + V V Œ J V VJ Œ +
McMahon 46 4 I 25 & bb b b Ó n # r n n J n n D 7 C7( 4) B Œ Š7 A7( 4) {& bb b b........ V V Œ J V VJ Œ + V V Œ J V VJ Œ +........ V V Œ J V VJ Œ + V V Œ J V VJ Œ + D 7 C7( 4) B Œ Š7 A7( 4) b b b b........ V V Œ J V VJ Œ + V V Œ J V VJ Œ + I III IV 29 &b b b b Ó Œ. j Ó Œ &b b b b. Ó Œ j. b b b b Ó Œ J b b E % A 1( 4) G % {& bb b b... VJ Œ V VJ Œ V VJ Œ... VJ Œ V VJ Œ V VJ Œ b b b b... jœ j Œ jœ b
I III IV 4 { & bb b b & bb b b > > > > > > > j j Ó Œ mp > > > > > > > b b b b J J Ó Œ & bb b b j mp BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) E % McMahon 47 b b b b Ó j J J Ó Œ j j j V J 5 V J V V J V J V V V V J b b b b b j j j j
6 I III IV 8 & bb b b.. > j J b & bb b b.. > j j Ó b.. > b b b b J b J Ó A 1( 4) {& bb b b > V J McMahon 48 b b b b > V I III IV 41 &b b b b &b b b b b b b b G % BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) To Coda To Coda To Coda {& bb b b > > V b b b b J j j ù J ù b j ù To Coda J ù To Coda V Œ To Coda > > V V Œ
I 45 & bb b b Solos E % Backgrounds as necessary A 1( 4) Ó J J Ó Solos J McMahon 49 j 7 III & bb b b E % Ó Solos Backgrounds as necessary j j A 1( 4) Ó j j IV Backgrounds as necessary E % b b b b Ó Solos J J A 1( 4) Ó J J {&b b b b E % Solos A 1( 4) E % A 1( 4)
8 I III IV 49 & bb b b & bb b b b b b b {& bb b b G % BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) Ó G % BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) Ó G % BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) Ó b J j b b J j J j G % BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) G % BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) McMahon 50 DS AL coda DS AL coda DS AL coda DS AL coda DS AL coda b b b b DS AL coda I III IV 5 &b b b b &b b b b b b b b {& bb b b > > > V V b b b b J J j Ó Ó j ù J ù b j ù J ù G % BŒ Š1(#11) A ( 4) 1. > > > V V V 1.
I III IV 57 2. A ( 4) & bb b b U A ( 4) & bb b b U A ( 4) A ( 4) {& bb b b U + U + A ( 4) A U U + + 2. A ( 4) A U b b b b U U b b b b U + U + A U A A A McMahon 51 9
McMahon 52 Conclusion I learned a great deal from this project--this as the most music I had ever ritten before and the process of creating a larger ork in a structured ay taught me a lot about my on tendencies and ho to streamline my riting. As far as the actual structure as concerned (ith deadlines to meet and rehearsals to schedule), I learned that I actually benefit somehat from tighter deadlines. Sitting don and riting the music as not too much of a challenge, but I tended to second-guess and over-revise myself hen I had too much time in hich to get something done. I also learned more about hat sounds I tend to like hearing and riting. I had very clear preferences in terms of form, orchestration, and harmony. Formally, I gravitate toard vamps at the beginning and ending of a tune; I like the ay they set up the feeling and harmony before the melody comes in. The sense of anticipation before the first notes of the melody is satisfying to my ear. In the orchestration of melodies, I usually pass different phrases beteen instruments. For me, this adds a conversational feeling to the music and creates contrast. I also tend to build up volume over the course of a melody and end it ith the to loer horns harmonically supporting the higher one (in the case of this suite, the trumpet). Harmonically, a fe different sounds seemed to reoccur in my riting. Opensounding, suspended chords came up a lot--i like the ider range of possibilities hen improvising over them. Suspended chords also lend themselves to a more pentatonic improvisational approach, hich is a sound that I connect to and enjoy. As far as progression, much of my harmonic motion is by step. I employed a great deal of movement back and forth beteen to chords and stepise ascending or descending harmony throughout the piece.
McMahon 5 As a part of this project, I had to step outside my comfort zone to lead rehearsals on my original music. This involved take a more authoritative role than I am used to, and that as a challenge for me. The rehearsal ent ell, fortunately--thanks to Mr. Page s help and my hard ork, the parts ere quite legible and the group read them don ell. There ere several instances in hich musicians ould suggest changes to the score that I did not agree ith, and I did my best to be firm ithout being dismissive. Fortunately, hoever, I did a good job of listening, because there ere to different mistakes in people s parts that e ere able to fix over the course of the rehearsal. While it as challenging, the experience of leading the group through my on ritten music and having to make clear executive decisions about every aspect of it has helped me prepare for my future as a professional musician; having the necessary leadership skills to be in charge of a performance and rehearsal is essential in the professional orld. Reflecting on the process, I believe this project achieved its goals. While I still anticipate gaining experience in arranging, composition, rehearsal, and performance, I feel much more prepared to begin my graduate study in jazz this coming fall at Michigan State University. Writing and rehearsing this music has given me ne abilities and a heightened confidence that is essential to riting original music. I have learned a great deal about riting and arranging techniques, and I look forard to future opportunities to employ them. Though the goals of a piece of music rarely dictate the audience s response to or evaluation of it (preventing a truly objective decision about hether those goals are achieved), I genuinely believe that this homage to Appalachia and its music is an honest and meaningful endeavor. I hope to use it throughout the rest of my musical career, as the ork certainly
McMahon 54 holds a great deal of meaning for me. Wherever the music takes me, I ill alays have this connection to my home here in the mountains.