Symphony Sounds String Quartet jazzes up their 2013 exit from Wicker Park
Symphony Sounds String Quartet's (SSSQ) third and final concert of the 2013 Wicker Park Music Series was all about Jazz before a large enthusiastic crowd on Sun., Aug. 11. The string quartet performed impeccably as they have in all their concerts in the park.
The program included well known works by composers that represent the foundation of the jazz movement (George Gershwin, Isham Jones, Paul Desmond) as well as by contemporary composers whose works were heavily influenced by jazz (Thomas Oboe Lee and Charles Gregory Washington). The juxtaposition of the early jazz works against the modern compositions allowed the audience to gain insight into the development of thought and action within the jazz movement and how various composers influenced each other’s works.
Opening with George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris the quartet set the mood for the day as well as the basis from which the modern works were extrapolated. Then, the sunny day became cloudy, still, and sultry just as the players set their bows to their instruments to perform the very exotic Morango…Almost a Tango (1983). Reviewers have commented extensively on Thomas Oboe Lee’s composition:
- "It is as sultry as Faith Domergue in a film noir, and it steams" (Richard Dyer, Boston Globe, November 13, 1986)
- "a soulfully beautiful score (John Rockwell, New York Times, November 16, 1986)
- "Think tango with a Brazilian twist (Notes by Lydian String Quartet at Brandeis University)
Kronos Quartet commissioned and recorded the work and later the composition was used by choreographers from Pilobolus Dance Company, Jiri Kylian for the Netherlands Dance Theater, Danny Rosseel for the Royal Ballet of Flanders, Nicolo Fonte for the Pacific Northwest Ballet and Australian Ballet, Carolyn Carlson for the Cullberg Ballet of Sweden, Olivia Rosenkrantz for Tapage - a tap duo, et al. In all ways, SSSQ equaled and even surpassed the Kronos recording. But, if you missed the concert you can hear Kronos play the quartet here.
The concert then returned to the jazz classics with Isham Jones’ It Had To Be You and Paul Desmond’s Take Five. Both were performed expertly. The inclusion of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances being placed in the program before the Washington String Quartet #2 - Bartok Meets Monk was fascinating and set the scene for the final extraordinary work and performance.
Many of Bartok’s works were derivative of folk music as the ones played on the program; however, between 1926 and 1939 he composed Mikrokosmos. The work consists of 153 progressive piano solos in six volumes for beginning to advanced musicians. Music historians have commented on how jazz influenced many of the etudes. Bartok discussed the influence of Gershwin on his composition style for Mikrokosmos #151.
In 1938, Bartok was commissioned by Hungarian violinist Josef Szigeti to write a work for violin, piano and clarinet for himself and the "King of Swing" clarinetist Benny Goodman. The commission produced Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet and Piano and was performed by Bartok, Goodman and Szigeti in 1940 at Carnegie Hall. “The composer had diligently studied recordings of Goodman’s trio, and came up with a work truly of ‘contrasts’, a kind of deliciously filtered Hungarian jazz While this work was not performed Sunday, the Washington composition refers to this period of Bartok’s career.(Boosey)
Then the concert broke loose with Charles Gregory Washington, String Quartet #2 "Bartok Meets Monk. So, we heard a transcendent, evolved, hybrid, conversation between Bartok and Monk written in 3 movements? What could that mean?
Here is Monk in action. We are incredibly impressed with the quality and dedication that SSSQ took in preparing this work both in its speed, clarity, rawness when needed, and it in the sophisticated and subtle execution of the second movement.
Here is a recording of the 3rd Movement, a good performance, but nothing compared to Sunday’s performance. What at quartet! It is interesting to know Thelonious Monk’s body of work, as composer and player (the jazz critic Whitney Balliett called Monk’s compositions “frozen . . . improvisations” and his improvisations “molten . . . compositions”), sits as comfortably beside Bartok’s Hungarian folk-influenced compositions for solo piano as it does beside the music of jazz giants like James P. Johnson, Teddy Wilson and Duke Ellington, some of the more obvious influences on Monk. It’s unclear how much of Bartok he listened to. Monk did know well and play Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Chopin (especially Chopin). Stravinsky was also a favorite. (New York Times).
Each program in the 2013 series was focused on a theme. The first two were Whimsy (June) and Death (July), ending with Jazz (Aug.) Why? The three concerts explored and then demonstrated the diversity found in the mode of expression of the themes by numerous composers who lived in various time periods as well as how the historic elements of their time period affected their expression of the themes.
Additionally, the audience could examine the multi-dimensional expression of three basic themes and at the same time savor the superb interpretations of the music by this outstanding string quartet: Matthew Cataldi (Violin), Julia Birnbaum (Violin), Ryan Loeckel (Viola), and Sarah Marsh (Cello). See their professional bios here.
Performance Presented and Sponsored by Wicker Park Advisory Council and Wicker Park Garden Club with support from WPB SSA#33, Friends of Saint Paul's Community Church, Wicker Park Apartments, Cat and Mouse Game Store, Friends of the Parks, Wicker Park and Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail, Trust for Public Land, Littlerock Remodeling Consultants, Our Urban Times, Mosaic Church Chicago and Urban Encounter for their support in funding and presenting this series in partnership with the Chicago Park District.
*Photo by Elaine Coorens