The Ellington Study Group is organized and led by composer and pianist Scott Healy, and is open to all music professionals.
The group is for professional composers, arrangers and performers from the Los Angeles area, and will feature hands-on study of scores and recordings—not just of Ellington’s, but of many influential jazz composers and bandleaders from Bennie Moten and Gil Evans to Sun Ra and Ornette Coleman.
Classes are held at Vitello’s E-Spot Lounge in Studio City, CA, from 10am – noon. The $10 fee includes breakfast and unlimited coffee.
Next Meeting: Friday, October 23rd, 2015, 10am – noon.
On the agenda:
I’m going to touch briefly on “Diminuendo and Crescendo” in Blue by Ellington, then go right into Gil Evans’ “Miles Ahead”, probably “Blues or Pablo” or “The Maids of Cadiz”, with detailed analysis of voicing and composition and orchestration techniques. I also want to touch on a few pieces which we’ll listen to without the score—something from “Old Wine, New Bottles” or “The Individualism of Gil Evans” (by Gil Evans), or an early small big band session by Bob Brookmeyer. Or both. If time permits we’ll touch on form and begin jazz reharmonization.