Long-Form Jazz: Out of the Harlem Renaissance
The long-form jazz composition \u2014 spanning the jazz suite and symphonic works - is said to have blossomed during the Harlem Renaissance, as early as James P. Johnson. Duke Ellington grappled with the form for a good part of his career. Composers in the jazz realm often coupled long-form compositions with grand themes in black history. This NPR survey samples five examples of long-form jazz composition, including excerpts from Ellington’s Black Brown and Beige, Oliver Nelson and a haunting piece by Wadada Leo Smith, honoring Rosa Parks.
-Nick Moy
Follow: Mosaic Records Facebook Tumblr Twitter
Read More
Terence Blanchard’s upcoming “Opera in the Jazz” Style
New Orleans trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard is joining the ranks of jazz musicians who have branched out to write formal long-form compositions. His first opera, “Champion,” based on the story of boxer Emile Griffith, will premiere with Opera Theatre of St. Louis this June. Find out, in this St. Louis Beacon story by Patricia Rice, what motivated Blanchard to turn to opera and this tragic subject.
-Nick Moy
Follow: Mosaic Records Facebook Tumblr Twitter
Read More



















