Piano jazz

    Piano is my main instrument, and the closest thing I can relate to jazz from my experience is impressionistic music. I very much enjoy Debussy and Ravel because of so much color and beauty they portrait throughout their pieces. I appreciate how obscure their pieces are, but the fine details cause you to appreciate how much time these composer carefully crafted their ideas.

    One of the coolest pieces that is very unique is ‘fireworks’ by Debussy. The pieces does indeed sound like fireworks from the ‘spark’-like tune, but the one idea that truly impressed me was the subtle melody of the French national anthem that is broken throughout the piece.

    During the impressionist period, which cultivate from the city of Paris, not only music was expressed in abstract form, but so did paintings.

‘Fireworks’ did vividly help me imagine the image through Debussy’s perspective and this one particular piano jazz piece did create this vivid imagery of autumn.

    ‘Autumn Leaves’ by Joseph Kosma does not fit many of the prominent jazz categories, traditionally speaking. This feels like a jazz ballad mainly because of the 16 bar phrasing idea. Furthermore, the structure sounds like an AABC format, with the B section being the transition section. Usually, B sections sounds more dramatic and turbulent than the pleasant A section. The C section sounds like there is a promising resolution from the turbulent section.

    Autumn happens to be one of my favorite seasons because of the vivid colors of nature. I enjoy how the colors are not the same everyday because they constantly change gradually. The ambiance is also quite soothing because I feel nature is expressing its last grandeur before the death of winter takes over. I feel the resemblance of this piece because of the way it relaxes you. I also enjoy how the piece opens up with a minor scale, which I find to be more exciting than major scales due to dissonance and the possibility of exotic sounds.

    I find these sensations similar to how I feel when I play Debussy and Ravel. I instantly try to conjure up an image and try to tell myself a story when there is a change in emotion or color throughout the piece.