Swingin the classics

clausci

I recently knew that our loved song Avalon was a composition of 1920 inspired by the theme of the air "E lucean le stelle" from Puccini's Tosca.
so we can listen clearly here:



i was interested by this thing , i report from the site http://www.gracyk.com/whiteman.shtml talking about Paul Witheman Orchestra :

The orchestra often played, in dance time, melodies taken from what was regarded at the time as "serious" music. Whiteman's first twelve-inch disc features music from Ponchielli's La Gioconda and, in "Avalon," a melody from Puccini's Tosca (in 1921 Puccini's publisher, Ricordi, actually sued Jerome H. Remick & Co., publisher of "Avalon," for copyright infringement). Two later examples are found on Victor 18777: the label for "Cho-Cho-San" states, "On melodies by G. Puccini arranged by Hugo Frey," and the label for the reverse side featuring "Song of India" states, "Adapted from Rimsky Korsakow's Chanson Indoue by Paul Whiteman." "Oriental Fox Trot" on Victor 18940 "introduces" a melody from Saint-Saens' opera Samson and Delilah. The popular "So This Is Venice" (19252), performed by the orchestra in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1923, was adapted from Ambroise Thomas' "Carnival of Venice."

Borrowing from composers of "serious" music for melodies in popular music did not begin with Whiteman. Ragtime composer George L. Cobb had already gained some notoriety after modifying Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite" for his "Peter Gink." Cobb also adapted a famous three-note phrase from a Rachmanioff prelude for his "Russian Rag." A decade earlier Irving Berlin borrowed from the classics for his popular "That Mesmerizing Mendelssohn Tune." But few performers borrowed with as much commercial success as Whiteman, and some in the music industry expressed alarm. An editorial in the February 1923 issue of The Musical Observer deplored the trend of "jazzing the classics" and applauded a recent article by Richard Aldrich in the New York Times complaining that "jazz draws the line nowhere." Even worse, the editorial states, is "jazzing the 'spirituals' of the American negroes." It cites organizations that protested in 1922-23 the "jazzing" of "Deep River," including the National Association of Negro Musicians.


any other example of this tipe of ispirations in jazz tunes?

clausci

oh i forgot, sure that "le temps de la coeur" is another example played by Sarane and Tony Murena, that was taken from a Mozart piano piece.

Stackabones

Very interesting topic. How about Jacques Loussier? He plays Bach et al as jazz compositions. I know he's also played Satie & Debussy--both of whom I think should sound cool.



There's just a few more on youtube.

Stackabones

Pete Levin (keyboardist, brother of bassist Tony Levin) just put out an organ jazz disc called Deacon Blues. He does an arrangment of Satie's First Gymnopedie.

Here's a sample--

http://petelevin.com/audio/Deacon%20Blues%20demos/04_GYMNOPEDIE_sample.mp3

I first heard this on a local jazz radio station. The rest of the track was good.

clausci

thank you staka, of course also the modern jazzist does often arrange classic music, i'm thinking tho them who record all te "play bach" series, very good music and super musicians. this is also an interesting thread, so lets put on here all the things you know about :

1) All the jazz tunes that was inspired by a classic composition

2) Various classic "jazz" arrangements

Frank Wekenmann

The melody of the song "The lamp is low" is just part of the melody of Ravel's "Pavane por une infante défunte".

Stackabones

Caterina Valente swingin' Paganini's Moto Perpetuo.

Stackabones

Of course!!! Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain!

Stackabones

Jacques Loussier Trio playing Ravel's Bolero (no image, just sound).

Stackabones

Nat "King" Cole has two instrumentals based on classical music: "Prelude in C-Sharp Minor" (1944, based on Rachmninoff); "Laugh, Cool Clown" (1949, based on Pagliacci by Leoncavallo.

Just read about these in a book about jazz singing. I don't think I have these recordings in my collection, though I'll check later.

chip3174

Stacka, you're the man!!