JAZZANTIQUA - Frederic Hand & Guests (Liner Notes)

FREDERIC HAND'S JAZZANTIQUA

Frederic Hand

1 . Cantigas de Santa Maria

Guillaume de Machaut/Frederic Hand

2. Rose Liz

Frederic Hand

3. Bachiaras*

Anon., arr. by Jazzantiqua

4. Tourdion

Frederic Hand

5. Lady Carey's Fantasy

Donald York

6. Chaconne+

Frederic Hand

7. Toby and Lynn

Jazzantiqua

Frederic Hand, Guitar, lute, vihuela;

Jane Ira Bloom, Soprano saxophone; Teddy Saunders, Piano, Fender piano Rhodes, Prophet 600 synthesizer, Clavinet; Keith Underwood, Flute, bass flute, recorders, krummhorn; Michael Willens, Double bass; Joseph Passaro, Percussion; *Nancy Donaruma, Cello solo; Donald York, + Synthesizer, + Clavinet, *Devil stick

From the earliest times in the history of

music, improvisation has been an integral

part of musical performance. In Western

music, the art of improvisation reached its

zenith in the Renaissance and baroque

periods with the "divisions" of the

Elizabethan masters and the continua

improvisations and ornamentation of the

baroque. Musicians were expected to create

melodic and rhythmic variations over given

harmonic progressions. This practice

declined after the baroque period and lay

dormant until the advent of jazz. Although

the idioms are entirely different, the concepts of jazz and early music

improvisation are nearly identical.

It is in this spirit that Jazzantiqua was

created: to explore the relationship between

the old and the new, and to create works

that draw upon both musical languages.

-Frederic Hand

Cantigas de Santa Maria is based upon one of the 400 cantigas of King Alfonso X, the

13th century Spanish monarch. These

cantigas were poetic narratives which

recounted various miracles ascribed to the

Virgin Mary. Frederic Hand was introduced

to these pieces while he worked with the

Waverly Consort. He admired the rhythmic

freedom in their successive juxtapositions of duple and triple meters.

In Hand's work, the theme is stated first by

the vihuela, a Spanish six-course guitar of

the 16th century, tuned in a similar manner

to that of the lute, and then by the recorder.

The third statement of the tune, by soprano

saxophone, serves to usher in the rest of

Jazzantiqua. Each of the three solo

instruments which previously stated the

theme then proceeds to improvise

successively over the changing meters of

the accompaniment. In the loud piano and

bass climax, just before the return of the

theme, each measure is in a separate meter.

This rhythmic flexibility, exemplified by medieval practice, connects across the

centuries in Jazzantiqua's • performance.

Rose Liz as its point of departure Guillaume de Machaut's beautiful four-voice rondeau

Rose, lys, printemps, verdure. The 14thcentury original set a single solo voice against three instrumental parts. Hand's

interpretation begins with a literal statement of the Machaut composition on three

recorders and bass flute, all played by Keith

Underwood. The piece then transforms

gradually, through the addition of guitar,

and then Fender Rhodes electric piano, into

an original work based loosely on the

Machaut rondeau.

Bachiaras is not based upon any specific

composition. Rather, it was written in

homage to Heitor Villa-Lobos, whose music

has had a large influence upon Hand. The

composer speculates that Villa-Lobos would

have enjoyed the bossa nova, or Brazilian

samba. Since Villalobos dedicated some of

his music to J. S. Bach, Frederic Hand felt it

appropriate to draw from the spirit of both

composers for his Bachiaras.

The composition opens with the melody in

the the flute, to a guitar accompaniment.

The theme's second statement is in the cello, an instrument especially favored by

Villa-Lobos, and is accompanied by flute,

guitar, and Clavinet, an electric instrument

which sounds midway between a clavichord and a harpsichord. Next follows an interlude

for Fender Rhodes electric piano and guitar, which then leads into the middle,

improvisatory section in samba rhythm, with

solos by the flute and the Fender Rhodes.

Bachiaras concludes with restatements of

the melody by flute, guitar, and cello, as at

the beginning. The percussion instrument

heard during the final chord is the Devil

stick, an enclosed cylinder filled with finely

ground shells.

Tourdion is based upon an anonymous

dance piece published in Paris by Robert

Ballard during the second half of the 16th century. Jazzantiqua's arrangement

features a wide assortment of instrumental colors. It begins with a fade-up into African log drums, with the melody played on the

Prophet 600 synthesizer. Next, the theme is

taken by the vihuela which also solos, and then by krummhorns, soprano saxophone, and soprano recorder. After solos by

recorder and large hand drum, the ensemble

returns with a concluding tutti statement of the tune on recorder, soprano sax, vihuela, and string bass.

Lady Carey's Fantasy was inspired by the

celebrated anonymous 16th century English

virginal work "Lady Carey's Dompe. " Hand's composition begins with a lute fantasy in the

style of John Dowland, the famous

Elizabethan lutenist and composer. The entry of percussion and bass ushers in the

rhythmic accompaniment to the melodic

statements, first by flute, and then by

soprano sax. The piece gracefully slides into

improvisatory sections featuring acoustic piano, guitar, and flute. The fantasy melody

returns successively in the flute and soprano sax, and then anther pocket of improvisation

ensues, featuring guitar and piano. The work

concludes with a collective improvisatory climax.

After forming Jazzantiqua, Frederic Hand

decided that he would like other composers

to write for the group. Donald York is an

extremely eclectic composer whose music is

deeply respected by Hand. York is music

director for the Paul Taylor Dance Company;

the two men met when Hand played guitar

for a Paul Taylor performance.

Chaconne relates jazz to earlier music by

employing a baroque form. A chaconne is a

composition based upon a recurring bass line. Don York's Chaconne begins with a

guitar introduction, which eventually gives

way to Prophet 600 and Clavinet, providing

the descending bass line and chordal

accompaniment to the melody which

appears in the flutes and soprano sax. The middle section features improvisations by

both soprano sax and piano. The work

finishes quietly, with quitar, soprano sax,

and flute. Finally, after a lovely enharmonic

modulation, Fender Rhodes is added, and the descending bass line reappears,

bringing the piece to a contemplative close.

Toby and Lynn was named for two of Fred

Hand's closest friends, the well-known New

York City tuba player, Toby Hanks, and his

wife, Lynn. The composition was written

originally for tuba and tenor trombone, with

the principal melody in the tuba part. Toby

and Lynn is the only work on the disc which

has nothing to do with old music. Rather, it

is inspired conceptually by, as Hand puts it,

"a merger of musics ... something classical

with something jazz-like. " That is to say, the

piece features written-out sections as well

as improvisatory ones.

The composition opens with the melody in

the soprano sax, accompanied by guitar.

Flute, then percussion, and then piano are added. The rhythm becomes more strict in

the next section, which features a jazz piano and soprano saxophone solo. The piece concludes with a section mirroring the

opening, with flute and soprano sax, finally ending delicately with soprano sax and

guitar.

Dr. Frederick J. Bashour