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Sommario
Jazz Piano FLCM Diploma in Performance Claudio Angeleri – Jazz classics and own compositions ............. 2
Dance of the infidels – Bud Powell .............................................................................................................. 3
Prelude – Claudio Angeleri ............................................................................................................................ 5
Dixie – Claudio Angeleri ................................................................................................................................ 7
A new world a comin- Duke Ellington ......................................................................................................... 10
Paths – Claudio Angeleri .............................................................................................................................. 13
Blues is more – Claudio Angeleri ................................................................................................................. 15
Seascape – Claudio Angeleri ........................................................................................................................ 16
Absolutely – Claudio Angeleri...................................................................................................................... 18
2+2+8-5=7 – Claudio Angeleri ..................................................................................................................... 19
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Jazz Piano FLCM Diploma in Performance Claudio Angeleri – Jazz classics and own
compositions

The FLCM Diploma Concert includes nine pieces, two performed in piano solo and seven in trio with the
rhythm section - bass and drums - in order to address different aspects and styles of jazz pianism both in
historical and contemporary terms: stride piano, concert piano, comping, interplay, improvisation on
functional or modal harmonies, use of odd times (3/4, 5/4, 7/8), polyrhythmic structures, salsa and Latin
jazz.

The material draws on both the great composers from the 20th century, Duke Ellington and Thelonious
Monk, and original compositions, addressing the most current themes traceable in the contemporary
production of Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea, Robert Glasper, Vijay Iyer.

Claudio Angeleri, piano Marco Esposito, bass Luca Bongiovanni, - drums

June 3, 2018

Program:

1. Dance of the infidels – Bud Powell

2. Prelude – Claudio Angeleri
3. Dixie – Claudio Angeleri
4. A new world a comin- Duke Ellington
5. Paths – Claudio Angeleri
6. Blues is more – Claudio Angeleri
7. Seascape – Claudio Angeleri
8. Absolutely – Claudio Angeleri
9. 2+2+8-5=7 – Claudio Angeleri
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Dance of the infidels – Bud Powell

Dance of the infidels is Earl Randolph "Bud" Powell’s (1924-1966) one best-known compositions. This piece
of the legendary bebop pianist also names the book written by Francis Paudras, Powell’s friend and
promoter of jazz music in Europe. Not strictly a biography, Dance of the Infidels narrates the close personal
relationship between Paudras and Powell, particularly during the pianist’s last years of life: Paudras’ book
became an integral part of the most recent dissertations of Bud Powell's artistic production.

Throughout the bebop era, jazz was emancipated from the function of pure entertainment and dance
music. Jazz becomes art music in all of its aspects and it starts to be played mostly in New York small jazz
clubs, like Minton's and Birdland. In this period, the piano role is completely reinvented by Bud Powell. His
improvisation, with single notes, relies on the right hand simulating the performance of the monophonic
wind instruments, as trumpet and saxophone, while the left hand polyrhythmically counterpoises the
melody. Voicings, also known as Powell voicings, are often constituted of only two notes emphasizing the
root, the third and the seventh of the chord (see the next example); thus, allowing a greater freedom in
choosing scales. Powell was not only a talented pianist but also a refined and innovative composer; yet, he
maintained a close relationship of continuity with tradition.

Dance of the infidels is based on a blues form treated according to the chromatic progressions typical of
bebop: for example, Charlie Parker's Blues for Alice, personalized by Powell in the exposition of the theme
by adding two bars in which he uses a polimetric formula (see the next example), as in the style of the
American pianist.

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Powell Bud: The Amazing Bud Powell Vol 1 – Blue Note 1956
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The execution of this composition allows to experiment the formula of the modern piano trio of American
black derivation, as opposed to the "white" conception of the trio, made famous by Bill Evans, which will be
proposed in the following piece. The Bud Powell trio has "piano-centric" features in which the piano is
accompanied by the rhythm section according to the bebop conventions of the walking bass.

The improvisation, which develops according to the 12-bar form, mainly uses bebop scales, consisting of
eight-tone scales, thanks to the addition of a chromatism placed at different points on the scale.

Bebop scales
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Prelude – Claudio Angeleri2

The ballad is one of jazz music’s main forms, whereas the performer must highlight his ability to show the
melody introducing only limited, but precious, variations underlying his style, sensitivity, and lyricism with
chromatic approaches, embellishments, dynamics and attention to quality of sound. Duke Ellington is one
of the most original and authoritative ballad composers, as his songs have been an indispensable reference
for jazz musicians of all generations. One of his main qualities is the “cantability” of melodic lines,
specifically designed for the soloists of his orchestra. Sophisticated Lady, for example, has been written for
the baritone player Harry Carney, while Prelude to a kiss and Isfahan, written in collaboration with Billy
Strayhorn, for Johnny Hodges, and many others for Ellington's piano. The melodies are supported by a
notable harmony, often revealing daring and innovative solutions: noteworthy is that the melody generates
the harmonic movements, and not vice versa.

In the writing and execution of this original composition, I kept in mind the methodology proposed by
Ellington; yet, allowing space to my personal melodic personality and other musical influences, especially
Bill Evans’ lesson. The composition has a cyclical form of 10 bars, as in Bill Evans’ Blue in green3, in
accordance to the functional harmonic progressions. The performance includes the theme initial exposure
by piano, followed by an improvisation in accordance to Bill Evans trio style: this allows the three
instruments to evenly interplay, being given greater freedom. The voicings used are the typical A and B
“evansian” forms that omit the tonic to extend chord at the highest intervals: ninth, eleventh, thirteenth.
The song ends with a 7/8 latin-style tail on a modal pedal.

The technical difficulties to be faced in this execution concern the scalar movement of the left hand
(measure 6,7), the block chords harmonization (measure 4), the production of the sound in the melodic line
with the right hand and, finally, * the polyrhythmic counterpoint between the two hands during the
improvisation.

2
Claudio Angeleri – Invenzioni a più voci CDpM – 145-2 - 2007
3
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue – Columbia 1959
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Dixie – Claudio Angeleri 4

Ragtime has been widely considered to be the ancestor of jazz music: in fact, its piano style became
inspirational for the first jazz groups in New Orleans. Ragtime is characterized by the trend of the left hand
(tonic /chord, fifth/chord), marking the beat of the bar to which the multi-thematic melodies are
superimposed.

The two hands are, on purpose, out of phase with each other, resulting in a very dynamic and swinging
trend. Ragtime, then flowed into the next stride piano, is an excellent gym for every pianist to develop their
hands’ independence and to acquire the swinging performance characteristic of the first jazz. This style has
never set, as it has continuously been updated with new voicings; yet, maintaining its charm and its
historical and aesthetic importance. Several contemporary pianists have introduced in their performances
several episodes in stride style, including McCoy Tyner, Kenny Barron, Franco D'Andrea, Muhal Richard
Abrams.

I approached ragtime and stride from the very early years of my training and, because of my willingness to
deepen the study of this style, I wrote an original stride composition.

The theme, entirely written, is followed by a stride improvisation on the harmonic progression. The
technical aspects of this performance concern: independence of the hands in stride style, arpeggios, timing
and blues influences.

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Claudio Angeleri – Pin Up CDpM LION – 101-2 - 1994
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A new world a comin- Duke Ellington5

This is a piano solo adaptation of the very well-known 1943 Ellington’s composition, which has been
proposed in different versions: piano and symphonic orchestra, piano and big band and piano solo. This
piece is about ten-minute long, and it is entirely written; thus, allowing very limited variations. It is
structured through multi-thematic sections influenced by both the impressionism of Debussy and Ravel,
and by piano episodes in Rachmaninov’s style. Moreover, it is also influenced by Ellington’s characteristic
style, connected to the Afro-American piano tradition (stride and boogie - see 3rd theme, blues).

The composition points out different technical aspects of piano playing: arpeggios (see measure 24),
independence and use of the left hand (see 3rd theme), parallel octaves (see measure 18), dynamics and
sense of swing (see 4th theme).

Main theme

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Duke Ellington And His Orchestra – New World A Comin' – V Disc 1946
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2nd theme

3rd theme
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4th theme

5th theme
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Paths – Claudio Angeleri

This composition explores different interweaves of polyrhythmic and polymetric, melodic and harmonic
type (based mainly on the negative, or mirror, harmony of the theorist Ernst Levy). The melody is based on
two themes following the ABA form. Section B presents a theme which highlights an almost Cuban
character, superimposing a sort of tumbao, performed by the left hand, to a syncopated melodic line of the
right hand. The improvised section is, instead, based on an autonomous AAB progression: here, part A is in
an "absolute" way, according to Levy's meaning, in 4/4; while, part B is modal in ternary time.

The technical aspects of this performance concern: mastery of the "salsa" style, polyrhythmic
independence between the two hands and mastery of polymetric forms (4/4, 6/8).

1st theme

Polymetric figuration
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2nd theme

Salsa interlude
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Blues is more – Claudio Angeleri

This composition is inspired by Thelonious Monk and it is based on a classic blues form of 12 bars in the Bb
key. Thelonious Sphere Monk (Rocky Mount, 10 October 1917 – Weehawken, 17 February 1982) is one of
the most influential personalities in modern jazz, both for his playing and composing skills. His music is
constantly poised between polymetry, of African derivation, harmonic dissonance and melodic purity. His
compositions are an indispensable reference for every musician: Round about midnight, Well you needn’t,
Blue Monk, Evidence, Monk's Dream are some of his most played compositions in the history of jazz.

The technical piano aspects of this performance concern: negative scales and arpeggios, ability to play
inside and outside the key, mastering the blues language and timing.

The references to Monk can be found in the typical metric figuration, 3 + 3 + 26 (measures 10, 11) in the use
of the second intervals (measures 5, 11) and in the melodic line with jumps7.

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Thelonious Monk, Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are (Brilliant Corners, Riverside records, 1957)
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Thelonious Monk, Misterioso, Riverside records, 1958
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Seascape – Claudio Angeleri

This song, although moving in a consonant area, has an indeterminate character, as the harmony seems not
to resolve on a tonal center (see A section). This character can be found in some of Robert Glasper’s
compositions 8. In reality, the piece is in C major/C minor key, but the progressions sometimes move
according to negative (Ernst Levy) or other types of logic (see B section), such as whole tones scales and
voicings used in both a coloristic and non-functional way. The performance starts with a piano solo
introduction where the left-and-right-hand play in counterpoint, followed by the exposure of the theme
and by the improvisation section.

The piano aspects concern the independence of the two hands and the ability to create melodic lines,
following a non-functional progression.

8
Robert Glasper Experiment & The Metropole Orchestra perform Rise and Shine at the McTheater in Amsterdam
2014-04-13. Conductor and arrangements Vince Mendoza.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJhWTop9uL8&list=RDlJhWTop9uL8&t=28
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Absolutely – Claudio Angeleri

This composition is based on rhythm changes, a classical form of jazz, which has been reinterpreted in a
contemporary key, according to the mirror theories of Ernst Levy. These rules create super imposition of
negative melodies (mainly arpeggios of negative chords -6) on the dominant chords of the classic rhythm
changes form, creating an inside-outside effect (see measures 1, 2, 3, 4).

The technical piano aspects of this performance concern: fluency of the left hand, ability to instantly
perform outside melodies on inside harmonic progressions, interplay and fast times.
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2+2+8-5=7 – Claudio Angeleri 9

This is a modal composition (Dorian mode) that alternates measures of different values (7/8, 4/4, 5/4, 6/8),
connected by the melodic development of the theme. The style ranges between funky and latin, especially
in the improvised modal section, ending with a rhythmic obstinate supporting the drums solo.

The technical aspects of this performance concern: fluidity of the left hand, independence of the hands and
ability to master polymetric forms.

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Claudio Angeleri – Why? CDpM – 222-262 - 2016