Title: Caravan
Artist: Primavera Latin Jazz Band
Culture: Puerto Rico
Instrumentation: Flute, Bass, Piano, guitar, drum set, Latin percussion instruments
Campbell stated, "When music is treated respectfully, with ample time given to its study, it is often a source of pride for people from a culture to hear their traditions-or new expressions reminiscent of their traditions-performed by those who have given their time and energy to it" (2014. p. 193). One of the composers of the song "Caravan" was Juan Tizol, who was born in Puerto Rico. He included many sounds from that culture in his composition and it is present in both the original recording by Duke Ellington's Big Band as well as the Primavera Latin Jazz Band. The most important thing about performing music from another culture, or even music from our culture that was written by someone else, is that we give it the attention that it deserves before performing it. We must understand what is important to that culture and that style of music before we expect to teach our students about that cultures music.
References
Campbell, P. S. (2004). Teaching music globally: Experiencing music, expressing culture. Oxford University Press.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these videos. I think you are right to say that the most important aspect when teaching students music from other cultures and when encouraging them to be creative within the context of world music is the attention we give the music before the performance. Creativity is an excellent step in the learning process because it causes students to have to demonstrate their knowledge of the culture and its music and make purposeful musical decisions that respect the culture while still staying true to their own musical ideas. The time put into teaching them about the culture before the creative process begins is of the utmost importance.
Thanks for sharing!
I enjoyed listening to both Juan Tizol's version and Duke Ellington's reimagination of Caravan.I agree with both you and Kathyrn about using creativity as a means of teaching about world cultures. In order to create music similar to or in the same vein as a particular culture, there has to be a basis in the knowledge of the culture. By creating music with these criteria shows not just originality but demonstrates their knowledge. Looking at the two recordings you shared, it's obvious that Duke Ellington spent time studying the music before adding to it in a creative manner that paid homage to the original while making it his own as well. Thank you for your thoughts and your music choices!
ReplyDelete