STYLISTIC OF JAZZ DRUMMER ED BLACKWELL

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free jazz, or whatever you choose to call it), Blackwell plays rhythms. The beat
is obvious, unmissable, and yet, the metronomic constancy of his rhythm-making
notwithstanding, Blackwell plays as freely and as happily - there is passion, a
passion rooted in a love of life - as anyone can possibly play ( Edward Blackwell.
p.4).
This was, perhaps, Blackwell s most fascinating achievement during the Avant-Garde
27Information regarding the New Orleans roots of this beat-pattern was derived from an interview with Phil Hey
held in May of 1997. Hey is a jazz drummer, currently residing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN area, who studied with
Blackwell for approximately eight years.
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movement of the 1960 s: to play with such clarity and precision as to sound profoundly
adventuresome, to play so inside (relative to the given context) that it sounded outside.
Salaam also provided this eloquent synopsis of Blackwell s work with Ornette Coleman
and their advancement of the New Thing:
While the new music influence and contributions of Max Roach, Elvin
Jones, Tony Williams and other drummers are important, it is necessary to put into
perspective that it was Blackwell who worked with Ornette and helped Ornette work
out an entirely new direction for modern jazz. Moreover, Blackwell has never
deviated from his chosen course. Edward Blackwell, although not widely
celebrated, is actually one of the major shapers of post-bop, new music
( Edward Blackwell. p.4).
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CHAPTER 3
THE AFRICAN CONNECTION
A primary issue concerning the evolution of Ed Blackwell s drumming style stems from an
apparent chronological contradiction: namely, the date of his first tour of West Africa as compared
with the date of the release of Ornette Coleman s album Ornette! (Atlantic SD-1378). Blackwell s
drumming on this recording, in particular his performance on the composition T. & T., has often
been described as sounding West-African. This characterization was first established within the
album liner notes written by Gunther Schuller:
Blackwell gradually transforms the piece [ T. & T. ] into one of the purest
examples of African drumming in jazz.
Assuming this description to be accurate, one might also assume that Ornette! was recorded
sometime after Blackwell traveled to Africa, where he had direct contact with traditional
drumming. On the contrary, this seminal recording took place in January of 1961, six years
before he ever visited Africa.
In 1967, Blackwell traveled to North Africa, West Africa, and the Middle East as part of a
three-month, State Department-sponsored tour with jazz pianist/composer Randy Weston
(1926- ). While touring numerous countries, Blackwell observed traditional musical
performances by different ethnic groups, played with these musicians, and recorded and
transcribed various rhythmic patterns. However, as noted in Chapter 1, Blackwell had already
absorbed African-derived rhythms and the overall spirit of traditional West African music while
growing up in New Orleans, listening to the Mardi Gras Indians perform, and dancing in parades
as a member of the second line. These experiences undoubtedly influenced the development of
his drumming style on both a conscious and subconscious level. It is quite possible then that his
African-inspired drumming style had crystallized before Blackwell ever visited the continent. The
purpose of this chapter then is twofold: 1) to determine which of the African-derived characteristics
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associated with Blackwell s drumming stemmed from his New Orleans cultural roots, and 2) to
ascertain how his musical experiences in West Africa influenced his playing style.
The fact that Blackwell s first trip to West Africa took place well after T. & T. was
recorded prompts several questions concerning not only what informed his playing, but where
and when he was influenced. For instance, what is it about Blackwell s performance on
T. & T. which qualifies it as one of the purest examples of African drumming in jazz. For that
matter, did his playing somehow change after he travelled to West Africa and consciously
cultivated its traditional musics? It is my contention that his experiences in West Africa merely
focused and enhanced elements already present within his drumming style, elements encoded by
way of his musical background in the Crescent City. By virtue of his upbringing in New Orleans,
with all of its African cultural retentions, Blackwell had assimilated the essence of traditional West- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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