John Proulx Research Paper
Jeffery L. Wright
Humanities 523
Professor Caldwell
28 November 2005
Performance Review of
The John Proulx Trio at LACMA
By Jeffery L. Wright
The John Proulx Trio performed on Friday, November 25, 2005 at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Musically speaking, John Proulx stands out as one of the most consistent and significant artist in jazz today. Leading a tight, well-rehearsed trio through a mix of originals and well-known pieces from modern Jazz repertoire, pianist/vocalist/composer John Proulx revealed once again why he is one of Los Angeles' premier artist. Proulx's contributions to jazz are widely known in Los Angeles and he has become a sought after composer amongst his peers. He is slowly developing a world-class …show more content…
reputation in the jazz genre as one of the most prolific pianist. The piano is one of the most popular musical instruments. Composers from Sebastian Bach to Ludwig Van Beethoven and many more have played this wooden box of strings with black and ivory keys. In the jazz genre alone, pianists run the gamut from Thelonious Monk's, Favorite Things to Art Tatum. If you think you've heard just about everything that can be done with a piano, hold on to that thought and meet John Proulx and his trio.
Intense communication is not uncommon for Proulx. He leads the trio with Gary Foster (saxophone), Chuck Berghofer (bass) and Tim Pleasant (drums). During the performance at LACMA, Proulx said "with his trio it's one of the freest situations he's ever played."
John Proulx began his formal musical education at the age of four in Grand Rapids, Mich. He originally started out by taking violin lessons, but quickly switched to piano lessons and has pursued the piano ever since. His grandfather was a jazz guitarist and introduced him to the world of jazz. John completed his secondary studies at Roosevelt University Chicago School of Performing Arts. In 2001, John moved to Los Angeles and has since become a young, emerging talent. He recorded his debut solo album in 2004. He has also formed his own trio and performs in the Los Angeles area frequently.
Foster is one of the most exciting and in-demand performers carrying on the great tradition of American Rhythm & Blues on the Saxophone, both in studio and clubs, and concert halls worldwide. With his astonishing ability and virtually unmatched energy, Foster brings rocking sax workouts, swinging classics and deep ballads alive like no other player on the scene today.
The trio's drummer, Tim Pleasant made his way to Los Angeles from New York City in the late 1970's. His credentials are impressive. Pleasant's background includes a degree in music from the University of Iowa, and studies with Harold Jones. Furthermore, he is an alumnus of the Count Basie Band. During the concert at LACMA, Pleasant's sound on East of the Sun was wonderful because Pleasant combined the drum knowledge of an elder witchdoctor with the gleeful enthusiasm of a kindergarten tambourine-basher. The sound of Pleasant's drum snapping provided a fantastic undercurrent for everyone to follow and was simply mesmerizing.
Completing the ensemble was Chuck Berghofer on the bass. Berghofer's subtle and often understated sound on the bass while performing Alice in Wonderland was warm in tone and clear in pitch, balance and melody. His solo passages seemed like the steady stream of meditative breathing of a body at rest.
One of the highest musical points during the performance came when the music got to this place where it was unexplainable. The music seemed to be going on and on and it became this thing that if you became conscious of it, it would stop. The music, the melody and the performance became the highest level of communicating music to an audience that I've ever witnessed. For a brief moment it seemed as if nothing on stage had to be figured out or talked about. The music just happened. To think about later after the concert was over was mind blowing.
Sometimes music creates such an intense atmosphere that it begins to control the listeners breathing.
The pulse connects to the tempo. Everything touched while listening becomes intensely sensual, while the mind drifts to other worldly realms. When John Proulx and his trio played the music every wavering, undulating, sustaining note hung in the air until the room was filled with and invisible, dream like fog. The trio would then revert back to a recognizable melody and it was the most beautiful thing in the world, because all those glowing, shuddering sequences of sound suddenly made you understand why you felt so compelled to sit in the audience and watch and listen in the first …show more content…
place.
One thing that was distinctive about Proulx's music is his ability to feel the shape of the songs, for their architecture; it's a virtuosity of deep structure rather than surface. When asked about his music he said, "It is real important for me to keep the melody going all the time, whether you're actually playing it or not, especially when it's some sort of standard tune or familiar form song." As a result, a lot of people play the melody and rush right into their solo, almost with an attitude of "Whew that's out of the way, now lets really play!" Proulx doesn't take on this methodology; he likes to keep the melody going. When you hear his music it is like listening to Thelonious Monk or Miles Davis continuously bringing their bands back to the melody. The trio has an unbelievable quality and a seamlessness with which they have navigated such a variety of styles.
With his concept of melody and form, Proulx is a real composer and song player.
Proulx has a unique approach to composing. He revealed that he writes music on music paper in a stream of consciousness fashion. His compositions range in style from classic ballads and straight-ahead jazz to gospel and R&B. He can conceptualize any piece of music and play it. A tune does not seem to hold him back. He has an approach of his own and can tackle any piece of music. His live performances evoke vivid images and adventurous fantasies. While listening to his opening piece during the performance, one could envision his fingers gracefully swaying across the piano keys as dusk settles over a deserted desert
town.
While John Proulx's music often reaches back into our collective past, one of the elements that make his work so distinctive is his love for jazz and his ability to use the tricks of the trade only not in the expected ways. Sometimes his notes don't have finite starts or stops they float, cloudlike, through the music, sometimes enveloping it. When he lands on an idea he considers developing, he bores it into incessantly, stinging like an insect consumed by bloodlust. In his hands the piano can be a buzz saw with a rust blade or a surgical needle, or a child laughing.
The trio worked well together and complimented one another. It was a pleasure to see jazz through the eyes of John Proulx, as well as hear it. Overall, the performance was absolutely extraordinary and I would
Humanities 523
Professor Caldwell
28 November 2005
Performance Review of
The John Proulx Trio at LACMA
By Jeffery L. Wright
The John Proulx Trio performed on Friday, November 25, 2005 at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Musically speaking, John Proulx stands out as one of the most consistent and significant artist in jazz today. Leading a tight, well-rehearsed trio through a mix of originals and well-known pieces from modern Jazz repertoire, pianist/vocalist/composer John Proulx revealed once again why he is one of Los Angeles' premier artist. Proulx's contributions to jazz are widely known in Los Angeles and he has become a sought after composer amongst his peers. He is slowly developing a world-class …show more content…
reputation in the jazz genre as one of the most prolific pianist. The piano is one of the most popular musical instruments. Composers from Sebastian Bach to Ludwig Van Beethoven and many more have played this wooden box of strings with black and ivory keys. In the jazz genre alone, pianists run the gamut from Thelonious Monk's, Favorite Things to Art Tatum. If you think you've heard just about everything that can be done with a piano, hold on to that thought and meet John Proulx and his trio.
Intense communication is not uncommon for Proulx. He leads the trio with Gary Foster (saxophone), Chuck Berghofer (bass) and Tim Pleasant (drums). During the performance at LACMA, Proulx said "with his trio it's one of the freest situations he's ever played."
John Proulx began his formal musical education at the age of four in Grand Rapids, Mich. He originally started out by taking violin lessons, but quickly switched to piano lessons and has pursued the piano ever since. His grandfather was a jazz guitarist and introduced him to the world of jazz. John completed his secondary studies at Roosevelt University Chicago School of Performing Arts. In 2001, John moved to Los Angeles and has since become a young, emerging talent. He recorded his debut solo album in 2004. He has also formed his own trio and performs in the Los Angeles area frequently.
Foster is one of the most exciting and in-demand performers carrying on the great tradition of American Rhythm & Blues on the Saxophone, both in studio and clubs, and concert halls worldwide. With his astonishing ability and virtually unmatched energy, Foster brings rocking sax workouts, swinging classics and deep ballads alive like no other player on the scene today.
The trio's drummer, Tim Pleasant made his way to Los Angeles from New York City in the late 1970's. His credentials are impressive. Pleasant's background includes a degree in music from the University of Iowa, and studies with Harold Jones. Furthermore, he is an alumnus of the Count Basie Band. During the concert at LACMA, Pleasant's sound on East of the Sun was wonderful because Pleasant combined the drum knowledge of an elder witchdoctor with the gleeful enthusiasm of a kindergarten tambourine-basher. The sound of Pleasant's drum snapping provided a fantastic undercurrent for everyone to follow and was simply mesmerizing.
Completing the ensemble was Chuck Berghofer on the bass. Berghofer's subtle and often understated sound on the bass while performing Alice in Wonderland was warm in tone and clear in pitch, balance and melody. His solo passages seemed like the steady stream of meditative breathing of a body at rest.
One of the highest musical points during the performance came when the music got to this place where it was unexplainable. The music seemed to be going on and on and it became this thing that if you became conscious of it, it would stop. The music, the melody and the performance became the highest level of communicating music to an audience that I've ever witnessed. For a brief moment it seemed as if nothing on stage had to be figured out or talked about. The music just happened. To think about later after the concert was over was mind blowing.
Sometimes music creates such an intense atmosphere that it begins to control the listeners breathing.
The pulse connects to the tempo. Everything touched while listening becomes intensely sensual, while the mind drifts to other worldly realms. When John Proulx and his trio played the music every wavering, undulating, sustaining note hung in the air until the room was filled with and invisible, dream like fog. The trio would then revert back to a recognizable melody and it was the most beautiful thing in the world, because all those glowing, shuddering sequences of sound suddenly made you understand why you felt so compelled to sit in the audience and watch and listen in the first …show more content…
place.
One thing that was distinctive about Proulx's music is his ability to feel the shape of the songs, for their architecture; it's a virtuosity of deep structure rather than surface. When asked about his music he said, "It is real important for me to keep the melody going all the time, whether you're actually playing it or not, especially when it's some sort of standard tune or familiar form song." As a result, a lot of people play the melody and rush right into their solo, almost with an attitude of "Whew that's out of the way, now lets really play!" Proulx doesn't take on this methodology; he likes to keep the melody going. When you hear his music it is like listening to Thelonious Monk or Miles Davis continuously bringing their bands back to the melody. The trio has an unbelievable quality and a seamlessness with which they have navigated such a variety of styles.
With his concept of melody and form, Proulx is a real composer and song player.
Proulx has a unique approach to composing. He revealed that he writes music on music paper in a stream of consciousness fashion. His compositions range in style from classic ballads and straight-ahead jazz to gospel and R&B. He can conceptualize any piece of music and play it. A tune does not seem to hold him back. He has an approach of his own and can tackle any piece of music. His live performances evoke vivid images and adventurous fantasies. While listening to his opening piece during the performance, one could envision his fingers gracefully swaying across the piano keys as dusk settles over a deserted desert
town.
While John Proulx's music often reaches back into our collective past, one of the elements that make his work so distinctive is his love for jazz and his ability to use the tricks of the trade only not in the expected ways. Sometimes his notes don't have finite starts or stops they float, cloudlike, through the music, sometimes enveloping it. When he lands on an idea he considers developing, he bores it into incessantly, stinging like an insect consumed by bloodlust. In his hands the piano can be a buzz saw with a rust blade or a surgical needle, or a child laughing.
The trio worked well together and complimented one another. It was a pleasure to see jazz through the eyes of John Proulx, as well as hear it. Overall, the performance was absolutely extraordinary and I would