Due esempi di caos organizzato nella musica di Leroy Jenkins

This article focuses on two compositions by the African-American violinist Leroy Jenkins: O.W. Fredrick and Static in the Attic, included in the album Urban Blues (Black Saint, 1984). This musical analysis are carried out through the use of graphic representation of the formal structure, transcriptions and timelines obtained with the aid of a DAW.

The result shows how apparently indeterminate and chaotic performances are de facto regulated by specific formal elements that are evident not only through thematic expositions, but also in the collective performative/improvisational context.

In both compositions, the silence is a fondamental feature in the formal organization, because it produces tension and suspense while escaping the metronomic flux. They are also based on a sort of extended chorus, a non-traditional musical path carried out between heterogeneity and extreme rigour. In the end I also shed light upon the educational potential of free-jazz related repertoires.

Keywords

musical analysis, free jazz, improvisation, audiotactile, Leroy Jenkins