"A Jazz Pianist's Analysis and Performance Guide of Dave Brubeck's Points on Jazz"

Abstract

Dave Brubeck’s Points on Jazz is a piano ballet that has received little study in academia, and classical performers often disregard the jazz characteristics. In the few studies that exist, they provide a surface level view of analysis of the jazz components in the score all from a classical musician’s perspective. Meanwhile classical pianists would have issues of accurately performing these characteristics the way jazz pianists would. This thesis provides an analysis and performance guide for classical pianists through a new transcription that accurately conveys the jazz characteristics in comprehensive detail. The first chapter will be an overview of Brubeck’s early years as a musician, the influences and performance history, as well as his innovative contributions he has made into jazz. The second chapter will be a discussion about how Brubeck’s compositional practices and style led him to be one of the pioneers of Third Stream music. The third chapter will be an analysis and performance guide of the ballet. It will start out providing historical context of the ballet’s compositional background followed then by a top to bottom comparison of the original ballet transcription by Howard Brubeck with the new transcription created for the analysis of this thesis. The analysis will cover the thematic and harmonic material on how it is composed and varied throughout the ballet, followed by the performance guide providing tips and skills for classical pianists to use when performing the jazz components. The fourth chapter will be a conclusion and review of the thesis’s goals of how classical pianists can use the new transcription of this ballet to better their performance abilities in jazz music.