Lester Young’s performance poetics and performance style: the experience of analysis

Abstract

The research focuses on the system of performance resources of expression of a jazz musician, which received the title of “performance poetics” and “performance style”. L. Young’s creative work has repeatedly been the subject of research, in particularly, in publications by L. Porter (1981) and D. Daniels (1985; 2002; 2005), one of the outstanding biographers of the jazz master. D. Gelly (2007) includes L. Young into the pantheon of the most influential jazz performers reflecting the components of his performance style. J. P. De Lucia (2017) calls L. Young a key figure at the beginning of swing era. The scientific novelty of our study lies in the development of aspects of the analysis of the performance poetics of jazz musicians basing on L. Young’s creativity. The purpose of the article is to identify the parameters of Lester Young’s performance poetics. As the research methods the communicative-interpretative, systematic, stylistic approaches and the performance analysis are used. The analysis of performance poetics is based on the Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts musicologists’ developments: by L. Shapovalova (2007) devoted to the “performance time-space” concept and Yu.Nikolaievska’s monograph (2020) on the performance interpretology. The results of the study are based on the analysis of L. Young’s compositions the “Squabblin” and the “Blue Devils Blues”; on his work as a soloist-improviser in King Oliver’s orchestra and in the band “Blue Devils”. Conclusion supports the idea of performance poetics as an artistic system, which is a “reflection of the musician’s interpretative thinking” (Nikolaievska, 2020) in such parameters as melody, metro-rhythm, tonality, harmony, texture and the corresponding “toponyms” – articulation, tempo-rhythm, dynamic score, and “toponymics” as performance reproduction of texture. It is articulated оn such positions as unique timbre and sound production (specific position of the mouthpiece), expansion of harmonious thinking (melodic use of fourths and fifths, “horizontal” concept of phrasing). L. Young’s unique performing style is based on the principles of “stretched sound”, “horizontal” concept of improvisation, intense vibrato and the formation of a performance as a reflection act.