The sixties have been witnessing a shift from jazz to soul and rock and roll. However, in spite of that, the mid sixties experienced a wave of instrumental jazz. Most, if not all of the musicians were aware of the events that were taking place during their lifetime. Thus, it is no wonder that their art would be affected by that kind of experience. In the following text, I will review two compositions: Mingus’ “Solo Dancer” and Miles Davis’ “Joshua”.
The two songs are rather close to each other in terms of the more fast-paced tempo. However, Solo Dancer feels more chaotic, while trying to achieve a certain sense of harmony closer to the middle and the end of the song (Mingus, 1963). Joshua has a rather harmonious feel to it, as the background musicians do not attempt to overshadow the soloist (Miles Davis Quartet, 1963). Both use similar instruments, however, the second song uses the piano more actively.
The soloists in Solo Dancer perform as though they are competing against each other, which makes the intro seem rather unusual. The ones in Joshua, on the other hand, feel more cooperative, as they are willing to encapsulate a sense of teamwork in the composition (Miles Davis Quartet, 1963). The soloist in the first song uses less notes than the one in the second one (Mingus, 1963). The solo in Joshua changes its volume in some moments of the song. Solo Dancer has the same feature; however, it does not feel that sudden.
In Solo Dancer, the lowest sounding instrument feels a bit out of place at first. Nonetheless, closer to the middle and the end, it can impress a more open-minded listener (Mingus, 1963). Just like the soloists, the supporting players in Joshua are very cooperative and aim for conveying teamwork throughout the entire composition (Miles Davis Quartet, 1963). That way, background musicians demonstrate how a tune can either become a classic or feel a bit extravagant depending on the performance.
I appreciate the experimentation with pitch in Solo Dancer; however, I will admit that I am not very fond of it. The composition feels as though it has too many elements. Surprisingly, the aforementioned feature works for Joshua, in my opinion, as the musicians may have been achieving a tune that would be more suitable for general audiences. The second song feels very upbeat, nonetheless, every single feature works in its favor. Thus, I would say that Joshua is the song that I prefer most of all.
Works Cited
Miles Davis Quartet. “Joshua.” 1963.
Mingus. “Solo Dancer.” 1963.