Organic Music Theory
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An open letter from Alice Russell. June 21, 2011, Brookline, Massachusetts. 1. DO NOT make insulting, mean spirited remarks about anyone or their work; there are a plethora of sites where you can rant unfettered. If you attack someone personally, your comments will be removed. You can post it, but I'm not paying for it. Go elsewhere, and let those artists who are actually interested in discussion and learning have the floor. 2. There will be NO posting of or links to copyrighted material without permission of the copyright owner. That's the law. And if you respect the work of people who make meaningful contributions, you should have no problem following this policy. 3. I appreciate many of the postings from so many of you. Please don't feel you have to spend your time "defending" the LCC to those who come here with the express purpose of disproving it. George worked for decades to disprove it himself; if you know his music, there's no question that it has gravity. And a final word: George was famous for his refusal to lower his standards in all areas of his life, no matter the cost. He twice refused concerts of his music at Lincoln Center Jazz because of their early position on what was authentically jazz. So save any speculation about the level of him as an artist and a man. The quotes on our websites were not written by George; they were written by critics/writers/scholars/fans over many years. Sincerely, Alice
An open letter from Alice Russell. June 21, 2011, Brookline, Massachusetts. 1. DO NOT make insulting, mean spirited remarks about anyone or their work; there are a plethora of sites where you can rant unfettered. If you attack someone personally, your comments will be removed. You can post it, but I'm not paying for it. Go elsewhere, and let those artists who are actually interested in discussion and learning have the floor. 2. There will be NO posting of or links to copyrighted material without permission of the copyright owner. That's the law. And if you respect the work of people who make meaningful contributions, you should have no problem following this policy. 3. I appreciate many of the postings from so many of you. Please don't feel you have to spend your time "defending" the LCC to those who come here with the express purpose of disproving it. George worked for decades to disprove it himself; if you know his music, there's no question that it has gravity. And a final word: George was famous for his refusal to lower his standards in all areas of his life, no matter the cost. He twice refused concerts of his music at Lincoln Center Jazz because of their early position on what was authentically jazz. So save any speculation about the level of him as an artist and a man. The quotes on our websites were not written by George; they were written by critics/writers/scholars/fans over many years. Sincerely, Alice
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guitarjazz
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:15 pm
Organic Music Theory
I just discovered that one of the authorized LCC instructors, Ben Schwendener, has written a book. I don't think it is specifically about the LCC but I'm sure the influence permeates it: https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Music-Th ... 0984921672
Re: Organic Music Theory
I got my copy last week. Early days for me as I haven't had time to peruse it closely, but it will be of great interest to everyone here.
For the avoidance of doubt, about 3/4 of the book is about the LCC, and definitely goes beyond the 4th edition.
For the avoidance of doubt, about 3/4 of the book is about the LCC, and definitely goes beyond the 4th edition.
Re: Organic Music Theory
This book was written without the permission or knowledge of the George Russell estate. The copyright is owned by me and George's son. Of course, it's based on the LCC and uses the concepts and terms developed by my late husband. Schwendender claims he "taught a class" (no mention of the LCC) "at the New England Conservatory for almost 30 years." That's rubbish. George began teaching the LCC there in 1968. In later years we paid Ben to teach the class when we were on the road or when George was ill; we also paid him and several others to help with the last edition of the LCC. After George died, NEC changed the name of the class from Lydian Chromatic Concept to Advanced Jazz Theory when I questioned why the book was not a requirement in the class; students in the class tell me Ben is teaching the LCC.
I'm not surprised about this development. Quite honestly, I'm surprised he waited ten years to publish it. He should have waited a few weeks and made the announcement on the anniversary of George's death.
I can't say much more; there are legal issues in play. I think Schwendener will be surprised to discover he's not as clever as he thought. You might ask yourself if you want to support a person who has shown complete disrespect for George, even when he was alive, and published a book on the LCC without the permission of the family/copyright owners.
A senior NEC faculty member in composition said to me, "Ben is ruining George's reputation". I don't see how he could do that, as G's compositions and contributions stand for themselves, but he could distort the true essence of George's decades of painstaking work. I take this very personally.
Sincerely,
Alice Norbury Russell
I'm not surprised about this development. Quite honestly, I'm surprised he waited ten years to publish it. He should have waited a few weeks and made the announcement on the anniversary of George's death.
I can't say much more; there are legal issues in play. I think Schwendener will be surprised to discover he's not as clever as he thought. You might ask yourself if you want to support a person who has shown complete disrespect for George, even when he was alive, and published a book on the LCC without the permission of the family/copyright owners.
A senior NEC faculty member in composition said to me, "Ben is ruining George's reputation". I don't see how he could do that, as G's compositions and contributions stand for themselves, but he could distort the true essence of George's decades of painstaking work. I take this very personally.
Sincerely,
Alice Norbury Russell
Re: Organic Music Theory
Dear Alice,
That is very distressing to hear, and of course I meant no disrespect.
Kind regards,
Tom
That is very distressing to hear, and of course I meant no disrespect.
Kind regards,
Tom
Re: Organic Music Theory
Dear Tom,
There was no reason for you to believe this book was not approved by the Russell estate; no apologies necessary.
Best,
Alice
There was no reason for you to believe this book was not approved by the Russell estate; no apologies necessary.
Best,
Alice
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bobappleton
- Posts: 355
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- Location: Toronto, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Organic Music Theory
I feel moved to add something here in support of The LCC: Ben's book is timely, interesting and adds much new information about The Concept. It may not have been published with permission from the George Russell Estate (and says as much on the inside cover) I don't know these details and of course only Ben and Alice do. However, in the first few pages Ben clarifies his respect and gratitude for being chosen as a teacher of this important work. He acknowledges the original authorship. And expresses his hope that more of the publications originally written by George will be published. Ben's book is that of a student helper who grew to become a teacher, performer and authority on the work of his master. He chose to use this knowledge to further a better understanding of this often misunderstood or inaccurately described and enormous contribution to music by George Russell. He also paid to publish it.
The most important thing to me - I was introduced to George and Alice at Milt Hinton's funeral - is that this history of jazz be told in as full and truthful a way as possible. And that we gather together to allow this to happen. It's our responsibility to everyone involved - Milt Hinton, Art Farmer, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Barry Galbraith, and all the others from all the orchestras and groups George created and wrote for. Paul Hindemith, as far as I can tell, was one of the first to raise the notion of gravity in music - which George then developed in the most profound way - incorporating it into The LCC. This is influence. It's essential. There's no art without it. In the same way that there would have been no LCC without everyone who became involved with George's idea.
In my humble opinion, copyright lawyers are generally not equipped with the knowledge to understand art and it's nature as a community activity - growing organically in many places and as many directions at the same time. This however does not mean that the LCC cannot innovate a better legal understanding which allows an Estate and the contributors to its future to flourish. George's gift to us has been innovation. We share that here. Long live the LCC and this Forum, where people can openly discuss and contribute to its continuation and further development and ensure that funding is available for the work which still needs to be done.
Please note - I have no financial stake in the LCC or in Ben's book. I'm merely one of two Administrators here - who try to keep this environment open.
All best wishes,
Bob
The most important thing to me - I was introduced to George and Alice at Milt Hinton's funeral - is that this history of jazz be told in as full and truthful a way as possible. And that we gather together to allow this to happen. It's our responsibility to everyone involved - Milt Hinton, Art Farmer, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Barry Galbraith, and all the others from all the orchestras and groups George created and wrote for. Paul Hindemith, as far as I can tell, was one of the first to raise the notion of gravity in music - which George then developed in the most profound way - incorporating it into The LCC. This is influence. It's essential. There's no art without it. In the same way that there would have been no LCC without everyone who became involved with George's idea.
In my humble opinion, copyright lawyers are generally not equipped with the knowledge to understand art and it's nature as a community activity - growing organically in many places and as many directions at the same time. This however does not mean that the LCC cannot innovate a better legal understanding which allows an Estate and the contributors to its future to flourish. George's gift to us has been innovation. We share that here. Long live the LCC and this Forum, where people can openly discuss and contribute to its continuation and further development and ensure that funding is available for the work which still needs to be done.
Please note - I have no financial stake in the LCC or in Ben's book. I'm merely one of two Administrators here - who try to keep this environment open.
All best wishes,
Bob