Mary Lou Williams 18-22 November

[Ein Heldenleben]

The Radio 3 list of composers covered by Composer of the Week is clearly incomplete. Mary Lou Williams was the subject back in November 2019 (the series now being repeated). However, I don't think Morricone has ever been covered, other than in an edition of Sound of Cinema in 2020.

I could have sworn Morricone has been on - 2019 ?

[Bryn]

I could have sworn Morricone has been on - 2019 ?

I thought so too but neither a BBC site search nor a general Internet search revealed anything.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I thought so too but neither a BBC site search nor a general Internet search revealed anything.

Just been through the Forum COTW list . They’ve done Rachel Portman . With great respect to Rachel, Enrico is surely the more significant figure - up there with Rota, Korngold . COTW must have done him...it’s a borderline diplomatic scandal....

[Serial_Apologist]

Just been through the Forum COTW list . They’ve done Rachel Portman . With great respect to Rachel, Enrico is surely the more significant figure - up there with Rota, Korngold . COTW must have done him...it’s a borderline diplomatic scandal....

Apart from the edition of Sound of Cinema mentioned by Bryn, the only occasion I have seen any reference to Morricone on Radio 3 was a 1996 edition of Mixing It - a short item, although emphasis was played on his association with Berio and that generation of Italian avant-gardists.

[Serial_Apologist]

I've just heard mention by Donald of the attempts made to ban Mary Lou Williams's music from church performances on the grounds that jazz was incompatible with Christianity, especially ironic given the American pentecostal big business machine going out of its way to court African followings by allowing indigenous pre-Christian practices including trance-inducing polyrhythmic drumming, spirit invoking and dancing to seep into ritual, both there and at home. Ironic too given that America's self-vaunted civilising mission had obviously to admit the composing and performing of spirituals. One wonders if they would have treated Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts the same way.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I've just heard mention by Donald of the attempts made to ban Mary Lou Williams's music from church performances on the grounds that jazz was incompatible with Christianity, especially ironic given the American pentecostal big business machine going out of its way to court African followings by allowing indigenous pre-Christian practices including trance-inducing polyrhythmic drumming, spirit invoking and dancing to seep into ritual, both there and at home. Ironic too given that America's self-vaunted civilising mission had obviously to admit the composing and performing of spirituals. One wonders if they would have treated Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts the same way.

There is quite an interesting book to be written (it probably has been ) on the influence of Christianity on the development of jazz and blues - not just gospel choirs and spirituals but the read across from simple hymn harmonies to the blues - the prevalence of plagal cadences in both for example . It always makes me laugh when some modern evangelicals characterise rock and roll as the devils music...where do they think it really comes from?

[cloughie]

Interestingly I heard some of Monday’s programme and did not enjoy as it sounded very ‘trad’. However the piano based stuff today was really good - I’ll have a listen back over the week’s programmes.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Interestingly I heard some of Monday’s programme and did not enjoy as it sounded very ‘trad’. However the piano based stuff today was really good - I’ll have a listen back over the week’s programmes.

The end track with Benny Goodman really swung....