Eric Devey Music
Blue Note, NYC, Dec. 2, 2022.
Thesis
Eric had the pleasure of researching and interviewing one of his all-time favorite trumpet players and musicians, Ambrose Akinmusire, for his doctoral thesis. Below is a summary of the paper's findings. If you think this would be helpful to your research, or if you're just curious, it can be accessed through IDEALS with university credentials here https://hdl.handle.net/2142/123172.
If you don't have access, he would be delighted to send it to you.
Abstract
Ambrose Akinmusire is an American trumpeter and composer best known for his solo albums. He is often associated with improvised music and the jazz avant garde due to composition and performance practices such as blurring of soloist-accompanist roles, through-composition, heavy harmonic dissonance, and interdisciplinary collaboration. These practices are products of his efforts to limit resistance to inspiration.
This document analyzes recordings and interviews to explore Akinmusire’s creative priority of composing and performing with as little resistance to inspiration as possible. Following preliminary research, the project began with an interview of Akinmusire to learn about his creative priorities and process. Many of his responses are rooted in ideas about humility and submission to a spiritual higher power. He believes that the self, or ego, contribute to resistance.
Based on his interview responses, seven recordings spanning five albums were chosen to transcribe and analyze. “J.E. Nilmah (Ecclesiastes 6:10)” and “Bubbles (John William Sublett)” were chosen at his specific recommendation. Each piece is a strong demonstration of the tools used to implement his priorities. Chief among the tools is composing with narratives. Other tools discussed are voice-leading in place of chord symbols, infusing and diffusing musical elements, and Roscoe Mitchell’s concept of opposites.