Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Music (MM)
Department
Music
Advisor's Name
Gary Campbell
Advisor's Title
Committee Chair
Advisor's Name
Michael Orta
Advisor's Name
Karen S. Fuller
Keywords
Jazz, Jazz Music, Steel Pan, Steel Drum, Leon "Foster" Thomas, Jazz Performance, FIU Jazz, Modern Jazz, leon thomas, drums, percussion
Date of Defense
4-23-2012
Abstract
The Master’s Recital recorded on the compact disc that accompanies this paper presents seven compositions. Five of them are my own, and two are my arrangements of compositions by musicians that I admire. The paper includes scores of the original compositions and arrangements, as well as program notes that offer historical background, summaries of the form, and observations on performance practice for each selection. My goal is to demonstrate to jazz devotees and to music lovers in general the capabilities of the steel pan instrument within a jazz combo setting. Each composition exploits the full range of challenges the percussionist faces in a jazz combo performance. I explore different stylistic approaches and musical concepts that enable a high level of improvised musical performance on an instrument that is relatively new to jazz.
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Leon, "The Art of the Steel Pan instrument in a Jazz combo" (2012). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 651.
http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/651