Jazz composer George Russell dies
Updated on 29 July 2009
George Russell, one of the most innovative and influential jazz theorists and composers of his generation, has died at the age of 86.
His publicist said he had complications with Alzheimer's. Russell's ideas influenced the foremost jazz artists of his age, including Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, and changed the way musicians approached jazz composition.
He formed a theory which allowed new ideas of harmony and improvisation, and in so doing, allowed generations of musicians to express themselves freely.
Nicholas Glass has more.
The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation
The first theoretical contribution to come from jazz, the 'Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation' was developed more than 50 years ago.
It expands on the harmonic language of music composition by abandoning the major-minor system which dominated western music for over 350 years.
So what is it?
Russell’s root scale follows the natural overtone series and runs from C to C with F#, rather than with the customary F natural of the major scale" is how Modaljazz.com describes the concept.
And that is the reason George Russell believed the Lydian scale was the true parent scale - because it expands on the customary major scale introducing the idea of chord/scale unity.
Another "easier to understand" opinion found in the Talkbass.com discussion forum on this very issue comes from Jeremy Allen, a musician who played in Russell's big band in Boston: "It's neither the alpha and omega of jazz improvisation/composition, nor an effective way of explaining Western art music from 'Bach to Stravinsky' (as the claims would have it), but it's cool."
Needless to say the theory is extremely detailed - after all, the book is 268 pages long and the concept is taught at a number of musical institutions including the New England Conservatory.
