Results for "Kurt Ellenberger"

Kurt Ellenberger

Kurt Ellenberger is a pianist, composer, and author whose work includes music for a wide range of ensembles. His writings include a jazz theory book, other pedagogical writings, and many essays that appear in his arts blog entitled Also Sprach FraKathustra, which is published by The Huffington Post–Arts and Culture. He has recorded on Innova Recordings, Ghostly International, and Challenge-A Records (the Netherlands), among others, and has been hailed as "a gifted pianist who combines the lyricism of Bill Evans with the energy of Keith Jarrett." He is a member of the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble, whose recent recordings of Terry Riley’s “IN C: Remixed” and Steve Reich’s “Music for 18 Musicians” have been featured in The New York Times, as well as in many of the nation’s leading publications, including The New Yorker

Jörg Leichtfried: Solo Concepts for the Left Hand in Modern Jazz

by Kurt Ellenberger
November 9, 2026

Solo Concepts for the Left Hand in Modern Jazz Jörg Leichtfried 44 Pages Jamey Aebersold Jazz 2026 Solo jazz piano presents a pianist with many significant challenges, making it the most technically demanding role for a jazz pianist. In a solo performance, the jazz pianist must provide the melody, ...

A Minor Bait with a Major Switch—Disembodied Chords and the “Social Construction” of Major and Minor

by Kurt Ellenberger
October 28, 2026

PreambleI have written two articles on how we process and perceive music. The first is entitled Music and Evolution: Hearing Math, Seeing Sound, and other Unanswered Questions. It shows how our brains process sound by recognizing symmetry (consonance) in sound waves and how it supplies a “solution" to complex waveforms (dissonance) by projecting the closest symmetrical ...

Crouching Pop, Hidden Jazz: A Conversation with Johnny Manchild from Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards

by Kurt Ellenberger
July 24, 2026

Preamble: In my previous articles, I have highlighted how important jazz and jazz musicians have been in the background of the development of pop music, and how the influence of jazz is sometimes in the foreground as well. My interview with Johnny Manchild is part of this broader discussion of how jazz aesthetics find their way ...

Jazz Journeys: A Conversation with Violinist May Yu

by Kurt Ellenberger
June 3, 2026

In New York City's crowded and competitive music scene, All About Jazz encountered in May (Tianyang) Yu, a violinist whose deep classical foundation, serious jazz language, and improvisational imagination have quickly placed her in professional settings with leading artists including Darcy James Argue. Ingrid Jensen, Erena Terakubo, Misha Piatigorsky, Peter Slavov, Chris Wabich, and recently opening ...

The Soul Inhabitant: A Conversation with Thomas Dolby

by Kurt Ellenberger
April 12, 2026

In my recent article “He Blinded Me With Jazz: The Surprising Jazz DNA in the Music of Thomas Dolby," I explored the sophisticated harmonic language and modal ingenuity that have always set Thomas Dolby's synth-pop classics apart from so many of his fellow '80s hitmakers. After the piece was published, Dolby graciously agreed to sit down ...

He Blinded Me With Jazz: The Surprising Jazz DNA in the Music of Thomas Dolby

by Kurt Ellenberger
March 30, 2026

I. Introduction Thomas Dolby is one of the most prominent and recognizable synth pop artists of the '80s. His carefully crafted brand as the bookish, bespeckled “mad synthesizer scientist" was perfect for the time period when MTV emerged as a dominant force in the music industry. MTV made the music video an essential part of an ...

Have A Holly, Jazzy Christmas

by Kurt Ellenberger
December 21, 2025

In my music history classes, particularly in November and December, students have often asked me about the relationship between jazz and Christmas: “Why are so many popular Christmas songs so jazzy?" It is a good question--indeed, many of the most popular secular Christmas music does have a jazz flavor, while a few are actually jazz. There ...

The Plaintive Sigh of a Sonic Doppelgänger: Why are Minor Chords Perceived as “Sad”? Part 3

by Kurt Ellenberger
July 10, 2025

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Sad Song Survey Why Minor Chords and Minor Keys are Sad: Meet the Sonic Phantoms in the EtherTo begin our investigation into the hidden cause of our peculiar perception of minor chords and keys, we will listen to a trombone quartet playing a C minor ...

The Plaintive Sigh of a Sonic Doppelgänger: Why are Minor Chords Perceived as “Sad”? Part 2

by Kurt Ellenberger
July 9, 2025

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Sad Song Survey IV. The Power of the Minor Chord and Minor Keys in Classical and JazzTo begin our discussion on what it is that makes minor chords sad, we will first listen to some examples of the use of minor chords and minor ...