Home » Jazz Articles » New York Beat » The Walden School

180

The Walden School

By

View read count
Although musicians continue to complain about lack of work, a paucity of venues, and other obstacles to their careers, jazz and other improvisational styles continue to develop because of the plethora of music schools currently dotting the American landscape.

There are many artists who can recall the days when North Texas State was the only university in the nation to offer students a major in jazz and improvisational music. Today there are over 400 universities and specialty institutions offering diverse education in these genres. One of the most intriguing of the latter is the Walden School in Dublin New Hampshire.

Founded in 1972, the school emphasizes "creative application" specifically through improvisation and composition. Pianist Bill Stevens - Piano has developed the jazz musicianship curriculum at the school where a retreat-like atmosphere provides a unique creative environment.

In addition to the Young Musicians program that is offered to gifted students from 9 to 18 during a five week summer residency, Walden often commissions works by cutting edge composers and presents them in concert during the summer sessions.

This summer I attended a concert that featured pieces of computer music which involved acoustic instruments (piano, trumpet, contrabass flute), blending recorders, and voice. Bandleader Ned McGowan, the leader of a group dubbed Hexnut, presented "Tools"—a prize winning composition which contained precise rhythmic acoustic phrases juxtaposed against contrapuntal electronic and vocal lines. The resulting textures were dramatic and innovative.

Awhile back I reviewed a Wallace Roney CD which succeeded in combining electronic infusions (turntable sounds) with acoustic instruments. The Walden computer composers are boldly taking the next steps.

School alumni include Cyrus Chestnut and Hilary Kole (whose newly released CD You Are There has garnered rave reviews). Kole and Stevens will perform in the annual Walden School benefit at Birdland on Sunday Oct. 3rd. Tickets and information are available at [email protected].

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Jazz article: Eric Reed Quartet at Smoke
Jazz article: Voices of Mississippi at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jazz article: The Mingus Big Band at The Django

Popular

Read Take Five with Pianist Irving Flores
Read Jazz em Agosto 2025
Read Bob Schlesinger at Dazzle
Read SFJAZZ Spring Concerts
Read Sunday Best: A Netflix Documentary
Read Vivian Buczek at Ladies' Jazz Festival

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.