Butler’s research in electroacoustic music
at both Princeton and Tempo Reale not only resulted in a number
of pieces for tape, but also came to influence the way he wrote
for traditional acoustic instruments. Jazz Machines
(1990, fl(+afl&picc).cl(+bcl)-vib.pno-va-vc) is a good example
of this. Short melodic patterns suggesting sampled sounds or tape
loops jump abruptly between one and another in the manner of tape
that has been cut and spliced. These fragments of melody, displaying
the influence of bebop and Gil Evans, are put through a series of
rhythmic and harmonic progressions and become part of a new, quite
different musical context. Meanwhile, extended solos and duets recall
traditional ‘jazz breaks’. [eg. bar 164-171:see below]
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Martin Butler: Jazz Machines, bar 164-171 © Oxford
University Press
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