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Berklee College of Music
DEBUT ALBUM
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Degree Master of Music in
Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration)
Supervisor: Victor Mendoza
By Jerzy Maczynski
Valencia Campus, Spain
July 2019
Table of Contents
Abstract ..........................................................................................................................iii
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1
2. Proposed Culminating Experience ................................................................................ 2
3. Objective & Sub-Objectives ......................................................................................... 3
4. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 5
4.1. Plan of Action .................................................................................................................. 13
4.2. Timeline .......................................................................................................................... 14
4.3. Resources/Materials Needed ........................................................................................... 14
5. Results........................................................................................................................15
6. Justification ................................................................................................................16
7. Professional Plan ........................................................................................................16
8. Reflections..................................................................................................................17
Bibliography ...................................................................................................................18
Appendix ........................................................................................................................19
ii
Abstract
I wanted to focus on proving my first artistic achievement - my debut album. To help
me enter the higher level of my music career, I devote this year to making this album. It was
released in the legendary series of “PolishJazz,” which for me is a great honor, but also a
great responsibility. Wanting to understand why my music can be called PolishJazz, I
analyzed the music of outstanding Polish jazz musicians and I connected their music with
mine. In my presentation and in this reflection paper I also explain the process of making my
debut album. Working on this CE helped me to understand who I am as an artist.
Keywords: Polish Jazz, Debut album, Free Jazz.
iii
1. Introduction
I am a saxophonist and a composer, rooted in improvised music, who studied many
music genres, from classical to rock music. Developing my artistic path is what always
interested me the most. By always trying to be up-to-date with things that are happening in
culture and art, through my entire life, I have developed a sense of artistic aesthetics. While
learning how to play the saxophone, I spent a lot of time looking for my own sound and for
skillful use of space in improvisation. As an improviser, I try to build my own language. and
derive from every possible instrument and music genre. While studying compositions, I spent
a lot of time on searching elements in music, that are really close to me. Elements, that were
needed for my compositions, where taken by me from every music genre, not only one style.
I devoted the last year of my undergraduate studies to writing the music material for
my first composer album. Just like many famous improvisers, I want my first album to
describe my personality. In my opinion, recording a debut album, is the best way for a young
musician to enter the music business. It took me seven months to write the material. I wanted
my first CD to be the result of all my musical experiences - starting with classical music,
which I studied as a child, ending on freejazz and European avant-garde music, which I was
listening to and playing in conservatories during my studies.
After writing most of the material, I created a polish band called "Jerry &
ThePelicanSystem," with which I played a few concerts to master the material before
recording it in the studio. 1 The band consists of musicians from different environments,
although everyone has a very big improvisation background. A pianist, rooted in classical
Jerzy Maczynski, “Jerzy Mączyński Jerry & The Pelican System - Big Kraśka,” posted by Waner
Music Poland, May 11, 2019. YouTube video, 4:02, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ebncgbSNQ.
1
1
music; a double bass player, who graduated Danish avant-garde schools; a trumpet player,
with big rock experience, a drummer, who plays in alternative pop bands. The diversity
achieved in this band, describes my mindset for music, how and with who I want to perform
my compositions.
After playing a few concerts, I received an offer to release my debut album at Warner
Music Poland and the highly prestigious series called “Polish Jazz”2. It is one of the most
important Polish music series, representing the best Polish music between 1950-1990. My
debut is a fresh product of this label, representing my country around the world. It is a great
honor, but also a big responsibility. I would like to dedicate my CE work to the most
important thing in my life - making my debut album.
2. Proposed Culminating Experience
The release of my debut album is planned on May 10th. In this presentation, I would
like to describe the most important elements, concerning the work that was put into the album
and explain why my music can be called PolishJazz.
1. I would like to focus on the CD cover, explain why I choose this visual content to
describe my music and talk about the most important elements, which a good cover
must contain.
2. There are thirteen songs on the album. Some of them will be an example to explain
how I compose my music.
3. Soon, I will need to make a promotion video and take some photos. I would like to
talk a little bit about my ideas, concerning making a good video and photos.
2 All information about PolishJazz are taken from: Maciej Lewenstein “Polish Jazz Recordings and
Beyond”, Warszawska Firma Wydawnicza, Warsaw 2014.
2
4. There is a short text inside my album to describe my journey of making it. Creating a
good story around art is very important in our times. I will try to explain where did
the idea of my story come from.
5. PolishJazz is a huge music series, so I find it important to explain why I believe, that
my music can be a part of it.
I chose this CE project to show who I am as an artist and describe where I find myself in life.
3. Objective & Sub-Objectives
Creating my debut album was the first step in forming my personality as a musician.
Nowadays, it is very easy to get lost in the excess of all kind of music. It's very hard to find
your own voice in art. That's why it seems very important to me to create a debut album as
soon as possible, proving the vision of a musician that I’m becoming.
I dedicated most of my life to creative work. During this time, I developed as a
musician and an artist. At the same time, I studied in various music schools, which helped me
in developing my personality as a human being. For me, learning new languages, being up to
date with culture and frequent traveling, have a great impact on artistic development.
Apoorva Krishna, a south Indian violinist, played as a guest on my album in the
composition called “Naya Rang” (which means “new color” in Hindi). Our friendship
inspired me while creating music. Thanks to this relationship, during my studies in Valencia,
I had the goal to create completely new music inspired by her style of playing. My main goal
in writing this new music was the compositional challenge that I set for myself. It limited me
to writing a multi-part composition based only on one Hindi raga, “Sarasangi”.
3
Sarasangi is the 27th raga of the main collection of 72 Hindu rags called Melakarta. In
the book called “Karnataka Sangeeta Sastra: Theory of Carnatic Music” by A. S.
Panchapakesa Iyer I found the scales of my favorite south Indian compositions. 3 I discovered
that a lot of them were made based on this raga. After analyzing this scale, it occurred to me,
that in western language this raga is the harmonic major scale. Before listening to south
Indian music and reading the book, I have mentioned above, I never thought that the color of
this scale would inspire me so much and motivate me to write my own composition based on
it.
While working on my debut album, I learned that one of the most difficult things
about playing my own music, is organizing life. My goal was to finish tasks on a specific date
and learn how to plan my own time. Most of them I made on time. Those things that I'm late
with, taught me how much more I can change to be a better organized musician.
During this year, I was inspired by a few tips from the book Mindset: The New
Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.4 I understood that being the leader of my own music
project is associated with big stress. Stress affects our whole body, which is why, most
important moments associated with the project, such as a concert at an important festival or
an important live interview on TV, require proper preparation. The most important thing is
regular sleep - the same hours of falling asleep and getting up, a diet without greasy food and
daily sports activities that last at least 40 minutes a day.
3
A. S. Panchapakesa Iyer, Karnataka sangeeta sastra: theory of Carnatic music (Chennai: Ganamrutha
Prachuram, 2003).
4
Carol S. Dweck and Bernadette Dunne, Mindset The New Psychology of Success (New York:
Random House Audio, 2019.)
4
4. Methodology
My main methodology was to find the best debuts in the past, that would be very
similar to mine or those, that would strongly inspire me. Analyzing the young jazz composers
and the more known artists resulted in building a plan of my activities, which was based on
their paths. I believe that, especially when it comes to debuts, it is very important to apply the
well know solutions to the issue of releasing an album.
Album Cover
One of the most important things for me, while working on a debut album, was to
create an interesting graphic cover. The Polish Jazz series have special rules. All albums from
this series must have the logotype "Polish Jazz" on the front. I found it very limiting, when
inventing my own creative graphics. In the end, I decided to choose four covers of my
favorite albums to consider what elements I would like to have on my album cover.
First cover was the free jazz album recorded by John Coltrane. It seems to me that,
referring to the name of my project Jerry & ThePelicanSystem, this cover could easily be the
cover of my album. It's almost everything I wanted to have on my album cover. Graphic of a
Figure 1. Album cover of John Coltrane’s album Coltrane, Concert in Japan”.
https://www.discogs.com/John-Coltrane-Concert-In-Japan/release/857632
5
bird as a synonym of freedom in improvisation, lots of colors, which is the main asset of my
music and eastern motives, which inspire me in composing.
The second cover, that inspired me, was the graphic of the most famous album in the
PolishJazz series – “Astigmatic” - by the greatest polish piano player Krzysztof Komeda.
Inspired by this cover, I wanted my character to be on the album. I also understood that the
black background perfectly emphasizes the prestige and elegance of the PolishJazz series.
Figure 2. Figure 2. Album cover of the polish jazz band
called Krzysztof Komeda Quintet,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astigmatic_(album)
Figure 4. Album cover of the polish jazz band
called "Laboratorium”.
Figure 4. Album cover of the polish jazz band
called "Sami Swoi".
6
Figure 3 is the cover of the most famous polish big band. It is designed in a way, in
which I really wanted to have pelicans on my cover 5. And, Figure 4 is the cover of the most
famous Polish experimental group - Laboratory.6 In one of the interviews, the group
explained how important was meditation in their music and why they wanted to have an
eastern element on the cover. I decided to get inspired by this idea, so at the back of my
album there is a picture of a Japanese sunrise. When I found the most important elements of
my ideal cover, I started cooperation with the graphic artist Karifura Caihua to collaborate
with him and create the graphic of my album.
Naya Rang
From the moment of signing the contract with Warner Music until the date of
releasing my album (May 10th), I tried to implement the plan of debuting and analyzing my
compositions. I really wanted to analyze my compositions as soon as possible to be an even
more conscious artist. To explain why my music sounds the way it does, why the forms of
my works are like that and what is the sense of composing the way I do.
I would like to take the previously mentioned Naya Rang composition as an example
to analyze my way of creating a composition. his is a three-part composition in which we can
hear many styles. Starting from classical music, through ambient, rock and ending with the
music of southern India. The composition, despite its complexity, has the main theme based
on the previously mentioned Sarasangi (harmonic major scale). It was important to me, as
with most of my compositions, to have a strong main melody throughout the song, which
Sami Swoi, “The Locust,” Last modified April 27, 2018,
http://polskienagrania.com.pl/2018/08/02/polish-jazz-the-locust-volume-67/
6
Laboratory, “Quasimodo,” vol. 58. http://polskienagrania.com.pl/2018/09/28/laboratoriumquasimodo-vol-58-cd/.
5
7
would be remembered long after everything in the song has changed. I would like to have an
element of a pop or rock song included in my compositions.
Sudden changes is moods that are very characteristic for my compositions. Most of
them are written down in advance and force the artist to adapt to the given moods (whether
through improvisation or through playing notes from score), while creating an element of the
whole story, full of emotions (see the whole score of Naya Rang in Appendix).
Naya Rang consists of three separate parts but there is only one score for all
instruments. I really want all the musicians to see the same way. As you can see, there are not
many performance marks on it, because I leave a lot of space in my music for musicians who
perform it. In the composing process, I focus more on delineating the form and shape of the
composition than on the performance marks.
Starting from the first part of the “Naya Rang” we can notice, that in the entire upper
voice the main motive is repeated a number of times. What strengthens it and causes that this
repetition does not become boring, is a bass line based on harmonic tensions. The
combination of this short theme with the long-growing bass line raises the question to the
listener, whether we are dealing with melody and bass line or with ostinato in the upper voice
and the main melody line in the lower voice.
The second part is really an open part, where improvisation plays the main role. The
constant element is ostinato in the piano (bars 37-28). It is very important to interpret this
melody with thinking about the phrase coming from classical music, to put it precisely, it
needs to sound like the prelude of Frederic Chopin. Often, two musicians improvise in this
part, and I, as a composer, want to hear a dialogue between those two people.
The third part is the culmination where I, as a composer, want to have a simple
contrast. Intensely - gently. After a very intense freejazz saxophone solo, a very subtle solo
8
of Indian violin appears. The transition may seem even infantile, but like all changes in this
composition, it should be received in the context of the whole composition. The form of the
saxophone solo was inspired by the form of a 12-beat blues with a groove written for the
bass. During concerts, I want the groove to be played very clearly, which results in greater
dance mood.
Promotion
From the moment of signing the contract (November 2018) to the release of the
album on May 10th, I decided to do all necessary activities to promote my music promotional film, photo sessions, texts about my music, my own website.
1. Promotional Video
The film was created as a shortened version of the "BigKraśka" single, inspired by
clips from various artists such as Shabaka Hutchinson and Kamasi Washington. It was
created from studio shots and from one of the concerts we played in Warsaw. The main
purpose was to present the Jerry & ThePelicanSystem team as a group of young people who
stand out in Poland and want to create something new together.
2. Photos
The photo session was taken during the concert of my band at Jazz Jantar and also
during the recordings taken at the studio. I took inspiration for my outfit and other people's
attire from musicians from the English jazz scene, such as Shabaka Hutchinson. I was
inspired by clothes of the spirituality of the Middle East. Very often, English musicians dress
in colorful robes wanting to remind spiritual guides.
3. Text about my music
9
Nowadays, it is very difficult to reach people only with music. The person who makes
his debut should have a story about his own artistic creation. Along with a journalist from the
Polish radio, I managed to create a certain creation of my musical personality, to point out
that what I play has a big background to who I am and how I understand the world. We have
managed to create a picture of me as a rebel against conservative thinking about music in
Poland and a composer who combines all styles to create musical stories.
I chose these quotes7, which in my opinion, are the best way to visualize what image
of my musical personality has been created.
1. The word ‘pelican’ is used attributively in the band’s name. The ‘pelican system’ of
Mączyński’s music denotes absurdity, changeability, and illustrative character. Each of the
instrumentalists represents a different environment, but together they have managed to
develop a coherent system combining their visions and skills, which results in a multi-colored
crossover music and a principle-less system of joint work, de- parting from reality at times.” journalist Ola Budka.
2. Jazz, Jerry claim.s, is a closed box filled with various expressions. It can still be added to,
but the form itself is finished, complete. His music, which is jazz-and-not-jazz at the same
time, is a rebellion expressed not through negative feelings, but through the urge to represent
the contents of his own soul.” - journalist Ola Budka.
3. Mączyński invited young, open- minded musicians to play in the band, and indeed – the
material on the album calls for an openness both on the part of the performers and the
audience. It lacks classic, easy-to-classify solutions” - journalist Ola Budka.
Quotes are taken form the book inside my album and were written by Ola Budka. Ola Budka, “A
Foreign Guide to Polish Jazz,” Culture.PL, June 30, 2014, https://culture.pl/en/article/a-foreigners-guide-topolish-jazz.
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POLISH JAZZ
After analyzing the most important albums of the PolishJazz series, I started to
compare them with my music, to prove why my music can be called “Polish Jazz”. Album on
which I was most focused was, “Winobranie” - Zbigniew Namysłowski “Astigmatic” Krzysztof Komeda, “Heart” - Włodzimierz Nahorny Trio.
I would like to explain why Polish jazz music is such an amazing phenomenon, so I
can analyze my music as a representation of the big series of PolishJazz. In the 100-year
history of Polish jazz, all its greatest representatives, such as Zbigniew Namysłowski and
Krzysztof Komeda fought for creative freedom. “From 1900 Poland was first enslaved by the
Germans and then by the Russians. Communism forbade any influence of other cultures than
the ZSSR and thus prohibited playing any artistic jazz projects. The only possible form was
the Big Band or a band propagating famous communist tunes. In fact, playing any form of
jazz was counted among the avant-garde. Many musicians in the twentieth century began to
show their rebellion against the current authorities through improvisations.”8 That is why
many of them were so inspired by the most emotional of jazz styles - freejazz. People who
went to illegal concerts more often wanted to experience the feeling of full freedom flowing
from the stage. Playing and listening to freejazz has become a non-separate element of the
Polish community during the communist era. Many albums, such as "Heart" by Włodzimierz
Nahorny, were a manifesto against the power.9 By playing free music people escaped from
the grey, communist reality, drawing energy from emotional free jazz solos and identifying
with the romantic lyrics of such works by Włodzimierz Nahorny as “Ballada o dwóch
serduszkach”.
8
9
Ola Budka, “A Foreign Guide to Polish Jazz.”
Maciej Lewenstein, Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond (Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Drugie, 2016).
11
This combination of energy flowing from free jazz tunes and romantic classic sounds,
phrases and forms is for me described the best in the PolishJazz series. I think that even
without thinking about creating a debut album in the Polish Jazz series, my style of writing
music is strongly rooted in this trend. I spent most of my life in Poland, where I surrounded
myself and played music with Polish musicians. The way it is composed is a result of what
I've seen for most of my life.
While searching for an answer to why my music can be called Polish Jazz, I came
across the album, which became to me the most important one - "Winobranie" by Zbigniew
Namysłowski, one of the most famous Polish saxophonists. To start writing about this album,
I would like to quote the label's website. This is one of the most important albums in the
history of Polish jazz. The album was resumed by the Polish Recordings in an exclusive reedition of the cult series Polish Jazz, known to fans of Polish jazz music since the 1960s. Few
albums in the history of jazz have such a status as Zbigniew Namyslowski's "Winobranie". In
the quintet, next to the leader, we will hear Tomasz Szukalski, Kazimierz Jonkisz, Stanisław
Cieślak and Paweł Jarzębski. This is a must read for any jazz fan - Polskie Nagrania.
His music is a perfect example of how Polish music sounds and to what recordings
young Polish musicians refer to. I would like to focus the most on the song, "Nie ma szmalu
to jest łaź." This piece is the most recognizable one, because of the standing out groove in the
drums part, inspired by polish folk music. It is one of the most important songs in Polish jazz
and it has broken thinking about form as rhythm. Namysłowski broke in this composition the
parts of the groove, first with solos of double bass and percussion, to finally lead to a
collective solo in the ad libitum space. As Namysłowski himself says in interviews, this step
is taken from classical music, which Polish people feel (see Figure 5 for Zbigniew
Namyslowski’s album cover).
12
While listening to this album, one should also pay attention to the saxophone solos, in
which emotions often take over the strict thinking about the rhythm. Namyslowski, shows
how much he is in "Polish Romanticism." It is a demonstration of the improvisers emotions,
being the most important part of his music.
Figure 5. Album cover of the polish jazz band called
Zbigniew Namysłowski Quintet.
4.1. Plan of Action
1. Here are the things that I did to make a debut, CE presentation and deadlines.
Find a graphic and create an album cover. / Deadline: End of the December
2. Create a film and take photos, promoting my album. / Deadline: End of the March
Work with a journalist on finishing the inside album text. / Deadline: End of the
April
3. Analyze albums from the PolishJazz series . / Deadline: End of the April
4. Record, mix and master “Naya Rang” with Apoorva Krishna. / Deadline: End of the
April
13
4.2. Timeline
November 2018 - contract with Warner Music for the release of my debut album
December 2018 - graphic designer that can make a cover; I booked the date for the
JimmyGlass concert; I finished writing the composition called "Naya Rang”.
January 2019 - booking all the clubs, in which I wanted to play my first promotional tour of
the album.; the analysis of the album "Winobranie" and most of my songs from the album.
February 2019 - Together with the graphic, we finished designing the cover. I finished
analyzing my compositions and Włodzimierz Nahorny album called “Heart”.
March 2019 - I played together with my band and Apoora Krishna at one of the biggest jazz
festivals in Poland, "Jazz Jantar”. I recorded together with Apoorva the last composition for
my album called “Naya Rang”. Together with my label, we finished the plan for the
promotion of the first tour. All the material for the promotional movie of my album has been
collected, including the photos promoting my album.
April 2019 – I analyzed the Kuba Więcek album which is called “Multitasking” and created
a promotional movie. Together with Warner Music we have created a promotion plan for my
album. The text about my album has been finished.
May 2019 - realization of my debut album, tour, promotion of my album in the media.
4.3. Resources/Materials Needed
- Technical Resources: Computer, my charts. Interviews with Kuba Wiecek and Zbigniew
Namyłowski. Albums: “Winobranie,” “Heart,” “Multitasking,” “Astigmatic”.
- People:
- Technical Resources: Computer, my charts. Interviews with Kuba Wiecek and Zbigniew
Namyłowski. Albums: “Winobranie,” “Heart,” “Multitasking,” and “Astigmatic”.
14
- People:
1. Journalist Ola Budka - she prepared the entire text about the album based on the interview
with me.
2. Photographer Ola Bodnaruś - she made all the photos for the promotion of the album and
the promotional movie.
3. Manager in WarnerMusicPoland Alicja Szymańska - she helped me organize the entire
tour and album promotion plan.
4. Musicians in the band: Marcel Baliński - piano, Franciszek Pospieszalski - double bass,
Marcin Elszkowski - trumpet, Wiktoria Jakubowska - drums, flute, Apoorva Krishna - violin
5. Karifurava Caihua - cover designer.
6. Ignacy Gruszecki - sound engineer ,mix and master engineer.
5. Results
I have done everything mentioned above and released my debt album. The Jerry &
ThePelicanSystem album is in stores and is it possible to listen to it online. I'm very happy
about it, but I also know, that some things could have been done a bit better.
The first thing I can see now is how many changes could have been done in the text about my
album. This is a great story about my project, but it lacks of a substantive musical analyze.
The second thing is the promotion tour. Although we played 6 concerts, which in my opinion
is not a bad result for the first tour promoting the album, after some time I think that along
with my band we could have played 4 concerts more. The promotional movie was created
from shots, made during my band's stay in the recording studio and during one of the
concerts in Warsaw. It seems to me, that it would be better to make a music video with a
15
story, create something more abstract, which would be much more interesting for people. To
me, releasing the album on the intended date – May 10th – is a great success.
6. Justification
This project is an attempt to describe me as an artist. It presents what I'm doing - my
compositions, which are written for people with a completely different baggage of musical
experiences.
This album is one of the most important things in my music career. It gives me a huge
possibility to get much deeper into industry. It’s a proof of who I am as a musician.
7. Professional Plan
My debut album was recorded with the band Jerry & ThePelicanSystem. Before the
release of the album, I thought it would be a band created only for the debut. After giving it
some thoughts and receiving excellent reception of my work, I find that I really care about
recording one more album in a similar team.
The last composition on my album is the song "Naya Rang" recorded with the Indian
violinist Apoorva Krishna, who I met in Valencia. I would like to continue our cooperation
and create at least half of the material for the next album with her and the musicians from
Jerry & ThePelicanSystem.
As for the album itself, I would like to promote it around the world by playing with
Polish musicians, who recorded it, but also with other musicians, depending on the concert
venue and financial conditions.
16
The most important thing for me is the promotion of my music and the Jerry &
ThePelicanSystem in various places around the world. I have already booked some concert
dates in polish institutes in USA.
8. Reflections
For me, working on my debut album was one of the most difficult challenges of my
entire life. During one single day I signed a contract for the release of my first album with
one of the largest music labels in the world and in one of the most prestigious polish series
called PolishJazz.
Of course, I'm very happy about the fact, that physically the album has already been
released in a really great way. However, it is a kind of long-term commitment to work on
myself, the music that I create and the brand name "PolishJazz." I would like to become a
promoter of Polish jazz in the world and I hope that I will meet my demands. As for today,
the process of creating my debut album is 100% finished, which to me is the biggest success
of them all.
17
Bibliography
Dweck, Carol S., and Bernadette Dunne. Mindset The New Psychology of Success. New
York: Random House Audio, 2019.
Lewenstein, Maciej. Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Drugie,
2016.
Maczynski, Jerzy. “Big Kraśka.” Posted by Jerzy Maczynski, May 9, 2019. YouTube video,
6:54, https://youtu.be/MdUtHz5vyQ0.
Maczynski, Jerzy. “Jerzy Mączyński Jerry & The Pelican System - Big Kraśka.” Posted by
Waner Music Poland, May 11, 2019. YouTube video, 4:02,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ebncgbSNQ.
Nunna, Sitalakshmi C., and Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana. Melakarta Raga Lessons With
Jayadeva Astapadis. Sl: Swathi Soft Solutions, 2008.
Panchapakesa Iyer, A. S. Karnataka sangeeta sastra: theory of Carnatic music. Chennai:
Ganamrutha Prachuram, 2003.
18
Appendix
19
20
21
DEBUT ALBUM
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Degree Master of Music in
Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration)
Supervisor: Victor Mendoza
By Jerzy Maczynski
Valencia Campus, Spain
July 2019
Table of Contents
Abstract ..........................................................................................................................iii
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1
2. Proposed Culminating Experience ................................................................................ 2
3. Objective & Sub-Objectives ......................................................................................... 3
4. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 5
4.1. Plan of Action .................................................................................................................. 13
4.2. Timeline .......................................................................................................................... 14
4.3. Resources/Materials Needed ........................................................................................... 14
5. Results........................................................................................................................15
6. Justification ................................................................................................................16
7. Professional Plan ........................................................................................................16
8. Reflections..................................................................................................................17
Bibliography ...................................................................................................................18
Appendix ........................................................................................................................19
ii
Abstract
I wanted to focus on proving my first artistic achievement - my debut album. To help
me enter the higher level of my music career, I devote this year to making this album. It was
released in the legendary series of “PolishJazz,” which for me is a great honor, but also a
great responsibility. Wanting to understand why my music can be called PolishJazz, I
analyzed the music of outstanding Polish jazz musicians and I connected their music with
mine. In my presentation and in this reflection paper I also explain the process of making my
debut album. Working on this CE helped me to understand who I am as an artist.
Keywords: Polish Jazz, Debut album, Free Jazz.
iii
1. Introduction
I am a saxophonist and a composer, rooted in improvised music, who studied many
music genres, from classical to rock music. Developing my artistic path is what always
interested me the most. By always trying to be up-to-date with things that are happening in
culture and art, through my entire life, I have developed a sense of artistic aesthetics. While
learning how to play the saxophone, I spent a lot of time looking for my own sound and for
skillful use of space in improvisation. As an improviser, I try to build my own language. and
derive from every possible instrument and music genre. While studying compositions, I spent
a lot of time on searching elements in music, that are really close to me. Elements, that were
needed for my compositions, where taken by me from every music genre, not only one style.
I devoted the last year of my undergraduate studies to writing the music material for
my first composer album. Just like many famous improvisers, I want my first album to
describe my personality. In my opinion, recording a debut album, is the best way for a young
musician to enter the music business. It took me seven months to write the material. I wanted
my first CD to be the result of all my musical experiences - starting with classical music,
which I studied as a child, ending on freejazz and European avant-garde music, which I was
listening to and playing in conservatories during my studies.
After writing most of the material, I created a polish band called "Jerry &
ThePelicanSystem," with which I played a few concerts to master the material before
recording it in the studio. 1 The band consists of musicians from different environments,
although everyone has a very big improvisation background. A pianist, rooted in classical
Jerzy Maczynski, “Jerzy Mączyński Jerry & The Pelican System - Big Kraśka,” posted by Waner
Music Poland, May 11, 2019. YouTube video, 4:02, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ebncgbSNQ.
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music; a double bass player, who graduated Danish avant-garde schools; a trumpet player,
with big rock experience, a drummer, who plays in alternative pop bands. The diversity
achieved in this band, describes my mindset for music, how and with who I want to perform
my compositions.
After playing a few concerts, I received an offer to release my debut album at Warner
Music Poland and the highly prestigious series called “Polish Jazz”2. It is one of the most
important Polish music series, representing the best Polish music between 1950-1990. My
debut is a fresh product of this label, representing my country around the world. It is a great
honor, but also a big responsibility. I would like to dedicate my CE work to the most
important thing in my life - making my debut album.
2. Proposed Culminating Experience
The release of my debut album is planned on May 10th. In this presentation, I would
like to describe the most important elements, concerning the work that was put into the album
and explain why my music can be called PolishJazz.
1. I would like to focus on the CD cover, explain why I choose this visual content to
describe my music and talk about the most important elements, which a good cover
must contain.
2. There are thirteen songs on the album. Some of them will be an example to explain
how I compose my music.
3. Soon, I will need to make a promotion video and take some photos. I would like to
talk a little bit about my ideas, concerning making a good video and photos.
2 All information about PolishJazz are taken from: Maciej Lewenstein “Polish Jazz Recordings and
Beyond”, Warszawska Firma Wydawnicza, Warsaw 2014.
2
4. There is a short text inside my album to describe my journey of making it. Creating a
good story around art is very important in our times. I will try to explain where did
the idea of my story come from.
5. PolishJazz is a huge music series, so I find it important to explain why I believe, that
my music can be a part of it.
I chose this CE project to show who I am as an artist and describe where I find myself in life.
3. Objective & Sub-Objectives
Creating my debut album was the first step in forming my personality as a musician.
Nowadays, it is very easy to get lost in the excess of all kind of music. It's very hard to find
your own voice in art. That's why it seems very important to me to create a debut album as
soon as possible, proving the vision of a musician that I’m becoming.
I dedicated most of my life to creative work. During this time, I developed as a
musician and an artist. At the same time, I studied in various music schools, which helped me
in developing my personality as a human being. For me, learning new languages, being up to
date with culture and frequent traveling, have a great impact on artistic development.
Apoorva Krishna, a south Indian violinist, played as a guest on my album in the
composition called “Naya Rang” (which means “new color” in Hindi). Our friendship
inspired me while creating music. Thanks to this relationship, during my studies in Valencia,
I had the goal to create completely new music inspired by her style of playing. My main goal
in writing this new music was the compositional challenge that I set for myself. It limited me
to writing a multi-part composition based only on one Hindi raga, “Sarasangi”.
3
Sarasangi is the 27th raga of the main collection of 72 Hindu rags called Melakarta. In
the book called “Karnataka Sangeeta Sastra: Theory of Carnatic Music” by A. S.
Panchapakesa Iyer I found the scales of my favorite south Indian compositions. 3 I discovered
that a lot of them were made based on this raga. After analyzing this scale, it occurred to me,
that in western language this raga is the harmonic major scale. Before listening to south
Indian music and reading the book, I have mentioned above, I never thought that the color of
this scale would inspire me so much and motivate me to write my own composition based on
it.
While working on my debut album, I learned that one of the most difficult things
about playing my own music, is organizing life. My goal was to finish tasks on a specific date
and learn how to plan my own time. Most of them I made on time. Those things that I'm late
with, taught me how much more I can change to be a better organized musician.
During this year, I was inspired by a few tips from the book Mindset: The New
Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.4 I understood that being the leader of my own music
project is associated with big stress. Stress affects our whole body, which is why, most
important moments associated with the project, such as a concert at an important festival or
an important live interview on TV, require proper preparation. The most important thing is
regular sleep - the same hours of falling asleep and getting up, a diet without greasy food and
daily sports activities that last at least 40 minutes a day.
3
A. S. Panchapakesa Iyer, Karnataka sangeeta sastra: theory of Carnatic music (Chennai: Ganamrutha
Prachuram, 2003).
4
Carol S. Dweck and Bernadette Dunne, Mindset The New Psychology of Success (New York:
Random House Audio, 2019.)
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4. Methodology
My main methodology was to find the best debuts in the past, that would be very
similar to mine or those, that would strongly inspire me. Analyzing the young jazz composers
and the more known artists resulted in building a plan of my activities, which was based on
their paths. I believe that, especially when it comes to debuts, it is very important to apply the
well know solutions to the issue of releasing an album.
Album Cover
One of the most important things for me, while working on a debut album, was to
create an interesting graphic cover. The Polish Jazz series have special rules. All albums from
this series must have the logotype "Polish Jazz" on the front. I found it very limiting, when
inventing my own creative graphics. In the end, I decided to choose four covers of my
favorite albums to consider what elements I would like to have on my album cover.
First cover was the free jazz album recorded by John Coltrane. It seems to me that,
referring to the name of my project Jerry & ThePelicanSystem, this cover could easily be the
cover of my album. It's almost everything I wanted to have on my album cover. Graphic of a
Figure 1. Album cover of John Coltrane’s album Coltrane, Concert in Japan”.
https://www.discogs.com/John-Coltrane-Concert-In-Japan/release/857632
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bird as a synonym of freedom in improvisation, lots of colors, which is the main asset of my
music and eastern motives, which inspire me in composing.
The second cover, that inspired me, was the graphic of the most famous album in the
PolishJazz series – “Astigmatic” - by the greatest polish piano player Krzysztof Komeda.
Inspired by this cover, I wanted my character to be on the album. I also understood that the
black background perfectly emphasizes the prestige and elegance of the PolishJazz series.
Figure 2. Figure 2. Album cover of the polish jazz band
called Krzysztof Komeda Quintet,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astigmatic_(album)
Figure 4. Album cover of the polish jazz band
called "Laboratorium”.
Figure 4. Album cover of the polish jazz band
called "Sami Swoi".
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Figure 3 is the cover of the most famous polish big band. It is designed in a way, in
which I really wanted to have pelicans on my cover 5. And, Figure 4 is the cover of the most
famous Polish experimental group - Laboratory.6 In one of the interviews, the group
explained how important was meditation in their music and why they wanted to have an
eastern element on the cover. I decided to get inspired by this idea, so at the back of my
album there is a picture of a Japanese sunrise. When I found the most important elements of
my ideal cover, I started cooperation with the graphic artist Karifura Caihua to collaborate
with him and create the graphic of my album.
Naya Rang
From the moment of signing the contract with Warner Music until the date of
releasing my album (May 10th), I tried to implement the plan of debuting and analyzing my
compositions. I really wanted to analyze my compositions as soon as possible to be an even
more conscious artist. To explain why my music sounds the way it does, why the forms of
my works are like that and what is the sense of composing the way I do.
I would like to take the previously mentioned Naya Rang composition as an example
to analyze my way of creating a composition. his is a three-part composition in which we can
hear many styles. Starting from classical music, through ambient, rock and ending with the
music of southern India. The composition, despite its complexity, has the main theme based
on the previously mentioned Sarasangi (harmonic major scale). It was important to me, as
with most of my compositions, to have a strong main melody throughout the song, which
Sami Swoi, “The Locust,” Last modified April 27, 2018,
http://polskienagrania.com.pl/2018/08/02/polish-jazz-the-locust-volume-67/
6
Laboratory, “Quasimodo,” vol. 58. http://polskienagrania.com.pl/2018/09/28/laboratoriumquasimodo-vol-58-cd/.
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would be remembered long after everything in the song has changed. I would like to have an
element of a pop or rock song included in my compositions.
Sudden changes is moods that are very characteristic for my compositions. Most of
them are written down in advance and force the artist to adapt to the given moods (whether
through improvisation or through playing notes from score), while creating an element of the
whole story, full of emotions (see the whole score of Naya Rang in Appendix).
Naya Rang consists of three separate parts but there is only one score for all
instruments. I really want all the musicians to see the same way. As you can see, there are not
many performance marks on it, because I leave a lot of space in my music for musicians who
perform it. In the composing process, I focus more on delineating the form and shape of the
composition than on the performance marks.
Starting from the first part of the “Naya Rang” we can notice, that in the entire upper
voice the main motive is repeated a number of times. What strengthens it and causes that this
repetition does not become boring, is a bass line based on harmonic tensions. The
combination of this short theme with the long-growing bass line raises the question to the
listener, whether we are dealing with melody and bass line or with ostinato in the upper voice
and the main melody line in the lower voice.
The second part is really an open part, where improvisation plays the main role. The
constant element is ostinato in the piano (bars 37-28). It is very important to interpret this
melody with thinking about the phrase coming from classical music, to put it precisely, it
needs to sound like the prelude of Frederic Chopin. Often, two musicians improvise in this
part, and I, as a composer, want to hear a dialogue between those two people.
The third part is the culmination where I, as a composer, want to have a simple
contrast. Intensely - gently. After a very intense freejazz saxophone solo, a very subtle solo
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of Indian violin appears. The transition may seem even infantile, but like all changes in this
composition, it should be received in the context of the whole composition. The form of the
saxophone solo was inspired by the form of a 12-beat blues with a groove written for the
bass. During concerts, I want the groove to be played very clearly, which results in greater
dance mood.
Promotion
From the moment of signing the contract (November 2018) to the release of the
album on May 10th, I decided to do all necessary activities to promote my music promotional film, photo sessions, texts about my music, my own website.
1. Promotional Video
The film was created as a shortened version of the "BigKraśka" single, inspired by
clips from various artists such as Shabaka Hutchinson and Kamasi Washington. It was
created from studio shots and from one of the concerts we played in Warsaw. The main
purpose was to present the Jerry & ThePelicanSystem team as a group of young people who
stand out in Poland and want to create something new together.
2. Photos
The photo session was taken during the concert of my band at Jazz Jantar and also
during the recordings taken at the studio. I took inspiration for my outfit and other people's
attire from musicians from the English jazz scene, such as Shabaka Hutchinson. I was
inspired by clothes of the spirituality of the Middle East. Very often, English musicians dress
in colorful robes wanting to remind spiritual guides.
3. Text about my music
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Nowadays, it is very difficult to reach people only with music. The person who makes
his debut should have a story about his own artistic creation. Along with a journalist from the
Polish radio, I managed to create a certain creation of my musical personality, to point out
that what I play has a big background to who I am and how I understand the world. We have
managed to create a picture of me as a rebel against conservative thinking about music in
Poland and a composer who combines all styles to create musical stories.
I chose these quotes7, which in my opinion, are the best way to visualize what image
of my musical personality has been created.
1. The word ‘pelican’ is used attributively in the band’s name. The ‘pelican system’ of
Mączyński’s music denotes absurdity, changeability, and illustrative character. Each of the
instrumentalists represents a different environment, but together they have managed to
develop a coherent system combining their visions and skills, which results in a multi-colored
crossover music and a principle-less system of joint work, de- parting from reality at times.” journalist Ola Budka.
2. Jazz, Jerry claim.s, is a closed box filled with various expressions. It can still be added to,
but the form itself is finished, complete. His music, which is jazz-and-not-jazz at the same
time, is a rebellion expressed not through negative feelings, but through the urge to represent
the contents of his own soul.” - journalist Ola Budka.
3. Mączyński invited young, open- minded musicians to play in the band, and indeed – the
material on the album calls for an openness both on the part of the performers and the
audience. It lacks classic, easy-to-classify solutions” - journalist Ola Budka.
Quotes are taken form the book inside my album and were written by Ola Budka. Ola Budka, “A
Foreign Guide to Polish Jazz,” Culture.PL, June 30, 2014, https://culture.pl/en/article/a-foreigners-guide-topolish-jazz.
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POLISH JAZZ
After analyzing the most important albums of the PolishJazz series, I started to
compare them with my music, to prove why my music can be called “Polish Jazz”. Album on
which I was most focused was, “Winobranie” - Zbigniew Namysłowski “Astigmatic” Krzysztof Komeda, “Heart” - Włodzimierz Nahorny Trio.
I would like to explain why Polish jazz music is such an amazing phenomenon, so I
can analyze my music as a representation of the big series of PolishJazz. In the 100-year
history of Polish jazz, all its greatest representatives, such as Zbigniew Namysłowski and
Krzysztof Komeda fought for creative freedom. “From 1900 Poland was first enslaved by the
Germans and then by the Russians. Communism forbade any influence of other cultures than
the ZSSR and thus prohibited playing any artistic jazz projects. The only possible form was
the Big Band or a band propagating famous communist tunes. In fact, playing any form of
jazz was counted among the avant-garde. Many musicians in the twentieth century began to
show their rebellion against the current authorities through improvisations.”8 That is why
many of them were so inspired by the most emotional of jazz styles - freejazz. People who
went to illegal concerts more often wanted to experience the feeling of full freedom flowing
from the stage. Playing and listening to freejazz has become a non-separate element of the
Polish community during the communist era. Many albums, such as "Heart" by Włodzimierz
Nahorny, were a manifesto against the power.9 By playing free music people escaped from
the grey, communist reality, drawing energy from emotional free jazz solos and identifying
with the romantic lyrics of such works by Włodzimierz Nahorny as “Ballada o dwóch
serduszkach”.
8
9
Ola Budka, “A Foreign Guide to Polish Jazz.”
Maciej Lewenstein, Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond (Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Drugie, 2016).
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This combination of energy flowing from free jazz tunes and romantic classic sounds,
phrases and forms is for me described the best in the PolishJazz series. I think that even
without thinking about creating a debut album in the Polish Jazz series, my style of writing
music is strongly rooted in this trend. I spent most of my life in Poland, where I surrounded
myself and played music with Polish musicians. The way it is composed is a result of what
I've seen for most of my life.
While searching for an answer to why my music can be called Polish Jazz, I came
across the album, which became to me the most important one - "Winobranie" by Zbigniew
Namysłowski, one of the most famous Polish saxophonists. To start writing about this album,
I would like to quote the label's website. This is one of the most important albums in the
history of Polish jazz. The album was resumed by the Polish Recordings in an exclusive reedition of the cult series Polish Jazz, known to fans of Polish jazz music since the 1960s. Few
albums in the history of jazz have such a status as Zbigniew Namyslowski's "Winobranie". In
the quintet, next to the leader, we will hear Tomasz Szukalski, Kazimierz Jonkisz, Stanisław
Cieślak and Paweł Jarzębski. This is a must read for any jazz fan - Polskie Nagrania.
His music is a perfect example of how Polish music sounds and to what recordings
young Polish musicians refer to. I would like to focus the most on the song, "Nie ma szmalu
to jest łaź." This piece is the most recognizable one, because of the standing out groove in the
drums part, inspired by polish folk music. It is one of the most important songs in Polish jazz
and it has broken thinking about form as rhythm. Namysłowski broke in this composition the
parts of the groove, first with solos of double bass and percussion, to finally lead to a
collective solo in the ad libitum space. As Namysłowski himself says in interviews, this step
is taken from classical music, which Polish people feel (see Figure 5 for Zbigniew
Namyslowski’s album cover).
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While listening to this album, one should also pay attention to the saxophone solos, in
which emotions often take over the strict thinking about the rhythm. Namyslowski, shows
how much he is in "Polish Romanticism." It is a demonstration of the improvisers emotions,
being the most important part of his music.
Figure 5. Album cover of the polish jazz band called
Zbigniew Namysłowski Quintet.
4.1. Plan of Action
1. Here are the things that I did to make a debut, CE presentation and deadlines.
Find a graphic and create an album cover. / Deadline: End of the December
2. Create a film and take photos, promoting my album. / Deadline: End of the March
Work with a journalist on finishing the inside album text. / Deadline: End of the
April
3. Analyze albums from the PolishJazz series . / Deadline: End of the April
4. Record, mix and master “Naya Rang” with Apoorva Krishna. / Deadline: End of the
April
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4.2. Timeline
November 2018 - contract with Warner Music for the release of my debut album
December 2018 - graphic designer that can make a cover; I booked the date for the
JimmyGlass concert; I finished writing the composition called "Naya Rang”.
January 2019 - booking all the clubs, in which I wanted to play my first promotional tour of
the album.; the analysis of the album "Winobranie" and most of my songs from the album.
February 2019 - Together with the graphic, we finished designing the cover. I finished
analyzing my compositions and Włodzimierz Nahorny album called “Heart”.
March 2019 - I played together with my band and Apoora Krishna at one of the biggest jazz
festivals in Poland, "Jazz Jantar”. I recorded together with Apoorva the last composition for
my album called “Naya Rang”. Together with my label, we finished the plan for the
promotion of the first tour. All the material for the promotional movie of my album has been
collected, including the photos promoting my album.
April 2019 – I analyzed the Kuba Więcek album which is called “Multitasking” and created
a promotional movie. Together with Warner Music we have created a promotion plan for my
album. The text about my album has been finished.
May 2019 - realization of my debut album, tour, promotion of my album in the media.
4.3. Resources/Materials Needed
- Technical Resources: Computer, my charts. Interviews with Kuba Wiecek and Zbigniew
Namyłowski. Albums: “Winobranie,” “Heart,” “Multitasking,” “Astigmatic”.
- People:
- Technical Resources: Computer, my charts. Interviews with Kuba Wiecek and Zbigniew
Namyłowski. Albums: “Winobranie,” “Heart,” “Multitasking,” and “Astigmatic”.
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- People:
1. Journalist Ola Budka - she prepared the entire text about the album based on the interview
with me.
2. Photographer Ola Bodnaruś - she made all the photos for the promotion of the album and
the promotional movie.
3. Manager in WarnerMusicPoland Alicja Szymańska - she helped me organize the entire
tour and album promotion plan.
4. Musicians in the band: Marcel Baliński - piano, Franciszek Pospieszalski - double bass,
Marcin Elszkowski - trumpet, Wiktoria Jakubowska - drums, flute, Apoorva Krishna - violin
5. Karifurava Caihua - cover designer.
6. Ignacy Gruszecki - sound engineer ,mix and master engineer.
5. Results
I have done everything mentioned above and released my debt album. The Jerry &
ThePelicanSystem album is in stores and is it possible to listen to it online. I'm very happy
about it, but I also know, that some things could have been done a bit better.
The first thing I can see now is how many changes could have been done in the text about my
album. This is a great story about my project, but it lacks of a substantive musical analyze.
The second thing is the promotion tour. Although we played 6 concerts, which in my opinion
is not a bad result for the first tour promoting the album, after some time I think that along
with my band we could have played 4 concerts more. The promotional movie was created
from shots, made during my band's stay in the recording studio and during one of the
concerts in Warsaw. It seems to me, that it would be better to make a music video with a
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story, create something more abstract, which would be much more interesting for people. To
me, releasing the album on the intended date – May 10th – is a great success.
6. Justification
This project is an attempt to describe me as an artist. It presents what I'm doing - my
compositions, which are written for people with a completely different baggage of musical
experiences.
This album is one of the most important things in my music career. It gives me a huge
possibility to get much deeper into industry. It’s a proof of who I am as a musician.
7. Professional Plan
My debut album was recorded with the band Jerry & ThePelicanSystem. Before the
release of the album, I thought it would be a band created only for the debut. After giving it
some thoughts and receiving excellent reception of my work, I find that I really care about
recording one more album in a similar team.
The last composition on my album is the song "Naya Rang" recorded with the Indian
violinist Apoorva Krishna, who I met in Valencia. I would like to continue our cooperation
and create at least half of the material for the next album with her and the musicians from
Jerry & ThePelicanSystem.
As for the album itself, I would like to promote it around the world by playing with
Polish musicians, who recorded it, but also with other musicians, depending on the concert
venue and financial conditions.
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The most important thing for me is the promotion of my music and the Jerry &
ThePelicanSystem in various places around the world. I have already booked some concert
dates in polish institutes in USA.
8. Reflections
For me, working on my debut album was one of the most difficult challenges of my
entire life. During one single day I signed a contract for the release of my first album with
one of the largest music labels in the world and in one of the most prestigious polish series
called PolishJazz.
Of course, I'm very happy about the fact, that physically the album has already been
released in a really great way. However, it is a kind of long-term commitment to work on
myself, the music that I create and the brand name "PolishJazz." I would like to become a
promoter of Polish jazz in the world and I hope that I will meet my demands. As for today,
the process of creating my debut album is 100% finished, which to me is the biggest success
of them all.
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Bibliography
Dweck, Carol S., and Bernadette Dunne. Mindset The New Psychology of Success. New
York: Random House Audio, 2019.
Lewenstein, Maciej. Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Drugie,
2016.
Maczynski, Jerzy. “Big Kraśka.” Posted by Jerzy Maczynski, May 9, 2019. YouTube video,
6:54, https://youtu.be/MdUtHz5vyQ0.
Maczynski, Jerzy. “Jerzy Mączyński Jerry & The Pelican System - Big Kraśka.” Posted by
Waner Music Poland, May 11, 2019. YouTube video, 4:02,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ebncgbSNQ.
Nunna, Sitalakshmi C., and Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana. Melakarta Raga Lessons With
Jayadeva Astapadis. Sl: Swathi Soft Solutions, 2008.
Panchapakesa Iyer, A. S. Karnataka sangeeta sastra: theory of Carnatic music. Chennai:
Ganamrutha Prachuram, 2003.
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Appendix
19
20
21
Media of
