Third Stream music is a term coined in 1957 by Gunther Schuller to describe a musical genre which is a synthesis of classical music and jazz. Improvisation -- a key element of jazz, but far less common in classical music -- is generally seen as a vital component of Third Stream. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gunther Schuller Gunther Schuller (born November 22, 1925) studied at the St. ... Musical genres are categories which contain music which share a certain style or which have certain elements in common. ... Synthesis (from the ancient Greek σύν (with) and θεσις (placing), is commonly understood to be an integration of two or more pre-existing elements which results in a new creation. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... Jazz is a style of music which originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States at around the start of the 20th century. ... Musical improvisation is the spontaneous creative process of a making music while it is being performed. ...

In 1961, Schuller defined Third Stream as "a new genre of music located about halfway between jazz and classical music." (Schuller, 114) Schuller insisted that "by definition there is no such thing as 'Third Stream Jazz.'" (Schuller, 120)

Schuller noted that while purists on both sides of Third Stream objected to tainting their favorite music with the other; more strenuous objections were typically made by jazz musicians who felt such efforts were "an assault on their traditions." Schuller writes that "by designating the music as a 'separate, third stream', the other two mainstreams could go about their way unaffected by the attempts at fusion." (Schuller, 115) Because Third Stream draws on classical as much as jazz it is generally required that composers and performers be proficient in both genres.

Critics have argued that Third Stream—by drawing on two very different styles—dilutes the power of each in combining them. (Schuller, 1986) Others reject such notions, and consider Third Stream an interesting musical development. (Schuller, 1986)

In 1981, Schuller offered a list of "What Third Stream is not":

• It is not jazz with strings.
• It is not jazz played on 'classical' instruments.
• It is not classical music played by jazz players.
• It is not inserting a bit of Ravel or Schoenberg between be-bop changes--nor the reverse.
• It is not jazz in fugal form.
• It is not a fugue played by jazz players.
• It is not designed to do away with jazz or classical music; it is just another option amongst many for today’s creative musicians." (Schuller, 120)

A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ... Maurice Ravel in 1912. ... Schoenberg redirects here. ... Bebop is a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody. ... A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence), as its name implies, is a series of chords played in order. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition. ...

Earlier fusion attempts

Schuller suggested that a similar fusion was made by Béla Bartók, who earned great acclaim after incorporating elements of Hungarian folk music into his music, which had earlier been heavily influenced by Claude Debussy and Richard Strauss. Béla Viktor János Bartók (March 25, 1881 – September 26, 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and collector of Eastern European and Middle Eastern folk music. ... “Folk song” redirects here. ... Achille-Claude Debussy (IPA ) (August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918) was a French composer. ... This article is about the German composer of tone-poems and operas. ...

There were very early attempts to integrate jazz and classical music. Though few of these examples might be strictly classified as Third Stream, they do demonstrate that there was widespread mutual interest and appreciation from both the jazz and classical traditions.

Third Stream is notably separate from the "symphonic jazz" movement of the 1920s in that it involves improvisation. The 1920s is a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Philosophically, improvisation often focuses on bringing ones personal awareness into the moment, and on developing a profound understanding for the action one is doing. ...

Some Ragtime music drew upon classical music, and symphonic pieces such as George Gershwin's 1924 Rhapsody In Blue blended jazz and symphonic music. Some works by French composer Darius Milhaud were influenced by jazz. Igor Stravinsky drew upon jazz for several compositions, such as "Ragtime", "Piano-rag Rag Music" and "The Ebony Concerto" (the latter composed for jazz clarinetist Woody Herman and his orchestra in 1945). Second edition cover of Maple Leaf Rag, perhaps the most famous rag of all Ragtime is an American musical genre enjoying its peak popularity between 1899 and 1918. ... George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer who wrote most of his vocal and theatrical works in collaboration with his elder brother lyricist Ira Gershwin. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Cover of the original sheet music of the two piano version of Rhapsody in Blue. ... Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (IPA: ) (September 4, 1892 – June 22, 1974) was a French composer and teacher. ... Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Russian: Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский, Igor Fëdorovič Stravinskij) (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a Russian composer, considered by many in both the West and his native land to be the most influential composer of 20th-century music. ... Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987), better known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. ...

Another important jazz-classical fusion was Shaw's "Interlude in B-flat," recorded in 1935 with the most unusual ensemble of a string quartet, a jazz rhythm section, and Shaw on clarinet. 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Two soprano clarinets: a Bâ™­ clarinet (left) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ...

Examples of Third Stream Music

Despite the early examples noted above, critic Scott Yanow writes, "it was not until the mid-to-late '50s that more serious experiments began to take place. Schuller, John Lewis, J.J. Johnson, and Bill Russo were some of the more significant composers attempting to bridge the gap between jazz and classical music."[1] Yanow also suggests that the impact of Third Stream music was blunted by the rise of free jazz in the late 1950s, which overtook Third Stream as the leading development in jazz. Gunther Schuller Gunther Schuller (born November 22, 1925) studied at the St. ... John Aaron Lewis (3 May 1920 – 29 March 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer best known as the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet. ... J.J. Johnson, in about the mid-1960s J.J. Johnson (born James Louis Johnson) in Indianapolis, Indiana, (January 22, 1924 - February 4, 2001), was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. ... William Russo is the name of: William Daddano, Sr. ... Free jazz is a movement of jazz music developed in the 1950s and 1960s by artists such as Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, Joe Harriott, Archie Shepp, Bill Dixon and Paul Bley. ...

Other notable composers in the style are Lewis's Modern Jazz Quartet, Don Ellis, Gil Evans, and Bill Russo, George Russell, Dave Brubeck and members of his Octet and Quartets (and his brother, Howard Brubeck), Jacques Loussier and his Play Bach Trio, Jimmy Giuffre, Toshiko Akiyoshi, David Amram, Ran Blake, and David Baker. Many free jazz composers and performers, such as Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton, the band Oregon, and Sun Ra, were also influenced by the Third Stream school. The Modern Jazz Quartet was established in 1952 by Milt Jackson (vibraphone), John Lewis (piano, musical director), Percy Heath (bass), and Kenny Clarke (drums). ... Bandleader Don Ellis (July 25, 1934 - December 17, 1978) consistently explored the area of unusual time signatures. ... Gil Evans  (*13 May 1912 at Toronto, Canada  â€  20 March 1988 at Cuernavaca, Mexico); jazz musician and important innovator of big band jazz in the United States as an arranger, composer, bandleader, and pianist; cool jazz, modal jazz, free jazz, jazz rock. ... William Russo, better known as Bill Russo (June 25, 1928 – January 11, 2003) was an American jazz musician. ... George Allen Russell (born June 23, 1923) is an American jazz composer and theorist. ... Dave Brubeck in 1954 David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California), better known as Dave Brubeck, is a U.S. jazz pianist. ... Jacques Loussier (born 26 October 1934 in Angers, northwestern France) is a noted pianist and composer. ... The Play Bach Trio was a Third Stream jazz piano trio that became known for their Jazz interpretations of European classical music. ... James Peter Giuffre (born in Dallas, Texas, 1921) is an American jazz saxophone and clarinet player. ... Toshiko Akiyoshi (穐吉 敏子, born December 12, 1929) is a jazz pianist and a composer/arranger. ... David Amram (born November 17, 1930 in Philadelphia) is an American composer, musician and writer. ... Ran Blake (April 20, 1935 - ). Eccentric pianist and faculty member at the New England Conservatory of Music, Ran Blake has spearheaded the Third Stream movement which effectively infuses all musical genres into one. ... David N. Baker Jr. ... Free jazz is a movement of jazz music developed in the 1950s and 1960s by artists such as Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, Joe Harriott, Archie Shepp, Bill Dixon and Paul Bley. ... Cecil Percival Taylor (born March 15 or March 25, 1929 in New York City) is an American pianist and poet. ... Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American composer, multi-reedist and pianist. ... Oregon is an American jazz and world music group, with core members Ralph Towner (guitar, piano, synthesizer, trumpet), Paul McCandless (woodwind instruments), and Glen Moore (double bass, violin, piano). ... Sun Ra (Born Herman Poole Blount; legal name Le Sonyr Ra [1]; born May 22, 1914 in Birmingham, Alabama, died May 30, 1993 in Birmingham, Alabama) was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, who came to be known as much for his cosmic philosophy as for...

Examples of recordings that synthesize composed and improvised music are the albums Miles Ahead, by Miles Davis and Gil Evans; Focus by Stan Getz and Eddie Sauter; Perceptions by Dizzy Gillespie and J. J. Johnson; Alegria by Wayne Shorter; Wide Angles by Michael Brecker. These albums feature a soloist improvising in a jazz style over a complex composed background. Miles Ahead is a cool jazz album by Miles Davis released in May of 1957. ... Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was one of the most distinguished jazz musicians of the latter half of the 20th century. ... Gil Evans  (*13 May 1912 at Toronto, Canada  â€  20 March 1988 at Cuernavaca, Mexico); jazz musician and important innovator of big band jazz in the United States as an arranger, composer, bandleader, and pianist; cool jazz, modal jazz, free jazz, jazz rock. ... Stan Getz Stanley Getz, better known as Stan Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz musician. ... Edward Ernest Sauter(born December 2, 1914 in Brooklyn; died April 21, 1981 in New York City) was a jazz arranger most associated with the swing era. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... J. J. Johnson, in about the mid-1960s J. J. Johnson (born James Louis Johnson) in Indianapolis, Indiana, (January 22, 1924 - elements of both classical and jazz music. ... Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter in the 1960s quintet Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz composer and saxophonist. ... Michael Brecker Michael Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was a popular US jazz saxophonist of the post-Coltrane era. ...

Third Stream Music will arguably be realized in its truest sense when more musicians learn at least basic jazz improvisation and style (especially players of traditionally "non-jazz" instruments such as strings, horn, double reed, etc.), thus opening up the possibilities of improvisation throughout the ensemble.

One composer, Fred Tompkins, has forged a style which seems to enjoy the benefits of fully notated composition, while also capturing the strong, propulsive essence of jazz. His early works were often accompanied by the drumming of Elvin Jones and then by other drummers from New York or St. Louis. Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was a jazz drummer. ...

Sources

• Gunther Schuller; Musings: The Musical Words of Gunther Schuller; Oxford University Press, 1986; 0195037456

External links

• Third Stream description at Verve Records
• Jazz Resource Library