Mr. “Satchmo,” from Portraits in Jazz, by Valerie Capers

Mr. “Satchmo” is a two-page work inspired by Louis Armstrong, a famous and influential American trumpeter, vocalist, and composer within Jazz.  In measures three, four, seven, and eight, the right hand line imitates the style of Armstrong’s or “Satchmo’s” early trumpet playing. His particular trumpet style was known for being daring and flashy, with incredible trumpet pyrotechnics. During the off periods of these solo trumpet inspired bars, a performer should strive to capture the feeling of old New Orleans street bands, to contrast their charm and simplicity with the rest of the piece.  A student would learn about controlling their sound, ensuring that they clearly contrast between the endearing street band sound and swung, almost flamboyant Satchmo inspired solos. A student would benefit from familiarizing themselves with Satchmo’s earlier trumpet work, in order to fully capture his showy yet still improvisational sounding compositions.

While the left hand in this piece plays a fairly simple single line that imitates the bass of the band, the right hand can be challenging, as it features frequent 3-note chords with the melody on top, therefore requiring good voicing and sense of line, and agility to find the chords in time. The right hand, as pointed above, is interspersed with nimble and fast “trumpet” solos that require evenness, control and clarity.

Portraits of Jazz by Valerie Capers is a collection of 12 early intermediate to intermediate jazz style pieces published in 1976 by Aztec Diaz-Tec 800, and Oxford University Press in 1992. These pieces are inspired by or dedicated to a particular jazz musician or singer

Valerie Capers was born in 1935, and was introduced to music through her father’s ties to Fats Waller (American Jazz Pianist), and her brother’s performances in the Mongo Santamaria Band.  She received her early education at the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind and graduated from the Juilliard School of Music, with Bachelors and Masters degrees. Capers brings a wide scope of pianistic styles and concepts to her playing, drawing from jazz idols and keyboard masters alike. 

Sources:

Valerie Capers’ official website