When first getting this project i came to realize before i could start researching Mark O'Conner i first needed to do some investigation on the genre itself. For this i went to Kansas City's own jazz district. I visited the Jazz museum as well as walked around soaking up the culture and feel of the areas art. In going to the jazz district i got a since of a blast from the past. It had a very retro feel with the neon signs and old movie ticket booth. From where it is located i got a very aferican american vibe. It is full of alot of soul and passion. This was a way of life for these people. The mood was light and happy in what was known as a semi dark and gloomy time in the beginning of the 20th century. Jazz music also is not just one set form or instruments. Some use piano, guitar, sax, and violin. Its more about the feeling and soul of the music.
Mark O'Conner is a jazz musician that has been in the music scene since the 70's. He is an American violinist trained classically and in Flamenco. He was born however in Seattle Washington in 1961. His was first inspired by two astounding men, the folk fiddler and innovator who created the modern era of American fiddling in the 1940's, Benny Thomasson; the second, French jazz violinist, considered one of the greatest improvisers in the history of the violin, Stephane Grappelli. It was because of these men that O'Conner took up the violin. Mark style is known as "Gypsy Jazz" this is an extremely fast way of playing where you are more or less improvising/ not reading music and it is very free and technically advanced. The "Gypsy Jazz" was said to be started with a guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 1930s. O'Connor has crossed musical genres, composing, arranging, and recording folk, classical and jazz music.
"One of the most spectacular journeys in recent American music." - The New York Times
"One of the most talented and imaginative artists working in music -- any music -- today." - The Los Angeles Times
"The audience was on its feet . . . They were moved by Mr. O'Connor's journey without maps, cheering for the only musician today who can reach so deeply first into the refined, then the vernacular, giving his listeners a complex, sophisticated piece of early-21st-century classical music and then knocking them dead with the brown-dirt whine of a Texas fiddle." - The New York Times
When diving further into my research i found that Mark O'Conner may be a very serious musician however his sense of humor is far fun that. I found that this 46 year old man has a fun wild side that he is not afraid to show. This is a huge inspiration for my design showing me that i can be more playful and fun with his poster design. Opposed to if he was a serious deep hearted jazz performer who wants to be perceived very professionally and seriously.
Concept
From listening to there music i had many questions i was trying to answer from a list i had made prior to help me with the design process.
-Does his music most resemble a sparse or a busy composition. I feel it is more busy due to the gypsy jazz aspect with the crazy fast plethora of notes.
-Is it calm and cool or warm and vibrant. I get more of a warm and vibrant with again how fast and upbeat it sounds.
-Does this music make me feel happy or sad? The music is most definitely and happy tune meant to cheer people up.
- Does it have a old or modern feel and the fiddle alone lends itself to feel older and more american historyesk but the influence of bluegrass adds to that as well.
now that i have listened to his music and pulled images off of the questions i answered i am thinking of how to implement them into a poster. The best way i could do this was to start with connotations of his music and make them match my poster.
fast, lively, bouncy, natural, improvised, country, hick, warm, homely, busy, fun, filled, old
So after all of this research i found a label for violin strings i believe that is my main inspiration for my poster. It will have lots of hand rendered elements such as a drawn violin and text. I want to play off his fun side by making it a little cartoonish and less realist that is why i am going to draw it. Also i decided that everyone would expect to see the full violin or the strings but i am going to try to just us the scroll. Also i want it to be lots of line work. I am also wanting to incorporate warm colors but also some black and white elements to give it a fun feel still but this music is a mix of the older sounding fiddle with the new hot swing jazz vibe. I feel this dynamic would be represented through the strong color with a flat black and white mix. As for the text i want to hand render it but make it look like an old southern poster.
Colors
hand drawn scroll ideas
background and font ideas
1 comment:
This is thorough research and in doing so it appears to have sparked visual ideas. I'm pleased you went to 18th & vine. I'm interested to know more about what you learned about jazz by going to the museum and jazz district and how you think it could inform your project.
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