The is the first movement of the work. In this movement I attempt to incorporate melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic functional attitudes of Black RAP music within the context of traditional classical instrumentation.

Drum Shed: The Struggle of the String Quartet, "Beats"

I Cant Get Her Off My Mind By Malcolm J. Bell

This piece was originally the first movement of a three movement work entitled "Three Short Songs of Friends" for string quartet composed in the spring of 2012. This arrangement was completed a year later and was adapted for the Jazz Combo. Enjoy

Abi By Malcolm J Bell Houghton Jazz

Drum Shed For Solo Piano By Malcolm J Bell

My second ever big band chart. I wrote this when I was 16

Ellinad By Malcolm Jerome Bell Houghton Jazz

When Casey and I learned that we were going to share a recital together, we decided that I was going to write a piece for both of us to perform together. This summer I struggled with what type of piece I wanted to write. I wanted to somehow connect the theme of this piece to "Three Songs of Friends for String Quartet." I wanted to contribute a piece to Casey (Caylock) because she has been one of my closest friends at Houghton. I debated whether or not I wanted to write a piece that was in a more serious, fun or comic style. After being inspired by both Jerbrel Bowens' (Composer) and Hiromi Uehara's (Jazz pianist and composer) versions of "I've Got Rhythm", I decided that I wanted to put my own spin on the tune as well. This is a Jazz oboe and piano piece in an effort to combine both ideas. It is both rhythmically driven and filled with energy. I hope you enjoy it.

Caylock Has Rhythm For Jazz Oboe And Piano By Malcolm J Bell

My overall goal for this composition was to simulate a real drum shed. This is achieved by utilizing an improvisatory and aleatoric approach, which enables the performers to add freely to the session. In keeping with the tradition of a typical drum shed, the performers have not rehearsed beforehand. Again, this experience is supposed to be improvisatory and “in the moment.” Most natural drum sheds are not planned and happens sporadically. This simulation attempts to capture this idea. Before a traditional drum shed session, the facilitator states something along the following:

“Okay, there’s been no rehearsal, we gonna shed—like a real shed. There will be no retakes. No do overs…”

Drum Shed

What does it mean to be a Black Art Musician? Well, lets brainstorm...

Drum Shed: What Does It Mean To Be A Black Art Musician?

This work incorporates minimalistic elements while maintaining the Drum Shed technique by utilizing pen percussion. This composition opens with the solo saxophone, which represents elements of the human voice. The motivic ideas presented at the beginning of this work are than incorporated into the “groove” section. The primary goal of this work was to emulate the beats and rhythms of today’s POP, RAP, and HIP-HOP styles—significant elements that influence modern-day Drum Sheds.

Drum Shed: Sax 'n' Beats

This is an arranged piece of the familiar hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness." This work is also performed by M. Jerome Bell

Great is Thy Faithfulness, Jazz Piano by Malcolm J. Bell

Great is Thy Faithfulness Arr. M. Jerome Bell

This is a piece that exists out of time for me personally, and even though Drum Shed for Solo Piano was my first composition in this style, The Uncertainty of Two Pianists was actually the piece I conceived in my head when wanting to create this style. Early in my college career, I heard a musician who had mastered the art of improvisation in the Gospel and Jazz idioms. During a performance, he asked members of the audience to suggest random pitches to him, which he then used to create a whole piece based on a motive that included those random pitches. The Uncertainty of Two Pianists is inspired by that motive juxtaposed with a motive derived from a musical setting of “Uncertainty of a Poet” by David Thomas.

Drum Shed: The Uncertainty of Two Pianists

In this commissioned work, I attempt to capture a fun and captivating “black gospel” style and amalgamate it with the traditional church choir idiom. The work presents both a theological and pedagogical intrigue as the text derives from the Psalms and the musical material introduces more advance techniques such as mixed meter, dynamic contrast, and tonal shifts. 

My goal was to write a quality piece for a beginner to intermediate group, while providing musical material for the choir to grow and have fun.

M. Jerome Bell

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