9/4
The music
A melody has to fit the meter: “not writing a piece in 4/4 + 3/4 to make a tune in 7/4. It just doesn’t work that way.”
The list below includes only works that appear in Hank’s own 1997 program notes, the family’s anthology at HankLevyJazz.com, Towson University’s history, or my dissertation’s discography. Years are the year a piece was written, given only where one of those sources states one; recordings can come later. Where sources disagree on a meter or date, see Where sources disagree. To buy or license charts, contact Hank Levy Jazz, LLC. Some Kenton-era charts are also in print from Sierra Music.
| Title | Meter | Written | Recorded or performed by | Album | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abovo | 7/4, 13/4 | — | Don Ellis (performed) | — | S5 |
| Alone Bossa nova in 5/4; a later vocal version was first recorded by the Jazz Ambassadors in 1997. | 5/4 | — | Don Ellis | Electric Bath | S1 |
| Ambivalence | — | — | Stan Kenton | Birthday in Britain | S5 |
| Antea | 7/4 | — | Don Ellis | — | S5 |
| Blues, Between and Betwixt | 7/4, 7/8 | — | Stan Kenton | Birthday in Britain; Live at Butler University | S5 |
| Bread and Watrous | — | — | Bill Watrous (performed) | — | S5 |
| Chain Reaction Written for Ellis's band with strings. Hank's 1997 notes say it was selected for the Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz. | 13/8 (3+3+2+2+3) | 1971 | Don Ellis | Connection (1972) | S1, S5, S21 |
| Chiapas Hank called it the first piece he wrote for Kenton and the first of his the Kenton band recorded. | 5/4 | 1969 | Stan Kenton | Live at Redlands University (rec. Aug. 1970); Stan Kenton Today (1972) | S1, S5, S16 |
| Comin' on Strong | — | — | — | — | S5 |
| Decoupage | 5/4 | — | Stan Kenton | Kenton '76 | S5 |
| Down and Dirty | 5/4, 10/4 | — | Stan Kenton | 7.5 on the Richter Scale | S5 |
| Down Home Cookin' | — | — | — | — | S5 |
| Early Riser | 7/4 | — | — | — | S5 |
| Enter Stage Left | 5/4 | — | — | — | S5 |
| Fringe Benefit | — | — | Stan Kenton | Live at Butler University | S5 |
| Hank's Opener | 7/4, 14/8 | — | Stan Kenton | Live at Brigham Young University | S5 |
| Indra | 9/4 | — | Stan Kenton | Live at Butler University | S5 |
| Journey into Capricorn | 5/4 | — | Stan Kenton | Journey Into Capricorn | S5 |
| Latintensity | 4/4 → 12/8 | 1991 | Jazz Ambassadors (first recording, 1997) | The Legacy of Hank Levy | S1, S5 |
| A New Kind of Country Credited to Levy in the dissertation discography (pp. 183–184). | — | — | Don Ellis | — | S6 |
| Of Space and Time | 5/4 | — | Stan Kenton | Birthday in Britain | S5 |
| Opus for Overextended Jazz Ensemble | — | 1971 | Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (premiere) | — | S4, S5 |
| Passacaglia and Fugue The first Levy piece Ellis recorded. | 3/4 over 4/4 | 1957 | Don Ellis | 'Live' at Monterey! | S1, S5 |
| A Peek into a New Time Zone Hank's 1997 notes date it 1992, but the Towson ensemble recorded it in 1989. | 14/4 (2+2+3+3+2+2), 7/4 | — | Towson State (1989); Jazz Ambassadors (1997) | The Legacy of Hank Levy | S1 |
| Pegasus | 6/8 | — | Stan Kenton | Journey Into Capricorn | S5 |
| Quiet Friday | 9/4 | — | Stan Kenton | Fire, Fury and Fun | S5 |
| Quintessence | 5/4 | — | Stan Kenton (performed) | — | S5 |
| Rock Odyssey | 7/4, 12/4 | — | Don Ellis | Don Ellis at Fillmore | S5 |
| Samba Bajada | 9/4 | — | Don Ellis | Tears of Joy | S5 |
| Samba Siete | 7/4 | — | Stan Kenton | Live at Butler University | S5 |
| A Smith Named Greg | 4/4 | — | Stan Kenton | — | S5 |
| Southern Exposure | 5/4 | — | — | — | S5 |
| A Step Beyond | 5/4 | — | Stan Kenton | Live at Brigham Young University | S5 |
| Thetis | 4/4 | — | Don Ellis | Live in 3⅔/4 Time | S5 |
| Time for a Change Hank called it “an experiment to write an odd-meter standard.” | 9/4 | 1976 | Stan Kenton | Kenton '76 | S1, S5 |
| Warp Factor 5 | 5/4 | — | — | — | S5 |
| Whiplash Each 14/8 bar is grouped 2+2+3+3+2+2 or 3+3+2+2+2+2. | 7/4 → 14/8 | 1973 | Don Ellis | Soaring | S1, S5 |
| With the Old Man in Mind | 5/4 | — | — | — | S5 |
| Would You Believe | 4/4 | — | — | — | S5 |
| Title | Composers | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| On Green Dolphin Street | Bronislaw Kaper and Ned Washington | 1974 | Half Latin, half swing, in 4/4. First recorded by the Jazz Ambassadors (1997). (S1) |
| A Time for Love | Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster | 1977 | Hank recalled Kenton recording it for his last album. The performance, from a 1978 concert, surfaced on the archival CD A Time for Love (Tantara). (S1, S20) |
| Sweet Georgia Schwartz (Sweet Georgia Brown) | Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard and Kenneth Casey | — | Recorded by the Towson ensemble in 1989. (SoundCloud 1989 set) |
| Stella by Starlight | Victor Young and Ned Washington | — | Recorded by the Towson ensemble in 1989. (SoundCloud 1989 set) |
The book
The Time Revolution by Henry J. (Hank) Levy, with an introduction by Stan Kenton, was published by Creative World in 1973. To hear the groupings Hank described in his own notes, try the meter player.
Source key
- S1: Hank’s 1997 program notes (Army Field Band booklet). See Sources.
- S4: Towson University. See Sources.
- S5: HankLevyJazz.com anthology. See Sources.
- S6: Fenlon dissertation. See Sources.
- S16: All Things Kenton, Live at Redlands University. See Sources.
- S20: AllMusic, A Time for Love (Tantara). See Sources.
- S21: Wikipedia, Connection (Don Ellis album). See Sources.