One thing that strikes me as funny before I begin is the similarity of the two titles of the pieces being compared. Despite coming from different cultures the meaning gathered just from comparing the titles is quite uncannily analogous. When translated to English, “Quitate Tu” means, in essence, “get out of here,” or “leave.” “Move,” on the other hand, is quite self explanatory, but it could mean one of two things. The first could be the parallel meaning to “Quítate Tu.” However, the second meaning could imply movement as that carried out during dance. All trivial analysis of the titles aside, these two pieces belong to two distinctly different cultures yet contain many similar elements. Nonetheless, the very dissimilar treatment of these elements gives the two pieces tremendous differences.
Background:
The first piece, titled “Quítate Tu,” is from the salsa genre. It was composed by Bobby Valentín and Johnny Pachecho, the bassist and director, respectively, of the group who perform this song, the Fania All-Stars. The salsa genre comes from Latin culture and is a combination of many Latin rhythms and previously existing genres. The salsa movement exploded in New York City in the late 60’s and early 70’s, which is the time period of this recording, which was captured live in a ballroom/dance club called The Cheetah.
The second piece is “Move,” by Miles Davis and is taken from his album Birth of the Cool. However, the composer was not Davis, but a fellow by the name of Denzil Best. The piece was recorded in 1949 during the hey-day of the cool jazz movement, a genre which arose during the Second World War. This album is considered one of the main representations of the genre, and achieved widespread popularity during that time.
The main elements that will be discussed are the texture of the pieces, the differences in tempo, instrumentation, musical purpose, solos and improvisation, harmony, and syncopation on both the bass line and the melody.
In salsa, the syncopation takes place in a distinct manner, much different from that of American jazz, such as in “Move.” The bass line in salsa is the voice that carries out much of the syncopation. This is because the rhythm section produces the background music upon which the audience dances. Without the syncopation provided, the crowd would not be able to dance to salsa in the particular style that has been developed for this genre. Another point to take into account is that there is an ostinato bass line. Therefore the examples of syncopation are repeated over and over throughout the song, with only the chords and notes varying. However, the melodic voice usually does not have much syncopation, and the accents usually fall on the beats.
In jazz, and specifically “cool” jazz, such as that which Miles Davis wrote and performed uses syncopation in a much different way. The rhythm section, as opposed to the rhythm section in Latin ensembles, plays straight quarter notes, keeping the pulse and beat, and tying the ensemble down. Upon this rhythmic base is the melodic theme of the song, played by the brass section. The melodic line is the line which contains syncopation in “Move.” Also, apart from the actual melodic theme presented in the song, there are many instances of improvisation, and during these plenty of syncopation is used, offsetting the beat of the melody and making it more interesting for the listener.
The texture of both pieces is also similar. Both pieces feature a homophonic texture, with a rhythm section, featuring drums, bass, and piano, laying down a background, and a melodic voice presenting the main theme over the rhythm. This texture is used widely, especially in popular music, because of its simple nature, and because it allows for a distinct melody to be presented, and hook the listener.
Both pieces, “Quítate Tu” and “Move,” feature a wide use of improvisation. However, in the first piece, most of the improvisation is done with vocals. In this song, the singers are on the spotlight and the rest of the band takes the back seat, letting them lead the crowd and get them riled up. However, in the second song, “Move,” most of the improvisation is done by brass instruments such as trumpets. The solos in “Move” are based on the pre established theme and chords that have already been presented. In both cases the solos are used in order to add a sense of unpredictability for the listeners, and to show of the musicianship, and in the case of the singers, humor, of the performers.
The instrumentation of both ensembles also varies quite a bit, with the “Quítate Tu” featuring a typical Latin salsa ensemble, and “Move,” a classic jazz performance ensemble. The Latin ensemble features a wide percussion body, with multiple musicians. These musicians play instruments the clave, timbales, cowbells, conga, bongo, maracas, and güiro. Also in the rhythm section is the bass, and the piano. Melodically, instruments such as the trombone, trumpet, and vocals are the main players, but there is also another instrument featured, similar to the guitar, called the cuatro.
The ensembles in “Move” uses a drum set, bass, and piano to provide the rhythmic base, while the trumpets, trombone, French horn, tuba, alto and tenor saxophone provide the harmony and melody. All in all, a classic jazz ensemble.
Both pieces, “Quítate Tu” and “Move,” use many of the same musical elements, however, the way in which these elements are applied differs tremendously, and the cultural differences make the pieces even more distinct. These are two pieces, highly typical of each respective genre, that work as models for other songs of the same style.
