Boudewijn
music theorist in Holland
A music theorist in Holland whom Barry names only as Boudewijn (heard as Badweyn, Bodwin, Bobwin); Barry called him ‘my theorist’, said he studied with him, and credited him with the saying that when improvisation stopped in Europe it started in the USA. His full identity is unclear.
- mentions
- 9
- recordings
- 7
- Barry speaking
- 9
What Barry says
Barry says he only realised that jazz musicians are the continuation of classical improvisation when a theorist in Holland, Boudewijn, told him that when improvisation stopped in Europe it started in the USA. Improvisation is meant to go on forever, Barry adds, and that is why jazz began.
In his 2004 NYU master class Barry stresses that the idea came not from an American but from a great theorist in Holland, and draws the lesson that students must learn everything they can about real improvising, including sixteenth-note triplets.
In a Jazz at Lincoln Center lesson he credits the same saying to a theorist in Europe, then argues that the European musicians schooled in figured bass came to America and fell in love with its easy, pretty songs, which is why, he says, most standards are so correct.
Jazz theory, part 2: drop voicings0:000:34Jazz theory, part 2, with score0:11
At a workshop that appears to be at the conservatory in The Hague, Barry jokes that he has brought his theorist along to guarantee he is right, calls Boudewijn ‘my theorist’ and says he studies with him. Moments later he says his sixth diminished scale, his personal scale, has Boudewijn’s endorsement.
Introducing the sixth diminished scale0:331:08The dominant family and the sixth diminished scale0:36
In his own words
I didn’t realize this until a theorist over in Holland told me. His name was Badweyn. He said, “when improvisation stopped in Europe, it started in the USA.”
This was told to me by the great theorist... He’s in Holland. He told me that. That’s the way he felt about it. He said when the improvising stopped over here, it started over there.
See, I bring my theorists along to guarantee that I’m right... he’s my theorist. Anything I do is right.
There’s a scale you should learn, and it’s called a sixth diminished scale. This is my personal scale. It has been endorsed by Bowdoin [Boudewijn].
Theorist over in Europe... told me, he said. When improvisation stopped in Europe, it started in the USA.
Every mention
9 moments in the recordings, 9 of them Barry speaking. Each says who is talking.
Introducing the sixth diminished scale
Student performances and coaching
- 25:02
Credits a great theorist in Holland with: when improvising stopped in Europe, it started in America.
Jazz theory, part 2: drop voicings
- 0:34
Credits ‘one theorist over in Europe’ with the saying that improvisation moved from Europe to the USA.
Jazz theory, part 2, with score
- 0:11
Same Lincoln Center lesson, another upload; the captions give the theorist’s name as ‘Rinaldi’, probably misheard.
6th dim scale long excerpt BarryHarrisVideos
The dominant family and the sixth diminished scale
- 0:36
Short clip of the same Hague class: the sixth diminished scale ‘endorsed by Bowden’.
The C minor seventh in All the Things You Are
- 6:00
Says he used to deny the half-diminished chord existed until ‘he’ corrected him; who is not named.
In the interviews and notes
Calling jazz musicians the true heirs of classical improvisation, Barry says the idea came from a theorist in Holland, Badweyn, who told him that improvisation began in the USA when it ended in Europe.
A forum member recalls that Barry for a long time refused to call the minor seventh flat five a half-diminished chord, until a theory teacher at the conservatory in The Hague persuaded him. He names him Boudewijn Leeuwenberg and thinks Barry mentions him in one of the Elsen videos.
Method ideas nearby
Ideas of the method taught in the classes where they come up, with how many mentions fall in each.
- 9.3The major 6th diminished scale (a major scale with one more note)3
- 10.1Be a movement player2
- 10.4Borrowing2
- 10.5Drop voicings2
- 11.3Mirror image and contrary motion between the hands2
- 15.1Jazz as the continuation of classical improvisation2
- 2.3The three diminished seventh chords (‘the children’)2
- 4.3Minor2