Quentin Angus
Assistant Professor of Music
Music and Art
EMAIL: qangus@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office: F-1110
Office Hours: Monday 11am, Wednesday 1pm, Friday 11am
Phone: +1 (212) 220-1473
Professor Angus is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Jazz & Popular Music at BMCC. Beginning his journey in Eden Valley, a small South Australian country town with a population of only 200, guitarist/composer Quentin Angus has been based in the world’s Mecca for jazz—New York City—since 2010.
Described by critics as “Lord of the strings”– The Age (Michael Dwyer), “The Future of Jazz Composition”– Paul Williams (ASCAP), and “Exuberant, richly melodic and smartly arranged”– Richard Kamins (Culture Creature), Angus has been leaving audiences in awe around the world with performances in Holland, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. This includes appearances at the ‘Montreux International Jazz Festival’ (Switzerland), ‘Melbourne International Jazz Festival’ (Australia), and ‘Jazz Hoeilaart Festival’ (Belgium), along with the release of three critically acclaimed albums as a band leader, ‘In Stride’ (2018), described as “Eclectic, dynamic and lyrical” – Dragon Jazz, ‘Perception’ (2013), described as “A truly special and essential recording” – Jazz Inside Magazine (Eric Harabadian), and ‘Retrieval Structure’ (2011), described as “fresh, sophisticated, vibrant and formidable”– All About Jazz (Edward Blanco).
Angus’ has performed and recorded with jazz luminaries Ari Hoenig, Kevin Hays, Jon Gordon, Shai Maestro, Colin Stranahan, Linda Oh, Rogerio Boccatto, Jo Lawry, Elliot Mason, and Will Vinson. As part of his formal academic education, he has received instruction from Jason Moran, Nate Smith, John Riley, Todd Coolman, Hal Galper, Jonathan Kreisberg, Randy Johnston, Pat Martino, Adam Rodgers, and Carmen Lundy.
Expertise
Jazz and Popular Music
Degrees
PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), awarded with a ‘Deans Commendation’
Master of Music Degree (Jazz Performance) under the tutelage of John Abercrombie, awarded ‘Summa Cum Laude’.
Courses Taught
- This course is open to all students and the first level of a two-semester sequence in guitar playing. Students will learn guitar repertoire in a variety of styles, including modern chordal accompaniments for simple popular, rock and jazz songs. Fundamentals such as tuning the instrument, open position chords, technique (finger style and plectrum), theory and notation (music notation and tabulature), alternate tunings, and basic aural recognition (scales and chords) will also be covered.
- This course is open to all students and the second level of a two-semester sequence in guitar playing. Students will learn guitar repertoire in a variety of styles, including modern chordal accompaniments for simple popular, rock and jazz songs. Fundamentals such as tuning the instrument, open position chords, technique (finger style and plectrum), theory and notation (music notation and tabulature), alternate tunings, and basic aural recognition (scales and chords) will also be covered. Prerequisite: MUS 180
- This course is the first level of a four-semester sequence in guitar ensemble performance skills. Students will study and perform repertoire from the Baroque to the present day. The course will focus on active participation in the process of preparing for performance including listening skills, sight-reading, intonation, rhythm, tone, and ensemble precision. Students are required to participate in all performances. Ensembles perform at least one concert per semester. Prerequisite: Permission of the department and admission is by audition
- This course is the second level of a four-semester sequence in guitar ensemble performance skills. Students will study and perform repertoire from the Baroque to the present day. The course will focus on active participation in the process of preparing for performance including listening skills, sight-reading, intonation, rhythm, tone, and ensemble precision. Students are required to participate in all performances. Ensembles perform at least one concert per semester. Prerequisite: MUS 705
- This course is the third level of a four-semester sequence in guitar ensemble performance skills. Students will study and perform repertoire from the Baroque to the present day. The course will focus on active participation in the process of preparing for performance including listening skills, sight-reading, intonation, rhythm, tone, and ensemble precision. Students are required to participate in all performances. Ensembles perform at least one concert per semester. Students at this level will be expected to take leadership responsibilities in the ensemble. Prerequisite: MUS 706
- This course is the fourth level of a four-semester sequence in guitar ensemble performance skills. Students will study and perform repertoire from the Baroque to the present day. The course will focus on active participation in the process of preparing for performance including listening skills, sight-reading, intonation, rhythm, tone, and ensemble precision. Students are required to participate in all performances. Ensembles perform at least one concert per semester. Students at this level will be expected to take leadership responsibilities in the ensemble. Prerequisite: MUS 707
- This course is the first level of a four-semester sequence in jazz performance skills. Students will focus on the study of improvisational concepts, chord progressions, interpretation, conception, phrasing, harmonic awareness, dynamic sensitivity, rhythmic and melodic development, and phrase construction. Students are required to participate in performances. Ensembles perform at least one concert per semester.
Prerequisite: Permission of the department and admission is by audition - This course is the second level of a four-semester sequence in jazz performance skills. Students will focus on the study of improvisational concepts, chord progressions, interpretation, conception, phrasing, harmonic awareness, dynamic sensitivity, rhythmic and melodic development, and phrase construction. Students are required to participate in performances. Ensembles perform at least one concert per semester.
Prerequisite: MUS 301 - This course is the third level of a four-semester sequence in jazz performance skills. Students will focus on the study of improvisational concepts, chord progressions, interpretation, conception, phrasing, harmonic awareness, dynamic sensitivity, rhythmic and melodic development, and phrase construction. Students are required to participate in performances. Ensembles perform at least one concert per semester. Students at this level will be expected to take leadership responsibilities in the ensemble.
Prerequisite: MUS 302 - This course is the fourth level of a four-semester sequence in jazz performance skills. Students will focus on the study of improvisational concepts, chord progressions, interpretation, conception, phrasing, harmonic awareness, dynamic sensitivity, rhythmic and melodic development, and phrase construction. Students are required to participate in performances. Ensembles perform at least one concert per semester. Students at this level will be expected to take leadership responsibilities in the ensemble.
Prerequisite: MUS 303 - A listening approach for the understanding of Western music. Students will explore musical examples across various genres with particular attention paid to styles, form, and compositional techniques as related to music history. Credit can be granted for MUS 102 or MUS 103 but not both.
- This introductory survey explores the musical and social histories of jazz from its American origins to its global present. Its focus encompasses jazz's development in the United States, its impact around the world, and the contributions of musicians who have shaped its creative and cultural significance. Requiring no prior knowledge of music, students will develop the analytical listening skills required to identify both the music's defining stylistic features and its leading figures. In addition to the music itself this course will examine the meanings jazz has acquired in its diverse geographical, social and historical contexts. Credit will be granted for MUS109 or MUS104 but not both.
- This course will introduce beginning keyboard skills, reading and writing music in western musical notation, lead sheet symbols, basic music theory, and simple musical composition. Elements of rhythm and rhythmic notation will be approached through popular musical examples.
- This course is the first level of a four-semester sequence in guitar performance skills. Students will be assigned technical exercises and works to be performed. Music theory, aural skills, sight-reading and musicianship appropriate to the level of practical ability will also be covered. Juries and recitals of solo performances will be required. All applied studies for music majors include a weekly one-hour individual lesson and two-hour studio lab.
Prerequisite: Permission of the department and admission is by audition
Corequisite: MUS705, MUS706, MUS707, MUS708 or departmental permission - This course is the second level of a four-semester sequence in guitar performance skills. Students will be assigned technical exercises and works to be performed. Music theory, aural skills, sight-reading and musicianship appropriate to the level of practical ability will also be covered. Juries and recitals of solo performances will be required. All applied studies for music majors include a weekly one-hour individual lesson and two-hour studio lab.
Prerequisite: MUS 676
Corequisite: MUS705, MUS706, MUS707, MUS708 or departmental permission - This course is the third level of a four-semester sequence in guitar performance skills. Students will be assigned technical exercises and works to be performed. Music theory, aural skills, sight-reading and musicianship appropriate to the level of practical ability will also be covered. Juries and recitals of solo performances will be required. All applied studies for music majors include a weekly one-hour individual lesson and two-hour studio lab.
Prerequisite: MUS 677
Corequisite: MUS705, MUS706, MUS707, MUS708 or departmental permission - This course is the fourth level of a four-semester sequence in guitar performance skills. Students will be assigned technical exercises and works to be performed. Music theory, aural skills, sight-reading and musicianship appropriate to the level of practical ability will also be covered. Juries and recitals of solo performances will be required. All applied studies for music majors include a weekly one-hour individual lesson and two-hour studio lab.
Prerequisite: MUS 678
Corequisite: MUS705, MUS706, MUS707, MUS708 or departmental permission
Research and Projects
PhD Thesis: https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/handle/2440/86585
“Phrasing and polyrhythm in contemporary jazz guitar: a portfolio of recorded performances and exegesis.”
This dissertation examines, through transcription, analysis, and performance, the use of rhythmic devices by two pivotal contemporary jazz guitarists, John Abercrombie and Gilad Hekselman. An in depth examination of phrasing (Chapter One) and polyrhythm (Chapter Two) are underpinned by transcriptions by the author of Abercrombie’s Straight Flight (1979), Hekselman’s entire discography as a leader, Splitlife (2006), Words Unspoken (2008), Hearts Wide Open (2011), and This Just In (2013), along with selections of Ari Hoenig’s Bert’s Playground (2008) (Volume Three: Appendix Seven: pp. 3-231). Interviews with Abercrombie, Hekselman, and Hoenig are also integral to the research (Appendix Five: pp. 135-153). The transcription and analysis culminated in a comprehensive list of various devices relating to phrasing and polyrhythm (Appendix Four: pp. 132-134). This list was used as a practical application guide, including expansions of concepts and personal explorations that are discussed throughout this exegesis. The focal point of this performance based dissertation is four CD recordings (Volume Two), a total of four hours of music, in which the findings of the research are applied: CD1: Retrieval Structure, CD2: Abercrombie and Hekselman Duets, CD3: Perception, and CD4: Disc One: Abercrombie and Hekselman Repertoire/Disc Two: Ari Hoenig Session. These recordings include performances with Gilad Hekselman, John Abercrombie, and Ari Hoenig, all of whom provided the initial focus of the research in the transcription and analysis phase.
Publications
Angus’ is the author of five original transcription books of Gilad Hekselman improvisations: ‘Splitlife’ (2012), ‘Words Unspoken’ (2012), ‘Hearts Wide Open’ (2012), ‘This Just In’ (2013), and ‘Homes’ (2015). He has also been published by ‘MelBay’, ‘Jazz Heaven’, and the ‘NZMiC’ music journal along with conducting presentations of his academic research at music conferences across Australasia.
Honors, Awards and Affiliations
APRA Art Music Award for ‘Excellence in Jazz’ (2012), subsequent nominations in 2013 (‘Excellence in Jazz’) and 2014 (‘Work of the Year’)
Three ASCAP ‘Young Jazz Composer Awards’ (2012/2013/2015)
Five Downbeat Magazine Awards in the ‘Composition’ (2011/2012/2014) and ‘Soloist’ (2012/2014) categories
Channel 9 ‘Young Achiever of the Year’ (Arts Category/2013).
