"Desmond Blue". Beautiful does not do it justice. One of my very favorite records. Interesting that this clip should follow the "Last Exit" clip. I can't think of two more different approaches to "jazz"; and, yes, I think the Last Exit performance can probably be, fairly, be called jazz by virtue of the fact that it is about 95% improvised. In answer to Rock's questions: no this music was not written down. What were they thinking about? As little as possible; that's the point, and the goal. It's visceral, high-energy, let it all hang out, however the moment moves you improvisation with the most sparse musical outline established ahead of time: short drum intro, 24 bars of "free" ensemble improvisation, followed by a series of improvised solos and more ensemble playing all in the same minor tonality with no harmonic changes. High energy, exciting (to some) and basically a jam. Music like this often walks a fine line between art and bullshit; the individual listener decides. If anyone is interested the instrument that Brotsmann plays besides tenor saxophone is the Tarogato, a Hungarian folk instrument which even though is referred to as a "tenor clarinet" in the credits is really more like a wooden soprano saxophone.
O-10's description of Desmond Blue (and his personal story) is perfect; jazz that is about contemplation instead of visceral reaction. There is an unbelievable amount of subtlety and introspection in this kind of jazz, and Desmond and Hall were two of the masters. There is constant dialogue between the players and with the orchestration. Desmond was a master of thematic development; all done in the simplest of ways. Listen to how he takes a simple melodic fragment and develops and transposes it to fit the changing harmony; all in the most logical way possible and always harkening back to the melody of the tune and using the least amount of notes possible. One particularly beautiful moment happens at 2:16. While Desmond improvises there is a simple little melodic statement by the winds in the orchestration, Desmond immediately reacts and "answers" it with a statement of his own having the same shape as that in the orchestration, and incorporates it into his improvisation in the most perfect way. This is really great stuff. Thanks for the link.
O-10's description of Desmond Blue (and his personal story) is perfect; jazz that is about contemplation instead of visceral reaction. There is an unbelievable amount of subtlety and introspection in this kind of jazz, and Desmond and Hall were two of the masters. There is constant dialogue between the players and with the orchestration. Desmond was a master of thematic development; all done in the simplest of ways. Listen to how he takes a simple melodic fragment and develops and transposes it to fit the changing harmony; all in the most logical way possible and always harkening back to the melody of the tune and using the least amount of notes possible. One particularly beautiful moment happens at 2:16. While Desmond improvises there is a simple little melodic statement by the winds in the orchestration, Desmond immediately reacts and "answers" it with a statement of his own having the same shape as that in the orchestration, and incorporates it into his improvisation in the most perfect way. This is really great stuff. Thanks for the link.