****I.E. the song HAS TO BE about vermont only when you sing the words. Otherwise it's just a very nice tune in the category of Autumn Leaves etc..... that Jazz guys like to improvise over.**** Perhaps. But, many great improvisers will tell you that knowing the lyrics to a song, and having the lyrics on their mind when they improvise, is one of the keys to a great solo. Which is why so many players revere singers like Frank Sinatra who were masters at singing lyrics in a very straightforward and unaffected way; the idea being: a great song doesn't need much help. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_CiizL8Vfu8I think that we sometimes like to think that playing jazz, being a vehicle for free expression, is free of any constraints. While it is obviously true that improvisation offers the player a lot more creative freedom than, say, a classical performance (duh!), there are still fairly strict guidelines inasmuch as what is appropriate use of a particular musical vocabulary. "Appropriate" is obviously a tricky and subjective criterion, but to paraphrase someone: "I am not sure what tasty playing is, but I know it when I hear it (or don't)" |
******** everyone on the "Gon" says "Kind of Blue" is the best jazz album ever********
That's probably a true statement of current opinion on this site. Except us Aficionados, we be hipper than that.
However, as you ponder the validity or accuracy of the prevailing opinion, consider all the other stuff 'everyone' on the 'Gon' believes!! Then all will be clear, and you can give this 'consensus' it's proper consideration.
Somethin' Else?? Maybe one of the greatest lineups ever.
Best album ever?? I will have to listen, think, and get back to you.
Cheers |
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Ray Bryant, one of my favorite players, and one of my first Jazz LPs. 'Slow Freight'
Cheers |
Rok, if you can't find the "You tube" fuget about it.
Enjoy the music.
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Today's Recommendation:
James Williams (piano) -- Magical Trio 1
featuring Ray Brown (bass) and Art Blakey (drums)
This is what they call straight ahead Jazz. Modern Bop played at the highest level. It swings. Considering the lineup there is not a lot to say. Great bass intonation!
Excerpts from the liner notes:
***"So many of the refugees from the Jazz avant garde of the 60's and the 70's offer much lip service to the Jazz tradition, but when they play Bechet, Henderson, Ellington, Dameron, etc..., it ends up ranging from unintentional parody to simple assassination"***
Even I understand and can agree with that. So you can conclude that ain't the case here.
Very well recorded. 1987
Highly Recommended.
Cheers |
Rok, if you want a little Cubano in your Afro try this,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV0ew5RJodM
Followed by the master drummers, and Mr. Bass himself, "Oscar Pettiford".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhFonpC4yR8
Enjoy the music.
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****"Rok, how do you like Marakesh?"****
I ordered my one-way tickets today!!! See you there!! I wonder if I will be able to find a socket to plug my stereo into?
Speaking of Marrakech:
Randy Weston -- Marrakech: In The Cool of The Evening
Weston plays solo piano.
Nice playing, mostly his own tunes. Nothing reached out and grabbed me. The 'Fats' Waller and Billy Strayhorn tunes were the best. An entire CD of solo piano is a LOT. Esp if the player is NOT Oscar Peterson!!
There are some nice photos and a very interesting cover photo of 'downtown' Marrakech. :) Even a shot of guys wearing Fezzes. I always thought that was outdated hollywood stuff. I must admit I got this one years ago based on the title. It's not what I expected.
Nothing african, middle Eastern or exotic on this one. At least not to my ear. You more ''in depth' guys might hear differently. I have a lot of his stuff, mostly with Melba Liston. This CD is not among his best. IMO! Whew, amost forgot to add that. :)
Reminds me of the first LP I ever purchased. Got it from the RCA record club. 'Victory at Sea'. I ordered it because of the battle scene on the cover. I wonder even today about exactly what did I expect to hear. But now i realize it's great music, but not then. I expected action!! :)
Cheers |
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If you are going to listen to 'Carmen,' then there are many good performances. I prefer Callas.
If you are going to WATCH Carmen, then the only choice is Julia Migenes Johnson, Placido Domingo, Orch National De France / Maazel.
Julia Migenes Johnson, has the 'assets' to do 'Carmen' justice. She also has a great voice.
Cheers |
This is the passage from the Abdul-Malik CD's liner notes.
"The public acceptance of a new Jazz musician is generally a difficult thing to attain. Many players after years of hard work find themselves forced to take jobs outside of the music world to feed themselves and their families.
Others bastardize their art and play types of music that usually have nothing whatsoever to do with Jazz.
Unfortunately, in the Jazz world, a man's ability to play, his skill, or his musical ideas do not govern his success , or his failure.
This can be shown in many cases where inferior musical talents have made fortunes while outstanding players have starved."
He goes on to say that Ahmed has found it extremely difficult to find work playing the music he wants to play and the way he wants to play it.
I guess he wasn't listening. He died in 1993.
Cheers |
Today's Listen
Ahmed Abdul-Malik -- Jazz Sounds of Africa
Abdul-malik (bass - Oud), Calo Scott (cello), Andrew Cyrille (drums) and others
Now this is a fine example (maybe the only one) of 'World Jazz'. This is high quality playing that leaves you wondering if you are in Nairobi, Rio or Havana. We hear smidgens of Calypso, Mambo and Samba. No 'traditional' peasant's banging and chanting here. This is Jazz, the real deal. With a world flavoe.
No filler, all good well thoughtout tunes. The cello is a surprise. It sounds much more 'suited' for Jazz than does the violin. Several African and Asian intruments are used, and they blend in with the music perfectly.
The liner notes are great also. I will copy a snippet and send in a moment. It addresses a topic of discussion we had on this forum some time ago.
Good sound. Recorded in 1961-62.
Looking for new music? Give this a listen.
Cheers |
Totally agree with Orpheus and Frogman's comments on Ella. Simply the best jazz vocalist for me, hands down. Knows exactly when to scat and when not to, and does it with the technique of an instrumentalist.
Speaking of singers with the technique of instrumentalists, if some of you jazz fans are curious about checking out some opera singers, try Marilyn Horne. Stunning technique, and an incredible range, and a wonderful voice, though for some of you her vibrato might take some getting used to. A great intro, which also happens to be an incredible recording as far as quality goes as well, is the recording she did of Carmen at the Met with Leonard Bernstein in the 70s on the Deutsche Gramophone label. It's a great intro to opera, and you will recognize a few of the tunes. For some sheer vocal pyrotechnics, check out some of her recordings of Rossini and Handel arias. |
Rok, that vocalist I referred to; if she had named whatever she was singing and going through all sorts of jazzy pyrotechnics on, something else; there is a good possibility I would have like it, but instead, she was messing up one of the classics. Houston Person was not so far from that classic, that I would say he messed it up, but it still wasn't as good as Johnny Smith's version. Lyrics or no lyrics, classics are sacred, and a person can go too far for "aficionados".
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Frogman, you're making the music I've been listening to all of these years brand new all over again, as in "Watermelon Man"; keep it going.
Enjoy the music.
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Frogman:
Great clip. I visualize her in Duke's or Basie's band. Not out front, but sitting with the guys. They solo then she does her solo. On vocal, Ella! hahahhahha No wonder the boys in the bands resented the Girl singers in the beginning.
Ella, she don't need no stinking lyrics!
Cheers |
Ella? Alpha and Omega, of Jazz singing.
Cheers |
The Frogman & O-10:
It usually takes me a few tries for me to clearly get my thoughts together.
Vermont: you are right about the lyrics being vital to the song being about vermont. My point was, if we had never heard of Moonlight, and just heard the music without the words, would we think of Vermont? I don't see why we should.
Ella is singing the song so she HAS to do the words and interpet with mental images and concepts of Vermont in mind.
Houston Person was under no such restrictions. The only thing that he had to consider was the music / melody. He had a free hand to blow as he saw fit or felt.
I.E. the song HAS TO BE about vermont only when you sing the words. Otherwise it's just a very nice tune in the category of Autumn Leaves etc..... that Jazz guys like to improvise over.
All of the above could be, and probably is, BS. But that is what I meant in my post about putting too much emphasis on the Name / lyrics of the tune, in relation to the Houston person effort.
BTW,
Sun Ra: I have since learned that he had recently suffered a stroke before they made the Billy Bang recording. Probably accounted for his lack luster playing. Sad.
Cheers |
Orpheus, my next music contribution was going to be Ella doing Billie's Bounce. I completely agree with your comments about the appropriateness of scatting some times and not others, and this relates in key ways to the earlier discussion about Moonlight In Vermont. Ella was not only respectful of the song (as you point out), but was (IMO) the only only singer that could scat a solo that doesn't leave me saying "that was pretty good; for a singer". She could scat a solo very bit as swinging and in control of the MUSICAL vocabulary as a good instrumentalist. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cLep2fmY6sw |
Rok, at first I was confused by your post. ****I feel you and The Frogman might be putting too much emphasis on the name of the tune. I don't think of Vermont at all.**** Huh!? The tune IS about Vermont. You can't remove the lyrics from the equation. A great song is a marriage of melody and lyrics, and the message can be sent by the lyrics, the tune, or both. In Moolight In Vermont, while I don't know what Vermont is supposed to sound like, I think the tune, by itself, conveys a feeling that is similar to (and definitely compliments) the lyrics. It's a beautiful song, and interestingly, has no rhymes. ****You gotta name it something. Something people can easily remember and relate to.**** The name usually relates to the lyrics. Usually, a composer is inspired by an event, person, or place to convey the feeling in song, and the name is part of the lyrics. You may find this interesting, with Herbie Hancock speaking about the creation and naming of his tune "Watermelon Man": http://bluespianorevealed.com/herbie-hancock-and-the-origin-of-the-watermelon-man/ |
Rok, there's a vocalist who's more current than Ella, who likes to scat a lot, and inflect her own vocal gymnastics into a song like a horn player. She's a marvelous jazz singer, but she doesn't respect the classics, which is something Ella always did. She would never scat on a classic song when the object is to deliver the emotion of the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swnwW6QdP9AElla made my point for me. Enjoy the music. |
O-10:
One last VERMONT comment. I feel you and The Frogman might be putting too much emphasis on the name of the tune. I don't think of Vermont at all. You gotta name it something. Something people can easily remember and relate to.
Which brings up the question: Why and How are Jazz tunes named?
Cheers |
O-10,
I had to laugh out loud at your Miles Davis story. I could almost see it.
Cheers |
******Frogman wins by a TKO.*******
Curses, foiled again! I was robbed! Rematch?
O-10, as usual you have restored order and reason.
Cheers |
Today's Listen:
Billy Bang (violin) -- A Tribute To Stuff Smith
with / Sun Ra (piano), John Ore (bass), Andrew Cyrille (drums)
Stuff Smith was one of the premier Jazz Violinist. Died in 1967.
As the title says, this a tribute to him from Billy Bang. All the tunes are standards, which is unusal considering the lineup. Most of these guys played with Sun Ra before or after this recording date.
Bang plays well throughout. In fact he dominates all the tunes. I had to listen twice to concentrate on Sun Ra's contribution. It's there, just not up front. He may have already been in countdown for launch to Alpha Centauri!
These guys are known as Free or avant garde Jazz players, but during this session they acted right. Everything from Jerome Kern to Duke Ellington.
I am not sure the players were a good match. I think Bang would have been better served with more conventional boppers in the rhythm section. But, it is an enjoyable disc. Check it out.
Recommended, if you like Violin in your Jazz.
For some reason they (jazz violinist), all remind me of Stephane Grappelli and Sweet Georgia Brown, Which in turn reminds me of the Globetrotters, Which is not the worst thing a person can be reminded of!
Cheers |
Music Lovers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWIGu6-r67Y
Not Jazz, but a great song by a great singer, that some how evaded my sensory net until now.
Listen from the beginning and pat attention to the piano at 2:18 - 2:19. I always smile and say YES!!!!!.
It's little things like this that make music so wonderful to me. The small nuances.
Cheers |
I was a Toots fan since Midnight Cowboy |
Frogman,
"Affinity" with Bill & Toots. I am a huge fan!
Toots recently turned 91 on 4/29. |
******That was not the point*******
I know it was not your point. Just getting in a plug for the good folks at Mt Horeb. :)
Cheers |
****BTW, there are much worst places to be musically, than a Baptist church. Some good stuff there.****
GREAT stuff there. That was not the point.
Cheers. |
The Frogman:
They, Smith & Getz, seemed to be focused on playing 'moonlight in vermont'. Almost, but not quite, note for note as a singer might sing it.
I think Person and Defrancesco just used it as a good place to start.
Although Person went further away from the melody as the tune progressed, I never forgot they were playing 'Moonlight in Vermont'. To me, this is the genius of Jazz. Besides, Defrancesco was there.
On his Cd 'Boppin' at the Bluenote', Jon Hendricks does the Lerner & Loewe tune 'Get Me To The Church On Time', from My Fair Lady.
When he finished he said, "I bet THEY didn't know THEY wrote THAT!! The THEY being, Lerner & Loewe. The THAT being his 'take' on 'church on time'.
Cheers
BTW, there are much worst places to be musically, than a Baptist church. Some good stuff there. |
Fight! Fight! I love a good brawl; Rok versus Frogman, that even sounds like a thriller. Rok said Johnny Smith didn't have enough tension and dynamic range. Frogman said Johnny was perfect, and Houston Person had too much.
Before jumping into this brawl, I went back to you tube. There was Johnny on this beautiful LP cover with a full moon behind him, in front of a snow covered Vermont, and I can just picture the "ski trails". His guitar, and Getz smooth tenor sax have me gliding down those ski trails on a moonlit night; all of this captures the song. In totality, this ranks with the most perfect "Moonlight in Vermont's" I've ever heard.
Frogman wins by a TKO.
Rok, if you changed the name to "Groovy times in Vermont" or "Groovy Times at That Church in Vermont" ( that sanctified yell by Joey on organ took us there), you would win by KO. Better luck next time.
Enjoy the music.
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Classic case of "different strokes for different folks". To me, there is no comparison between the Johnny Smith and the Houston Person versions of Moonlight In Vermont. The Smith is perfect in it's restraint and simplicity and in the soloists's ability to play the "changes" while NEVER letting the listener forget the melody of the tune, thus creating a mood which is perfect for the tune....moonlight in Vermont. Very tasty playing.
The Person version, for me, has TOO MUCH and gratuitous "dynamic range and tension" (good terms, Rok). Person doesn't even make all the changes (one loses the tune) and does a lot of meandering with way too many fast note flourishes that not only are not necessary, but are inappropriate for a tune like this IMO; especially when they are played with blues inflections and note choices. Huh?! Are we outside enjoying the moonlight, or are we in a Baptist church?
While Johnny Smith surprises with an occasional and rare flourish of notes, Person creates a feeling of "enough already". |
For me, a person, and a person's music, are two entirely different things; at this time, it's necessary for us to make that distinction because I would like for us to get into current jazz, while at the same time we discuss past masters. If it's necessary to bring up an "incendiary" name for the sake of comparison of his music with other current or past jazz musicians, we must restrict that conversation to the music in isolation, because that's the way I see all music. When we want to talk about a person that's one thing, if we want to talk about that persons music, that's another. Is this possible? If not, let's just forget it. Barbara Dennerlein is a new interesting artist who I've not heard before now, I think her group has the "dynamism" that Rok's referred to. I like her energy and style, I see a diamond in the rough. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa-nKS89ATIEnjoy the music. |
Rok, dynamic range and tension are perfect descriptions for me, and I know exactly what you mean; those two terms are also technical aspects of the recording. Since that's an old recording, it's difficult to separate the technical aspects of "dynamic range", from the musical aspects which create the tension.
On "Moonlight in Vermont", I read the comments in regard to Houston Person, and they all spoke for me.
Enjoy the music.
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Frogman, I bought that LP when it came out. Toots said that's his best ever, even though he wasn't the leader. There are so many aspects to that one LP, and I've enjoyed them all, but your take on the music always adds something new.
Enjoy the music.
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O-10:
The Johnny Smith performance was great. I listened to a few more of his. Misty was one. His playing was flawless to my ear. However, I have been trying to figure out why some music, even if the music is perfectly played, just seems to lack something. I think I know what it is now.
Dynamic Range and Tension. I hope these descriptive terms pass muster with the Frogtman and The learsfool.
I would try this Moonlight In Vermont: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ikl8pnHz6k
and you can also youtube Vermont by Billie Holiday. Her voice is almost gone, but not quite. It will grab you.
These youtube thingys are getting to be habit forming to me. The make it so easy to compare artists.
I listen to the Emily Remier cut, and then off to the side was a clip of Wes playing with Monk and Coltrane. Although I didn't see or hear Coltrane.
But the difference was striking. Of course not being able to match Wes and Monk is nothing to be ashamed of.
It is very sad that she died so soon. The girl on the B-3 is great also. I hope she is still with us. What a lot of these folks need is a cooking rythm section.
Cheers |
One of the most unique sounds in jazz, Toot's Thielemans' playing is incredible on this recording. One of leader Bill Evans' least talked about records, but definitely one to have. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iOrFAxdiCnw |
Orpheus10, I loved the Johnny Smith cut. What a beautiful player! Amazingly relaxed, but very deliberate and very soulful with a gorgeous sound. His feel is reminescent of Dexter Gordon's ballad playing; behind the beat but always secure and confident. Stan Getz is brilliant as usual; a great pairing. One of the nicest things that I have heard in a while. Thank you. |
Rok, Sorry about that. Emily Remler's music will live on.
How about a really good new album, by Winard Harper, called Coexist? Feeling any better? |
Acman3:
I didn't realize she had passed. That is sad. Seems like the really good ones die young.
Thanks for the info. From excitement to sadness in five minutes. |
Rok, Emily Remler and Barbara Dennerlein "Stormy Weather Blues" was boss, they're on my list. The best thing about new jazz is that it can be recorded so much better.
Enjoy the music.
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Rok, sit down and read Emily's bio. |
We also have to give a shout out to Barbara Dennerfein on B-3 organ. Good stuff. check her 'boogie woogie' youtube thingy.
Not earth shattering, but it's so good to see young players play this type of stuff.
Cheers |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGVXr4Ji49o
Had to send this. A german Drummer namer jo jo meyer!! it has to be worth a listen. This is so wonderful to see YOUNG folks paying their repects to the past.
She is good.
Cheers |
Isochronism, good tip.
Not only is she a talented young, and beautiful, Jazz artist. I found a music teacher also. :)
Now this woman has her head in the right place. I will have to check out more of her stuff. I like the way she talks about Jazz. Finally a promising YOUNG player.
BEBOP lives!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j0qLksgXDE
Cheers |
True story: I was in a funereal limousine In Miles Davis's home town, and someone tried to lighten the grim journey by starting a conversation about Miles music. The chatter was going back and forth, when the grieved widow chimed in "I remember Miles, he was that little dark skinned kid who was always trying to blow the trumpet." After that, there was total silence for the rest of the journey.
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David Benoit "Waiting For Spring"
featuring Emily Remler |
