Jazz for aficionados
Today's Listen -- Harold Land -- A LAZY AFTERNOON Perhaps all 'with strings' Jazz, is not bad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhFC7LB5OXs Cheers |
Etta Jones -- DON'T GO TO STRANGERS A really wonderful album She's not quite Billie, but who is? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJoKqPlHFF0&list=PLdKoEEF1n8crKI96ljTTiXz9ATDOrHFym&index=4 I used to play this on the piano when I was a kid. Couldn't read music, so I just moved my hands gradually down the keyboard until it 'sounded' right, then I knew I was in the right place. Melody only. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2C5sXV9jCc&list=PLdKoEEF1n8crKI96ljTTiXz9ATDOrHFym&index=7 Cheers |
Great clips; thanks. Want to put in another plug for Phil Schaap on WKCR 89.9 FM and his unbelievable resprospectives on jazz artists. His "Bird Flight" programs are a must hear for any fan of this music; unbelievably interesting and thorough. Today he focused (with Bird as the backdrop) on how and why artists (especially singers) choose the material that they perform. Amazing stuff! Phil Schaap is a national treasure. You can check it out on line: http://tunein.com/radio/WKCR-FM-899-s30119/ |
There is a certain beauty and logic in the shape of jazz. By shape, I mean jazz in the historical sense; its evolution. We all have favorite eras in jazz and we have a tendency to declare one or the other "the best". Even acknowledging that there were certain eras (the 50's) when jazz seemed to be exploding with creativity, a tremendous number of classic records were recorded and one could even call it the music's "peak", this peak is determined and perceived not just by the music's worth and integrity, but also by how the music fits into the changing social climate. In a way, the evolution of jazz as a whole is like a great jazz solo (in any era): it often starts simply and builds and becomes more and more complex and far reaching. This rant was inspired by a recording that I heard yesterday of a group that reminded me of what I imagine my favorite (not necessarily what I consider the best) jazz group of all time, the Miles Davis Quintet from the 60's (Hancock,Shorter, Williams, Carter) might sound like today; a real band interacting and creating on a high level and not just a group of great musicians playing familiar material within a more traditional framework and a greater number of "rules". To the traditionalist some of this music may seem like noise (not!); in the context of the shape of jazz it's pretty amazing stuff and shows, once again, that jazz is alive and well. Thoughts? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4QZ5chS_by8 |
