Jazz for aficionados

Thought I’d an share an unexpected experience hearing jazz fusion music for the first time. A girlfriend at the time, wanted to see an upcoming Laura Nyro concert at the Fillmore East. I got tickets for the show, which turned out to be a double bill with Miles Davis as the opening act. This was in June 1970 and we just graduating from high school. At the time I was completely unfamiliar with jazz, and thought it might be interesting to hear a bit of what you’d think of as "cool jazz", before Laura Nyro came on.

Well what a shock when Miles band, including a young Chick Corea on piano, and Keith Jarrett on organ among others, came on that night and started playing "Bitches Brew". I had no idea what we were listening to. It was overwhelming, and difficult to make out even the patterns of the music being played, as if it was a loud. cacophony.  What a trip. .I can still picture a young Chick Corea playing his keyboards in that maelstrom.

Luckily they recorded an album from Miles’ Fillmore East shows. An upon hearing Chick had passed away, I listened to it again, remembering seeing the then young Chick sitting at the keyboards, alongside Miles Davis playing his trumpet. It’s hard to believe that was fifty years ago. RIP Chick, and thank you for the music you created, and the many albums of yours I’m fortunate enough to have.

Mike

**** where does the impetus for instrument development and creation come from? The composers or players. ****

The composers.  The players would often help in the design of the instruments by offering advise on things like practical key mechanism requirements based on hands experience, but the impetus is mostly the composers.  Although, most of the great composers have, at least, rudimentary understanding of the possibilities and limitations of all orchestral instruments; part of formal training.  

The saxophone is a particularly good example for the answer to an interesting question.  It is a relatively new instrument invented in the mid 1800’s by the Belgian instrument maker Adolph Sax.  He invented the instrument due to demand from composers for an instrument that would bridge the “gap”, timbre wise, between the woodwinds and the brass instruments in an orchestra.  As a solo instrument it added a very interesting and unusual (for the time) color to the tonal palette available to composers.  His original vision for the instrument was for an entire family of saxophones spanning a wide range from contra bass to sopranino.  In all, he designed upwards of ten different saxophones in different keys (ranges).  Most became obsolete relatively soon after and the most popular (practical) remain in use today: (sopranino), soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, (bass).  

After an initial flurry of interest in this new instrument on the part of composers, interest waned and it wasn’t until its use in American popular music at the turn of the century that its use really took off.  Re “Pictures”:


”The Old Castle” from Modest Mussorgky’s “Pictures at an Exibition” is probably the most well known and arguably most beautiful orchestral saxophone solo in the literature.  Keep in mind that the piece was composed as a solo piano work by Modest Mussorgsky in the 1870’s and it was subsequently orchestrated a few times by different composers in different versions.  It wasn’t until the early 1920’s that Maurice Ravel also orchestrated it in its most well known and arguably best version in which he gave the solo melody in “The Old Castle” to the alto saxophone.  The PO/Ormandy recording is of Ravel’s orchestration and it is one of the best recordings of the piece.  

Speaking of Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra and the saxophone.  Another beautiful (my favorite) orchestral saxophone solo can be found in the first movement of Sergei Rachmaninov’s “Symphonic Dances”.  Like many well known European composers, Rachmaninov left Russia due to the political upheaval taking place in Europe in the 1940’s.  He composed the work after arriving in America and dedicated it to the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ormandy.  The recording by that orchestra and Ormandy is hreat and generally considered to be “the one”.  The recent Sony Classics reissue is fantastic and with excellent sound.  Check it out.

Nice account, skyscraper. Thanks. Miles opening for Laura Nyro?!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvxWibFr0wiIkBE7JktUnLm4EGfpPVfdT