Jazz for aficionados
"Blood Count" was a featured piece for Stan Getz for decades. As much as I love Johnny Hodges, it's Getz who embodies the song. There are numerous YouTubes and recorded version. Here's some interesting commentary about Getz and the song.That's the sum total of my comments about "Blood Count". I stand by this statement. It is not a statement of fact, but of opinion. To be perfectly honest I do not understand the consternation these few sentences have raised, particularly since the arguments against my comments are nothing more than opinions. For instance: It's totally 100% impossible for anyone other than Johnny Hodges to embody the essence of what Billy Strayhorn has written better than, "Johnny Hodges". you cannot say a player can 'embody' a tune written by a great composer, on his death bed, and written for players of whom he had a very intimate knowledge as people and players.Are these anything more than opinions? What I particularly like about how Getz works the tune is that he strips it down to what I would call its essence. It's raw and emotional. Those are two words not often associated with Ellington/Strayhorn. You could argue that Getz is violating the intent of the composer. If he is, so be it. That's one of the reasons jazz performances are considered creative events as opposed to recitals. Please make allowances for me not knowing the official orthodoxy regarding Strayhorn/Hodges and "Blood Count". Apparently Elvis Costello didn't get the message either. |
****** You could argue that Getz is violating the intent of the composer. If he is, so be it.******* If this is true, then how, pray tell, could he embody the intent of the tune at the same time. I think this guy is an 'audiophile'. He should go back to the 'wire' and 'mine is better than your' arena. Cheers |
Here's one with Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSPJ96pRTI0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3T29fsqfz4 Enjoy the music. |
O-10: Hank Crawford: Good clips. We are getting close to home now. This guy operated in Memphis, just up the road, highway 61, from my home. I liked all the youtubes, but, 'Peepers' was my favorite. As much R&B as Jazz, and that's a good thing. Seems as if he played with all the greats, B.B. King, Ray, Bobby Bland and Ike Turner etc.... I consider his stuff to be what they call 'soul Jazz', and that's a good thing also. His music is easy to relate to, though not innovative. On 'Peepers" even Sanborn got in the groove. I think Crawford is quoted as saying,"if the audience ain't moving, you ain't playing". :) My kind of attitude. I have just one CD by Crawford. A twofer on Collectables Jazz Classics; Mr Blues / Mr Blues Plays Lady Soul. Mostly R&B stuff. I think there should be a seperate sub-set of Jazz for people like Crawford and Ray Charles and others that stayed and played in places other than NYC or LA. Stayed close to the source, both musically and geographically. Thanks for the Post Cheers |
O-10: Eddie Harris - It's amazing how sensitive these guys can play. This was a great tune and light years from 'Swiss Movement'! That's another reason Jazz is so much like classical music. Not only is it timeless, but can go from the Sublime to the outrageous, from one track to the next. Quite a range of emotions. Cheers |
O-10: Jackson and Hutcherson -- Jazz Baltica 99 WOW!! I loved it! There is absolutely no substitute for SEEING these magicians at work! These were serious players, playing Jazz. This clip is even better than the Gene Harris double Piano clip. Did you notice the glances exchanged between Milt and Hutcherson as they ended their solos? On 'Bags Groove' I thought Milt's glance said, "you do know who 'Bags' is? don't ya!" hahahahahahhahhahah But it was great all around. We are so fortunate now to have this stuff, and hopefully forever. Delilah -- It was good also. I thought they played it just a tad too long. It sort of petered out rather than ended. It might have been no longer than the other concert, it just seemed longer. Smoother? :( I only have two CDs by Hutcherson. His first as a leader,'dialogue', and 'Color Schemes'. I also have him with 'The Timeles All-Stars' and Eric Dolphy's 'Out to Lunch'. I think he tap danced around the avant garde stuff for a while. He seemed to be with Dolphy and Andrew Hill a lot. But on these clips he was back in the groove. Had seen the error of his ways and was bopping once again. Redemption!! Thanks for the clips. Great stuff! What was the difference between the two player's vibraphones? Cheers |
Rok, Jackson and Hutcherson were twice as nice the second time around. Bags seemed to be saying more with fewer words, especially on "Bags Groove". Did you notice how well coordinated the color scheme on their attire was. "Delilah" on the CD "Skyline" by Bobby is exquisite, I bought the CD just for that cut, although it was all good. The artists were: Kenny Garret, alto sax; Geri Allen, piano; Christian McBride, bass; and Al Foster, drums. Bags vibraphone had a pedal and seemed more complex, also I liked the tone better; but I never would have noticed if you hadn't mentioned there was a difference. Yes, this was better than the double piano because both artists were "deep in the groove" on this one, wish I had been there. Enjoy the music. |
I did a brilliant 'review' of the Bobby McFerrin CD 'Spirit you all" a while back. Of course it was totally ignored by the Aficionado community. It has been in my player everyday since. Here is a youtube of my favorite cut. ' 25:15 ' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgV-xKe6vGE The Cd is even better. No weak tracks and no filler. Ain't got it? Better git it! Cheers |
Nice stuff from Bags and Hutcherson. Swinging classic jazz from two masters. Thanks for the clips. O-10 is exactly right when he says: "Bags is saying more with fewer words". Hutcherson plays great, but his playing is much more notey and he likes to be flashier than Bags. There are certain subtle "statements" that players make for each other and for the audience that don't always have anything to do with the music in the usual sense, but speak volumes about that player's attitude and sense of self. For instance, notice how on "Just Friends" Hutcherson plays the first solo and takes 5 (!) choruses; that is a lot of blowing by any standard. Bags follows and has the confidence to, instead of saying: "Oh yea, I'm gonna take six", he says : "I don't need five choruses, I can can say it in two"; and he does. Love it! I also agree about each player's tone; I prefer Bags' tone. A large (not all) part of the reason for the difference is the equipment they use. Both instruments do have a pedal (they all do). Since Hutcherson's is, overall, more streamlined, the pedal is harder to see as opposed to the pedal on Bags' vibes which is larger and more "decorative". Bags' instrument also has the large wooden side panels which tend to give the sound a fuller quality, as well as the arched resonator tubes which is really just a cosmetic difference to give the instrument that contoured appearance in the front. If you look closely at the mallets that they each play, you will notice that the heads on Hutcherson's mallets are smaller and less "fluffy"; hence harder. That is the main reason for the difference in tone. Bags' mallet heads are larger and softer giving the sound a slightly rounder, fuller and less metallic quality. Both beautiful players. |
Acman3: As I said, I enjoyed the CD better than the video. Video can giveth, and video, can taketh away. It took away in this case. See the talk on Milt and Hutcherson for an example of video helping.. Could have done without the screen in the background. Added nothing to the performance except to make it appear less serious. "it is my unofficial biography" could you elaborate? Cheers |
Frogman to the rescue! I had to look at Bobby and Bags for a third time in order to confirm Frogman's post. Since Bobby is my man, I certainly didn't look at this with any bias; but Bags is the greatest ever, and when you read between the lines, both he and Bobby are acknowledging that fact. Enjoy the music. |
Frank Wess passed yesterday at 91 years of age. A beautiful player that will be missed. Nothing else that I can say except to listen to this (look at the faces of the NYC saxophone young lions in the section; that says it all): http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B1xZJqsjr58 This one's for Rok: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GILdf3RqRQA |
OK, jazz aficionados, here is an opportunity to be the first recipient of the "Lobotomy Award": Can you name the tune that Frank Wess and Gene Harris are playing on? On the above clip you never actually hear the melody of the tune, only the harmonic progression and improvisation. The chord progression of this tune is one of the most distinctive and recognizable. Hint: Duke BTW, the title of this award was inspired by a quote of one of my favorite comments ever read on this forum ** "Hell, no wonder I don't GET IT. Ever since I had my lobotomy, (in a vain attempt to be able to hear wire)" - Rok2id |
Yup. We have a winner! http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=barWV7RWkq0 On a more serious note, thanks for bringing Gene Harris to the discussion, I was not familiar with his work other than by reputation. Fantastic player. |
Unfortunately everything I had by Frank Wess was on LP, and who knows where that went; but I found this, and I thought I would share it with you and Rok, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=703LlU1pwX4 Bobby McFerrin made me feel like I was in church in Mound Bayou, Mississippi; way back when. Enjoy the music. |
I don't have anything by Wess as leader. I do have him on 'Basie at Newport' and 'April In Paris'. In fact he seems to be on all my Basie CDs. Its always sad to lose these guys. Esp since their quality of musicianship won't be replaced. If he reached 91, he must have lived a good and clean life, at least by Jazz standards. So many died so much younger. He looked like a true pro. Max substance, min show. Serious! Cheers |
Today's Listen: Christian McBride Trio -- OUT HERE McBride(b), Christian Sands(p), Ulysses Owens jr(d) Jazz Lives!! Old-timers like me live for these rare moments. I knew I was in for a treat when I saw the first tunes were ' Ham Hocks & Cabbage ' and 'Hallelujah Time' :) 9 Tunes. No weak tracks. Who is this piano player, and where has he been hiding? His playing on 'hallelujah time' is just awesome. McBridge plays the Bass using the bow on this and other tracks. I think even the Frogman would be impressed with the intonation and articulation of this bass playing. They do an awesome 'My Favorite Things'. Is there any tune more suitable for Jazz improvisation?? It's almost impossible to screw up this tune. And they nailed this version. Love it! A unique 'Cherokee' is also on the CD. They end the session with a killer 'who's making love'. Seems as if this set started and ended in the Delta! Great playing all around. This bodes well for the future of Jazz. The cover photo is great. Serious players, and young ones at that, playing serious music. No faded jeans with holes in the knees, here! The recording quality equals the quality of the performance. Without fault. You know you gotta have it. Check it out. I will have to see what else they have recorded. Cheers |
Rok, I have a feeling this will get YOU moving: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PE6HmArln_k BTW, Sam and Dave on vocals, Herbie Hancock on keys, and in the horn section (among others) the previously discussed tuba player Howard Johnson on baritone saxophone (one of his doubles), and a young Dave Sanborn before he became a "star". |
Thanks for asking. Yes, but I like my privacy and anonymity, and I don't like to toot my own horn (pun intended); especially on public forums. I am sure you have noticed that I don't play the "as a professional musician...." card. I will say, however, that the CD's range from movie soundtracks, to recordings with The NY Philharmonic, The Saturday Night Live Band, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Met Opera, Mario Bauza, Paquito D'Rivera, NY Pops and lots in between. No false modesty here, but that's way more information than I am comfortable with :-) for a host of reasons, not the least of which is the nature of the industry that I am in; it is a very small community. BTW, speaking of Herbie and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra checkout Herbie's "Gershwin's World", absolutely beautiful record, |
BTW, There are two quotes in the liner sleeve of the 'Gershwin's World' CD. One by Gershwin, and one by Ellington. The Gershwin quote is dead on!! Could not agree more. He nailed it. It might also explain the state of Jazz today. The nation's store of engery is winding down. I had to cringe at the Ellington quote. Can a mere mortal disagree with The Duke?? Some people might take his statement too literal. Cheers |
I thought maybe The O-10 could pick up some fashion pointers from this. Then he won't have to go around looking like Spike Jones. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlE-Zv4Pyhk What do Beethoven's 5th, Ellington's Jeep Blues and Calloways's Minnie the Moocher all have in common? It will take a true Aficionado two seconds to answer this. Cheers |
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to decide where jazz starts or where it stops, where Tin Pan Alley begins and jazz ends, or even where the borderline lies between classical music and jazz. I feel there is no boundary line.” - Duke Ellington ****I had to cringe at the Ellington quote. Can a mere mortal disagree with The Duke?? Some people might take his statement too literal.**** Rok First of all, I seem to remember a comment by you a while back, something along the lines of "sometimes I think listeners are more purist than the artists themselves". Well, there's some truth to that. Concerning Duke, remember the context (funny how we keep coming back to context). He was a composer and orchestrator who "lived" in and was very close to both genres; he wrote music that did in fact blur the lines between the two. And if I may, a comment I made: "One can never know too much". Look at a picture in a newspaper: the further you step back, the clearer boundary lines appear. The closer you get to the picture, the more you see the dots that make up each image; the more the boundaries get blurred. |
Rok, and Frogman, with your help I would like to take a very interesting historical journey; we'll do it "audibly". I want to trace African music from slavery to the present, beginning with music from Brazil. Baden Powell is an artist who was the favorite of a professional jazz musician I knew, his music has stood the test of time in my collection, and it's the just right blend of Afro Brazilian jazz that stands repeated listening. "Canto De Ossanha" is one of my favorites. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgS16Ipnr2E Next is a very languid version of "Lemanja". I would like for us to explore Afro Brazilian the same way we explored Afro Cuban, we didn't skim the surface, but went deep; bypass the commercial, there is a wealth of this music we haven't heard before. I've noticed a big difference between the different Afro Blends. Afro- Cuban, is quite different from the Brazilian. The most unique aspect of Afro Brazilian music is the berimbau. Here is the website that gives a description of this instrument. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berimbau>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcpfHAJZagE[url] I would like for us to explore Afro Brazilian the same way we explored Afro Cuban, we didn't skim the surface, but went deep; bypass the commercial, there is a wealth of this music we haven't heard before. I've noticed a big difference between the different Afro Blends. Afro- Cuban, is quite different from the Brazilian. The most unique aspect of Afro Brazilian music is the berimbau. Here is the website that gives a description of this instrument. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berimbau Slaves in Brazil escaped and set up a free community in Brazil called Palmares that lasted for almost 100 years; that's why the "Afro" in Afro Brazilian is so pervasive. This was a historical secret for quite some time. While the "berimbau" was one of their favorite instruments, nobody knows precisely where it came from, that's what I mean when I say "Afro Brazil" is unique. While there is "Afro-Cuban", there is no "Afro-American"; slave masters evidently told them "I want yall to stop beatin them damn drums, ya hear me", and they quit. Slavery in this country was by far the cruelest. African music came to this country from Cuba or Haiti, it was not passed down from the African slaves. Nothing African, that's audible, came my way before Dizzy Gillespie, and that was from Cuba. The only thing that survived was the "Voodoo music" in New Orleans, and it would not have survived if it had not been kept secret. While this religion and it's music are one inseparable package, we want to focus exclusively on the music. Here is some accompanying music from New Orleans, check "New Orleans Voodoo" on you tube, there is no doubt about it's origin; "Africa"! If you go to Haiti, you will hear this same music; kids can beat this out with a rock in each hand banging on a metal shovel, while others dance to the music. This same music and rituals can be heard anywhere in Brazil if you are invited to one of the secret meetings, and I'm sure the same goes for Cuba; but this isn't about the rituals, this is exclusively about music from Africa that survived through that horrible thing called slavery. Enjoy the music. |
Here's the music from Nawlins, it's the same as the music in Haiti or Brazil. It came to this hemisphere with the slaves, and survived all of those centuries "unchanged"; that's what I call a history without a history book. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EJUWRThg-c |
O-10: Great music clip. I love that sort of music. If we go on a musical journey, I'm getting off in Brazil. I just love the sound of vocal Brazilian music, esp that sung by females. Your narrative about African music in Cuba and Brazil, and the lack of African music in the U.S., is very interesting. I think I agree with most of what you said. A few things, I will have to 'ponder' and respond to later. I disagree that slavery in this country was 'by far the cruelest'. History proves that it was not. And, slavery was not that bad, all things considered. It's not like, Work visas or tourtist visas, were an option. If the choice is Africa or America, I choose America. My observation is, African American people have had the least contact with Africa, and have been influenced the least by Africa, of all black peoples. (thank you Jesus0. Since Afro-American music has influenced music world wide. That is telling. I will try to make a contribution to this project, with full understanding of the risk of incurring the wrath of The Frogman when we get to Cuba. :) Cheers |
O, Every journey has a beginning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8rKFHxnOe8 Skipping slavery, but not oppression. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izJYZhZgkMg |
Acman3, you're definitely into the swing of things, this is history by ear and nothing else. This music came from Africa with the slaves, and was suppressed, that's why we didn't hear it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EJUWRThg-c Enjoy the music. |
Acman3: Both enjoyable clips. The Dollar Brand could just as easily been Masekela. But who doesn't like Masekela. Jazz?? No. But I don't know if O-10's journey is about Jazz or just music. The South African Jazz scene will mature once they get pass every tune having to involve native dress, dancing and Apartheid. Nice Clips Cheers |
