jazzin' it up!
I've been enjoying jazz lately. It's been quite some time since I listened to as much as I have. I'm using Pandora Radio for my source. If anyone reading this is unfamiliar with Pandora and enjoys music, I endorse going to their website (.com) and play around. It's smart, it's free and it's full-coverage. You name the artist you enjoy, set up a 'radio station' and create your play list. Like most that play Pandora, I have several stations. The jazz stations are divided up: Keith Jarrett, Herbie Mann and Paul Horn. These are the principal artists that I wanted to listen to and Pandora plays tracks that correspond to those of the key names. If their choice is not to your liking, simply click "thumbs down" and you'll never hear that particular piece again.
This is sounding very much a plug for Pandora Radio. It is. It works. I've got other artist stations also. But this was about jazz. That's right, "was"... I need to change the subject. Damn music. It never fails to carry me away. I'm easily transported by (most) music. The length of the travel corresponds to the enjoyment of the piece. Yeah.. you're like that, too. We're both music junkies. Asa a matter of fact we're all music junkies, aren't we?
Some music I find comparable to a hot air balloon flight. I've flown in balloons several times and the one thing that is very noticeable is while the balloon's direction is a the whim of the breeze, one does not hear the breeze... the wind is silent while going with it. Much music takes me to that place where I find myself not really listening anymore to the music, but rather the music has taken me to such a place and dropped me off to indulge my pleasure. While in this space, I am not cognizant of musical sounds but experience has shown that if I become aware of no music... at that point I once again hear the music and am no longer at the place I was where the music dropped me. Does that make any sense? The idea that I'm trying to describe makes perfect sense to me right now, but the selection of words used to describe the experience... well, that may or may not be understandable. hah!
The bass. The upright bass is being played with such definition in the background. A tenor sax just came in... sweet, sweet sounds like curls of dreams subjugated by desire. Behind that - a piano. Not intrusive... just mellow accompaniment along with the snare drum. Now the piano is taking lead while the drum keeps the rhythm... I look. I click. The album this tune came from is named "Points in Time" by Steve Korn. Steve plays drums.
Enter: Keith Jarrett. Solo piano. Part IIc from the Koln Concert. I have that CD. Pure Keith live in Koln. One of the most incredible piano concerts ever recorded. But that is just me... me and millions of others. Talk about being transported!
I don't remember my first jazz album (yeah... 'album'!), but it had to have been the early 60's. I was a young teen then and I got tripped off into alternatives - jazz and folk music. Back then whatever spare money I had I would purchase albums. Jazz was big on my list back in those years. People like Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Modern Jazz Quartet, Thelonious Monk, Ahmad Jamal to name but a few. The list was pretty full for a young kid, but I loved it all... that and the folk music scene.
Folk music is where I heard about some stray cat named Bob Dylan. The record shop I used to frequent had a salesman that turned me on to this Dylan guy back in 1962..."Listen to this. He's new. You might like him.." he said. I took the album into the listening room (the old record shops, if they were cool, had listening rooms where you could privately listen to possible purchases), and upon hearing this guy's voice for the first time... I laughed. But I had to have it. I bought Columbia Records, "Bob Dylan" and when I got home I listened to it all the way through. I laughed some more. But there was something about this fellow. Those words. Those fucking words seemed powerful. Dylan only wrote two of the albums' songs, ("Talkin' New York" and "Song to Woody"), but even the way he sang the other songs... it was so unique, a magic about his interpretation of these other songs. The laughing soon quit and the admiration towards this Bob Dylan guy was growing. I became a covert at the time when few in Phar Lepht even knew about him (I reckon, anyway).
Enter: Brad Mehldau, jazz pianist, album: Progression: Art of the Trio, Vol. 5, piece "The More I See You (Live)." Excellent. This choice on the Herbie Mann station is unusual, but since I also have a Keith Jarrett station, what the hell! I like it and let Pandora know. Sunday morning... a smooth jazz day. The skies are clear, temperature around high 40's, and I'm here doing my thang.
Piano seems to be the choice of the day. I think of George Winston. Terrific piano playing. I saw him live one evening. Played solo in his bare feet. I already had 2, maybe 3 CD's his, and thoroughly enjoyed his concert.
I was a young boy... pre-teen, grade school level and my mother wanted me to learn the piano. I took lessons from a female piano teacher about a block away from the house. I guess I took 2 lessons a week, maybe 3, I don't remember the details about that. But I do remember being so friggin' bored with doing the scales and playing with her metronome, click, click, click fucking click until I thought I'd go goddam crazy. One hour each lesson seemed like an eternity... click, click, click... the time couldn't pass fast enough. "Sit up straight!" It didn't take me long to discover that I was much better at playing recorded music that I'd ever be at playing a musical instrument. The lessons didn't last. It was futile. My mother lost and I won. The piano lesson battle was over.
Enter: "What's Going On?" with Herbie Mann playing flute like few can do, from his album "Push Push" from 1971. Yeah! 37 years ago and it still sounds so good... a timeless quality to it. My first Herbie Mann album was "Herbie Mann Live at the Village Gate" which came out in 1961... 47years ago!! If you get a chance listen to it... the CD is available. Don't mistake it with other Village Gate recordings, This was quite possibly Mann's first recording live at the Village Gate - extreme jazz flute. Worthy of any jazz collection.
This could go on and on... it's probably too long now. I should proof read it but I don't feel like it right now. But I need to stop.
cecil
09 March 2008
My first-love music were a mix of beatles, national rock music, cuban trova & medieval & barroque music played by Rosario´s Pro Musica (my daddy owned the jazz discos!).
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