Hello! Tonight let's check out one of the greatest "all-star" groups you'll ever hear. This YouTube video is from the "One Night with Blue Note" recording. Blue Note is one of the most famous jazz record companies; back in the 50s and 60s, Blue Note was the hard bop record company. Many of the greatest players of the genre recorded for Blue Note - check out this web site and see the Table of Contents for a list of these artists.
The all-star group for this recording: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Joe Henderson (tenor), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Tony Wiulliams (drums). The tune is Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island," a straight-8ths tune, and a standard tune today.
All the soloists mix bursts of notes with bluesy motifs on this tune; that mixture is central to playing in a basic hard bop style, and of course there are an infinite number of variations on that mix. Hancock gets the most "outside" during his solo (between about 6:50 and 7:35 or so), in contrast to the more straight ahead work from Hubbard and Henderson. Can you tell the difference? Can you hear the points where Hancock starts to move away from the basic harmony of the tune? The ability to do that is important as a way to build tension during a solo, which is an important skill to master as you learn to play this music. The way you create tension in your lines and the way you relieve that tension is a major part of your musical personality.
We'll talk more about tension-and-release in future posts. For now...just dig this group!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Nick Brignola - Burnin' Baritone!
Hello! I realized I haven't featured a baritone saxophonist yet, which is kind of embarrassing since I'm primarily a baritone player myself. So tonight let's check out a little Nick Brignola.
Brignola has long been considered one of the great bari players; he's well recorded and easily found on iTunes and YouTube. This 1996 video showcases Brignola and his quartet performing the standard tune, "I Remember April." Band includes Phil Markowitz (piano), John Lockwood (bass), and Rick Montalbano (drums).
I'd describe Brignola's playing as fiery. Listen to the way he pushes the melodic lines with a relentless energy; his command of the altissimo on baritone is among the best in the business, although he always uses it musically and not just for show. He also has a true hard bopper's ability to create long, flowing phrases without sounding like he's repeating himself.
There's only one way to describe how to become as great a player as someone like Nick Brignola: practice. I think Charlie Parker once said - I'm paraphrasing here - "You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail."
With all due respect to Bird...that's what it may sound like to the listener, but I think it's not really quite that simple.
When you're soloing, you're making conscious decisions about the shape of the line, the notes you pick, the length of the phrase you're playing at that moment - there are hundreds of decisions you're making on-the-fly as you play a single solo. Practicing your instrument and developing the ability to connect it to your brain really does reduce the amount of time it takes for you to get the musical idea out of your head, out through your fingers, and then out the other end of the horn.
AND...the more stuff you listen to, the more ideas you'll generate on your own...so the faster you can sort through your musical choices, make decisions, and get the ideas out through your instrument, the better your playing will sound.
Enough about practicing! I'm sure you get it by now. Here's one other baritone video to check out - this is Gerry Mulligan with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster on a tune called "Who's Got Rhythm." This is one of Mulligan's most burning solos ever!
Brignola has long been considered one of the great bari players; he's well recorded and easily found on iTunes and YouTube. This 1996 video showcases Brignola and his quartet performing the standard tune, "I Remember April." Band includes Phil Markowitz (piano), John Lockwood (bass), and Rick Montalbano (drums).
I'd describe Brignola's playing as fiery. Listen to the way he pushes the melodic lines with a relentless energy; his command of the altissimo on baritone is among the best in the business, although he always uses it musically and not just for show. He also has a true hard bopper's ability to create long, flowing phrases without sounding like he's repeating himself.
There's only one way to describe how to become as great a player as someone like Nick Brignola: practice. I think Charlie Parker once said - I'm paraphrasing here - "You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail."
With all due respect to Bird...that's what it may sound like to the listener, but I think it's not really quite that simple.
When you're soloing, you're making conscious decisions about the shape of the line, the notes you pick, the length of the phrase you're playing at that moment - there are hundreds of decisions you're making on-the-fly as you play a single solo. Practicing your instrument and developing the ability to connect it to your brain really does reduce the amount of time it takes for you to get the musical idea out of your head, out through your fingers, and then out the other end of the horn.
AND...the more stuff you listen to, the more ideas you'll generate on your own...so the faster you can sort through your musical choices, make decisions, and get the ideas out through your instrument, the better your playing will sound.
Enough about practicing! I'm sure you get it by now. Here's one other baritone video to check out - this is Gerry Mulligan with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster on a tune called "Who's Got Rhythm." This is one of Mulligan's most burning solos ever!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Update tomorrow!
Hello! I spent most of today working on a commission, so I didn't get around to posting any new material. I'll be back tomorrow with more great listening!
Monday, October 17, 2011
A Little More Eddie Daniels
Adam Smith sent this link: Eddie Daniels playing a classical/jazz piece ("Solfeggietto/Metamorphosis) with orchestral string section. THAT"S cool.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Eddie Daniels - Clarinet Master
Hello! Tonight we'll check out an instrument that was used a lot in early jazz and kind of fell out of favor during the bebop era. The clarinet isn't heard as often in jazz as it used to be, but that doesn't mean there aren't great jazz clarinet players anymore.
Eddie Daniels is one of the living masters of the instrument - he's equally at home in the symphony hall as he is in a jazz club. This Youtube video shows Eddie talking about how you "jazz up" a melody, in this case "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
If you're playing a feature solo like a ballad, it's definitely OK to play around a bit with the melody! So if you have trouble hearing what to do, check out great soloists like the players I've been featuring here on the Start Listening blog. You don't have to go all over the horn...in fact, sometimes I think some players do that too much, like a vocalist trying to show off...but it's definitely OK to stretch or compress the melody, or add little phrases here and there like Eddie demonstrates, as long as it works with whatever the rest of the band or rhythm section is doing.
You can find more clips of Eddie on YouTube or at his website.
I saw Eddie Daniels live at Jazz Alley in Seattle many years ago; I took a clarinetist friend who hadn't heard him before. Daniels started the gig by playing an excerpt from a clarinet concerto, which then morphed into a very fast jazz adaptation of the piece. My friend's jaw was literally on the floor - she'd never seen anyone with so much technique, and she hissed at me, "Do you have any idea how hard that is?"
Eddie Daniels is one of the living masters of the instrument - he's equally at home in the symphony hall as he is in a jazz club. This Youtube video shows Eddie talking about how you "jazz up" a melody, in this case "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
If you're playing a feature solo like a ballad, it's definitely OK to play around a bit with the melody! So if you have trouble hearing what to do, check out great soloists like the players I've been featuring here on the Start Listening blog. You don't have to go all over the horn...in fact, sometimes I think some players do that too much, like a vocalist trying to show off...but it's definitely OK to stretch or compress the melody, or add little phrases here and there like Eddie demonstrates, as long as it works with whatever the rest of the band or rhythm section is doing.
You can find more clips of Eddie on YouTube or at his website.
I saw Eddie Daniels live at Jazz Alley in Seattle many years ago; I took a clarinetist friend who hadn't heard him before. Daniels started the gig by playing an excerpt from a clarinet concerto, which then morphed into a very fast jazz adaptation of the piece. My friend's jaw was literally on the floor - she'd never seen anyone with so much technique, and she hissed at me, "Do you have any idea how hard that is?"
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Steve Smith - Drums
Hello! How about something for the drummers tonight? There are so many terrific drummers you should listen to that it's hard for me to pick one you should start with. I'll mention a few names towards the end of the post, but for now let's start with Steve Smith.
Smith is one of the most versatile players you'll ever hear. He was already an accomplished jazz drummer when he joined the rock group Journey (yes, that Journey) in the late 70s - that's his playing you hear on the rock standard "Don't Stop Believin'." In the mid-80s he left Journey to return to his roots in jazz; you can find out more about him at his website.
This YouTube video shows Steve Smith demonstrating a melodic drum solo. If you listen closely, you can hear him creating a melodic line with the drum set, and developing it as he goes through the solo. There's a lot of technique involved, to be sure, but it's all for the sake of really developing the solo as he goes.
Drummers aren't excused from making great jazz solos just because there aren't any "notes" on the set! If you're a drummer, be sure you're making good jazz lines and great music as you improvise. Players like Max Roach and Jeff Hamilton are easily located on YouTube or iTunes, and demonstrate the art of playing drum set solos melodically.
A couple more things: Here's an excerpt of Steve Smith demonstrating some basic funk. Listen to how simple the groove actually is! Well, he makes it sound easy. Playing great funk is actually pretty tough because you have to be precise with the rhythmic stuff, much like Latin grooves. Sloppy playing means no groove!
And finally, here an interesting bit from a "drum-off" between Steve Smith and Jeff Hamilton. Apologies for the camera-snap pauses towards the end, but you get the idea. Playing drums well in a jazz setting isn't all about technique and volume...you have to play melodically!
Smith is one of the most versatile players you'll ever hear. He was already an accomplished jazz drummer when he joined the rock group Journey (yes, that Journey) in the late 70s - that's his playing you hear on the rock standard "Don't Stop Believin'." In the mid-80s he left Journey to return to his roots in jazz; you can find out more about him at his website.
This YouTube video shows Steve Smith demonstrating a melodic drum solo. If you listen closely, you can hear him creating a melodic line with the drum set, and developing it as he goes through the solo. There's a lot of technique involved, to be sure, but it's all for the sake of really developing the solo as he goes.
Drummers aren't excused from making great jazz solos just because there aren't any "notes" on the set! If you're a drummer, be sure you're making good jazz lines and great music as you improvise. Players like Max Roach and Jeff Hamilton are easily located on YouTube or iTunes, and demonstrate the art of playing drum set solos melodically.
A couple more things: Here's an excerpt of Steve Smith demonstrating some basic funk. Listen to how simple the groove actually is! Well, he makes it sound easy. Playing great funk is actually pretty tough because you have to be precise with the rhythmic stuff, much like Latin grooves. Sloppy playing means no groove!
And finally, here an interesting bit from a "drum-off" between Steve Smith and Jeff Hamilton. Apologies for the camera-snap pauses towards the end, but you get the idea. Playing drums well in a jazz setting isn't all about technique and volume...you have to play melodically!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Metheny - McBride - Sanchez: "James"
Hello! As you might have guessed by checking out the various posts over the last few weeks, I'm trying to focus on a different instrument each week. This was going to be Bass Week, and I was looking for good video of bassist Christian McBride. But then I found this YouTube video of McBride with guitarist Pat Metheny and drummer Antonio Sanchez, recorded at the Lugano Jazz festival in Switzerland. The tune is Metheny's "James," inspired by folk singer James Taylor.
If you're a guitarist and you don't know Pat Metheny's music, you should really check it out. He's a brilliant composer and performer. He writes great tunes that I think will eventually become jazz standards - they're fun to play on. McBride is as hip to playing funk as he is straight ahead jazz, and in this video he's on fretless bass. He and percussionist Sanchez lay down a fantastic groove over which Metheny and McBride each take great solos.
Listen to the interplay between the three of them, especially during Metheny's guitar solo. When Pat starts playing busy lines, Sanchez and McBride reply in kind. When it's time for the bass and drums to lay out a bit and leave more room for Pat to develop things, they pull back just enough so the energy in the music doesn't fall too much. McBride finishes his solo with a bit of the melody line right before they play the tune out.
The way they work together in this recording is a good reminder that listening isn't just an activity you do as part of your practice regimen - it's what you have to do every time you make music, whether it's in the practice room or on stage at a jazz festival. The more you listen to everything, the better your ears will get at hearing the details.
Musician websites: Pat Metheny's site is www.patmetheny.com. Christian McBride has a great website also, and Antonio Sanchez can be found at www.antoniosanchez.net. Check them out!
If you're a guitarist and you don't know Pat Metheny's music, you should really check it out. He's a brilliant composer and performer. He writes great tunes that I think will eventually become jazz standards - they're fun to play on. McBride is as hip to playing funk as he is straight ahead jazz, and in this video he's on fretless bass. He and percussionist Sanchez lay down a fantastic groove over which Metheny and McBride each take great solos.
Listen to the interplay between the three of them, especially during Metheny's guitar solo. When Pat starts playing busy lines, Sanchez and McBride reply in kind. When it's time for the bass and drums to lay out a bit and leave more room for Pat to develop things, they pull back just enough so the energy in the music doesn't fall too much. McBride finishes his solo with a bit of the melody line right before they play the tune out.
The way they work together in this recording is a good reminder that listening isn't just an activity you do as part of your practice regimen - it's what you have to do every time you make music, whether it's in the practice room or on stage at a jazz festival. The more you listen to everything, the better your ears will get at hearing the details.
Musician websites: Pat Metheny's site is www.patmetheny.com. Christian McBride has a great website also, and Antonio Sanchez can be found at www.antoniosanchez.net. Check them out!
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