You are to find a you tube clip of one of the pioneers of jazz and write a reflection. Tell me who the artist is, name of composition and members of the group in your clip if possible. What is the name of tune and when was the recording made. COmment of your like or dislike of the tune. In your words describe your interpretation of the improvisation. What things do you hear while they are playing. Post the link to the clip as well. Once that particular clip has been used, you must choose different clip.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Blog Assignment #2
Here is your second blog assignment. The evolution of jazz was built by those early pioneers who created music for the love of music not necessarily for the financial rewards as there was very little. The creation of You Tube for the viewing of jazz has been a true gift especially for jazz musicians. Footage of these actual musicians playing can be viewed by everyone. You can now see these musicians in performance, their technique, mannerisms and who in some cases combos work.
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The artist I have decided to write about is a Ragtime piano player by the name of Scott Joplin. The composition is called Maple Leaf Rag, which is one of his most famous tunes besides The Entertainer. He was a solo pianist which explains the absence of other instrumentation in the recording. Typically ragtime piano did not have other instruments. I love this piece because of the detailed piano licks and the movement of the phrases. Joplin uses arpeggios and scales to his advantage in order to provide the listener with a detailed and exciting piece of music. Everytime a section repeats Joplin uses a different lick to join musical ideas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAtL7n_-rc&feature=related
The jazz pioneer I chose to write about is the trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie. The song I have chosen is called A Night in Tunisia and is performed by Dizzy Gillespie and his big band in 1957. The soloists in this recording are Lee Morgan, Al Grey, Benny Golson and most importantly Dizzy himself. I like this tune because it very seems very smooth and the quick licks make it interesting to listen to. The improvisation in this song consisted mostly of a lot of fast notes and scales which were very impressive to hear. I noticed that the backgrounds had a lot of rests but always knew when to come in. This is exciting to hear because they must have been counting for a long time which sometimes is hard to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vcinmbH4SE
The artist I chose is Duke Ellington. The song is called “It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing).” It's played by Duke Ellington and his band and this version was recorded in 1943. Ray Nance sang the vocals, although when the song was first recorded in 1932 the vocalist was Ivie Anderson. The trombonist was Joe Nanton and the alto saxophonist was Johnny Hodges. There were things I liked about this version, and things I didn't. I really like the tune, it's really upbeat and is something you could sing along to. I don't exactly like the vocalist's style, I don't think he was swinging the notes enough. It sounded as if he was mostly singing straight notes (maybe that was the intention but I didn't particularly like it). I've heard more recent version of this song, and that's probably a big factor on why I don't like this version all that much. I wouldn't mind hearing more piano, sense it is Duke Ellington's band. I liked the song overall, but for some reason the vocalist was bugging me.
The trombone improvisation was really cool to listen to. Joe Nanton used a plunger mute to make that really cool “mwah” noise. His solo was mainly quoting the vocalist or the “head.” It was a really cool solo. The saxophone improvisation was nice to listen to too. Although his solo was rather shorter than the trombonist's. In his solo, he would play up and down the scale and then he would jump up to a high note and begin playing the scale again. While the improvisers where soloing, the back ground instruments softened so that they could be heard better. There wasn't a lot of rests in this piece, the back ground instruments were constantly playing.
Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDQpZT3GhDg
PS. I'm sorry about "spazzing" about the vocalist. He just bugged me, i don't know why.
PSS. You should listen to Ella Fitzgerald's "Cry Me A River".
The artist I chose is the trumpet player and vocalist, Louis Armstrong. The name of this tune is Jeepers Creepers. This video is from 1958, but the song was written in 1938. The name of the trombonist that Louis Armstrong sings with is Jack Teagarden. I really liked Jeepers Creepers because, although the lyrics seem kind of random, it is a very catchy, uptempo song. This is a song that could easily get stuck in your head. I also enjoy listening to Louis Armstrong playing the trumpet and singing because he has a very unique sound.
The improvisation was also really interesting. Louis Armstrong is definitely not afraid to use the upper register of the trumpet. He knows exactly where to play little licks and trills throughout the head and in his solo to keep listeners interested. His solos flow very well and never get boring. I liked the little bit of trading that Armstrong and Teagarden did toward the end of the tune. Jack Teagarden's improvisation was enjoyable as well, though he tended to stick more around the tune of the song. Armstrong is always smiling when he sings and has a very joyful sound on the trumpet. You can tell that he really gets a kick out of playing jazz.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jbZrocd6vs
I chose to do Oscar Peterson because he is awesome and Canadian. The song I have chosen is one of Peterson's greatest hits: Tenderly.
The song is also played with Nat King Cole. I like this song because of the complexity of Peterson's playing. His right hand does all the work, and his left hand always have a chord to compliment his right hand. I think that it would be a hard thing to do because the chords have to come at the right time to sound right. The music flows and Peterson makes everything look easy, as if he doesn't have to think at all while he's playing. He plays up scales very quickly, and parts of his solo also sound more rhythmical than just scales.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gidtr8cfv38
Kittens are funny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdQj2ohqCBk
The artist that I have chosen the blues musician William Christopher Handy (W.C. Handy) was an American musician and his instrument were the piano, coronet, trumpet, and vocals along with being a band leader. Handy is considered to be one of the fathers of blues this is because he started to take the folk songs of southern states and would incorporate lowered thirds and lowered sevenths thus making the blues. Some of his must successful song includes Memphis Blues, Beale Street Blues, and St. Louis Blues. The song Memphis blues is a prime example of a 12 bar blues. Handy was also known to play 8 or 16 bar blues. This song has a simple bass line in the left hand of the piano and the right hand plays segments of scales going up and down and will repeat often. What I like and dislike about this song is the same thing it is the repeated use of scales I like this because they are clean and clear and all fit perfectly in to the song but I dislike it because of the repeats it just seemed uneventful. Handy used these songs to record and produce sheet music and he started to bring this style of music to a bigger area and all over America.
This a recording of Memphis Blues (no video just a black screen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFmFsckTlws
and the is a video of a man playing Memphis blues (not Handy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZkdRjAWR6g
random fact: Handy is said to be the inspiration behind the foxtrot dance.
The artist I have chosen is a jazz cornet player named Joe ”King” Oliver playing the song Canal Street Blues with his band, King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Joe Oliver and his band was considered to be the pioneers of jazz because it was one of the earliest jazz band to feature famous jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong or Bill Johnson. This song uses Vibratos excessively and the muted trumpet and trombone slides makes the song sound very light and the band playing a simple melody has made the clarinet stand out during the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2QEBshAQ68&NR=1
kittens are people too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bk71pidXso&feature=related
The artist I have chosen for this blog is Wes Montgomery and I have chosen him because he is one of the most well known, most influential and one the first real pioneer jazz musicians for the jazz guitar. He was the one musician that really got the guitar more famous and well known in the world of jazz after Charlie Christian got it started. It was actually how Wes Montgomery got started himself. When he first saw Charlie Christian play he sped down to the music store to pick himself up a guitar and amp, but when he started practicing he was too loud for the nabours and he solved the problem by changing his technique from a pick like regular jazz guitarists to his thumb developing his own special technique making him an outstanding musician and proving that he could be outstanding with any technique. He definitely proved himself to be as everyone says the boss of the jazz guitar!!
Anyway the video I have chosen was Wes Montgomery and Trio Pim Jacobs in 1965 performing Nica's Dream a great orginal jazz standard written by Horace Silver. The group Wes Montgomery performed with was a group of Dutch musicians including Pim Jacobs on piano with his younger brother Ruud Jacobs on Bass and Han Bennink on drums together called the Pim Jacobs Trio. This performance I originally saw on the Jazz Icons series DVD which is where they only have more of the original jazz classic musicians. What I liked about this performances personally I liked the style changes Montgomery chose to use in this standard going between 4/4 swing and latin grooves. It gave a lot more contrast to the standard. I personally like in any Wes Montgomery performance is that softer mellower sound he gets from uses his thumb. In this performance he had great solos when it came to single note runs, or arpeggios. Another thing i always find interesting in Montgomery's performances and this is more of a specific guitar quality, but the fact that he never uses his forth finger on his left hand except for octaves never for single note runs. he can just change position on the fretboard so fast that he doesn't need to use it. He just knows where he needs to go and just goes kinda like he's always thinking ahead of where he going next not about what he's doing at that exact moment which I find really cool to think about. I don't have any downfalls on this performance mainly because i would never change a classic everything Montgomery did in this music was brilliant and I wouldn't change it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbXrdm63OAA
Cam B
When early jazz comes to mind, it’s difficult not to remember the infamous pianist and bandleader Count Basie. Leading “Count Basie and His Orchestra”, he performs this tune called “One O’clock Jump” in the 1955 film, “Rhythm and Blues Review”. This recording caught my attention right away because of its beat and groove so resplendent of early jazz: still using a hoppin’ 12-bar blues pattern, but with the woodwind and brass involvement of a jazz orchestra, this tune just made me want to dance in my seat.
After Buddy quickly establishes the head, clarinetist Buddy DeFranco immediately launches into a solo that uses a variety of simple arpeggios, scales and riffs to make a nice, flowing groove. Next comes Clark Terry on trumpet; while his solo uses quick pauses and a more varying array of rhythms, it still possesses a very simple melodic pattern that makes it easy to follow. Wardell Gray on tenor sax swings in with a nice solo that combines perfect pauses with long sections where the notes just keep coming in a flood of sound. There was only one part that I didn’t like: I’m sure that the solo by guitarist Freddie Green was very nice on stage but, sadly, it cannot be heard because the guitar is not amplified in any way. After this small problem, however, the orchestra launches into an enthusiastic call-and-answer section that ends off the three-minute piece with a very enjoyable bang.
here's the link; it's a truly exemplary piece, and I recommend it to everyone!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpPehptG3yw&feature=related
This time I chose to write about Dave Brubeck. His name is one of the first few names that come to mind when I think of alto saxophonists. I analysed his one of his compositions named Take Five. The thing I loved about this piece that it follows the basic blues scale run ups, and what made these run ups interesting were the grace notes. It is quite an upbeat composition with a very catchy beginning played by the piano. The head makes the piece very likeable and interesting to listen to. Coming to the improvisation, I noted that Brubeck stuck to the time signature and did not engage in many rhythmic variations other than grace notes and quick run ups. I loved the way he carried out his repetitions. They seemed really natural and I quite liked this! On the whole his improvisation was quite entertaining and very melodic to listen to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faJE92phKzI
Personally, when I think of Jazz Pioneers, I think of Oscar Peterson, because not only was he an extremely talented and influential jazz pianist, but he's Canadian! This piece is called "Night-Time" and is an original composition by Oscar Peterson. In the video, he is playing in the MusikVerein in Vienna, and is playing with Neils-Henning Orsted Pedersen on Bass,
Ulf Wakenius on Guitar, and
Martin Drew on Drums. The concert was held in November of 2003, in honour of the 175th aniversary of Bosendorfer Pianos (which Oscar Peterson played on exclusively after first playing one.)
In this recording, I like how the improvised solos slowly changed the mood of the piece; the piece started of very quiet and slow and the solos changed that to a more lively tempo. All of the solos were very melodic and well-structured; they started fairly simple then kept getting more complex. The one thing I do not like about this piece wer how abrupt the transition back to the head is; the piece completely changes feel instantly.
Unfortunately, this was recorded after Oscar Peterson had a stroke, and as such, his characteristic left-hand really doesn't show up at all.
Here's the clip:
Night-Time
I have decided to write my blog about the famous Trumpet player, Mr. Miles Davis, who was born in Illinois, May 25, 1926. Miles is considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century, with his amazing trumpet and organ skills.
I chose the song “Time After Time,” which was performed in Norway, in 1984, alongside John Scofield, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Berg, Al Foster, Bobby Erwing and Darryl Jones. I really liked this piece, because the background could be heard, and sounded wonderful, but wasn’t overpowering like in some pieces. There was a perfect mix of percussion and guitar players, making it sound great! The overall feel of this piece was relaxing, but interesting at the same time.
Miles Davis’ style of playing is incredible. He is able to hold extremely high notes for long periods of time, then move into a quieter dynamic range, while still maintaining interest and a wide variety of notes. His improvization is very well done, making use of a variety of licks, notes, dynamics, and even an extremely high trill. While some parts seemed to sound a bit similar, he did a very good job of not overusing any one rhythm, which made for an excellent overall performance. Overall, he was a very tasty jazz musician, and his talent has been missed ever since he passed away in September, 1991.
Miles Davis, Time After Time. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTf_d30Anzk
The artist I have chosen for this assignment is Herbie Hancock, the pioneer of jazz fusion. In this recording Herbie is playing Chameleon live in Chicago in 1974. The tune feels very relaxing and laid back. It flows smoothly and keeps you interested because it sounds a little unusual compared to what most people are used to listening to. It starts slow and melodic and builds up using more notes and scales. It sometimes sounds like it doesn't fit the background yet it still sounds right. The scales sound very impressive and his licks are interesting. I was amazed at his use of chords in his solo and how they worked so well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrgP1u5YWEg&feature=related
The artist I have chosen for my jazz pioneer is Jack Teagarden, probably the most influential jazz trombonist of all time. He is playing Lover in the video and is soloing with several instruments playing in the background. Charlie Teagarden is on trumpet, Pud Brown is on sax, Marvin Ash is on piano, Ray Leatherwood on bass. I really like how he plays because his use of accents and glisses are extremely catchy. He is really strong at playing off the beat and it is really impressive in his pickups and glisses into phrases. The tune is catchy but Jack is very smooth and laidback while playing it which adds to the flavour. I find it very interesting that he has such a large range without going past position 4 very often. He is a talented player, probably the best trombonist of all time, and he performed a wonderful rendition of Lover.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elx_7jFt-F0
The jazz pioneer that I chose was Sidney Bechet, a jazz saxophonist, claranetist and composer. The clip I chose was Sidnet played Premier Bal accompanied by the rhythm section of the french pianist Claude Bolling's Orchestra. I like the song because of its relaxing feel. Sidney is able to cover a wide range on his instrument and play higher notes while still being able to make the song enjoyable. The rhythm section plays softly, but is audible at the same time. The softness of the rhythm fits well with the tune. While Sidney tends to stay up in the higher notes, he repeats certain licks so that the tune becomes memorable.
Heres the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HTAur7eozI&feature=related
The artist that I chose was jazz pianist and composer, Thelonious Monk. In this recording, Monk is playing 'Round Midnight alongside Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums, live in Norway in 1966. The tune feels very laid back and dulcet. Monk combines the use of long dramatic pauses with heavy, forceful playing to give his tune depth. I loved seeing Monk unexpectedly hit his elbows against the keys, filling the phrase with a clash of notes that sounded great. The tune features cool, sultry sax licks and beautiful arpeggios from the top of the keyboard to the bottom. Thelonious Monk was truly an innovator and pioneer of jazz.
Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX_mwDvcZ2I
The jazz pioneer i chose is tastey sax player John Coltrane. Coltrane's playing is instantly recognizable and highly influential to not just his own instrument, but to the genre itself. The piece i chose to do my video critique on is a 1961 rendition "My Favorite Things." This piece features John Coltrane on soprano sax, Eric Dolphy on the jazz flute, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. Coltrane's solos use trills, repetition and slurs extensively. While still having a great sound, he is able to give it a raw feel. He keeps his solos interesting without resorting to only going up and down scales by creating licks that are fast and in your face. This clip proves again that John Coltrane is the best at what he does.
The jazz pioneer that I chose is Clarence Williams. The song that he is playing and singing in this clip is 'you rascal you' (1931). I was surprised when I realised how catchy this song was. The repetitivness of the song is very important I believe because you find your self singing along with out even knowing. His improvisation was not very clear when I first listened to the song and I thought that I was going to have to choose another, but after I listened to it again I realised that he improvised the tone of his voice during the song. Becasue he wanted to keep the song quite repetitive in the lyrics, he made a point of changing up the tone of the song every now and then, and more sporatically then a typical solo. I quite enjoyed the piece!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J45MXgCI1TY
ABBEY MADE MY NAME THAT.
ps, and I dunno how to change it haha
The jazz artist I chose was John Coltrane. John Coltrane played alto sax, tenor sax, soprano sax, bass clarinet and flute. In the recording he plays soprano sax, with Eric Dolphy with some awesome jazz flute, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. What hooked me from the beginning of this song was the really minor sound right off the the bat that really just hit it off for me. I really love the sound of the soprano sax and I really cant describe it, like the most musical duck ever. I loved the first time he played the simplicity yet the musicality off the whole thing really was amazing to me. I found the piano solo was relatively boring but I really liked the flute solo. The flute solo seemed almost opposite to Coltrane's solo with as many notes as he could and slightly less melodic but at times it comes out. As the video says it was from 1961. Overall I really liked the song but I thought the drummer might get a little bored i also think i would have liked it better if he used brushes instead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_n-gRS_wdI
The artist I choose to write about is the legendary Miles Davis. The video is of the song "Round Midnight" performed in 1967 by Miles and his quintet, which consisted of Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, and Herbie Hancock.
Overall I liked most of the song, with the exception of the sax solo.
I enjoyed Miles' solo. It is slow and more melancholy. Miles combines quick and slow licks and shows great ability to to bring the volume up or down as he sees fit. I also like his use of longer-held notes and rests. Generally with trumpet solos, most people tend to play high and fast, but I really like how Miles slows it down and keeps his range fairly simple throughout his solo. It's very smooth and relaxing.
The tempo then picks up and we get to the sax solo..........lovely.
oh and i forgot the link to the video...oops
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=mji4nAk_8ZY
There ya go! enjoy
The Musician I have chosen is Dizzy Gillespie, a famous trumpet play known for his diversity. He historically played everything from Bebop, to even a bit of blues. In this tune, "Umbrella man" he is playing with another renowned trumpet player named Louis Armstrong, with Les Spann on guitar.
The Tune begins with a little trumpet lick by Dizzy, followed by a vocal bit (with some backup assitance by the (unidentified) pianist. Before breaking into a (Armstrong driven) trumpet lick that was both enjoyable and interesting. It kept to the higher end of the scale, (although sometimes dipping below the mid point)and consisted of some well constructed Rhythems and licks.
After the trumpeting Both Gillespie and Armstrong do a vocal (with some scat interlude) duo. Before building up with a trumpet arepeggio to an awesome finish
The Tune can be found athttp://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO1uMjz3n3w...
Enjoy!
-Ben
I chose J.J. Johnson as my jazz pioneer. J.J. Johnson was an incredibly gifted trombone player who was one of the first to embrace bebop. The clip I chose was one featuring three great jazz players: J.J. Johnson on trombone, Sonny Stitt on alto saxophone, and Howard McGhee on trumpet, with Tommy Potter on bass, Walter Bishop Jr. on piano, and Kenny Clarke on drums. This group is playing the infamous Now’s The Time; its speculated that this was filmed circa 1964. I enjoyed the upbeat tempo they chose, it made the piece exciting to listen to. I focused on Johnson’s solo, which was first. I like how he takes a simple motif and repeats it, adding more notes after each repetition, and subsequently builds his solo off of this simple lick. He maintains excellent tone even through trills and as he starts to climb up the trombone range. He exhibits superb technical facility through his multiple downwards arpeggios. Johnson always proves he is in control of what he is playing, and truly is a great artist to be admired.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xWjYMGI3DM
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