Progress on Maiden Voyage: A Report

Had another hour-long piano lesson last night. With only one week of practice between two, one-hour lessons, it was rough going, but still quite productive. We spent most of the time on A Child is Born, not only because I can actually play it, but because its intricacies are more varied and subtle. After all, it is a relatively simple ballad with several multi-bar phrases that repeat over and over, so it is challenging for the pianist to come up with something sonically interesting every time a similar bar comes along. We listened to the original and analyzed, played it through, listened, played again, so that almost half the lesson was on that song. Then we moved to MV.

Thankfully, my instructor knows my limits, so I was relieved when he realized I probably wasn't going to be able to play it then and there after just one week, calling it, "Oh yeah, our project." If I get lucky, I can play the intro in correct rhythm, but with my instructor behind me tapping to try and help me, I don't get lucky. I get confused. And of course, with that tricky rhythm, I can't possibly make the melody go, so, while pieces and bits are more or less tangible and useful, it only vaguely resembles the song that Herbie Hancock wrote. The good news, is that I did gain some insight and should be able to spend the next two weeks, which includes (for me) a five-day weekend, practicing enough to actually put everything together. We shall see in our next report.

The rest of the lesson consisted of a quick run-through of Falling in Love With Love, which I play Helen Merrill-ish, which is to say, schmaltzy and in the wrong time signature. (It's a 3/4 that I play in a quick 4/4 or slow 2/4, depending on if you're an optimist or pessimist). And, we did a quick blow-through of Ornithology, which has got to be the trickiest song I've attempted so far, but which, once I can play it, will be one of the gems of my repertoire, I'm sure.

One upshot: All that work on ACIB has made me leave Thad Jones in the CD player all week, further justifying its move into the number one position on the Yoity Tot list.

Moving On and the Real Purpose of Jazz

Okay, I'm somewhat recovered now. I've managed to listen to a few other CD's besides Helen Merrill these last few days, though I still let her sing me to sleep most every night. It was hard to put her aside, but I can't neglect my jazz education just for a woman. Well, not a recording of one, anyway. So, I went, in what I'm sure many people would consider, a completely different direction.

I've been indulging in the big band sound of Consummation by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis. Stunning piece of work, this. I couldn't believe it. The opening track starts slow and builds gradually, very gradually, but when it gets where it is going, it picks you up out of the chair, slaps you twice across the face, then stabs your pancreas so it can't inhibit the flood of adrenalin pumping into your lackadaisical bloodstream, and so, rather than let you die, your heart and lungs fuss to keep up and burn energy and pretty soon, you're so mighty and high you're wondering who Helen Merrill is and why you ever cared. Fortunately, Thad and Mel know humans can't take much of this, so they throw in a few ballads and blues riffs to keep you settled, including one of the most beautiful songs ever written, A Child Is Born. It's just a great CD.

Since Thad honed his chops working for Count Basie, it was easy enough to switch over to The Atomic Count Basie, which is every bit as good as Consummation. I've only just scratched the surface of this one, so I can't write about its effect on my pancreas just yet, but suffice to say the drive in to work in the morning goes very quickly with this in the player. The vocal version of The Late Late Show is also a nice touch showing up on a big band, swing recording like this one.

And so, I still haven't learned how to stride on You Took Advantage of Me because I decided to instead learn to play A Child is Born, so we have the big band boys to thank for that advancement - or lack thereof - in my repertoire.

Let me just mention here, too, that in addition to A Child is Born, Steve Swallow's Falling Grace also contends as one of the most beautiful songs ever written, in my book, and I find the fact that someone who listened to and was involved in as much music as I was growing up never heard either one almost as implausible as the fact that both come from the American jazz tradition. Why, oh why, didn't someone tell me about this music? Why did I have to wait forty years to learn what it seems everyone knows?

The injustice of existence. Jazz was made to overcome the injustice of existence.