These have been long overdue, so let’s get right to them.
Although I’ve been listening to a lot of different stuff lately, mainly because of having bought a lot of new stuff, there really aren’t any recordings that have been getting steady, consistent play, but Cross Country Tour by Ahmad Jamal comes closest. I just love what he does with his trademark bright chord voicings. Songs like Poinciana and Surrey with the Fringe on Top stick in your mind for hours after hearing Jamal play them. His Billy Boy is reminiscent of Red Garland’s on Milestones, but again, brighter. He does things with Broadway and My Funny Valentine that are just amazing. A great work that is hard to get away from.
My greatest surprise after Jamal has been the Modern Jazz Quartet’s Complete Last Concert. Like many of my “discoveries”, I just can’t believe how long I went before I found them. The vibes with rhythm section had me seriously out looking to purchase a vibraphone. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (they call it “England’s Carol”) is simply phenomenal.
And finally, Mingus, Ah Um. When I don’t know what I want to listen to, this gets pulled down and put into the CD player more often than anything else I own. Just an amazing work and it runs for more than seventy minutes. Great stuff.
Moving off the Yoity Tot list and onto the B-list are Motion by Lee Konitz, Time for Tyner by McCoy Tyner, and The Sidewinder by Lee Morgan. Of course, it goes without saying, there is nothing wrong with any of those great works. They are all three, tremendous recordings. They just aren’t high on my play list right now. What would be the next three to move to the B-list, I have no idea. It was hard enough relegating these three. I’ll worry about that when I find my next Yoity Tot candidate.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The critical listening project
The way I outlined the project was as follows:
"QUOTE"
Critical listening project
Goal: To listen to every CD in my jazz music collection once with minimal distractions and complete attention to the music
Time frame: One year from start date
Start date: May 11, 2009
Methodology: This is a critical listening project. That means I will listen to each CD while doing nothing else, other than making notations in a notebook for my own possible future reference. I'm not sure what my actual CD count is, but at three CD's per week, I should be able to finish within one calendar year. There is no specific order for listening to each CD, however, I will try to listen to sets together with one another. For those CD's that I have not written a review of yet, I will also listen critically with an eye toward writing a review for my Amazon.com profile page. I will also read the complete liner notes for each CD, if I haven't read them already. (For the majority of my collection, I have already read the liner notes.)
"UNQUOTE"
Already this has been altered, in that I don't just sit and listen. (Not to mention the start date; I've already started.) I found that my mind tends to wander too much if I'm just sitting and listening to the music (which is neither here nor there), but I also found I couldn't stand the sense of lost productivity. I have decided, however, that any activity I undertake while listening to music critically will be mundane enough that it doesn't detract from the music. So far, I've done things like clean out my e-mail inbox and organize my sheet music. I think that is fair enough and still in keeping with the spirit of the project. Plus I still keep the notebook handy and make notes as they come to me and as necessary.
This project came about primarily because I have purchased so much music in such a short period of time, that I'm not always completely sure what I have and have not listened to. (I do this at the end of each semester in anticipation of having more time to listen to music because I won't be practicing as much as I am during the semester.) That may be because the music is not that impressive, or it may be that I just haven't learned how to properly listen to jazz yet. Which is at least partly why I decided to undertake this project. That, and, I'm hoping to write a lot more reviews on Amazon.com and makes some additions and changes to the Yoity Tot list. It's a bigger undertaking than it looks on the surface.
"QUOTE"
Critical listening project
Goal: To listen to every CD in my jazz music collection once with minimal distractions and complete attention to the music
Time frame: One year from start date
Start date: May 11, 2009
Methodology: This is a critical listening project. That means I will listen to each CD while doing nothing else, other than making notations in a notebook for my own possible future reference. I'm not sure what my actual CD count is, but at three CD's per week, I should be able to finish within one calendar year. There is no specific order for listening to each CD, however, I will try to listen to sets together with one another. For those CD's that I have not written a review of yet, I will also listen critically with an eye toward writing a review for my Amazon.com profile page. I will also read the complete liner notes for each CD, if I haven't read them already. (For the majority of my collection, I have already read the liner notes.)
"UNQUOTE"
Already this has been altered, in that I don't just sit and listen. (Not to mention the start date; I've already started.) I found that my mind tends to wander too much if I'm just sitting and listening to the music (which is neither here nor there), but I also found I couldn't stand the sense of lost productivity. I have decided, however, that any activity I undertake while listening to music critically will be mundane enough that it doesn't detract from the music. So far, I've done things like clean out my e-mail inbox and organize my sheet music. I think that is fair enough and still in keeping with the spirit of the project. Plus I still keep the notebook handy and make notes as they come to me and as necessary.
This project came about primarily because I have purchased so much music in such a short period of time, that I'm not always completely sure what I have and have not listened to. (I do this at the end of each semester in anticipation of having more time to listen to music because I won't be practicing as much as I am during the semester.) That may be because the music is not that impressive, or it may be that I just haven't learned how to properly listen to jazz yet. Which is at least partly why I decided to undertake this project. That, and, I'm hoping to write a lot more reviews on Amazon.com and makes some additions and changes to the Yoity Tot list. It's a bigger undertaking than it looks on the surface.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
That’s that
So, on my way to the concert Friday night, I’m stopped at a yield sign waiting for traffic to let up enough for me to merge. The guy behind me decides it’s let up enough to go ahead and merge. Unfortunately, he completely forgot there was a car in front of him. Mine.
I suppose there are worse things than a traffic accident to take one’s mind off of things and help one lose some of one’s nervousness and settle down before performing in a concert. I calmly got out of the car and honestly, at first I couldn’t see any damage. We looked underneath and around, and all I could see were some vague scrapes where the dirt had some off my car. Me and the perp didn’t even bother to exchange info, as I simply couldn’t see anything wrong and wanted to go back to thinking about the concert.
The concert was standing room only. Literally. The audience was siting on the staircases at the top. I had about ten or twelve supporters of my own there, only one from where I work, the rest colleagues and former colleagues of Mrs. S. Our band played first and we led off with Splanky. I had the first solo and it was really the only time anyone was going to hear me. The rhythm section and I nailed the behind-the-beat opening, played our 24 bars, then I soloed. I dropped in a Pop Goes the Weasel lick halfway through, but otherwise stuck to an unadventurous but nice sounding blues-scale-based line. It received the usual lukewarm opening solo applause. (Later, somebody told me they thought I would be soloing a lot longer, which was why they didn’t clap.)
From that point on, I was home free. The pressure was off. The rest of the concert went well, even if it ended up being a little long.
Fourth ever jazz concert is done and gone. Back to practicing from The Jazz Piano Book and working on technique, plus I’m going to start a new, critical listening project which I will outline in some detail soon. Updates to Yoity Tot are also long overdue.
I suppose there are worse things than a traffic accident to take one’s mind off of things and help one lose some of one’s nervousness and settle down before performing in a concert. I calmly got out of the car and honestly, at first I couldn’t see any damage. We looked underneath and around, and all I could see were some vague scrapes where the dirt had some off my car. Me and the perp didn’t even bother to exchange info, as I simply couldn’t see anything wrong and wanted to go back to thinking about the concert.
The concert was standing room only. Literally. The audience was siting on the staircases at the top. I had about ten or twelve supporters of my own there, only one from where I work, the rest colleagues and former colleagues of Mrs. S. Our band played first and we led off with Splanky. I had the first solo and it was really the only time anyone was going to hear me. The rhythm section and I nailed the behind-the-beat opening, played our 24 bars, then I soloed. I dropped in a Pop Goes the Weasel lick halfway through, but otherwise stuck to an unadventurous but nice sounding blues-scale-based line. It received the usual lukewarm opening solo applause. (Later, somebody told me they thought I would be soloing a lot longer, which was why they didn’t clap.)
From that point on, I was home free. The pressure was off. The rest of the concert went well, even if it ended up being a little long.
Fourth ever jazz concert is done and gone. Back to practicing from The Jazz Piano Book and working on technique, plus I’m going to start a new, critical listening project which I will outline in some detail soon. Updates to Yoity Tot are also long overdue.
Friday, April 17, 2009
A bit of a rant
I wrote recently about joining the Jazz Heritage Society in order to plug some holes in my music collection as cheaply as possible. I succeeded nicely in picking up some classics such as Dave Brubeck's Time Out and Miles Davis' Milestones, plus a number of others, generally for around $5 a pop, which I consider reasonable. I have been finding, however, that these pre-internet organizations, especially the ones that have not kept up with the technology and have not established a worthwhile internet presence, really are hard to do business with. Some of them, like the BMG music club, have even had to go out of business. I think the JHS may be close to having to do the same very shortly. Here's why I think that.
First of all, the "printed" materials that came with my introductory shipment were right out of the stone age. You could almost smell the mimeograph solution on the letters. I hadn't seen anything as quaint since seventh grade. The "catalog" they sent was printed on rough, cheap newsprint. It was in color, after a fashion, but looks not unlike those "colorized" black and white movies.
Now, let's be clear: I joined the JHS just to get music cheap. And, I have succeeded in that, so far. But the other shortcomings I'm about to outline are, I think, inexcusable for an organization calling itself a "Heritage Society". First, going back to the internet discussion, I'm inundated, almost daily but easily twice weekly, with "Featured Selections" that I am required to respond to. Some selections that I have declined (in fact, I've declined every one so far), have even returned as featured selections again. Like my mom used to tell us kids when we were growing up, "No means no". I don't understand why the JHS doesn't get something as simple as that and can't make their website operate properly.
Next is the music. Take last week's shipment for example: Miles Davis' Complete In a Silent Way Sessions, and a 10-CD set of Chet Baker. The Miles set was just like the regularly available commercial set, chock full of pictures, information, liner notes, etc. The Chet Baker set, on the other hand, contained NO information about the recordings. None. Zilch. Zippo. Okay, sure, I got ten hours of music for about three bucks a CD, and these were also my first Chet Baker (and Gerry Mulligan) recordings, but, come on! Is it really asking too much to at least have a listing of the musicians playing on each recording? Maybe a blurb about when some of the bigger hits were recorded. I mean, really, isn't this a Jazz Heritage Society recording? What about the "heritage" part. That includes understanding the heritage of the recording, right? Just buying and listening to the music doesn't promote the heritage of jazz, or anything else for that matter.
It is going to be really, really hard to learn anything about the 200+ songs on that 10-CD set. I'm going to have to try, anyway.
My advice to readers is, go ahead and join the JHS for the cheap music, just be prepared to send lots of e-mails and fill in the blanks in your jazz education yourself.
First of all, the "printed" materials that came with my introductory shipment were right out of the stone age. You could almost smell the mimeograph solution on the letters. I hadn't seen anything as quaint since seventh grade. The "catalog" they sent was printed on rough, cheap newsprint. It was in color, after a fashion, but looks not unlike those "colorized" black and white movies.
Now, let's be clear: I joined the JHS just to get music cheap. And, I have succeeded in that, so far. But the other shortcomings I'm about to outline are, I think, inexcusable for an organization calling itself a "Heritage Society". First, going back to the internet discussion, I'm inundated, almost daily but easily twice weekly, with "Featured Selections" that I am required to respond to. Some selections that I have declined (in fact, I've declined every one so far), have even returned as featured selections again. Like my mom used to tell us kids when we were growing up, "No means no". I don't understand why the JHS doesn't get something as simple as that and can't make their website operate properly.
Next is the music. Take last week's shipment for example: Miles Davis' Complete In a Silent Way Sessions, and a 10-CD set of Chet Baker. The Miles set was just like the regularly available commercial set, chock full of pictures, information, liner notes, etc. The Chet Baker set, on the other hand, contained NO information about the recordings. None. Zilch. Zippo. Okay, sure, I got ten hours of music for about three bucks a CD, and these were also my first Chet Baker (and Gerry Mulligan) recordings, but, come on! Is it really asking too much to at least have a listing of the musicians playing on each recording? Maybe a blurb about when some of the bigger hits were recorded. I mean, really, isn't this a Jazz Heritage Society recording? What about the "heritage" part. That includes understanding the heritage of the recording, right? Just buying and listening to the music doesn't promote the heritage of jazz, or anything else for that matter.
It is going to be really, really hard to learn anything about the 200+ songs on that 10-CD set. I'm going to have to try, anyway.
My advice to readers is, go ahead and join the JHS for the cheap music, just be prepared to send lots of e-mails and fill in the blanks in your jazz education yourself.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
One down, one to go
My third ever jazz concert performance conluded last night. We were jazzing out at The Flying Monkey, in front of fifteen or so paying patrons of the arts. There were only two bands: a piano trio and our quintet with tuba. I won't run it down in detail except to say that we sounded pretty tight, even though we were not exactly clear on where we were taking the songs and how we were going to get there. At least this time, none of us wandered off through the wilderness and got off on our own trail. Everybody stayed on the same path and we more or less reached our destination all together. That will suffice.
Friday is the big big-band concert with Kathy Kosins as guest vocalist. That band has been sounding better and better, and I really like the fact that our performance is well mapped out and discussed beforehand. The only thing we haven't worked out yet is where the solos will be and when the vocalist will be singing, but we are probably going to have some opportunity to do that tomorrow and Thursday. With the big band behind me, I expect nothing but success, because my playing will be basically inaudible for the majority of the concert anyway.
I'm very much looking forward to after the performance, as I need that feeling of release and lack of obligation to learn new parts and songs and get them down. I'm ready to go back to intermediate loafing about the piano.
Just four more days.
Friday is the big big-band concert with Kathy Kosins as guest vocalist. That band has been sounding better and better, and I really like the fact that our performance is well mapped out and discussed beforehand. The only thing we haven't worked out yet is where the solos will be and when the vocalist will be singing, but we are probably going to have some opportunity to do that tomorrow and Thursday. With the big band behind me, I expect nothing but success, because my playing will be basically inaudible for the majority of the concert anyway.
I'm very much looking forward to after the performance, as I need that feeling of release and lack of obligation to learn new parts and songs and get them down. I'm ready to go back to intermediate loafing about the piano.
Just four more days.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Ten things piano players say that most other people do not:
Ten things piano players say more often than non-piano players:
10) Where are my gloves?
9) Are there instructions on how to close this waffle iron?
8) Not "shopping list", Chopin and Liszt.
7) Would you unjam my paper shredder for me?
6) Why don't you cut the vegetables and I'll go tidy up the den instead?
5) No, really, where are my gloves?
4) I don't smell hand lotion...
3) I prefer my pecans shelled.
2) I'd shake your hand, but I don't want to give you this nasty cold...
1) No, I said, "I'm a pianist".
10) Where are my gloves?
9) Are there instructions on how to close this waffle iron?
8) Not "shopping list", Chopin and Liszt.
7) Would you unjam my paper shredder for me?
6) Why don't you cut the vegetables and I'll go tidy up the den instead?
5) No, really, where are my gloves?
4) I don't smell hand lotion...
3) I prefer my pecans shelled.
2) I'd shake your hand, but I don't want to give you this nasty cold...
1) No, I said, "I'm a pianist".
Friday, April 3, 2009
Ups and Downs
As we kick off Jazz Appreciation Month...
The past week has been filled with a series of ups and downs. Monday night was big band rehearsal, and our drummer was absent. This allowed us to hear the band in a completely different light, and the fact that I wasn't playing very well at all really came out. On one of the songs, I was even play a completely wrong chord, pretty much altering the whole progression of the song. Although I arrived at rehearsal full of confidence after a productive weekend of practicing, by the end of rehearsal, I was starting to feel like an accident that put my hand into some kind of cast for the next three weeks would not be completely unwelcome.
Due to the emotional strain of putting down our eighteen year old cat on Tuesday (a story that I won't go into other than to say that after spending 18 years together with any sort of living thing, it has to be the hardest decision in the world to decide to end that being's life), I didn't practice very much on Tuesday, so I showed up for band practice on Wednesday, pretty much looking forward to the drummer being back and covering up my mediocre, uninspiring sound.
Unfortunately, the drummer wasn't there yesterday either.
So I did what any other jazz pianist with my lack of skills would do: I created space. I played sparser chords more sparingly, played fewer notes, played less on the beat, and even got a section taken away from me where we changed how we play the solos. I was fine with all those decisions, and I think they were made for the betterment of the music. Plus my overall sound was more interesting because I stopped doubling the left hand with the right.
Jazz ensemble actually went pretty well from start to finish. I picked up some good pointers on soloing and was able to implement them right away. At my piano lesson, we worked on some chord voicings for one of the songs I've been having trouble with in big band. The end result was, my confidence is back, my willingness and desire to practice is back, and my sound is better.
That's what I'm going to school to learn, anyway, so it's good to know we are at least accomplishing that.
There was a quote in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, that John Coltrane once said, "This (jazz) music is a serious as life itself." I'm not sure I buy that on its face, but I will say, if you had to pick something to take seriously while pursuing it, jazz would be a good selection.
The past week has been filled with a series of ups and downs. Monday night was big band rehearsal, and our drummer was absent. This allowed us to hear the band in a completely different light, and the fact that I wasn't playing very well at all really came out. On one of the songs, I was even play a completely wrong chord, pretty much altering the whole progression of the song. Although I arrived at rehearsal full of confidence after a productive weekend of practicing, by the end of rehearsal, I was starting to feel like an accident that put my hand into some kind of cast for the next three weeks would not be completely unwelcome.
Due to the emotional strain of putting down our eighteen year old cat on Tuesday (a story that I won't go into other than to say that after spending 18 years together with any sort of living thing, it has to be the hardest decision in the world to decide to end that being's life), I didn't practice very much on Tuesday, so I showed up for band practice on Wednesday, pretty much looking forward to the drummer being back and covering up my mediocre, uninspiring sound.
Unfortunately, the drummer wasn't there yesterday either.
So I did what any other jazz pianist with my lack of skills would do: I created space. I played sparser chords more sparingly, played fewer notes, played less on the beat, and even got a section taken away from me where we changed how we play the solos. I was fine with all those decisions, and I think they were made for the betterment of the music. Plus my overall sound was more interesting because I stopped doubling the left hand with the right.
Jazz ensemble actually went pretty well from start to finish. I picked up some good pointers on soloing and was able to implement them right away. At my piano lesson, we worked on some chord voicings for one of the songs I've been having trouble with in big band. The end result was, my confidence is back, my willingness and desire to practice is back, and my sound is better.
That's what I'm going to school to learn, anyway, so it's good to know we are at least accomplishing that.
There was a quote in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, that John Coltrane once said, "This (jazz) music is a serious as life itself." I'm not sure I buy that on its face, but I will say, if you had to pick something to take seriously while pursuing it, jazz would be a good selection.
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