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Art Farmer es una “rara avis” en el panorama musical del hard bop de los 50 y 60 del pasado siglo cuando a los trompetistas se les imponía unas capacidades atléticas exorbitantes con sonoridades brillantes y fraseos vertiginosos. En ese panorama desafiante y hostil se abre paso Farmer que, sustituyendo la trompeta por el fliscornio, encuentra su lugar con una sonoridad suave y aterciopelada y con un discurso improvisativo sereno y expresivo, alejado de los excesos y los alardes del be bop. La banda The Jazztet que Farmer co-lidera a finales de la década de los cincuenta, es considerada uno de los conjuntos seminales del hard bop, a pesar de que su música se alejaba de los exigentes estándares impuestos por otros conjuntos como los Jazz Messengers de Art Blakey o el quinteto de Max Roach y Clifford Brown. A pesar de todo, a finales de la década de los sesenta, Farmer se unió a esa legión de jazzmen expatriados que buscaron refugio en Europa, encontrando su hogar en Viena, donde su ya extenso y destacado curriculum, le sirvió de carta de presentación en los escenarios y estudios de grabación del continente y del mundo entero. A partir de la década de los ochenta, con el redescubrimiento del jazz acústico en los Estados Unidos, Farmer disfrutó de un exitoso homecoming, siendo reconocido como una de las grandes leyendas de la historia del jazz moderno, compartiendo, a partir de entonces, su vida y su actividad laboral entre Austria y Estados Unidos. Radio Jazznoend rinde homenaje en nuestro nuevo programa a este maestro de la trompeta, recorriendo sus registros de madurez, efectuados a partir de los años ‘70 para discográficas norteamericanas, europeas y japonesas. Te invitamos a compartir con nosotros una velada mágica iluminada por los destellos del estilo lírico y emocional de Art Farmer y por la conmovedora belleza de su sonido que hicieron de él uno de los más destacados contadores de historias del jazz moderno.
MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL Monterey, CA Oct 1958 Dave Brubeck QuartetFor all we knowPaul Desmond (as) Dave Brubeck (p) Eugene Wright (b) Joe Morello (d) Billie HolidayFine and mellow [Billie's blues]Billie Holiday (vcl)Buddy DeFranco (cl) Benny Carter (as) Gerry Mulligan (bar) Mal Waldron (p) Eddie Khan (b) Dick Berk (d) Gerry MulliganBlueportGerry Mulligan (bar) Art Farmer (tp) Bill Crow (b) Dave Bailey (d) GEOFF KEEZER “LIVE BIRDLAND” New York, September 8-10, 2023Imp's welcome, Dance cadaverous, Madame GrenouilleGeoff Keezer (p) John Patitucci (b,el-b) Clarence Penn (d) KIRK KNUFFKE “SUPER BLONDE” November, 2023Golden earrings, Super blondeKirk Knuffke (cnt) Jay Anderson, Thommy Andersson (b) Adam Nussbaum (d) Continue reading Puro Jazz 06 de noviembre, 2024 at PuroJazz.
MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL Monterey, CA Oct 1958 Dave Brubeck QuartetFor all we knowPaul Desmond (as) Dave Brubeck (p) Eugene Wright (b) Joe Morello (d) Billie HolidayFine and mellow [Billie's blues]Billie Holiday (vcl)Buddy DeFranco (cl) Benny Carter (as) Gerry Mulligan (bar) Mal Waldron (p) Eddie Khan (b) Dick Berk (d) Gerry MulliganBlueportGerry Mulligan (bar) Art Farmer (tp) Bill Crow (b) Dave Bailey (d) GEOFF KEEZER “LIVE BIRDLAND” New York, September 8-10, 2023Imp's welcome, Dance cadaverous, Madame GrenouilleGeoff Keezer (p) John Patitucci (b,el-b) Clarence Penn (d) KIRK KNUFFKE “SUPER BLONDE” November, 2023Golden earrings, Super blondeKirk Knuffke (cnt) Jay Anderson, Thommy Andersson (b) Adam Nussbaum (d) Continue reading Puro Jazz 06 de noviembre, 2024 at PuroJazz.
Podcast Jazztime 652 – 05.11.24 Diese Sendung hat Joachim Böskens zusammengestellt. Das LIVE- Anspiel ist diesmal: „Autumn Leaves“ – der „Herbst-Klassiker“ 1945 komponiert von Joseph Kosma. Folgende Titel sind zu hören: 1. Autumn Nocturne – Art Farmer 4:59 2. Autumn in New York – Billie Holiday & Oscar Peterson 3:56 3. No more Blues – Samara Joy 5:46 4. ‘Tis Autumn – Joe Pass & Jimmy Rowles 4:55 5. Autumn Leaves – Ruth Hohmann 4:29 6. Half the fun (Lately) – Duke Ellington & Orchestra 4:19 7. Walkin' – Quincy Jones 10:30 Bei Titelwünsche und Anregungen schreiben Sie gern an: jazztime.mv@ndr.de Keep Swingin' !!!
Benny Golson, un dels saxofonistes i compositors m
Tonight's Jazz Feature is a tribute to tenor saxophonist/composer/bandleader Benny Golson. Benny was one of the real shining lights on the Jazz of the 50's, 60's,70's and right up to the present. He passed away peacefully at age 95 at his home in New York. He was born in Philadelphia on January 25, 1929 and dies on September 21, 2024. Benny grew up in the Jazz rich atmosphere of Philadelphia and associated with the Heath brothers, John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Philly Joe Jones, Ray Bryant and so many others. He composed some eternal Jazz standards like "I'll Remember Clifford", "Stablemates", "Whisper Not", "Along Came Betty" and so many others. He developed his skills in R&B bands and Tadd Dameron's band, Dizzy Gillespie's big band of the 50's and then Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, He then formed The Jazztet with trumpeter Art Farmer and later moved to L.A. and wrote for TV and movies and returned to active Jazz playing in the 80's and right up until his passing. Tonight's Jazz feature is one fine date called "Benny Golson and The Philadelphians" with an all Philadelphia cast including the young phenomenon Lee Morgan on trumpet, Ray Bryant on piano, Percy heath on bass and the great Philly Joe Jones on drums. It was done in December 1958 and released originally on United Artist Records. It's a fine presentation of Benny's organizing talents, his playing and writing and arranging. In tribute to Benny Golson tonight!
Número especial de La Montaña Rusa dedicado a la música y obra de uno de los grandes escritores de Jazz, el saxofonista Benny Golson que nos ha dejado recientemente. A lo largo de dos horas y media de música, repasaremos lo más granado de su trayectoria, centrada fundamentalmente en The Jazztet, banda popular e influyente que formó junto al trompetista Art Farmer. Seguir leyendo La Montaña Rusa 39.2024. Especial Benny Golson. en La Montaña Rusa Radio Jazz.
Dennis Sandole was one of the best kept secrets in jazz. Born Dionigi Sandoli in South-Philadelphia-born, his teaching techniques were sought by Art Farmer, James Moody, Benny Golson, Jim Hall, and especially John Coltrane, who became his most famous student. Coltrane spent hours practicing daily to master the material that The Maestro gave him and turn it into his own sound, which eventually became “Sheets of Sound” and then “Coltrane Changes”. Sandole rarely recorded or performed live but he was revered by those who studied under him. He is interred in the Mausoleum of Peace just a few feet from Disc Jockey Jocko Henderson on the other side of Righters Ferry Road.
Darek Oles (Oleszkiewicz) was born on February 20, 1963 in Wroclaw, Poland. At the age of five Oles began his music education at the State Music School in Wroclaw. Piano was his first instrument, but later he played guitar, electric bass and finally at eighteen years old, he switched to accoustic bass. While in his teens he played with amateur groups, evolving in popular music styles from rock, blues, jazz-rock to straight ahead jazz. In the early 1980's, Oles participated in various jazz festivals and national competitions for young musicians. In 1983, he was the most awarded musician at the Jazz Juniors in Cracow, winning the first individual prize, first prize for jazz composition and a second prize in jazz combo category. Later that year Oles was invited by Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski, a jazz legend in Poland, to join saxophonist's quartet on tour.In the following five years Darek Oles was working steadily with some of the best jazz bands in the country such as: Zbigniew Namyslowski Quartet, Tomasz Szukalski Quartet, Henryk Majewski Quintet, Wojciech Karolak Trio and Andrzej Jagodzinski Trio and Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski Quartet. With those groups he recorded for Polish Jazz, Polskie Nagrania, East Wind and also for the radio and television in Poland and abroad. Darek was touring extensively in Poland, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Cuba, Mexico and performed at major festivals, concerts and jazz club venues.In 1988, Darek Oles arrived in Los Angeles with a simple plan in mind: to broaden his musical horizon. One year later he received a full scholarship from California Institute Of The Arts and began studies with the legendary bassist Charlie Haden. After graduation in 1992, he accepted a teaching position at the Institute, where he has been conducting jazz ensembles and teaching bass ever since. Since 2002 Oles has been a jazz faculty member at the University Of California in Irvine.Aside from his teaching duties, Darek Oles has been very active as a performer and became one of the most sought after bass players on the West Coast. “Oles” (his American nick-name) had the opportunity to perform and record with the greatest masters in jazz. A partial list of his collaborations include: Brad Mehldau, Billy Higgins, Pat Metheny, Joe Lovano, Eddie Henderson, Charles Lloyd, John Abercrombie, Bennie Maupin, Lee Konitz, Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua, Bennie Wallace, Victor Lewis, Harvey Mason, Dave Grusin, Art Farmer, Horace Silver, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, James Newton, Arthur Blythe, Lew Tabackin, Steve Kuhn, Gary Smulyan, Ronnie Cuber, Billy Hart, Kevin Hays, Munyungo Jackon, Steve Hass, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Marian McPartland, Janis Siegel, Bob Brookmeyer, Curtis Fuller, Roy McCurdy, Tom Harrell, Larry Goldings, Bill Stewart, Chris Potter, Kei Akagi, Billy Childs, Bob Sheppard, Joe LaBarbera, Bill Cunliffe, Patrice Rushen, Bennie Golson, Piotr Baron, Teri Lynn Carrington, Buddy De Franco, Terry Gibbs, Anthony Wilson Nonet and Los Angeles Jazz Quartet.Moods in Freedom on SpotifySupport the showInstagram / Twitter / Youtube / Website / BSA / View More Episodes
We all get to learn about the Jazz standard "Blue Bossa" together, as neither AJ nor Johnny had any versions of this song in their library, yet it was recommended on good authority to check it out, so we did! We'll listen to versions by Joe Henderson, Art Farmer and Phil Woods, Bobby McFerrin and Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, George Benson, and new-to-us artist Mimi Fox.
Bienvenidos amantes de la música, la carrera de más de 60 años del pianista Steve Kuhn, es algo que nos sorprende y no podemos dejar de revisar en el programa. Algunos de sus compañeros musicales han sido grandes lumbreras de la música, como Art Farmer, Stan Getz, Kenny Dorham, o el mismísimo John Coltrane. Y por supuesto aquí vale mencionar a su "hermano que nunca tuvo" según sus propias palabras, el bajista Steve Swallow con quien se conocen hace más de 50 años, cuando ambos tocaban con Art Farmer. El álbum que vamos a revisar hoy está homenajeando al trompetista compositor del tema que da nombre al disco "Wisteria" grabado en formato trío para el sello ECM. Esperamos que lo disfruten! Los temas son: 1. Chalet 2. Wisteria 3. Good Lookin' Rookie *Suscríbete a nuestro canal. Si ya lo has hecho, considera apoyarnos en Patreon como mecenas para hacer sustentable nuestro programa y mantener nuestro viaje en vuelo. (Podrás acceder a episodios anticipados y exclusivos)patreon.com/ViajeJazz?fan_landing=true *Ayúdanos con un Me gusta, Comparte y Comenta. * En viajealmundodeljazz.com encuentra un reproductor de Jazz Moderno y Jazz Clásico.
This week Pat K swings through some roaring gospel, funky soul, and Latin jazz from yesterday and today! Kid Congo, Art Farmer, Soul Dog, Irma Thomas, the In Motion Collective and more all make appearances.This show was first broadcast on the 11th of February, 2024Tune into new broadcasts of One Room Paradise, the 2nd & 4th Sunday from 7 - 8 PM - EST / 12 - 1 AM GMT. (Monday)For more info visit: https://thefaceradio.com/on-target////Dig this show? Please consider supporting The Face Radio: http://support.thefaceradio.com Support The Face Radio with PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/thefaceradio. Join the family at https://plus.acast.com/s/thefaceradio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Diese Sendung hat Joachim Böskens zusammengestellt. Das LIVE - Anspiel ist : „It might as well be Spring” – komponiert von Richard Rodgers. 1946 erhielt er für diesen Song aus dem Film „State Fair“ einen Oscar. Folgende Titel sind zu hören: 1. Confab in Tempo Art Farmer Quintet 4:57 2. On my Mind Astrud Gilberto 2:42 3. Bolèro 75 James Last & Orchester 3:19 4. Half Time Amy Winehouse 3:56 5. Your Love is King Sade 3:37 6. Skokiaan Chris barber's Jazz Band 3:40 7. Waltz of the Jive Cats NDR-Jazz Workshop 3:04 8. It might as well be Spring Laura Fygi 4:35 9. Dorsey Stomp Dorsey Brothers Orchestra 1:52 Bei Titelwünsche und Anregungen schreiben Sie gern an: jazztime.mv@ndr.de
The Creative Process in 10 minutes or less · Arts, Culture & Society
“I play the double bass as a professional musician. I don't consider myself a piano player, but I play a little bit of piano, of course. Every musician should play a little bit of piano to understand harmony. And if you want to compose or to arrange music, you need to know basic piano. So I play a little bit of piano. Actually, I started to play guitar before the double bass, because it was not so easy to get a double bass 40 years ago. My father was a bass player, but he never had a bass at home. So I started to play guitar first, and I was really into Bossa Nova and those chords from João Gilberto, and it was a big influence in my early years. But then I found a double bass when I was sixteen or seventeen– it was a terrible double bass, but it was enough to start with. Today, that sounds kind of late to start learning an instrument, but back then it wasn't so terrible. Now you have small double basses that kids of nine, ten years old can start playing. In the eighties, if you were small, you could not play double bass, basically.”Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.“I play the double bass as a professional musician. I don't consider myself a piano player, but I play a little bit of piano, of course. Every musician should play a little bit of piano to understand harmony. And if you want to compose or to arrange music, you need to know basic piano. So I play a little bit of piano. Actually, I started to play guitar before the double bass, because it was not so easy to get a double bass 40 years ago. My father was a bass player, but he never had a bass at home. So I started to play guitar first, and I was really into Bossa Nova and those chords from João Gilberto, and it was a big influence in my early years. But then I found a double bass when I was sixteen or seventeen– it was a terrible double bass, but it was enough to start with. Today, that sounds kind of late to start learning an instrument, but back then it wasn't so terrible. Now you have small double basses that kids of nine, ten years old can start playing. In the eighties, if you were small, you could not play double bass, basically.”www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
“I play the double bass as a professional musician. I don't consider myself a piano player, but I play a little bit of piano, of course. Every musician should play a little bit of piano to understand harmony. And if you want to compose or to arrange music, you need to know basic piano. So I play a little bit of piano. Actually, I started to play guitar before the double bass, because it was not so easy to get a double bass 40 years ago. My father was a bass player, but he never had a bass at home. So I started to play guitar first, and I was really into Bossa Nova and those chords from João Gilberto, and it was a big influence in my early years. But then I found a double bass when I was sixteen or seventeen– it was a terrible double bass, but it was enough to start with. Today, that sounds kind of late to start learning an instrument, but back then it wasn't so terrible. Now you have small double basses that kids of nine, ten years old can start playing. In the eighties, if you were small, you could not play double bass, basically.”Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.“I had so many people around me when I was young– famous poets like Ary dos Santos, one of Portugal's greatest poets of the 20th century. Sometimes he would be there talking with my mother, and I had this information that was getting in, but I wasn't aware of it. And then in the early days, when I had just started playing, I was really into modern jazz, which was very instrumental, so I didn't really pay attention to lyrics. It took me a while to get interested in Portuguese music, and in that mixture between jazz, Fado music and Portuguese popular music. For a while I was into the importance of a good poem. Now what moves me most of the time is that mixture of cultures— trying to do something that you cannot find in other countries. If you are into a lot of American jazz, for instance, you can play great music, but you are always playing music that started elsewhere, you know? And for a European like me, it's challenging to try and find what makes you different in such a big market. What sound can you try to create that you wouldn't hear in France or in Japan or in New York? So that's a very difficult challenge, actually, because you try to get really into your heart and your emotion. And I think Portugal has a lot of good emotions in its popular music that you don't find elsewhere. The music I make always has a kind of nostalgic ambience. It's not always sadness. It's a melancholic approach that is very hard to put into words– you just need to feel it.”www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
“I had so many people around me when I was young– famous poets like Ary dos Santos, one of Portugal's greatest poets of the 20th century. Sometimes he would be there talking with my mother, and I had this information that was getting in, but I wasn't aware of it. And then in the early days, when I had just started playing, I was really into modern jazz, which was very instrumental, so I didn't really pay attention to lyrics. It took me a while to get interested in Portuguese music, and in that mixture between jazz, Fado music and Portuguese popular music. For a while I was into the importance of a good poem. Now what moves me most of the time is that mixture of cultures— trying to do something that you cannot find in other countries. If you are into a lot of American jazz, for instance, you can play great music, but you are always playing music that started elsewhere, you know? And for a European like me, it's challenging to try and find what makes you different in such a big market. What sound can you try to create that you wouldn't hear in France or in Japan or in New York? So that's a very difficult challenge, actually, because you try to get really into your heart and your emotion. And I think Portugal has a lot of good emotions in its popular music that you don't find elsewhere. The music I make always has a kind of nostalgic ambience. It's not always sadness. It's a melancholic approach that is very hard to put into words– you just need to feel it.”Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.“I had so many people around me when I was young– famous poets like Ary dos Santos, one of Portugal's greatest poets of the 20th century. Sometimes he would be there talking with my mother, and I had this information that was getting in, but I wasn't aware of it. And then in the early days, when I had just started playing, I was really into modern jazz, which was very instrumental, so I didn't really pay attention to lyrics. It took me a while to get interested in Portuguese music, and in that mixture between jazz, Fado music and Portuguese popular music. For a while I was into the importance of a good poem. Now what moves me most of the time is that mixture of cultures— trying to do something that you cannot find in other countries. If you are into a lot of American jazz, for instance, you can play great music, but you are always playing music that started elsewhere, you know? And for a European like me, it's challenging to try and find what makes you different in such a big market. What sound can you try to create that you wouldn't hear in France or in Japan or in New York? So that's a very difficult challenge, actually, because you try to get really into your heart and your emotion. And I think Portugal has a lot of good emotions in its popular music that you don't find elsewhere. The music I make always has a kind of nostalgic ambience. It's not always sadness. It's a melancholic approach that is very hard to put into words– you just need to feel it.”www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
“I had so many people around me when I was young– famous poets like Ary dos Santos, one of Portugal's greatest poets of the 20th century. Sometimes he would be there talking with my mother, and I had this information that was getting in, but I wasn't aware of it. And then in the early days, when I had just started playing, I was really into modern jazz, which was very instrumental, so I didn't really pay attention to lyrics. It took me a while to get interested in Portuguese music, and in that mixture between jazz, Fado music and Portuguese popular music. For a while I was into the importance of a good poem. Now what moves me most of the time is that mixture of cultures— trying to do something that you cannot find in other countries. If you are into a lot of American jazz, for instance, you can play great music, but you are always playing music that started elsewhere, you know? And for a European like me, it's challenging to try and find what makes you different in such a big market. What sound can you try to create that you wouldn't hear in France or in Japan or in New York? So that's a very difficult challenge, actually, because you try to get really into your heart and your emotion. And I think Portugal has a lot of good emotions in its popular music that you don't find elsewhere. The music I make always has a kind of nostalgic ambience. It's not always sadness. It's a melancholic approach that is very hard to put into words– you just need to feel it.”Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.“I would love if young people understood that art is one of the things that make you a human and not a robot. That's the difference. And if we could pass on that message, what makes us human beings, it's exactly our ability to feel. We need to do it in the schools and the teacher should be the most important person in the world right now - good teachers who pass that message to young people. They need to focus on the important things to get that capacity to concentrate. If we lose the concentration capacity, then we are becoming robots, and so for me, the challenge is really for the young people and teachers, telling them the importance of paying attention to the important things.”www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
“I would love if young people understood that art is one of the things that make you a human and not a robot. That's the difference. And if we could pass on that message, what makes us human beings, it's exactly our ability to feel. We need to do it in the schools and the teacher should be the most important person in the world right now - good teachers who pass that message to young people. They need to focus on the important things to get that capacity to concentrate. If we lose the concentration capacity, then we are becoming robots, and so for me, the challenge is really for the young people and teachers, telling them the importance of paying attention to the important things.”Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
“It took me some time to understand where I was going to see myself. It's true that, at home, me and my brothers had a beautiful cultural environment because my father was, not a professional musician, but a jazz lover. He was really into jazz music and really passionate about it. But he was never a professional musician. He was an amateur. My mother, also, was a teacher and a writer, so I think we had this environment at home that got us into music. We were always listening either to opera or to jazz. Of course, we had our preferences when we were kids– we loved The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. But we always had this different approach because of our mother and father. Everything that influenced us came through them, even if we didn't know it. When I was fourteen or fifteen I started to feel a need to play an instrument. And one thing that helped a lot was the fact that we were four brothers and we started to play music together. We had this small combo happening at home almost every day, every hour. And it was a quick sensation– immediately I understood that this was what I was going to do for the rest of my life.”Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
Bernardo Moreira is one of the most active Portuguese double bassists. He has performed as a guest soloist with Gulbenkian, Metropolitan de Lisboa, and Nacional do Porto orchestras, and gained prominence for his collaborations with international artists, including the legendary Benny Colson, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a regular collaborator with many jazz musicians in Portugal, participating in formations such as the Maria João/Mário Laginha quartet, the Mário Laginha trio, and singer Cristina Branco. In 2021, he released Enter Paredes, and in 2022, he led Cantina's de Main and SUL.“It took me some time to understand where I was going to see myself. It's true that, at home, me and my brothers had a beautiful cultural environment because my father was, not a professional musician, but a jazz lover. He was really into jazz music and really passionate about it. But he was never a professional musician. He was an amateur. My mother, also, was a teacher and a writer, so I think we had this environment at home that got us into music. We were always listening either to opera or to jazz. Of course, we had our preferences when we were kids– we loved The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. But we always had this different approach because of our mother and father. Everything that influenced us came through them, even if we didn't know it. When I was fourteen or fifteen I started to feel a need to play an instrument. And one thing that helped a lot was the fact that we were four brothers and we started to play music together. We had this small combo happening at home almost every day, every hour. And it was a quick sensation– immediately I understood that this was what I was going to do for the rest of my life.”www.clavenamao.orghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0Yse2njeXg2XDiQmmxhAc5www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic on this episode:António Marinheiro, Bernardo Moreira Sextet, from the album Entre Paredes PROMESSAS MIX V3 ULT from SULCourtesy of Bernardo Moreira
El pianista y compositor Horace Silver es uno de los arquitectos del Hard Bop, la corriente principal del jazz moderno que nace a mediados de los años cincuenta del pasado siglo. Entre los hitos de su curriculum artístico podemos citar el haber sido cofundador de la legendaria banda The Jazz Messengers, junto al batería Art Blakey o haber liderado durante décadas su propio quinteto por el que desfilaron artistas de la talla de Art Farmer, Clifford Jordan, Blue Mitchell, Joe Henderson o Randy Brecker por citar solo algunos de ellos. Finalmente Silver será recordado como compositor de algunos de los más brillante standards jazzísticos de aquel periodo. Temas como Senor Blues, Peace, Nica´s Dream o Song for my Father, son algunas de su más célebres composiciones. Así que Radio Jazznoend, en este nuevo podcast, rinde homenaje a esta eminente figura de la historia del jazz, relatando episodios y anécdotas de su carrera y escuchando algunas de su más destacadas grabaciones registradas para la discográfica Blue Note, en la primera década de su actividad como líder de banda.
All music used with permission by Yoron Isreal Trio. New York City Based Drummer Yoron Israel has performed with many of the giants of jazz in the over 200 recordings he's appeared on, including Sonny Rollins, Tony Bennett and Art Farmer. In addition to his own solo recordings he serves as the Chair and Professor of Percussion at the Berklee College of Music. Working alongside Aiden Plank on bass and Joey Skoch on piano, in this September 9th, 2022 performance, it's the Yoron Israel Trio Plus. Live at the Bop Stop. Live At The Bop Stop is made possible by The Music Settlement – serving Northeast Ohio by offering music instruction – music therapy and early childhood education since 1912. The Music Settlement's mission is to welcome all to our music and arts community to learn – create – inspire – and heal. This program is recorded at the Robert Conrad Studios at The Bop Stop in Cleveland, Ohio and the studios of Gilazar Media in Fairlawn, Ohio. Additional production at The Bop Stop is provided by Graham Rosen. Editing for WOBC WNPA and the Public Radio Exchange is provided by Doctor Pete Naegele - and for our podcast and other radio affiliates by Shawn Gilbert at Gilazar Media. The executive producer is Daniel Peck – with additional consulting production from Bryan Kennard. For extended version of all of our shows –our Live at The Bop Stop podcast can be found on your favorite podcast app or visit our website at www.themusicsettlement.org and click the Bop Stop link. Want to Support The Bop Stop? Donate here! Contact us here
Face to Face, Nikki's new album is out today! As a founder member of the hugely innovative Creative Jazz Orchestra in the early 90s, Nikki Iles came to prominence working with musicians such as Anthony Braxton, Vince Mendoza, Mark Anthony Turnage, Kenny Wheeler and Mike Gibbs.Mike subsequently booked her for one of her first recording dates with great American musicians, Steve Swallow and Bob Moses on the CD “By The Way” on AH HUM records. For many years, Nikki served a lengthy apprenticeship in the North of England playing with the cream of British and American jazz such as Peter King, Iain Ballamy, Art Farmer, Peter King ,Tina May ,Tim Garland and Jim Mullen.Many of these relationships were re- kindled later ,when after a car accident, Nikki finally decided to make the move to London in 1998. Here she joined the groups and toured and recorded with musicians such as Steve Arguelles, Mick Hutton, Martin Speake, Stan Sulzmann and Julian Arguelles and Norma Winstone .Several awards followed with the BT British Jazz Award and an IAJE Award in America for services to Jazz. Although well known as a pianist, composition still remains a major part of her musical life.The breadth of Nikki's artistic vision has led her to disregard the arbitrary boundaries of the jazz scene and most notably, commissions have included a collaboration with American dancer Mimi Cichanowicz , the UMO Jazz Orchestra in Finland, “A Gentle Prayer “ - London Sinfonietta , “Red Ellen” - Tim Garland's Northern Underground Band, “Carillion – The LPO's Renga ensemble and this year “The Caged Bird” from the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers.Nikki was honoured to have her piece HUSH commissioned by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra featured at the 2012 Proms ( BBC TV) and more recently write for the great American singer, Kurt Elling and The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.Recently she has been particularly busy - she was awarded the prestigious Ivors Academy Gold Badge and the Ivor Novello Award - winning the best large ensemble composition in 2021.Support the show
Today, the Spotlight shines On Peter Kruder and Roberto Di Gioia, who join us to talk about their new but long-gestating duo project, “--------”. Viennese artist, producer and DJ Peter Kruder is one of the legendary figures in electronic music, known for his pioneering work as a member of Kruder & Dorfmeister.Kruder & Dorfmeister, named after Peter and collaborator Richard Dorfmeister, is an Austrian duo who broke out creating trip hop and downtempo remixes of pop, hip-hop, and drum and bass songs. Equally independent and innovative, K&D have recently announced their 30th anniversary tour, set for later in 2023. PIanist Roberto Di Gioia was born in Milan and made his name manning the keyboard bench with Klaus Doldinger's Passport. Over the years, Roberto has worked with many American jazz greats, including Art Farmer, Joe Lovano, and Clark Terry. Together, Peter and Roberto fuse electronic, jazz, pop and dance music into a unique sound deserving of a wide audience. Check out the show notes for a link to a video of their stunning premier live performance, which took place around the time of this discussion Despite their pedigrees and accomplishments, Peter and Roberto were relaxed, engaging and very self-deprecating. Enjoy the conversation.------------------Dig Deeper• Listen to Peter Kruder and Roberto Di Gioia's "————————" on your favorite streaming platform• Visit Peter Kruder at peterkruder.com• Roberto Di Gioia's discography• Follow Peter Kruder on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter• Follow Roberto Di Gioia on Instagram• Kruder & Dorfmeister• “Herbie takes no prisoners on his back covers.” • The Yamaha DX7: Death of The Analog Synthesizer• Wiener Konzerthaus, Mozart Hall• Peter and Roberto perform “Donauwalzer” by Johann Strauss at the Wiener Konzerthaus• Rutger Hauer dissects his iconic “tears in rain” Blade Runner monologue------------------ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, the Spotlight shines On Peter Kruder and Roberto Di Gioia, who join us to talk about their new but long-gestating duo project, “--------”. Viennese artist, producer and DJ Peter Kruder is one of the legendary figures in electronic music, known for his pioneering work as a member of Kruder & Dorfmeister.Kruder & Dorfmeister, named after Peter and collaborator Richard Dorfmeister, is an Austrian duo who broke out creating trip hop and downtempo remixes of pop, hip-hop, and drum and bass songs. Equally independent and innovative, K&D have recently announced their 30th anniversary tour, set for later in 2023. PIanist Roberto Di Gioia was born in Milan and made his name manning the keyboard bench with Klaus Doldinger's Passport. Over the years, Roberto has worked with many American jazz greats, including Art Farmer, Joe Lovano, and Clark Terry. Together, Peter and Roberto fuse electronic, jazz, pop and dance music into a unique sound deserving of a wide audience. Check out the show notes for a link to a video of their stunning premier live performance, which took place around the time of this discussion Despite their pedigrees and accomplishments, Peter and Roberto were relaxed, engaging and very self-deprecating. Enjoy the conversation.------------------Dig Deeper• Listen to Peter Kruder and Roberto Di Gioia's "————————" on your favorite streaming platform• Visit Peter Kruder at peterkruder.com• Roberto Di Gioia's discography• Follow Peter Kruder on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter• Follow Roberto Di Gioia on Instagram• Kruder & Dorfmeister• “Herbie takes no prisoners on his back covers.” • The Yamaha DX7: Death of The Analog Synthesizer• Wiener Konzerthaus, Mozart Hall• Peter and Roberto perform “Donauwalzer” by Johann Strauss at the Wiener Konzerthaus• Rutger Hauer dissects his iconic “tears in rain” Blade Runner monologue------------------ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week on the podcast is part 2 of our interview with Dave Hassell, acclaimed British drummer and Latin percussionist. Dave has been performing for 50 years as a studio session player, live performer, and band leader, performing with musical greats such as Dr. John, Clarke Terry, Art Farmer, and more. He is also an author, maintains a robust teaching studio, and has taught at many of the leading music institutions in the UK. We hope you join us for an entertaining and informative discussion on what it takes to be a professional musician!In this episode:Ever pondered the complexities of the music business? Dave decodes it all for us, drawing from the treasure trove of his five-decade-long experience. He talks about the essential life skills musicians need to acquire, the importance of a robust support system, and the crucial role of people skills in this industry. Copyrights, royalties, and the potential pitfalls of sample music - Dave doesn't shy away from discussing these nitty-gritty details. But, what truly sets this conversation apart is Dave's invaluable advice on becoming an inspiring and effective teacher.In our final segment, Dave imparts wisdom for those venturing into the arts industry. He underscores the significance of honesty, integrity, and excellence in the world of music. Recognizing the pivotal role of arts in society, Dave calls for greater support from governments in nurturing this sector. Relating from his own journey, he advises aspiring musicians to be true to themselves and take control of their destiny. This episode isn't just for musicians but anyone seeking to enrich their lives with the power of music. So tune in for an enlightening tête-à-tête with this maestro.Show notes: https://www.artsentrepreneurshippodcast.com/episodes/231-dave-hassell-drummer-and-latin-percussionist-pt-2-of-2
This week on the podcast is part 1 of our interview with Dave Hassell, acclaimed British drummer and Latin percussionist. Dave has been performing for 50 years as a studio session player, live performer, and band leader, performing with musical greats such as Dr. John, Clarke Terry, Art Farmer, and more. He is also an author, maintains a robust teaching studio, and has taught at many of the leading music institutions in the UK. We hope you join us for an entertaining and informative discussion on what it takes to be a professional musician!In this episode:Dave opens up about his creative process and sheds light on the importance of authenticity in music writing. He astounds us with his unconventional approach to finding the right tools for music creation, sometimes as unassuming as a house brick! His learning experiences under venerable mentors like Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira and British drummer Tony Oxley serve as potent reminders of the power of learning from the best.We also delve into the fascinating yet unpredictable world of performance schedules. Dave's account provides an honest and enlightening perspective on the hectic life of a musician. His advice for fellow musicians? Versatility and a willingness to absorb different cultures are key. So strap in for an unforgettable journey into the rhythm-filled world of Dave Hassell, a drummer who truly marches to the beat of his own drum.Show Notes: https://www.artsentrepreneurshippodcast.com/episodes/230-dave-hassell-drummer-and-latin-percussionist-pt-1-of-2
Recorded May 4, 2023 on progrock.com Apache – Incredible Bongo Band (1973) – Incredible Bongo Band The Bird Wave – Electric Funk (1969) – Jimmy McGriff Chameleon – Head Hunters (1973) – Herbie Hancock The Vibrator – Down Home Style (1969) – Brother Jack McDuff Crawl Space – Crawl Space (1977) – Art Farmer Squib […]
Andy's two hours for International Jazz Day kicks off with Bobby Darin and then brings you a fine selection of vocal jazz, some classics from Art Farmer, Miles Davis and The Horace Silver Quintet along with a couple from the African continent before ending up with a nice slice of jazzy cheese courtesy of Wayne Newton. Its Jazz Baby!!Tune into new broadcasts of Groovy Soul, LIVE, Sunday 12 - 2 PM EST / 5 - 7 PM GMT.https://thefaceradio.com/archives/groovy-soulFor more info and tracklisting, visit :https://thefaceradio.com/groovy-soul//Dig this show? Please consider supporting The Face Radio: http://support.thefaceradio.com Support The Face Radio with PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/thefaceradio. Join the family at https://plus.acast.com/s/thefaceradio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode, spring has sprung in Co. Galway and it's good to be alive. I've been gallivanting along the country roads going about my job as an art farmer - harvesting beautiful scenery in my sketchbook to serve to you, fresh at the Sketch With Roisin marketplace…not sure how far I can take this analogy but so far I'm liking it!
obituary courtesy of the International Society of Bassists: The ISB is sad to learn of the passing yesterday of bassist, composer, educator and recording artist Kelly Sill. He was 70 years old. Kelly was a beloved mainstay of the Chicago jazz scene for more than 35 years. Born in Fargo, North Dakota, he grew up in the Chicago area. After receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he returned to Chicago to perform and record with jazz artists such as Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, Art Farmer, Clark Terry, Cedar Walton, Herb Ellis, Woody Shaw, Hank Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel, Chris Potter, Ernie Watts, Bob Mintzer, Mel Torme, Anita O'Day, Jackie McLean, Joey DeFrancesco, Donald Byrd, Eddie Harris, Scott Hamilton, Victor Lewis, Clifford Jordan and Bucky Pizzarelli. He performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Elkhart Jazz Festival, the Red Sea Jazz Festival, Thessaloniki Concert Hall in Greece and Symphony Center in Chicago. Kelly's discography includes more than fifty recordings as a sideman and leader. Kelly served on the faculties of Northeastern Illinois University, Lake Forest College, DePaul University and Northern Illinois University. He also taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp, Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop, Janice Borla Vocal Jazz Camp, University of Wisconsin/Stevens Point Jazz Camp, Clark Terry Great Plains Jazz Camp and the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) Summer Music Program. Saxophonist Gregory Dudzienski recalls his friend: "Kelly was one of the warmest, most welcoming, supportive, and funniest people I've ever had the fortune to spend time with. He had that way of interacting with you, that way of giving you his full attention and self that made it feel like you were the most important person in the world to him. That way of interacting carried into his playing as well." Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically! Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists. Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle. Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course and Intermediate to Advanced Classical Bass course, available exclusively from Discover Double Bass. Thank you to our sponsors! Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio - CMU is dedicated to helping each student achieve their goals as a musician. Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city's ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah's website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson. Upton Bass String Instrument Company - Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players. Dorico - Unlock Dorico for iPad – For Life! Want to enjoy all of Dorico for iPad's subscription-only features – including support for unlimited players, freehand annotations in Read mode with Apple Pencil, support for third-party Audio Unit plug-ins, and much more – but don't want to pay a monthly or annual fee? Dorico for iPad now provides a lifetime unlock option, so you can access all current and future subscription-only features for a single, one-off in-app purchase. Visit the App Store today and unlock Dorico for iPad for life! theme music by Eric Hochberg
Sevin Okyay bu hafta cazın saygın isimlerinden Art Farmer'a yer veriyor. Farmer, kendisi için tasarlanan enstrümanı #flumpet ile Caz ve Ötesi'nde...
Trumpeter Art Farmer was in France and Sweden with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra in the Fall of 1954 and recorded with several groups, including two under his own name . . these sides feature Clifford Brown, Jimmy Cleveland, Anthony Ortega and Clifford Solomon from the Hampton band as well as Swedish stars Ake Persson, Bengt Hallberg, Arne Domnerus and Lars Gullin playing Quincy Jones arrangements and blending the hard bop and cool styles --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/john-clark49/support
The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra led by the great pioneering bassist and cellist was a short lived big band that existed for several months in 1957. This Jazz feature is our on going tribute to short-lived bands. Pettiford had always dreamed of having a big band and he was able achieve it for a short time with the assistance of player/arrangers like alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce and tenor saxophone great Lucky Thompson. The band had a unique sound with two French horns (Julius Watkins and David Amram) plus a harp (Betty Glamman). Well hear solos by Pettiford on bass and cello plus some fine moments by trumpeters Art Farmer and Ernie Royal and trombonist Jimmy Cleveland plus of course alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce and tenor saxophone master Lucky Thompson and pianist Tommy Flanagan and the French horns. A great bog band with inspired playing throughout. The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra on tap tonight!
En esta cuarta entrega enfocada a la trompeta redondeamos los especialistas en hiperagudos con Maynard Ferguson y Arturo Sandoval. Y volvemos a la cronologia con la trompeta de bop: Dizzy, Howard McGee, Fats Navarro, Kenny Dorham, Miles. Y entramos al cool de Miles, Chet Baker y Art Farmer.
Tonight on Jazz After Dark: Harlan Leonard, Art Tatum with Benny Carter and Louis Bellson, Ruby Braff, Oscar Peterson Trio, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra with Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughan, Art Farmer, Bobby Militello with the Brubeck family, and Perico Sambeat.
This week on Jazz Unlimited with Paul Anthony a whole bevy of new releases hot off the presses or maybe we should say from cyber space including the latest from organist, Dr. Lonnie Smith, singer Roseanna Vitro's latest, a tribute to Charlie Parker with an all star cast of singers, guitarist Dave Stryker's new one with a string quartet, pianist Helen Sung with her latest also with a string quartet. We'll listen to 85 year old pianist Kirk Lightsey's newest a solo piano effort. We'll dig back in the vault for a quintet led by trumpeter Art Farmer with Bill Evans on piano, and from Wayne Shorter's classic album Speak No Evil. Join me this and every week for Jazz Unlimited with Paul Anthony.
Playlist of the show:1. 春节序曲 & I'll Take Romance remix2. Back in the Cage3. Farmer's Market4. Concerto for Billy the Kid (ft. George Russell)5. The Jazztet – I remember Clifford6. Petite Belle
Episode one hundred and thirty-nine of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Eight Miles High” by the Byrds, and the influence of jazz and Indian music on psychedelic rock. This is a long one... Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Winchester Cathedral" by the New Vaudeville Band. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources No Mixcloud this time, as there were multiple artists with too many songs. Information on John Coltrane came from Coltrane by Ben Ratliffe, while information on Ravi Shankar came from Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar by Oliver Craske. For information on the Byrds, I relied mostly on Timeless Flight Revisited by Johnny Rogan, with some information from Chris Hillman's autobiography. This dissertation looks at the influence of Slonimsky on Coltrane. All Coltrane's music is worth getting, but this 5-CD set containing Impressions is the most relevant cheap selection of his material for these purposes. This collection has the Shankar material released in the West up to 1962. And this three-CD set is a reasonable way of getting most of the Byrds' important recordings. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript This episode is the second part of a loose trilogy of episodes set in LA in 1966. We're going to be spending a *lot* of time around LA and Hollywood for the next few months -- seven of the next thirteen episodes are based there, and there'll be more after that. But it's going to take a while to get there. This is going to be an absurdly long episode, because in order to get to LA in 1966 again, we're going to have to start off in the 1940s in New York, and take a brief detour to India. Because in order to explain this: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Eight Miles High"] We're first going to have to explain this: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "India (#3)"] Before we begin this, I just want to say something. This episode runs long, and covers a *lot* of musical ground, and as part of that it covers several of the most important musicians of the twentieth century -- but musicians in the fields of jazz, which is a music I know something about, but am not an expert in, and Hindustani classical music, which is very much not even close to my area of expertise. It also contains a chunk of music theory, which again, I know a little about -- but only really enough to know how much I don't know. I am going to try to get the information about these musicians right, but I want to emphasise that at times I will be straying *vastly* out of my lane, in ways that may well seem like they're minimising these musicians. I am trying to give just enough information about them to tell the story, and I would urge anyone who becomes interested in the music I talk about in the early parts of this episode to go out and find more expert sources to fill in the gap. And conversely, if you know more about these musics than I do, please forgive any inaccuracies. I am going to do my best to get all of this right, because accuracy is important, but I suspect that every single sentence in the first hour or so of this episode could be footnoted with something pointing out all the places where what I've said is only somewhat true. Also, I apologise if I mispronounce any names or words in this episode, though I've tried my best to get it right -- I've been unable to find recordings of some words and names being spoken, while with others I've heard multiple versions. To tell today's story, we're going to have to go right back to some things we looked at in the first episode, on "Flying Home". For those of you who don't remember -- which is fair enough, since that episode was more than three years ago -- in that episode we looked at a jazz record by the Benny Goodman Sextet, which was one of the earliest popular recordings to feature electric guitar: [Excerpt: The Benny Goodman Sextet, "Flying Home"] Now, we talked about quite a lot of things in that episode which have played out in later episodes, but one thing we only mentioned in passing, there or later, was a style of music called bebop. We did talk about how Charlie Christian, the guitarist on that record, was one of the innovators of that style, but we didn't really go into what it was properly. Indeed, I deliberately did not mention in that episode something that I was saving until now, because we actually heard *two* hugely influential bebop musicians in that episode, and I was leaving the other one to talk about here. In that episode we saw how Lionel Hampton, the Benny Goodman band's vibraphone player, went on to form his own band, and how that band became one of the foundational influences for the genres that became known as jump blues and R&B. And we especially noted the saxophone solo on Hampton's remake of "Flying Home", played by Illinois Jacquet: [Excerpt: Lionel Hampton, "Flying Home"] We mentioned in that episode how Illinois Jacquet's saxophone solo there set the template for all tenor sax playing in R&B and rock and roll music for decades to come -- his honking style became quite simply how you play rock and roll or R&B saxophone, and without that solo you don't have any of the records by Fats Domino, Little Richard, the Coasters, or a dozen other acts that we discussed. But what we didn't look at in that episode is that that is a big band record, so of course there is more than just one saxophone player on it. And one of the other saxophone players on that recording is Dexter Gordon, a musician who was originally from LA. Those of you with long memories will remember that back in the first year or so of the podcast we talked a lot about the music programme at Jefferson High School in LA, and about Samuel Browne, the music teacher whose music programme gave the world the Coasters, the Penguins, the Platters, Etta James, Art Farmer, Richard Berry, Big Jay McNeely, Barry White, and more other important musicians than I can possibly name here. Gordon was yet another of Browne's students -- one who Browne regularly gave detention to, just to make him practice his scales. Gordon didn't get much chance to shine in the Lionel Hampton band, because he was only second tenor, with Jacquet taking many of the solos. But he was learning from playing in a band with Jacquet, and while Gordon didn't ever develop a honk like Jacquet's, he did adopt some of Jacquet's full tone in his own sound. There aren't many recordings of Gordon playing solos in his early years, because they coincided with the American Federation of Musicians' recording strike that we talked about in those early episodes, but he did record a few sessions in 1943 for a label small enough not to be covered by the ban, and you can hear something of Jacquet's tone in those recordings, along with the influence of Lester Young, who influenced all tenor sax players at this time: [Excerpt: Nat "King" Cole with Dexter Gordon, "I've Found a New Baby"] The piano player on that session, incidentally, is Nat "King" Cole, when he was still one of the most respected jazz pianists on the scene, before he switched primarily to vocals. And Gordon took this Jacquet-influenced tone, and used it to become the second great saxophone hero of bebop music, after Charlie Parker -- and the first great tenor sax hero of the music. I've mentioned bebop before on several occasions, but never really got into it in detail. It was a style that developed in New York in the mid to late forties, and a lot of the earliest examples of it went unrecorded thanks to that musicians' strike, but the style emphasised small groups improvising together, and expanding their sense of melody and harmony. The music prized virtuosity and musical intelligence over everything else, and was fast and jittery-sounding. The musicians would go on long, extended, improvisations, incorporating ideas both from the blues and from the modern classical music of people like Bartok and Stravinsky, which challenged conventional tonality. In particular, one aspect which became prominent in bebop music was a type of scale known as the bebop scale. In most of the music we've looked at in this podcast to this point, the scales used have been seven-note scales -- do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti- which make an octave with a second, higher, do tone. So in the scale of C major we have C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and then another C: [demonstrates] Bebop scales, on the other hand, would generally have an extra note in, making an eight-note scale, by adding in what is called a chromatic passing note. For example, a typical bebop C major scale might add in the note G#, so the scale would go C,D,E,F,G,G#, A, B, C: [demonstrates] You'd play this extra note for the most part, when moving between the two notes it's between, so in that scale you'd mostly use it when moving from G to A, or from A to G. Now I'm far from a bebop player, so this won't sound like bebop, but I can demonstrate the kind of thing if I first noodle a little scalar melody in the key of C major: [demonstrates] And then play the same thing, but adding in a G# every time I go between the G and the A in either direction: [demonstrates] That is not bebop music, but I hope you can see what a difference that chromatic passing tone makes to the melody. But again, that's not bebop, because I'm not a bebop player. Dexter Gordon, though, *was* a bebop player. He moved to New York while playing with Louis Armstrong's band, and soon became part of the bebop scene, which at the time centred around Charlie Christian, the trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie, and the alto sax player Charlie Parker, sometimes nicknamed "bird" or "Yardbird", who is often regarded as the greatest of them all. Gillespie, Parker, and Gordon also played in Billy Eckstine's big band, which gave many of the leading bebop musicians the opportunity to play in what was still the most popular idiom at the time -- you can hear Gordon have a saxophone battle with Gene Ammons on "Blowing the Blues Away" in a lineup of the band that also included Art Blakey on drums and Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet: [Excerpt: Billy Eckstine, "Blowing the Blues Away"] But Gordon was soon leading his own small band sessions, and making records for labels like Savoy, on which you can definitely hear the influence of Illinois Jacquet on his tone, even as he's playing music that's more melodically experimental by far than the jump band music of the Hampton band: [Excerpt: Dexter Gordon, "Dexter Digs In"] Basically, in the late 1940s, if you were wanting to play bebop on the saxophone, you had two models to follow -- Charlie Parker, the great alto saxophonist with his angular, atonal, melodic sense and fast, virtuosic, playing, or Dexter Gordon, the tenor saxophonist, whose style had more R&B grease and wit to it, who would quote popular melodies in his own improvisations. And John Coltrane followed both. Coltrane's first instrument was the alto sax, and when he was primarily an alto player he would copy Charlie Parker's style. When he switched to being primarily a tenor player -- though he would always continue playing both instruments, and later in his career would also play soprano sax -- he took up much of Gordon's mellower tone, though he was also influenced by other tenor players, like Lester Young, the great player with Count Basie's band, and Johnny Hodges, who played with Duke Ellington. Now, it is important to note here that John Coltrane is a very, very, big deal. Depending on your opinion of Ornette Coleman's playing, Coltrane is by most accounts either the last or penultimate truly great innovator in jazz saxophone, and arguably the single foremost figure in the music in the last half of the twentieth century. In this podcast I'm only able to tell you enough about him to give you the information you need to understand the material about the Byrds, but were I to do a similar history of jazz in five hundred songs, Coltrane would have a similar position to someone like the Beatles -- he's such a major figure that he is literally venerated as a saint by the African Orthodox Church, and a couple of other Episcopal churches have at least made the case for his sainthood. So anything I say here about him is not even beginning to scratch the surface of his towering importance to jazz music, but it will, I hope, give some idea of his importance to the development of the Byrds -- a group of whom he was almost certainly totally unaware. Coltrane started out playing as a teenager, and his earliest recordings were when he was nineteen and in the armed forces, just after the end of World War II. At that time, he was very much a beginner, although a talented one, and on his early amateur recordings you can hear him trying to imitate Parker without really knowing what it was that Parker was doing that made him so great. But as well as having some natural talent, he had one big attribute that made him stand out -- his utter devotion to his music. He was so uninterested in anything other than mastering his instrument that one day a friend was telling him about a baseball game he'd watched, and all Coltrane could do was ask in confusion "Who's Willie Mays?" Coltrane would regularly practice his saxophone until his reed was red with blood, but he would also study other musicians. And not just in jazz. He knew that Charlie Parker had intensely studied Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, and so Coltrane would study that too: [Excerpt: Stravinsky, "Firebird Suite"] Coltrane joined the band of Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, who was one of those figures like Johnny Otis, with whom Vinson would later perform for many years, who straddled the worlds of jazz and R&B. Vinson was a blues shouter in the style of Big Joe Turner, but he was also a bebop sax player, and what he wanted was a tenor sax player who could play tenor the way Charlie Parker played alto, but do it in an R&B setting. Coltrane switched from alto to tenor, and spent a year or so playing with Vinson's band. No recordings exist of Coltrane with Vinson that I'm aware of, but you can get an idea of what he sounded like from his next band. By this point, Dizzy Gillespie had graduated from small bebop groups to leading a big band, and he got Coltrane in as one of his alto players, though Coltrane would often also play tenor with Gillespie, as on this recording from 1951, which has Coltrane on tenor, Gillespie on trumpet, with Kenny Burrell and two of the future Modern Jazz Quartet, Milt Jackson and Percy Heath, showing that the roots of modern jazz were not very far at all from the roots of rock and roll: [Excerpt: Dizzy Gillespie, "We Love to Boogie"] After leaving Gillespie's band, Coltrane played with a lot of important musicians over the next four or five years, like Johnny Hodges, Earl Bostic, and Jimmy Smith, and occasionally sat in with Miles Davis, but at this point he was still not a major musician in the genre. He was a competent, working, sideman, but he was also struggling with alcohol and heroin, and hadn't really found his own voice. But then Miles Davis asked Coltrane to join his band full-time. Coltrane was actually Davis' second choice -- he really wanted Sonny Rollins, who was widely considered the best new tenor player around, but he was eventually persuaded to take Coltrane. During his first period with Davis, Coltrane grew rapidly as a musician, and also played on a *lot* of other people's sessions. In a three year period Coltrane went from Davis to Thelonius Monk's group then back to Davis' group, and also recorded as both a sideman and a band leader on a ton of sessions. You can get a box set of his recordings from May 1956 through December 1958 that comes to nineteen CDs -- and that's not counting the recordings with Miles Davis, which aren't included on that set. Unsurprisingly, just through playing this much, Coltrane had grown enormously as a player, and he was particularly fascinated by harmonics, playing with the notes of a chord, in arpeggios, and pushing music to its harmonic limits, as you can hear in his solo on Davis' "Straight, No Chaser", which pushes the limits of the jazz solo as far as they'd gone to that point: [Excerpt: Miles Davis, "Straight, No Chaser"] But on the same album as that, "Milestones", we also have the first appearance of a new style, modal jazz. Now, to explain this, we have to go back to the scales again. We looked at the normal Western scale, do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do, but you can start a scale on any of those notes, and which note you start on creates what is called a different mode. The modes are given Greek names, and each mode has a different feel to it. If you start on do, we call this the major scale or the Ionian mode. This is the normal scale we heard before -- C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C: [demonstrates] Most music – about seventy percent of the melodies you're likely to have heard, uses that mode. If you start on re, it would go re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do-re, or D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D, the Dorian mode: [demonstrates] Melodies with this mode tend to have a sort of wistful feel, like "Scarborough Fair": [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "Scarborough Fair"] or many of George Harrison's songs: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I Me Mine"] Starting on mi, you have the Phrygian mode, mi-fa-so-la-ti-do-re-mi: [demonstrates] The Phrygian mode is not especially widely used, but does turn up in some popular works like Barber's Adagio for Strings: [Excerpt: Barber, "Adagio for Strings"] Then there's the Lydian mode, fa-so-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa: [demonstrates] This mode isn't used much at all in pop music -- the most prominent example I can think of is "Pretty Ballerina" by the Left Banke: [Excerpt: The Left Banke, "Pretty Ballerina"] Starting on so, we have so-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa-so -- the Mixolydian mode: [demonstrates] That mode has a sort of bluesy or folky tone to it, and you also find it in a lot of traditional tunes, like "She Moves Through the Fair": [Excerpt: Davey Graham, "She Moved Thru' The Bizarre/Blue Raga"] And in things like "Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Norwegian Wood"] Though that goes into Dorian for the middle section. Starting on la, we have the Aeolian mode, which is also known as the natural minor scale, and is often just talked about as “the minor scale”: [demonstrates] That's obviously used in innumerable songs, for example "Losing My Religion" by REM: [Excerpt: REM, "Losing My Religion"] And finally you have the Locrian mode ti-do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti: [demonstrates] That basically doesn't get used, unless someone wants to show off that they know the Locrian mode. The only vaguely familiar example I can think of is "Army of Me" by Bjork: [Excerpt: Bjork, "Army of Me"] I hope that brief excursion through the seven most common modes in Western diatonic music gives you some idea of the difference that musical modes can make to a piece. Anyway, as I was saying, on the "Milestones" album, we get some of the first examples of a form that became known as modal jazz. Now, the ideas of modal jazz had been around for a few years at that point -- oddly, it seems to be one of the first types of popular music to have existed in theory before existing in practice. George Russell, an acquaintance of Davis who was a self-taught music theorist, had written a book in 1953 titled The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization. That book argues that rather than looking at the diatonic scale as the basis for music, one should instead look at a chord progression called the circle of fifths. The circle of fifths is exactly what it sounds like -- you change chords to one a fifth away from it, and then do that again and again, either going up, so you'd have chords with the roots C-G-D-A-E-B-F# and so on: [demonstrates] Or, more commonly, going down, though usually when going downwards you tend to cheat a bit and sharpen one of the notes so you can stay in one key, so you'd get chords with roots C-F-B-E-A-D-G, usually the chords C, F, B diminished, Em, Am, Dm, G: [demonstrates] That descending cycle of fifths is used in all sorts of music, everything from "You Never Give Me Your Money" by the Beatles: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "You Never Give Me Your Money"] to "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor: [Excerpt: Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive"] But what Russell pointed out is that if you do the upwards cycle of fifths, and you *don't* change any of the notes, the first seven root notes you get are the same seven notes you'd find in the Lydian mode, just reordered -- C-D-E-F#-G-A-B . Russell then argued that much of the way harmony and melody work in jazz could be thought of as people experimenting with the way the Lydian mode works, and the way the cycle of fifths leads you further and further away from the tonal centre. Now, you could probably do an entire podcast series as long as this one on the implications of this, and I am honestly just trying to summarise enough information here that you can get a vague gist, but Russell's book had a profound effect on how jazz musicians started to think about harmony and melody. Instead of improvising around the chord changes to songs, they were now basing improvisations and compositions around modes and the notes in them. Rather than having a lot of chord changes, you might just play a single root note that stays the same throughout, or only changes a couple of times in the whole piece, and just imply changes with the clash between the root note and whatever modal note the solo instrument is playing. The track "Milestones" on the Milestones album shows this kind of thinking in full effect -- the song consists of a section in G Dorian, followed by a section in A Aeolian (or E Phrygian depending on how you look at it). Each section has only one implied chord -- a Gm7 for the G Dorian section, and an Am7(b13) for the A Aeolian section -- over which Davis, Cannonball Adderley on alto sax, and Coltrane on tenor, all solo: [Excerpt: Miles Davis, "Milestones"] (For the pedants among you, that track was originally titled "Miles" on the first pressings of the album, but it was retitled "Milestones" on subsequent pressings). The modal form would be taken even further on Davis' next album to be recorded, Porgy and Bess, which featured much fuller orchestrations and didn't have Coltrane on it. Davis later said that when the arranger Gil Evans wrote the arrangements for that album, he didn't write any chords at all, just a scale, which Davis could improvise around. But it was on the album after that, Kind of Blue, which again featured Coltrane on saxophone, that modal jazz made its big breakthrough to becoming the dominant form of jazz music. As with what Evans had done on Porgy and Bess, Davis gave the other instrumentalists modes to play, rather than a chord sequence to improvise over or a melody line to play with. He explained his thinking behind this in an interview with Nat Hentoff, saying "When you're based on chords, you know at the end of 32 bars that the chords have run out and there's nothing to do but repeat what you've just done—with variations. I think a movement in jazz is beginning away from the conventional string of chords ... there will be fewer chords but infinite possibilities as to what to do with them." This style shows up in "So What", the opening track on the album, which is in some ways a very conventional song structure -- it's a thirty-two bar AABA structure. But instead of a chord sequence, it's based on modes in two keys -- the A section is in D Dorian, while the B section is in E-flat Dorian: [Excerpt: Miles Davis, "So What"] Kind of Blue would become one of the contenders for greatest jazz album of all time, and one of the most influential records ever made in any genre -- and it could be argued that that track we just heard, "So What", inspired a whole other genre we'll be looking at in a future episode -- but Coltrane still felt the need to explore more ideas, and to branch out on his own. In particular, while he was interested in modal music, he was also interested in exploring more kinds of scales than just modes, and to do this he had to, at least for the moment, reintroduce chord changes into what he was doing. He was inspired in particular by reading Nicolas Slonimsky's classic Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns. Coltrane had recently signed a new contract as a solo artist with Atlantic Records, and recorded what is generally considered his first true masterpiece album as a solo artist, Giant Steps, with several members of the Davis band, just two weeks after recording Kind of Blue. The title track to Giant Steps is the most prominent example of what are known in jazz as the Coltrane changes -- a cycle of thirds, similar to the cycle of fifths we talked about earlier. The track itself seems to have two sources. The first is the bridge of the old standard "Have You Met Miss Jones?", as famously played by Coleman Hawkins: [Excerpt: Coleman Hawkins, "Have You Met Miss Jones?" And the second is an exercise from Slonimsky's book: [Excerpt: Pattern #286 from Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns] Coltrane combined these ideas to come up with "Giant Steps", which is based entirely around these cycles of thirds, and Slonimsky's example: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "Giant Steps"] Now, I realise that this is meant to be a history of rock music, not jazz musicology theory time, so I promise you I am just hitting the high points here. And only the points that affect Coltrane's development as far as it influenced the music we're looking at in this episode. And so we're actually going to skip over Coltrane's commercial high-point, My Favourite Things, and most of the rest of his work for Atlantic, even though that music is some of the most important jazz music ever recorded. Instead, I'm going to summarise a whole lot of very important music by simply saying that while Coltrane was very interested in this musical idea of the cycle of thirds, he did not like being tied to precise chord changes, and liked the freedom that modal jazz gave to him. By 1960, when his contract with Atlantic was ending and his contract with Impulse was beginning, and he recorded the two albums Olé and Africa/Brass pretty much back to back, he had hit on a new style with the help of Eric Dolphy, a flute, clarinet, and alto sax player who would become an important figure in Coltrane's life. Dolphy died far too young -- he went into a diabetic coma and doctors assumed that because he was a Black jazz musician he must have overdosed, even though he was actually a teetotal abstainer, so he didn't get the treatment he needed -- but he made such a profound influence on Coltrane's life that Coltrane would carry Dolphy's picture with him after his death. Dolphy was even more of a theorist than Coltrane, and another devotee of Slonimsky's book, and he was someone who had studied a great deal of twentieth-century classical music, particularly people like Bartok, Messiaen, Stravinsky, Charles Ives, and Edgard Varese. Dolphy even performed Varese's piece Density 21.5 in concert, an extremely demanding piece for solo flute. I don't know of a recording of Dolphy performing it, sadly, but this version should give some idea: [Excerpt: Edgard Varese, "Density 21.5"] Encouraged by Dolphy, Coltrane started making music based around no changes at all, with any changes being implied by the melody. The title song of Africa/Brass, "Africa", takes up an entire side of one album, and doesn't have a single actual chord change on it, with Dolphy and pianist McCoy Tyner coming up with a brass-heavy arrangement for Coltrane to improvise over a single chord: [Excerpt: The John Coltrane Quartet: "Africa"] This was a return to the idea of modal jazz, based on scales rather than chord changes, but by implying chord changes, often changes based on thirds, Coltrane was often using different scales than the modes that had been used in modal jazz. And while, as the title suggested, "Africa" was inspired by the music of Africa, the use of a single drone chord underneath solos based on a scale was inspired by the music of another continent altogether. Since at least the mid-1950s, both Coltrane and Dolphy had been interested in Indian music. They appear to have first become interested in a record released by Folkways, Music Of India, Morning And Evening Ragas by Ali Akbar Khan: [Excerpt: Ali Akbar Khan, "Rag Sindhi Bhairavi"] But the musician they ended up being most inspired by was a friend of Khan's, Ravi Shankar, who like Khan had been taught by the great sarod player Alauddin Khan, Ali Akbar Khan's father. The elder Khan, who was generally known as "Baba", meaning "father", was possibly *the* most influential Indian musician of the first half of the twentieth century, and was a big part of the revitalisation of Indian music that went hand in hand with the growth of Indian nationalism. He was an ascetic who lived for music and nothing else, and would write five to ten new compositions every day, telling Shankar "Do one thing well and you can achieve everything. Do everything and you achieve nothing". Alauddin Khan was a very religious Muslim, but one who saw music as the ultimate way to God and could find truths in other faiths. When Shankar first got to know him, they were both touring as musicians in a dance troupe run by Shankar's elder brother, which was promoting Indian arts in the West, and he talked about taking Khan to hear the organ playing at Notre Dame cathedral, and Khan bursting into tears and saying "here is God". Khan was not alone in this view. The classical music of Northern India, the music that Khan played and taught, had been very influenced by Sufism, which was for most of Muslim history the dominant intellectual and theological tradition in Islam. Now, I am going to sum up a thousand years of theology and practice, of a religion I don't belong to, in a couple of sentences here, so just assume that what I'm saying is wrong, and *please* don't take offence if you are Sufi yourself and believe I am misrepresenting you. But my understanding of Sufism is that Sufis are extremely devoted to attaining knowledge and understanding of God, and believe that strict adherence to Muslim law is the best way to attain that knowledge -- that it is the way that God himself has prescribed for humans to know him -- but that such knowledge can be reached by people of other faiths if they approach their own traditions with enough devotion. Sufi ideas infuse much of Northern Indian classical music, and so for example it has been considered acceptable for Muslims to sing Hindu religious music and Hindus to sing songs of praise to Allah. So while Ravi Shankar was Hindu and Alauddin Khan was Muslim, Khan was able to become Shankar's guru in what both men regarded as a religious observance, and even to marry Khan's daughter. Khan was a famously cruel disciplinarian -- once hospitalising a student after hitting him with a tuning hammer -- but he earned the devotion of his students by enforcing the same discipline on himself. He abstained from sex so he could put all his energies into music, and was known to tie his hair to the ceiling while he practiced, so he could not fall asleep no matter how long he kept playing. Both Khan and his son Ali Akhbar Khan played the sarod, while Shankar played the sitar, but they all played the same kind of music, which is based on the concept of the raga. Now, in some ways, a raga can be considered equivalent to a mode in Western music: [Excerpt: Ali Akbar Khan, "Rag Sindhi Bhairavi"] But a raga is not *just* a mode -- it sits somewhere between Western conceptions of a mode and a melody. It has a scale, like a mode, but it can have different scales going up or down, and rules about which notes can be moved to from which other notes. So for example (and using Western tones so as not to confuse things further), a raga might say that it's possible to move up from the note G to D, but not down from D to G. Ragas are essentially a very restrictive set of rules which allow the musician playing them to improvise freely within those rules. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the violinist Yehudi Mehuin, at the time the most well-known classical musician in the world, had become fascinated by Indian music as part of a wider programme of his to learn more music outside what he regarded as the overly-constricting scope of the Western classical tradition in which he had been trained. He had become a particular fan of Shankar, and had invited him over to the US to perform. Shankar had refused to come at that point, sending his brother-in-law Ali Akbar Khan over, as he was in the middle of a difficult divorce, and that had been when Khan had recorded that album which had fascinated Coltrane and Dolphy. But Shankar soon followed himself, and made his own records: [Excerpt: Ravi Shankar, "Raga Hamsadhwani"] The music that both Khan and Shankar played was a particular style of Hindustani classical music, which has three elements -- there's a melody instrument, in Shankar's case the sitar and in Khan's the sarod, both of them fretted stringed instruments which have additional strings that resonate along with the main melody string, giving their unique sound. These are the most distinctive Indian instruments, but the melody can be played on all sorts of other instruments, whether Indian instruments like the bansuri and shehnai, which are very similar to the flute and oboe respectively, or Western instruments like the violin. Historically, the melody has also often been sung rather than played, but Indian instrumental music has had much more influence on Western popular music than Indian vocal music has, so we're mostly looking at that here. Along with the melody instrument there's a percussion instrument, usually the tabla, which is a pair of hand drums. Rather than keep a steady, simple, beat like the drum kit in rock music, the percussion has its own patterns and cycles, called talas, which like ragas are heavily formalised but leave a great amount of room for improvisation. The percussion and the melody are in a sort of dialogue with each other, and play off each other in a variety of ways. And finally there's the drone instrument, usually a stringed instrument called a tamboura. The drone is what it sounds like -- a single note, sustained and repeated throughout the piece, providing a harmonic grounding for the improvisations of the melody instrument. Sometimes, rather than just a single root note, it will be a root and fifth, providing a single chord to improvise over, but as often it will be just one note. Often that note will be doubled at the octave, so you might have a drone on both low E and high E. The result provides a very strict, precise, formal, structure for an infinitely varied form of expression, and Shankar was a master of it: [Excerpt: Ravi Shankar, "Raga Hamsadhwani"] Dolphy and, especially, Coltrane became fascinated by Indian music, and Coltrane desperately wanted to record with Shankar -- he even later named his son Ravi in honour of the great musician. It wasn't just the music as music, but music as spiritual practice, that Coltrane was engaged with. He was a deeply religious man but one who was open to multiple faith traditions -- he had been brought up as a Methodist, and both his grandfathers were ministers in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, but his first wife, Naima, who inspired his personal favourite of his own compositions, was a Muslim, while his second wife, Swamini Turiyasangitananda (who he married after leaving Naima in 1963 and who continued to perform as Alice Coltrane even after she took that name, and was herself an extraordinarily accomplished jazz musician on both piano and harp), was a Hindu, and both of them profoundly influenced Coltrane's own spirituality. Some have even suggested that Coltrane's fascination with a cycle of thirds came from the idea that the third could represent both the Christian Trinity and the Hindu trimurti -- the three major forms of Brahman in Hinduism, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. So a music which was a religious discipline for more than one religion, and which worked well with the harmonic and melodic ideas that Coltrane had been exploring in jazz and learning about through his studies of modern classical music, was bound to appeal to Coltrane, and he started using the idea of having two basses provide an octave drone similar to that of the tamboura, leading to tracks like "Africa" and "Olé": [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "Olé"] Several sources have stated that that song was an influence on "Light My Fire" by the Doors, and I can sort of see that, though most of the interviews I've seen with Ray Manzarek have him talking about Coltrane's earlier version of "My Favourite Things" as the main influence there. Coltrane finally managed to meet with Shankar in December 1961, and spent a lot of time with him -- the two discussed recording an album together with McCoy Tyner, though nothing came of it. Shankar said of their several meetings that month: "The music was fantastic. I was much impressed, but one thing distressed me. There was turbulence in the music that gave me a negative feeling at times, but I could not quite put my finger on the trouble … Here was a creative person who had become a vegetarian, who was studying yoga, and reading the Bhagavad-Gita, yet in whose music I still heard much turmoil. I could not understand it." Coltrane said in turn "I like Ravi Shankar very much. When I hear his music, I want to copy it – not note for note of course, but in his spirit. What brings me closest to Ravi is the modal aspect of his art. Currently, at the particular stage I find myself in, I seem to be going through a modal phase … There's a lot of modal music that is played every day throughout the world. It is particularly evident in Africa, but if you look at Spain or Scotland, India or China, you'll discover this again in each case … It's this universal aspect of music that interests me and attracts me; that's what I'm aiming for." And the month before Coltrane met Shankar, Coltrane had had a now-legendary residency at the Village Vanguard in New York with his band, including Dolphy, which had resulted not only in the famous Live at the Village Vanguard album, but in two tracks on Coltrane's studio album Impressions. Those shows were among the most controversial in the history of jazz, though the Village Vanguard album is now often included in lists of the most important records in jazz. Downbeat magazine, the leading magazine for jazz fans at the time, described those shows as "musical nonsense" and "a horrifying demonstration of what appears to be a growing anti-jazz trend" -- though by the time Impressions came out in 1963, that opinion had been revised somewhat. Harvey Pekar, the comic writer and jazz critic, also writing in DownBeat, gave Impressions five stars, saying "Not all the music on this album is excellent (which is what a five-star rating signifies,) but some is more than excellent". And while among Coltrane fans the piece from these Village Vanguard shows that is of most interest is the extended blues masterpiece "Chasin' the Trane" which takes up a whole side of the Village Vanguard LP, for our purposes we're most interested in one of the two tracks that was held over for Impressions. This was another of Coltrane's experiments in using the drones he'd found in Indian musical forms, like "Africa" and "Olé". This time it was also inspired by a specific piece of music, though not an instrumental one. Rather it was a vocal performance -- a recording on a Folkways album of Pandita Ramji Shastri Dravida chanting one of the Vedas, the religious texts which are among the oldest texts sacred to any surviving religion: [Excerpt: Pandita Ramji Shastri Dravida, "Vedic Chanting"] Coltrane took that basic melodic idea, and combined it with his own modal approach to jazz, and the inspiration he was taking from Shankar's music, and came up with a piece called "India": [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "India"] Which is where we came in, isn't it? [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Eight Miles High"] So now, finally, we get to the Byrds. Even before "Mr. Tambourine Man" went to number one in the charts, the Byrds were facing problems with their sound being co-opted as the latest hip thing. Their location in LA, at the centre of the entertainment world, was obviously a huge advantage to them in many ways, but it also made them incredibly visible to people who wanted to hop onto a bandwagon. The group built up much of their fanbase playing at Ciro's -- the nightclub on the Sunset Strip that we mentioned in the previous episode which later reopened as It's Boss -- and among those in the crowd were Sonny and Cher. And Sonny brought along his tape recorder. The Byrds' follow-up single to "Mr. Tambourine Man", released while that song was still going up the charts, was another Dylan song, "All I Really Want to Do". But it had to contend with this: [Excerpt: Cher, "All I Really Want to Do"] Cher's single, produced by Sonny, was her first solo single since the duo had become successful, and came out before the Byrds' version, and the Byrds were convinced that elements of the arrangement, especially the guitar part, came from the version they'd been performing live – though of course Sonny was no stranger to jangly guitars himself, having co-written “Needles and Pins”, the song that pretty much invented the jangle. Cher made number fifteen on the charts, while the Byrds only made number forty. Their version did beat Cher's in the UK charts, though. The record company was so worried about the competition that for a while they started promoting the B-side as the A-side. That B-side was an original by Gene Clark, though one that very clearly showed the group's debt to the Searchers: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better"] While it was very obviously derived from the Searchers' version of "Needles and Pins", especially the riff, it was still a very strong, original, piece of work in its own right. It was the song that convinced the group's producer, Terry Melcher, that they were a serious proposition as artists in their own right, rather than just as performers of Dylan's material, and it was also a favourite of the group's co-manager, Jim Dickson, who picked out Clark's use of the word "probably" in the chorus as particularly telling -- the singer thinks he will feel better when the subject of the song is gone, but only probably. He's not certain. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", after being promoted as the A-side for a short time, reached number one hundred and two on the charts, but the label quickly decided to re-flip it and concentrate on promoting the Dylan song as the single. The group themselves weren't too bothered about their thunder having been stolen by Sonny and Cher, but their new publicist was incandescent. Derek Taylor had been a journalist for the Daily Express, which at that time was a respectable enough newspaper (though that is very much no longer the case). He'd become involved in the music industry after writing an early profile on the Beatles, at which point he had been taken on by the Beatles' organisation first to ghostwrite George Harrison's newspaper column and Brian Epstein's autobiography, and then as their full-time publicist and liner-note writer. He'd left the organisation at the end of 1964, and had moved to the US, where he had set up as an independent music publicist, working for the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and various other acts in their overlapping social circles, such as Paul Revere and the Raiders. Taylor was absolutely furious on the group's behalf, saying "I was not only disappointed, I was disgusted. Sonny and Cher went to Ciro's and ripped off the Byrds and, being obsessive, I could not get this out of my mind that Sonny and Cher had done this terrible thing. I didn't know that much about the record business and, in my experience with the Beatles, cover versions didn't make any difference. But by covering the Byrds, it seemed that you could knock them off the perch. And Sonny and Cher, in my opinion, stole that song at Ciro's and interfered with the Byrds' career and very nearly blew them out of the game." But while the single was a comparative flop, the Mr. Tambourine Man album, which came out shortly after, was much more successful. It contained the A and B sides of both the group's first two singles, although a different vocal take of "All I Really Want to Do" was used from the single release, along with two more Dylan covers, and a couple more originals -- five of the twelve songs on the album were original in total, three of them Gene Clark solo compositions and the other two co-written by Clark and Roger McGuinn. To round it out there was a version of the 1939 song "We'll Meet Again", made famous by Vera Lynn, which you may remember us discussing in episode ninety as an example of early synthesiser use, but which had recently become popular in a rerecorded version from the 1950s, thanks to its use at the end of Dr. Strangelove; there was a song written by Jackie DeShannon; and "The Bells of Rhymney", a song in which Pete Seeger set a poem about a mining disaster in Wales to music. So a fairly standard repertoire for early folk-rock, though slightly heavier on Dylan than most. While the group's Hollywood notoriety caused them problems like the Sonny and Cher one, it did also give them advantages. For example, they got to play at the fourth of July party hosted by Jane Fonda, to guests including her father Henry and brother Peter, Louis Jordan, Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty, and Sidney Poitier. Derek Taylor, who was used to the Beatles' formal dress and politeness at important events, imposed on them by Brian Epstein, was shocked when the Byrds turned up informally dressed, and even more shocked when Vito Paulekas and Carl Franzoni showed up. Vito (who was always known by his first name) and Franzoni are both important but marginal figures in the LA scene. Neither were musicians, though Vito did make one record, produced by Kim Fowley: [Excerpt: Vito and the Hands, "Vito and the Hands"] Rather Vito was a sculptor in his fifties, who had become part of the rock and roll scene and had gathered around him a dance troupe consisting largely of much younger women, and also of himself and Franzoni. Their circle, which also included Arthur Lee and Bryan MacLean, who weren't part of their dance troupe but were definitely part of their crowd, will be talked about much more in future episodes, but for now we'll just say that they are often considered proto-hippies, though they would have disputed that characterisation themselves quite vigorously; that they were regular dancers at Ciro's and became regular parts of the act of both the Byrds and the Mothers of Invention; and we'll give this rather explicit description of their performances from Frank Zappa: "The high point of the performance was Carl Franzoni, our 'go-go boy.' He was wearing ballet tights, frugging violently. Carl has testicles which are bigger than a breadbox. Much bigger than a breadbox. The looks on the faces of the Baptist teens experiencing their grandeur is a treasured memory." Paints a vivid picture, doesn't it? So you can possibly imagine why Derek Taylor later said "When Carl Franzoni and Vito came, I got into a terrible panic". But Jim Dickson explained to him that it was Hollywood and people were used to that kind of thing, and even though Taylor described seeing Henry Fonda and his wife pinned against the wall by the writhing Franzoni and the other dancers, apparently everyone had a good time. And then the next month, the group went on their first UK tour. On which nobody had a good time: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Eight Miles High"] Even before the tour, Derek Taylor had reservations. Obviously the Byrds should tour the UK -- London, in particular, was the centre of the cultural world at that time, and Taylor wanted the group to meet his old friends the Beatles and visit Carnaby Street. But at the same time, there seemed to be something a little... off... about the promoters they were dealing with, Joe Collins, the father of Joan and Jackie Collins, and a man named Mervyn Conn. As Taylor said later "All I did know was that the correspondence from Mervyn Conn didn't assure me. I kept expressing doubts about the contents of the letters. There was something about the grammar. You know, 'I'll give you a deal', and 'We'll get you some good gigs'. The whole thing was very much showbusiness. Almost pantomime showbusiness." But still, it seemed like it was worth making the trip, even when Musicians Union problems nearly derailed the whole thing. We've talked previously about how disagreements between the unions in the US and UK meant that musicians from one country couldn't tour the other for decades, and about how that slightly changed in the late fifties. But the new system required a one-in, one-out system where tours had to be set up as exchanges so nobody was taking anyone's job, and nobody had bothered to find a five-piece group of equivalent popularity to the Byrds to tour America in return. Luckily, the Dave Clark Five stepped into the breach, and were able to do a US tour on short notice, so that problem was solved. And then, as soon as they landed, the group were confronted with a lawsuit. From the Birds: [Excerpt: The Birds, "No Good Without You Baby"] These Birds, spelled with an "i", not a "y", were a Mod group from London, who had started out as the Thunderbirds, but had had to shorten their name when the London R&B singer Chris Farlowe and his band the Thunderbirds had started to have some success. They'd become the Birds, and released a couple of unsuccessful singles, but had slowly built up a reasonable following and had a couple of TV appearances. Then they'd started to receive complaints from their fans that when they went into the record shops to ask for the new record by the Birds, they were being sold some jangly folky stuff about tambourines, rather than Bo Diddley inspired R&B. So the first thing the American Byrds saw in England, after a long and difficult flight which had left them very tired and depressed, especially Gene Clark, who hated flying, was someone suing them for loss of earnings. The lawsuit never progressed any further, and the British group changed their name to Birds Birds, and quickly disappeared from music history -- apart from their guitarist, Ronnie Wood, who we'll be hearing from again. But the experience was not exactly the welcome the group had been hoping for, and is reflected in one of the lines that Gene Clark wrote in the song he later came up with about the trip -- "Nowhere is there love to be found among those afraid of losing their ground". And the rest of the tour was not much of an improvement. Chris Hillman came down with bronchitis on the first night, David Crosby kept turning his amp up too high, resulting in the other members copying him and the sound in the venues they were playing seeming distorted, and most of all they just seemed, to the British crowds, to be unprofessional. British audiences were used to groups running on, seeming excited, talking to the crowd between songs, and generally putting on a show. The Byrds, on the other hand, sauntered on stage, and didn't even look at the audience, much less talk to them. What seemed to the LA audience as studied cool seemed to the UK audience like the group were rude, unprofessional, and big-headed. At one show, towards the end of the set, one girl in the audience cried out "Aren't you even going to say anything?", to which Crosby responded "Goodbye" and the group walked off, without any of them having said another word. When they played the Flamingo Club, the biggest cheer of the night came when their short set ended and the manager said that the club was now going to play records for dancing until the support act, Geno Washington and the Ramjam Band, were ready to do another set. Michael Clarke and Roger McGuinn also came down with bronchitis, the group were miserable and sick, and they were getting absolutely panned in the reviews. The closest thing they got to a positive review was when Paul Jones of Manfred Mann was asked about them, and he praised some of their act -- perceptively pointing to their version of "We'll Meet Again" as being in the Pop Art tradition of recontextualising something familiar so it could be looked at freshly -- but even he ended up also criticising several aspects of the show and ended by saying "I think they're going to be a lot better in the future". And then, just to rub salt in the wound, Sonny and Cher turned up in the UK. The Byrds' version of "All I Really Want to Do" massively outsold theirs in the UK, but their big hit became omnipresent: [Excerpt: Sonny and Cher, "I Got You Babe"] And the press seemed to think that Sonny and Cher, rather than the Byrds, were the true representatives of the American youth culture. The Byrds were already yesterday's news. The tour wasn't all bad -- it did boost sales of the group's records, and they became friendly with the Beatles, Stones, and Donovan. So much so that when later in the month the Beatles returned to the US, the Byrds were invited to join them at a party they were holding in Benedict Canyon, and it was thanks to the Byrds attending that party that two things happened to influence the Beatles' songwriting. The first was that Crosby brought his Hollywood friend Peter Fonda along. Fonda kept insisting on telling people that he knew what it was like to actually be dead, in a misguided attempt to reassure George Harrison, who he wrongly believed was scared of dying, and insisted on showing them his self-inflicted bullet wounds. This did not go down well with John Lennon and George Harrison, both of whom were on acid at the time. As Lennon later said, "We didn't want to hear about that! We were on an acid trip and the sun was shining and the girls were dancing and the whole thing was beautiful and Sixties, and this guy – who I really didn't know; he hadn't made Easy Rider or anything – kept coming over, wearing shades, saying, "I know what it's like to be dead," and we kept leaving him because he was so boring! ... It was scary. You know ... when you're flying high and [whispers] "I know what it's like to be dead, man" Eventually they asked Fonda to get out, and the experience later inspired Lennon to write this: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "She Said, She Said"] Incidentally, like all the Beatles songs of that period, that was adapted for the cartoon TV series based on the group, in this case as a follow-the-bouncing-ball animation. There are few things which sum up the oddness of mid-sixties culture more vividly than the fact that there was a massively popular kids' cartoon with a cheery singalong version of a song about a bad acid trip and knowing what it's like to be dead. But there was another, more positive, influence on the Beatles to come out of them having invited the Byrds to the party. Once Fonda had been kicked out, Crosby and Harrison became chatty, and started talking about the sitar, an instrument that Harrison had recently become interested in. Crosby showed Harrison some ragas on the guitar, and suggested he start listening to Ravi Shankar, who Crosby had recently become a fan of. And we'll be tracking Shankar's influence on Harrison, and through him the Beatles, and through them the whole course of twentieth century culture, in future episodes. Crosby's admiration both of Ravi Shankar and of John Coltrane was soon to show in the Byrds' records, but first they needed a new single. They'd made attempts at a version of "The Times They Are A-Changin'", and had even tried to get both George Harrison and Paul McCartney to add harmonica to that track, but that didn't work out. Then just before the UK tour, Terry Melcher had got Jack Nitzsche to come up with an arrangement of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue": [Excerpt: The Byrds, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (version 1)"] Nitzsche's arrangement was designed to sound as much like a Sonny and Cher record as possible, and at first the intention was just to overdub McGuinn's guitar and vocals onto a track by the Wrecking Crew. The group weren't happy at this, and even McGuinn, who was the friendliest of the group with Melcher and who the record was meant to spotlight, disliked it. The eventual track was cut by the group, with Jim Dickson producing, to show they could do a good job of the song by themselves, with the intention that Melcher would then polish it and finish it in the studio, but Melcher dropped the idea of doing the song at all. There was a growing factionalism in the group by this point, with McGuinn and to a lesser extent Michael Clarke being friendly with Melcher. Crosby disliked Melcher and was pushing for Jim Dickson to replace him as producer, largely because he thought that Melcher was vetoing Crosby's songs and giving Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn free run of the songwriting. Dickson on the other hand was friendliest with Crosby, but wasn't much keener on Crosby's songwriting than Melcher was, thinking Gene Clark was the real writing talent in the group. It didn't help that Crosby's songs tended to be things like harmonically complex pieces based on science fiction novels -- Crosby was a big fan of the writer Robert Heinlein, and in particular of the novel Stranger in a Strange Land, and brought in at least two songs inspired by that novel, which were left off albums -- his song "Stranger in a Strange Land" was eventually recorded by the San Francisco group Blackburn & Snow: [Excerpt: Blackburn & Snow, "Stranger in a Strange Land"] Oddly, Jim Dickson objected to what became the Byrds' next single for reasons that come from the same roots as the Heinlein novel. A short while earlier, McGuinn had worked as a guitarist and arranger on an album by the folk singer Judy Collins, and one of the songs she had recorded on that album was a song written by Pete Seeger, setting the first eight verses of chapter three of the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes to music: [Excerpt: Judy Collins, "Turn Turn Turn (To Everything There is a Season"] McGuinn wanted to do an electric version of that song as the Byrds' next single, and Melcher sided with him, but Dickson was against the idea, citing the philosopher Alfred Korzybski, who was a big influence both on the counterculture and on Heinlein. Korzybski, in his book Science and Sanity, argued that many of the problems with the world are caused by the practice in Aristotelean logic of excluding the middle and only talking about things and their opposites, saying that things could be either A or Not-A, which in his view excluded most of actual reality. Dickson's argument was that the lyrics to “Turn! Turn! Turn!” with their inflexible Aristotelianism, were hopelessly outmoded and would make the group a laughing stock among anyone who had paid attention to the intellectual revolutions of the previous few decades. "A time of love, a time of hate"? What about all the times that are neither for loving or hating, and all the emotions that are complex mixtures of love and hate? In his eyes, this was going to make the group look like lightweights. Terry Melcher disagreed, and forced the group through take after take, until they got what became the group's second number one hit: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Turn! Turn! Turn!"] After the single was released and became a hit, the battle lines in the group hardened. It was McGuinn and Melcher on one side, Crosby and Dickson on the other, with Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, and Gene Clark more or less neutral in the middle, but tending to side more and more with the two Ms largely because of Crosby's ability to rub everyone up the wrong way. At one point during the sessions for the next album, tempers flared so much that Michael Clarke actually got up, went over to Crosby, and punched Crosby so hard that he fell off his seat. Crosby, being Hollywood to the bone, yelled at Clarke "You'll never work in this town again!", but the others tended to agree that on that occasion Crosby had it coming. Clarke, when asked about it later, said "I slapped him because he was being an asshole. He wasn't productive. It was necessary." Things came to a head in the filming for a video for the next single, Gene Clark's "Set You Free This Time". Michael Clarke was taller than the other Byrds, and to get the shot right, so the angles would line up, he had to stand further from the camera than the rest of them. David Crosby -- the member with most knowledge of the film industry, whose father was an Academy Award-winning cinematographer, so who definitely understood the reasoning for this -- was sulking that once again a Gene Clark song had been chosen for promotion rather than one of his songs, and started manipulating Michael Clarke, telling him that he was being moved backwards because the others were jealous of his good looks, and that he needed to move forward to be with the rest of them. Multiple takes were ruined because Clarke listened to Crosby, and eventually Jim Dickson got furious at Clarke and went over and slapped him on the face. All hell broke loose. Michael Clarke wasn't particularly bothered by being slapped by Dickson, but Crosby took that as an excuse to leave, walking off before the first shot of the day had been completed. Dickson ran after Crosby, who turned round and punched Dickson in the mouth. Dickson grabbed hold of Crosby and held him in a chokehold. Gene Clark came up and pulled Dickson off Crosby, trying to break up the fight, and then Crosby yelled "Yeah, that's right, Gene! Hold him so I can hit him again!" At this point if Clark let Dickson go, Dickson would have attacked Crosby again. If he held Dickson, Crosby would have taken it as an invitation to hit him more. Clark's dilemma was eventually relieved by Barry Feinstein, the cameraman, who came in and broke everything up. It may seem odd that Crosby and Dickson, who were on the same side, were the ones who got into a fight, while Michael Clarke, who had previously hit Crosby, was listening to Crosby over Dickson, but that's indicative of how everyone felt about Crosby. As Dickson later put it, "People have stronger feelings about David Crosby. I love David more than the rest and I hate him more than the rest. I love McGuinn the least, and I hate him the least, because he doesn't give you emotional feedback. You don't get a chance. The hate is in equal proportion to how much you love them." McGuinn was finding all this deeply distressing -- Dickson and Crosby were violent men, and Michael Clarke and Hillman could be provoked to violence, but McGuinn was a pacifist both by conviction and temperament. Everything was conspiring to push the camps further apart. For example, Gene Clark made more money than the rest because of his songwriting royalties, and so got himself a good car. McGuinn had problems with his car, and knowing that the other members were jealous of Clark, Melcher offered to lend McGuinn one of his own Cadillacs, partly in an attempt to be friendly, and partly to make sure the jealousy over Clark's car didn't cause further problems in the group. But, of course, now Gene Clark had a Ferrarri and Roger McGuinn had a Cadillac, where was David Crosby's car? He stormed into Dickson's office and told him that if by the end of the tour the group were going on, Crosby didn't have a Bentley, he was quitting the group. There was only one thing for it. Terry Melcher had to go. The group had recorded their second album, and if they couldn't fix the problems within the band, they would have to deal with the problems from outside. While the group were on tour, Jim Dickson told Melcher they would no longer be working with him as their producer. On the tour bus, the group listened over and over to a tape McGuinn had made of Crosby's favourite music. On one side was a collection of recordings of Ravi Shankar, and on the other was two Coltrane albums -- Africa/Brass and Impressions: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "India"] The group listened to this, and basically no other music, on the tour, and while they were touring Gene Clark was working on what he hoped would be the group's next single -- an impressionistic song about their trip to the UK, which started "Six miles high and when you touch down, you'll find that it's stranger than known". After he had it half complete, he showed it to Crosby, who helped him out with the lyrics, coming up with lines like "Rain, grey town, known for its sound" to describe London. The song talked about the crowds that followed them, about the music -- namechecking the Small Faces, who at the time had only released two single
Veteran of The NY Jazz scene, Todd Coolman has played with a long list of jazz legends including: Horace Silver, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Benny Golson, Ahmad Jamal, Art Farmer, Jay Jay Johnson, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and numerous others. Coolman enjoyed a 25-year stint with the James Moody Quartet and continues to perform with Jon Faddis, Charles McPherson, Renee Rosnes, as well as leading his own small groups. Todd has published 2 books and released 4 albums as a leader.
Veteran of The NY Jazz scene, Todd Coolman has played with a long list of jazz legends including: Horace Silver, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Benny Golson, Ahmad Jamal, Art Farmer, Jay Jay Johnson, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and numerous others. Coolman enjoyed a 25-year stint with the James Moody Quartet and continues to perform with Jon Faddis, Charles McPherson, Renee Rosnes, as well as leading his own small groups. Todd has published 2 books and released 4 albums as a leader.
Todd Coolman is a jazz bassist and a retired tenured Professor of Music at the Jazz Studies Program in the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in Westchester County, New York. He is also the former Artistic Director of the Skidmore Jazz Institute.Since moving to New York in 1978, he has performed with Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Slide Hampton, Stan Getz, Tommy Flanagan and countless others. He is probably best known for his 26-year association with the James Moody Quartet. Coolman has recorded with numerous jazz musicians in many contexts and has also released four recordings under his own leadership; "Tomorrows" (1990), “Lexicon” (1995), "Perfect Strangers" (2008) and "Collectables" (2016). In 1999, Coolman won the Grammy Award for Best Album Notes for Miles Davis Quintet 1965-1968 and in 2011 he performed on the IPO release entitled, "4B" with the James Moody Quartet that won the Grammy Award that year for, "Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group."He has written two method books related to jazz bass playing; "The Bass Tradition" and "The Bottom Line."In 1997, Coolman received a Ph.D. in Music and the Performing Arts from New York University See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.