All That Jazz ...
- Thread starter Nikhil
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When we speak of Indian or Indian origin jazz cats..the percussionist Trilok Gurtu, saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa and pianist Vijay Iyer are right on top of the heap ..with the latter two often collaborating ....
This tiny desk concert ( a wonderful live format from NPR )by the Vijay Iyer trio is something special....
This tiny desk concert ( a wonderful live format from NPR )by the Vijay Iyer trio is something special....
sameer kumar
Well-Known Member
Facing North - Claudio Filippini Trio
Thrilling music....A perfect symbiosis between piano..double bass and the drums........its second song "Scorpian tail" .a regular at my every listening session...sounds superb on my Open baffles..
Thrilling music....A perfect symbiosis between piano..double bass and the drums........its second song "Scorpian tail" .a regular at my every listening session...sounds superb on my Open baffles..
I have lots of jazz CDs/LPs (and still buying!), and so I thought I will post something on my favourites this is a post on Roland Kirk, who changed his name to Rahsaan Roland Kirk after hearing being addressed as "Rahsaan" in a dream, no kidding.
Blinded at a young age due to wrong medication, Rahsaan was a multi instrumentalist. The number of instruments include saxophones, stritch, manzello, flute, nose flute, clarinet, trumpet, oboe, cor anglais, whistles, alarm clocks, hose pipes, instruments he created....other accompaniments include political banter and humour.
What’s unique about this multi instrumentalist? He could play many wind instruments at the same time and make musical sense - both harmonically and playing chords.
Yes it is easy to dismiss this as a gimmick. Listen and you know the idiom of soul and bop, borrowing from ragtime, pop and classical. I would call his playing style as exuberant!
The albums that I own include - Inflated Tear, Rip Rag and Panic/Now don’t you cry my beautiful Edith, A meeting of the times, Blacknuss, Volunteered slavery, The case of the 3 sided dream in audio colour, Kirk’s work and We free kings. So you can say I am a fan!
I recommend the first two, 3 sided for rock fans, and everything for a jazz lover.
Rahsaan playing many instruments in "Inflated Tear"...once you get past the many horns, hear the melody.
The full album of Rip Rag and Panic - Avantgarde?
Dvorak and Sentimental Journey - played together (and hear his banter in the beginning):
Say a little prayer for me - everyone knows this song from the film "My Best Friend's Wedding".
The Entertainer done in a blues style
Finally, Ellington's Creole Love Call
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xm0DQvHkhM
Blinded at a young age due to wrong medication, Rahsaan was a multi instrumentalist. The number of instruments include saxophones, stritch, manzello, flute, nose flute, clarinet, trumpet, oboe, cor anglais, whistles, alarm clocks, hose pipes, instruments he created....other accompaniments include political banter and humour.
What’s unique about this multi instrumentalist? He could play many wind instruments at the same time and make musical sense - both harmonically and playing chords.
Yes it is easy to dismiss this as a gimmick. Listen and you know the idiom of soul and bop, borrowing from ragtime, pop and classical. I would call his playing style as exuberant!
The albums that I own include - Inflated Tear, Rip Rag and Panic/Now don’t you cry my beautiful Edith, A meeting of the times, Blacknuss, Volunteered slavery, The case of the 3 sided dream in audio colour, Kirk’s work and We free kings. So you can say I am a fan!
I recommend the first two, 3 sided for rock fans, and everything for a jazz lover.
Rahsaan playing many instruments in "Inflated Tear"...once you get past the many horns, hear the melody.
The full album of Rip Rag and Panic - Avantgarde?
Dvorak and Sentimental Journey - played together (and hear his banter in the beginning):
Say a little prayer for me - everyone knows this song from the film "My Best Friend's Wedding".
The Entertainer done in a blues style
Finally, Ellington's Creole Love Call
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xm0DQvHkhM
Moktan, this is the first Vijay Iyer I have listened through. I somehow have never gotten into his albums yet. So thank you. One day I will hopefully post on Brad Mehldau and the albums that I like...I don't want to come off as boastful or show off, but hopefully as someone who is sharing his interest.
I like Art Pepper Nikhil, and he's indeed easy to like. I have many of his albums too. As I do Sonny Rollins (all refer to earlier posts).
Moktan, (three times this got corrected to Montana!!), John Coltrane is an ambivalent relationship for me - sometimes I get it and its wow (my wife accused me of repeatedly playing The Love Supreme just to hear it being "sung" by Coltrane), and at other times, the sheets of sound makes me want to run to Miles/Jamal. Hopefully that is not the way my relationship goes with my one of my twins, who I chose the name for - Naima! (Also admit that my first amp was a Naim, but that's not the reason, promise!).
I like Art Pepper Nikhil, and he's indeed easy to like. I have many of his albums too. As I do Sonny Rollins (all refer to earlier posts).
Moktan, (three times this got corrected to Montana!!), John Coltrane is an ambivalent relationship for me - sometimes I get it and its wow (my wife accused me of repeatedly playing The Love Supreme just to hear it being "sung" by Coltrane), and at other times, the sheets of sound makes me want to run to Miles/Jamal. Hopefully that is not the way my relationship goes with my one of my twins, who I chose the name for - Naima! (Also admit that my first amp was a Naim, but that's not the reason, promise!).
Since some great discussion is underway ..a little to initiate the new listener into the nuances of jazz culled from my limited experience listening to this genre and reading about it.
Jazz makes use of dissonance- two or more tones that sound harsh when played together. Like when a piano key and a couple of others immediately next to it are played together. The vibrations clash instead of blending harmoniously. This is also used by classical composers such as Wagner and Debussy and accounts perhaps for the ' grinding upon nerves ' sensation that some folks get when listening to jazz.
Then jazz has a kind of rhythmic distortion called syncopation. Here the strong beat doesn't come as predicted - in music written in 4/4 time the first and third beat is stressed - but is either anticipated or delayed. Off course syncopation has been there in classical music since Bach onward but in jazz it's a rule rather than an exception.
However the key thing about jazz is improvisation that is done spontaneously and impromptu. In classical music variations upon a theme are worked out ahead of time , not so in jazz.
A jazz musician has a deep knowledge about the harmonic structure of the original theme and uses his highly developed ear to produce his improvisations spontaneously.
Jazz makes use of dissonance- two or more tones that sound harsh when played together. Like when a piano key and a couple of others immediately next to it are played together. The vibrations clash instead of blending harmoniously. This is also used by classical composers such as Wagner and Debussy and accounts perhaps for the ' grinding upon nerves ' sensation that some folks get when listening to jazz.
Then jazz has a kind of rhythmic distortion called syncopation. Here the strong beat doesn't come as predicted - in music written in 4/4 time the first and third beat is stressed - but is either anticipated or delayed. Off course syncopation has been there in classical music since Bach onward but in jazz it's a rule rather than an exception.
However the key thing about jazz is improvisation that is done spontaneously and impromptu. In classical music variations upon a theme are worked out ahead of time , not so in jazz.
A jazz musician has a deep knowledge about the harmonic structure of the original theme and uses his highly developed ear to produce his improvisations spontaneously.
Jazz listening audiophiles find something alluring about the sound of the double bass. Nothing competes with the aural pleasures rendered by this refined, mellow , deep , woody and articulate instrument.
I love this composition by the British double bassist Dave Holland.
Jazz composers are as erudite as they come. Conference of Birds is a celebrated Persian literary masterpiece. This eponymous composition ( which features Anthony Braxton) evokes sensations that are delicate , ethereal and oriental.
The more you listen the more you get drawn into the magic of its mesmerising music.
I love this composition by the British double bassist Dave Holland.
Jazz composers are as erudite as they come. Conference of Birds is a celebrated Persian literary masterpiece. This eponymous composition ( which features Anthony Braxton) evokes sensations that are delicate , ethereal and oriental.
The more you listen the more you get drawn into the magic of its mesmerising music.
While speaking of Indian origin jazz artistes, let us not forget Madhav Chari, a brilliant jazz pianist who died at 48 in 2015. His album 'Parisian Thoroughfares' is currently unavailable on Amazon.in, but do try and get hold of a copy. It's a great album. Here it is on Youtube:
And then there's a long list of forgotten Goan and Parsi jazz musicians - Chic Chocolate, Manohari Singh, Anthony Gonsalves, Sebastian D'Souza, Frank Fernand, Cawas/Kersi and Bhujji Lord, Monsorate brothers.... the list goes on and on. They were mainly dance hall musicians whose main source of income was bollywood. Each of them extremely talented, but lacking opportunity and exposure. Credit for their immense contribution often went to the likes of C. Ramchandra, R.D. and others. Unlike in the west, the work and contribution of these musicians is, sadly, undocumented (only the music director and singer are mentioned on our record labels with hardly any reference to the arrangers, soloists, etc.). Not that western jazz musicians made money. A majority of artistes who often figure in lists like 'Top 100 jazz albums of all time' lived on meagre earnings, subject to the vagaries of racism, drug abuse and troubled marriages. But for now, listen to Madhav Chari.
And then there's a long list of forgotten Goan and Parsi jazz musicians - Chic Chocolate, Manohari Singh, Anthony Gonsalves, Sebastian D'Souza, Frank Fernand, Cawas/Kersi and Bhujji Lord, Monsorate brothers.... the list goes on and on. They were mainly dance hall musicians whose main source of income was bollywood. Each of them extremely talented, but lacking opportunity and exposure. Credit for their immense contribution often went to the likes of C. Ramchandra, R.D. and others. Unlike in the west, the work and contribution of these musicians is, sadly, undocumented (only the music director and singer are mentioned on our record labels with hardly any reference to the arrangers, soloists, etc.). Not that western jazz musicians made money. A majority of artistes who often figure in lists like 'Top 100 jazz albums of all time' lived on meagre earnings, subject to the vagaries of racism, drug abuse and troubled marriages. But for now, listen to Madhav Chari.
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Interesting article on the vibrant jazz scene in India of an era bygone...
https://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/in-search-of-kolkatas-lost-jazz-scene/
Must have been quite something when 'stalwarts like Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie played in venues packed to the rafters.'
Fairlawns the iconic hotel which seems to have been the venue of many such gigs has recently been bought by the Oberois of the Elgin group. Jazz must be the last thing on their minds when they begin remodelling it.
I really like Madhav Chari too and have his CD! I also have a (cough cough) CD autographed by Vijay Iyer.
Talking about jazz in india - one day to post on Ellington lets talk about Far East Suite, mynah in New Delhi and how bad political choices can kill you (Isfahan).
Moktan, Carnatic also has that dissonance.
Separately, Classical western doesn’t necessarily allow you to improvise, but allows you to interpret. For example hear the nocturne by Chopin
Moravec
The very famous Rubinstein
Which do you like? I am very clear in my choice - it should not be played like a man and straight for me, but carry the mystery of the night. And the choice is...(do a poll guys, tell me moravec or Rubenstein)
Which is why classical lovers can bore you to death with which musician is better and on and on.
Talking about jazz in india - one day to post on Ellington lets talk about Far East Suite, mynah in New Delhi and how bad political choices can kill you (Isfahan).
Moktan, Carnatic also has that dissonance.
Separately, Classical western doesn’t necessarily allow you to improvise, but allows you to interpret. For example hear the nocturne by Chopin
Moravec
The very famous Rubinstein
Which do you like? I am very clear in my choice - it should not be played like a man and straight for me, but carry the mystery of the night. And the choice is...(do a poll guys, tell me moravec or Rubenstein)
Which is why classical lovers can bore you to death with which musician is better and on and on.
This is like choosing between Gharanas in Hindustani Classical. We should all watch Katyaar Kaljaat Ghusli - fantastic Marathi movie with Shankar Mahadevan singing and playing the lead. Its about the rivalry between Gharanas. The original play had music by Jitendra Abhisheki and Vasantrao Deshpande - legendary stuff. A must watch for any musician, even if you don't understand Marathi.
Sadao Watanabe will always have a special place in my heart 'cause his "Rendezvous" is the track through which I first heard something called jazz. I was neckdeep into hard rock and metal in those days, and I didn't even know what genre Mr Watanabe was playing. But his catchy tune and the lively cadence won me over completely. It was only many years later that I actually decide to seek him out and one of the many perks and joys of digging through vinyl crates is the discovery of gems. And that's how I rediscovered Rendezvous the album. I have since acquired a few other Watanabe albums.
There is Calcutta Cutie in Horace Silver's Songs For My Father. Although Horace Silver never came to India he wanted this song to have an oriental sound and someone wrote that the finger cymbals give the feel of a Bengali religious drum.
Not to be outdone our neighboring country too has inspired Rawalpindi Blues in Carla Bley's Escalator Over The Hill and then there is the Pakistani Pomade by the Schlippenbach Trio.
Not to be outdone our neighboring country too has inspired Rawalpindi Blues in Carla Bley's Escalator Over The Hill and then there is the Pakistani Pomade by the Schlippenbach Trio.
I bought some Watanabe albums here in this forum. Need to give them a listen.
My first serious foray into jazz listening was through Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles and I was hooked. Bought almost all his albums after that.
Speaking of dissonances in classical, I feel no one beats Prokofiev in the length to which he goes to make his compositions sound totally jarring (and unlistenable, at least to me)
The sub genre of Japanese jazz is a very interesting field as well. We ought to be talking more about them. Among the current crop of artists Makoto Ozone plays a mean jazz piano. He's equally adept at playing classical and he can be seen performing with the great orchestras of the world. He's equally at home in jazz fests in various parts of the world. His "Love For Japan" benefit album is a veritable gathering of jazz greats like Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Anna Maria Jopek, Christian McBride, Paquito D'Rivera, etc but my favourite track has to be Variation on a Dance with Hawaiian ukele star Jake Shimabukuro.
This album is definitely worth seeking out in case you haven't heard it.
Among the older Japanese artists, almost anything on the Three Blind Mice label are superlative.
The sub genre of Japanese jazz is a very interesting field as well. We ought to be talking more about them. Among the current crop of artists Makoto Ozone plays a mean jazz piano. He's equally adept at playing classical and he can be seen performing with the great orchestras of the world. He's equally at home in jazz fests in various parts of the world. His "Love For Japan" benefit album is a veritable gathering of jazz greats like Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Anna Maria Jopek, Christian McBride, Paquito D'Rivera, etc but my favourite track has to be Variation on a Dance with Hawaiian ukele star Jake Shimabukuro.
This album is definitely worth seeking out in case you haven't heard it.
Among the older Japanese artists, almost anything on the Three Blind Mice label are superlative.
Absolutely some of the best music I have is from Japanese jazz ensembles.
Huge fan of Isao Suzuki and Tsuyoshi Yamamoto - I would buy anything blind from these guys.
Isao Suzuki's music on the Three Blind Mice label is just legendary
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio's albums are intoxicating for me. Here is one "Autumn in Seattle"
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