Came across a great gem in Spotify today! I was talking to someone on MSN and wanted to let them hear Roy Hargrove – Strasbourg / St. Denis, my favourite album of 2009 by the way, and I came across this: Roy Hargrove – The Sorcerer - Live At Massey Hall. It’s a fantastic album, with a great line-up. Roy Hargrove never ceases to raise the hairs on my neck. The album was made to celebrate the joined 75th birthdays of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and to enjoy both of the master’s work. Hancock was asked in an interview “Can you go home yet again?” and Hancock replied that they weren’t creating nostalgia by revisiting old standards that Hancock played with Miles way back when, but they were taking the standards and putting them into the 21st century context, and seeing what they could do with them.
The first album I made reference to was Roy Hargrove’s Earfood, which was a phenomenal find for me. I came across Hargrove when I was on Youtube looking for versions of “I Remember Clifford”, which I was playing in a big-band earlier in the year. Hargrove's version on flugel blew me away, and to this day it almost brings me to tears whenever I hear it. Roy has a real passion for jazz music, and you’ll know exactly what I mean when you watch it. So I typed the name into Spotify and came across this album, and ever since I’ve not heard anything like it. It’s a fairly straightforward album, just a collection of original standards in the regular format. But this is what amazes me the most; it’s hard to find this anymore. Most new jazz albums released now, and most jazz artists are playing a form of jazz I just don’t want to listen to, and that I just don’t understand. This album is straight back to basics, and it incorporates what makes jazz so powerful; simple melodies, fantastic improvisation, and originality.
Which brings me back to why I made this blog; I want to bring back tonal jazz. I think jazz has become a totally different animal than it was 20, 30, or 50 years ago. Yes, I'm all for progression and progressive jazz, but has it progressed in the right direction? I'm not so sure. I do love Jaco, and he was one of the most progressive dudes out there. Herbie Hancock too. I would love to hear your thoughts!
And since it’s Christmas, here’s a treat! Jens Lindemann – Good King Wenceslas This is quite possibly the best Christmas album ever made! I’m not going to say anything about it, just listen to it, and if you love big bands, you’re gonna be all over this bad boy!
'til next time...
Thanks ~ The Jazzbone
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Thinking into your Tonal jazz argument. Is it such a bad thing? Certainly, yes jazz has progressed along way from solid technique and melodic playing. Such advancement and development as a style has brought about some of the most creative and influencial music we listen to today? as you mentioned such as Jaco, and Herbie, Even Coltrane. Is this not part of what gives us that excitement and enthusiasm, working not out off, but around the box making for more creative compostion?
ReplyDeleteOr to flip the argument, i am very much more into the more modern sub genre of "smooth Jazz" the likes of Kenny G, Richard Elliot, Sanborn, some of the most techniquly sound players out there, and who greatly influence me, but is it not classic jazz enthusiasts such as yourself, that label such artists as "too pure" and put them down as conformists to the larger consumer market? where do you draw the line between too pure and too contempory?
It could just be my own personal taste as well; I used to find some of the Michael Brecker stuff quite hard to listen to, even with a standard jazz format, it can just go nuts. I think I'm coming round to it more, I've had to perform quite a bit of contemporary stuff since I've been here, and it just takes a bit more thought and a bit more of an open mind to appreciate. As with all these things, you've gotta start simple, and work your way towards progressively more difficult and challenging things. No doubt within a year or so I'll be enjoying the Brecker Brothers, Ornette Coleman or whoever, but I'll still be a good few years behind!
ReplyDeleteThere is a massive fork now I suppose, as you say. I don't really listen to a lot of 'smooth jazz' as you call it, but whenever I do I quite enjoy it, because it's easy to listen to. Sure, a lot of people may call Kenny G a sell-out, but he's done very well for himself, and is a phenomenal player. If he wanted to play more contemporary work or more traditional work, I'm sure he would be just as capable as the next man.
You must ask yourself though, will we be able to define jazz in 10, 20 years? Will it have become so abstract and 'contemporary' that we won't be able to recognize it anymore? I'm just worried that it might come to the day when works of Miles Davis, Count Basie, Jaco, Herbie Hancock etc won't be performed anymore, and only this new-age jazz will stand?
Well, i believe so. I mean, the evolution of music and the development of individual genres is part of what makes what we do so exciteing. everything is always changing. If all the greatest artists stuck to what was there before there would be no innovation, that would inspire us to take up are instruments. Everyone collectively would be playing exactly the same style of big band music, and although in short sight, that would be awesome to listen to, in the current century, but innevitably everyone would have tired of it, and it would have surely died out.
ReplyDeleteI mean, your worrying that all the classics will dissapear, which is rarely the case with any genre development. As you say the style is forking out, but to use a rather corny metaphor, you must remember that on any fork, all the prongs are the same size. Sure the limits of modern and contempory jazz are expanding, but they're doing so without hindering or replacing the other forms.
An easier way to help put your mind at rest, is that in the majority of schools, where most realise a love of music, they only teach classic jazz and big band, and steer away from all contempory music. Even with the likes that are associated with the UYJO, the likes of davey howel (not sure on the spelling there), andrew thompson, that guy aaron, scott flanigan, barkley and swan, A very large handfull of people who take classic jazz to a new level, and still young. and this is Ireland, possibly the least jazzy country in the world. i mean your in england now, the jazz scene is rediculous, theres a jazz club either in or called soho, go there and your fears will be erased.
In short then. . .. lol. . .there are so many people out there fighting the same cause as you, i dont think you have much to worry about.