Last month, the world of classical music lost its elder statesman, Elliott Carter, and today, we bid farewell to legendary nonagenarian jazz musician, Dave Brubeck. The pianist/composer/bandleader died on the eve of his 92nd birthday. You'll be hearing lots of news stories about him in the coming days; here's his obituary from Downbeat magazine and another in the Chicago Tribune. I'd like to spin a more personal tale.
As a middle school saxophonist, I was just getting started in jazz and checking out various players via the record collection at the local public libraries. Dave Brubeck was one of the first musicians I got excited about. I was drawn to his compositions on the classic album Time Out, which were groundbreaking for their use of non-standard time signatures like 3/4, 5/4, and 9/8. Nowadays, nobody thinks twice about playing in these meters, but in 1959 it sounded very exotic. Even in the late 70s when I started listening, they were still pretty out there. I was especially impressed by the tune "Take Five," written by his alto saxophonist Paul Desmond. I listened to that record so much that even today you can hear his tone and phrasing in my sax playing. During my senior year at Glenbrook South, I played "Take Five" in the annual variety show, and introduced all my peers to his music.
Since then, I went on to "hipper" musicians--Brubeck always took a bit of a bum rap for not being bluesy enough or adventurous enough after his early days. (I assume there was a bit of reverse racism there, as Brubeck was a white man in the predominantly black world of jazz. People are more enlightened today.) But as the years went on and Brubeck kept playing and touring, I had to give him props for being at the forefront of the cool jazz era and for his sheer longevity. He played into his 90s, including a 2011 Father's Day concert at Ravinia when he shared the stage with his four musician sons.
So here's to one of my very first jazz heroes--thanks for the great music, Dave!
Check out this BBC segment about an orchestra in Pakistan that plays jazz music from America. You can hear Paul Desmond's "Take Five" with strings, tabla, and sitar. UPDATE: It's now the top selling jazz album on iTunes! By the way, even though the announcer credits the piece to pianist Dave Brubeck, it was written by his saxophonist Desmond. Most people assume Brubeck wrote it because it's his most famous and most requested piece, just like Duke Ellington didn't write his theme song "Take the 'A' Train." That classic was composed by his collaborator, Billy Strayhorn.
1959. A year some refer to as the “vintage year” of jazz. Five of the best-known, best-loved, and most legendary albums of all time were released within this 12-month span, and 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of this most fruitful period in jazz history. Here is my commentary about each album with a representative track from each.
Kind of Blue, Miles Davis This is probably the top-selling traditional jazz album of all time. Many critics point to it as the album to buy when starting a jazz CD collection. Its selling points are many. The horn soloists, Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor), and Cannonball Adderley (alto), are three of the greatest improvisers ever, and Miles and Trane are considered to be among the small handful of musicians who changed the face of jazz several times during their careers. This is also the first album to explore modal jazz on a large scale. Modal jazz uses very slow chord changes so that the soloists can explore single scales for an extended period. This is in contrast to bebop, in which the frantic tempos and complex harmonies require the improviser to change scales up to twice a second. Modal jazz can be laid back or wild, but on this album, it is the cool side that prevails.
The most common tracks recommended on this album are “So What” and “All Blues.” I would like you to instead hear the beautiful Bill Evans ballad “Blue in Green” which features his signature, thick chordal playing on piano. The chord progression is a peculiar 10-bar cycle:
Each of the chords take on various alterations and extensions throughout. What makes the progression truly unique, however, is that soloists can play it as a 10-bar phrase, 5-bar phrase (chords go by 2x as fast), or a 2.5-bar phrase (4x as fast). The tempo, however, remains constant; only the chord progression changes speeds. Here is the form:
Intro Miles plays (or rather hints at) the melody on trumpet with a harmon mute (10 bars) Miles repeats (10 bars) Bill Evans’ piano solo (twice through 5 bars) John Coltrane’s tenor solo (twice through 5 bars) Evans’ solo (twice through 2.5 bars) Miles’ solo (twice through 10 bars) Evans’ coda (rubato 2.5-bar version twice through plus the first three bars again, ending on D-)
Giant Steps, John Coltrane This album is the antithesis of Kind of Blue. Coltrane had been playing over more and more complex chord progressions leading up to this recording, but here he takes bebop to its zenith. After this album, nobody played anything faster or more technically difficult than Trane did. Nowadays, it is considered a rite of passage to be able to solo over the title track “Giant Steps” up tempo. Listen to how the master did it, and then seek out the full album to hear other breakneck workouts, the quirky “Syeeda’s Song Flute,” and the gorgeous ballad, “Naima.”
Mingus Ah-Um, Charles Mingus Charles Mingus was an incredible bassist, fiery bandleader, and iconic composer. His fusion of blues, bebop, gospel, and the avant garde created a style all his own. The variety of genres contained in this album is a great introduction to his work. Check out “Better Get Hit in Your Soul” for its Sunday morning preaching and the dark, ominous “Boogie Stop Shuffle.” All through the album, you can hear Mingus shouting and exhorting his musicians to higher levels of intensity. One of the more sedate numbers is “Jelly Roll,” an old-time piece which demonstrates how he let his horn players have plenty of freedom in their playing.
Time Out, Dave Brubeck This album was a best seller from the moment it was released. The quartet featured Brubeck on piano and his artistic foil Paul Desmond on alto. Desmond’s light, buttery tone was one of my first models (along with Charlie Parker) as a young saxophonist. What is remarkable about the album, however, is its approach to rhythm. For fifty years, jazz had always been played in 4/4 time, but Brubeck changed that with this set of pieces in odd meters such as 3/4, 5/4, and 9/8. The signature tune from the disc is Desmond’s composition “Take Five.” The Joe Morello drum solo is wonderfully bombastic. Imagine an 18-year-old Dan Brame playing this number in the GBS V-Show. Good times…
The Shape of Jazz to Come, Ornette Coleman Alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman was the pioneer of free jazz in the 1960s. This movement, which created a great deal of controversy in the jazz world, featured a much less constrained form of improvisation. Instead of single soloists with a rhythm section playing predetermined chord changes, the entire ensemble could improvise simultaneously, creating melodies without concern for staying in specific keys. Greater emphasis was placed on ensemble textures and interaction. Just before his album titled Free Jazz, in which he stepped off into the deep end, artistically speaking, he released The Shape of Jazz to Come, an album that is just on the brink of truly free playing. One of my all-time favorite jazz tracks is this one, the haunting and lyrical “Lonely Woman.” Listen for the way the ensemble plays in two different tempos at the same time.
This blog is for the students, parents, alumni, and friends of the Deerfield (IL) High School Bands. It includes announcements, assignments, details of class activities, and random thoughts about music. Click on the link above to go to the DHS band website.
