The Proof Is In The Jam - Part 1

Touchin' on stuff
In addition to the NCAA basketball tournament, I've been thinking about Jerrold Levinson's exciting paper, "Jazz Vocal Interpretation: A Philosophical Analysis" that appears in the current issue of The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, pages 35 - 43. Before the basketball excitement, I expressed my hope in these pages that I'd have my own thoughts on matters Levinsonian published herein in a couple of days. Well it didn't happen. In the mean time I've written quite a bit, compiled notes, sources and listened and re-listened to quite a lot of jazz vocal and instrumental music. The listening has been exciting and rewarding. I've also done quite a lot of reading and re-reading in and of books, articles and interviews treating songs, song writing, singers, and vocal and instrumental jazz performance.
  I've always considered jazz vocalists to be instrumentalists without horns, Young Woman Without A Horn. I still hold this view. Also I don't believe that jazz vocalists or instrumentalists (for that matter) interpret songs, in spite of the fact that we sometimes speak of the 'jazz interpretations' contrasted with 'straight interpretations' of songs, tunes, scores, &c. We may speak of a singer's interpretation of a song or of Charles Rosen's interpretation of Schumann's Carnaval (Op. 9). What we are comparing are performances with performances - not performances with a score. Let's take new music. Can one actually and meaningfully say that the first performance of Pierre Boulez's Le Marteau sans maître was an interpretation of his score? If we are talking about performances of music we say "The DSO will be performing Mahler's 3rd Symphony at 8PM" - not "There will be an interpretation at 8PM". In terms of sheet music 'jazz interpretations' are the same as a performance at a certain time. And one should be aware that jazz musicians learn songs and tunes, they don't learn sheet music; they use lead-sheets and fake-books; they learn what they need to learn in order to make music and improvise with other musicians. They are not interpreting sheet music from Tin Pan Alley. The good singers own the songs - Sarah Vaughan owned If You Could See Me Now and Misty (the same song actually); Billy Eckstine owned I Want To Talk About You and I Apologize. In fact there are published suggestions for singers who on rare occasions are permitted to participate in jam sessions - e.g., don't sing Misty and don't sing anything owned by Lady Day, Billie Holiday. http://www.phillyjazz.org/
  Obviously, if one is attempting to impute meaning or a semantics to a page of music (a score), then talk of interpretation seems appropriate. But I don't think that one interpretes a page of music, one performs it. Remember: Composers of songs, melodies, symphonies most often don't have a 'straight interpretation' in mind until performances occur. Here's a page of music (a score); there is a composer of the page of music; there is (are) a performer(s) of the page of music (musicians); now we have music. When musicians perform music from  a score there are always choices to be made about how to perform the notes, accents, and other suggestions set down by the composer. The composer, having heard a performance of her composition may say, "That's not my music!" or "We'll do better next time, I thought that I had it all there on the page, but alas...." Our composer can say, "I don't care for your interpretation", but she won't mean it!
  I discovered Ethel Waters recorded vocal performances and was astounded - I had read of her, but never attended to her music. I've read most of Whitney Balliett's impressive book of portraits and interviews, American Singers, which was what I needed to go along with my re-reading in Gunther Schuller's Swing Era and André Hodeir's Toward Jazz. I think it was Balliett (or was it Andrew Porter?) who wrote somewhere that to criticize something one has to describe it. Whitney Balliett was a master when it came to describing music and musicians - his portrait of Coleman Hawkins in American Musicians is one of Balliett's masterpieces. His piece in American Singers, "The President of the Derrière-Garde (Alec Wilder)" is another of his masterpieces.
  Wilder writes in his book, American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950 (Kindle Locations 5370-5372). Kindle Edition,

Am I Blue?, introduced by Ethel Waters in the motion picture "On With The Show" (1929), with music by Harry Akst, is dangerously interwoven with Ethel Waters' recording of it. And she made it sound like a masterpiece. It isn't that, but it is a good song, using a device somewhat similar to the one in April Showers. 

So until next time, keep listening; and re-reading Levinson.

BBC4 Documentary - Miles, Brubeck, Mingus & Ornette

Just finished watching an interesting BBC4 documentary - 1959 miracle year in recorded jazz:  Kind of Blue, Time Out, Mingus Ah Um, and The Shape of Jazz to Come. 
  Take a look and listen. And Go Blue!

http://www.jazzonthetube.com/videos/miles-davis/1959-the-year-that-changed-jazz.html

Go Blue! University of Michigan Basketball

Sorry. Couldn't post as promised during the University of Michigan basketball team's impressive NCAA tournament run. If the Wolverines defeat a very good University of Florida team tomorrow, I'll be able, I hope, to press on with my Jazz & Philosophy post. The contest with Kansas yesterday was one of the greatest basketball games that I've ever seen. It ranks with the 1966 Texas Western verses Kentucky NCAA final that featured Highland Park's Bobby Joe Hill and his Texas Western mates verses Adolph Rupp's University of Kentucky Wildcats. Coach Rupp certainly played the part of a Southern Gentleman - what a rascal. Texas Western's coach Don Haskins was a fine, upright gentleman, and a terrific coach.  

Jazz & Philosophy: Passing-Strangers Playlist

I was prompted to listen, re-listen actually, to the 150 recorded performances listed below by an article that appeared in the 2013 volume of The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism by Jerrold Levinson entitled "Jazz Vocal Interpretation: A Philosophical Analysis", pps. 35-43. I got the article off the internet - it was made available free of charge by the publisher of the Journal. You you might try to secure your own copy by the same legal means, and thereby avoid Federal prosecution by a government that apparently believes in suppressing scholarly works - it's surprising that our government has time for this given it's fascination with its undeclared drone warfare and all. Since according to Witters ethics and aesthetics are one and same let's press on with the latter.

  My view is that Levinson's notion of jazz vocal interpretation counts for a lot less than he reckons. While a jazz-singer's interpretation of a popular song may remain quite constant over the course of her performances (both live and recorded), her improvisations based on the same song may or can change drastically. This is what makes creative, improvised vocal music worth attending to. I'll follow this outline with many words. But my reader needn't bother with my forthcoming blizzard of words - just listen to the tunes and make up one's own mind. Read Levinson though. He's one of the better writers treating the aesthetics of music. However, my main philosopher of music aesthetics is Papa Jo Jones - make sure you see Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones, as told to Albert Murray, with an Afterword by Phil Schaap - a longer title than the Crispin Wright-Neil Tennant forthcoming, but never published article on Frege. 

  My view is what I have called A Jam Session Aesthetic. Stay tuned for the excitement, forthcoming in a day or two.    

Jazz & Philosophy: Passing-Strangers Playlist

150 songs, 11.4 hours, 835.7 MB

Name Time Album Artist

1 Passing Strangers 2:38 Everything I Have Is Yours Sarah Vaughan & Billie Eckstein

2 In The Tradition 15:08 Amiri Baraka w/ David Murray & Steve McCall

3 St. Louis Blues 3:12 Bessie Smith Bessie Smith

4 St. Louis Blues 2:53 W/Benny Carter Billie Holiday

5 St. Louis Blues (1932) 4:33 The Rhythm Boy: Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington & Hi…

6 St. Louis Blues 2:27 The Mills Brothers

7 St Louis Blues 3:24 This is Jazz Erroll Garner

8 Jack, I'm Mellow 2:48 Sidney Bechet 

9 Summertime 4:08 Sidney Bechet 

10 Summertime 2:55 Billie Holiday

11 Swing, Brother, Swing 1:56 W/Count Basie's Band Billie Holiday

12 On A Turquoise Cloud 4:19 Carnegie Hall Concerts January… Duke Ellington

13 You, You Darlin' 3:24 Ellington-Blanton-Webster-Jeffries

14 There Shall Be No Night 3:15 Ellington-Blanton-Webster-Jeffries

15 I Never Felt This Way Before 3:31 The Blanton-Webster Band Duke Ellington

16 Flamingo 3:24 The Blanton-Webster Band Duke Ellington

17 The Girl In My Dreams Tries To L… 3:20 The Blanton-Webster Band Duke Ellington

18 Chocolate Shake 2:56 The Blanton-Webster Band Duke Ellington

19 I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 3:19 The Blanton-Webster Band Duke Ellington

20 The Brown-Skin Gal (In The Cali… 3:08 The Blanton-Webster Band Duke Ellington

21 Rocks In My Bed 3:11 The Blanton-Webster Band [Disc… Duke Ellington

22 A Slip Of The Lip (Can Sink A Ship) 2:59 The Blanton-Webster Band Duke Ellington

23 My Little Brown Book 3:18 The Blanton-Webster Band Duke Ellington

24 My Little Brown Book 4:14 Duke Ellington

25 Come Sunday (from Black, Brow… 5:49 Duke Ellington

26 The Blues From Black, Brown A… 5:25 Helen Merrill

27 The Way You Look Tonight 3:05 Billie Holiday

28 The Way You Look Tonight 2:59 W/Oscar Peterson Fred Astaire

29 Groovin High 2:42 Bird & Diz

30 If you could see me now (C. Sig… 6:22 Récital à Paris, 1985 Sarah Vaughan

31 If You Could See Me Now 5:08 Songs Carolyn Graye With Jessica Williams

32 All The Things You Are 2:49 Charlie "The Bird" Parker

33 Shaw Nuff 3:02 Charlie "The Bird" Parker

34 Hot House 3:10 Charlie "The Bird" Parker

35 Day-Dream 4:20 ... And His Mother Called Him Bill Duke Ellington

36 Day Dream 4:01 Day Dream: Best Of The Duke E… Ella Fitzgerald

37 Day Dream 5:01 Duke Ellington Songbook One Sarah Vaughan

38 Day Dream 12:08 Feed The Fire [Live] Betty Carter

39 Baby Won't You Please Come H… 2:36 The Norton Jazz Recordings [Di… Sarah Vaughan

40 I Didn't Know What Time It Was 4:00 Crazy and Mixed Up Sarah Vaughan

41 That's All 4:04 Crazy and Mixed Up Sarah Vaughan

42 Autumn Leaves 5:34 Crazy and Mixed Up Sarah Vaughan

43 Love Dance 3:27 Crazy and Mixed Up Sarah Vaughan

44 The Island 4:27 Crazy and Mixed Up Sarah Vaughan

45 Seasons 5:20 Crazy and Mixed Up Sarah Vaughan

46 In Love In Vain 3:08 Crazy and Mixed Up Sarah Vaughan

47 You Are Too Beautiful 3:34 Crazy and Mixed Up Sarah Vaughan

48 Don't Explain (Talking Version) 5:06 W/Jessica Williams Patty Waters

49 Summertime 7:45 W/Jessica Williams Patty Waters

50 Fine And Mellow 4:06 W/Jessica Williams Patty Waters

51 Don't Explain (Sung Quietly) 5:12 W/Jessica Williams Patty Waters

52 If I Should Lose You 6:24 WJeri Allen Betty Carter

53 You're The Top 3:40 The Cole Porter Mix Patricia Barber

54 What Is This Thing Called Love? 4:00 The Cole Porter Mix Patricia Barber

55 You & The Night & The Music 8:03 Modern Cool Patricia Barber

56 Light My Fire 5:16 Modern Cool Patricia Barber

57 I Could Eat Your Words 7:53 Verse Patricia Barber

58 Blue Monk 4:48 W/Ran Blake Jeanne Lee And Ran Blake

59 In These Last Days 7:37 WLee & Lyons Andrew Cyrille with Jeanne Lee,…

60 You Got To My Head 7:09 W/Mal Waldron Jeanne Lee & Mal Waldron

61 Goodbye Pork - Pie Hat 3:26 W/Mal Waldron Jeanne Lee & Mal Waldron

62 Straight Ahead 3:19 After Hours Jeanne Lee & Mal Waldron

63 Moon 6:06 Verse Patricia Barber

64 If I Were Blue 6:01 Verse Patricia Barber

65 A Ghost of a Chance (Studio) 3:20 The Total - Vol. 1 Lee Wiley

66 Manhattan (Studio) 3:28 The Total - Vol. 1 Lee Wiley

67 Fools Fall In Love (Studio) 3:01 The Total - Vol. 1 Lee Wiley

68 Dear Ruby [Remastered 2001] 6:01 Carmen Sings Monk Carmen McRae

69 Monkery's The Blues 4:56 Carmen Sings Monk Carmen McRae

70 Little Butterfly [Remastered 2001] 5:15 Carmen Sings Monk Carmen McRae

71 Listen To Monk [Remastered 2001] 3:05 Carmen Sings Monk Carmen McRae

72 How I Wish... [Remastered 2001] 4:56 Carmen Sings Monk Carmen McRae

73 'Round Midnight [Remastered 20… 6:32 Carmen Sings Monk Carmen McRae

74 Still We Dream [Remastered 2001] 3:34 Carmen Sings Monk Carmen McRae

75 Suddenly [Remastered 2001] 3:41 Carmen Sings Monk Carmen McRae

76 Looking Back [Remastered 2001] 5:38 Carmen Sings Monk Carmen McRae

77 The Creator Has A Master Plan 4:25 Spirits Known And Unknown Leon Thomas

78 A Night In Tunisia 8:14 Spirits Known And Unknown Leon Thomas

79 You Are The Sunshine Of My Life 5:45 Full Circle Leon Thomas

80 Autumn Leaves 7:48 Autumn Leaves: The Songs of J… Jacintha

81 Moon River 8:32 Autumn Leaves: The Songs of J… Jacintha

82 Round Midnight 6:15 Jacintha Is Her Name Jacintha

83 Harlem Nocturne 09 6:20 Jacintha

84 Light My Fire 4:04 Jacintha Is Her Name Jacintha

85 I Want To Talk About You 2:41 The Legendary Big Band [Disc 1] Billy Eckstine

86 Early Autumn 3:21 Everything I Have Is Yours / The… Billy Eckstine

87 If You Could See Me Now 3:27 Everything I Have Is Yours / The… Billy Eckstine

88 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 3:44 Everything I Have Is Yours / The… Billy Eckstine

89 Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No G… 3:41 Everything I Have Is Yours / The… Billy Eckstine

90 How High Is The Moon (Parts 1… 5:23 Everything I Have Is Yours / The… Billy Eckstine

91 St. Louis Blues (Parts 1 & 2) 6:21 Everything I Have Is Yours / The… Billy Eckstine

92 You'd Be So Nice To Come Hom… 5:24 W/Helen Merrill & Billy Eckstine

93 My Funny Valentine 3:33 W/Benny Carter Billy Eckstine

94 Here's That Rainy Day 3:52 W/Benny Carter Billy Eckstine

95 Summertime 3:54 W/Benny Carter Billy Eckstein

96 Over The Rainbow 4:40 W/Benny Carter Billy Eckstein

97 Autumn Leaves 3:44 Billy Eckstine Sings With Benny… Billy Eckstein

98 I'll Wait And Pray 2:47 The Legendary Big Band [Disc 1] Sarah Vaughan w/Billy Eckstine'…

99 Have You Met Miss Jones? (200… 2:22 The Divine One Sarah Vaughan

100 Ain't No Use (2007 Digital Rema… 3:54 The Divine One Sarah Vaughan

101 Just You, Just Me 3:04 The Complete After Midnight Se… Nat King Cole Trio

102 Sweet Lorraine 4:39 The Complete After Midnight Se… Nat King Cole Trio

103 Blame It on My Youth 4:13 The Complete After Midnight Se… Nat King Cole Trio

104 What Is There to Say 3:37 The Complete After Midnight Se… Nat King Cole Trio

105 Sometimes I'm Happy 4:11 The Complete After Midnight Se… Nat King Cole

106 It's Only A Paper Moon 3:10 The Complete After Midnight Se… Nat King Cole

107 Tea For Two 2:48 Do You Long For Oolong? Joe Mooney Quartet

108 September Song 3:17 Do You Long For Oolong? Joe Mooney Quartet

109 Just A Gigolo 3:11 Do You Long For Oolong? Joe Mooney Quartet

110 What Is There To Say? 2:53 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

111 Ain't Misbehavin' 2:51 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

112 I Fall In Love Too Easily 2:26 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

113 We'll Be Together Again 3:03 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

114 They Didn't Believe Me 2:37 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

115 I'm Glad There Is You 2:33 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

116 When Your Lover Has Gone 3:11 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

117 I'll Remember April 3:12 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

118 I See Your Face Before Me 3:35 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

119 September Song 3:53 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

120 Moonlight In Vermont 3:08 Johnny Hartman - Songs From T… Johnny Hartman

121 Dedicated To You 5:34 John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman

122 My One And Only Love 4:58 John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman

123 Lush Life 5:30 John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman

124 You Are Too Beautiful 5:36 John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman

125 Straight Ahead 5:25 Straight Ahead Abbey Lincoln

126 Blue Monk 6:40 Straight Ahead Abbey Lincoln

127 Left Alone 6:48 Straight Ahead Abbey Lincoln

128 You Don't Know What Love Is 5:30 Heart Of A Woman Etta James

129 At Last 4:42 Heart Of A Woman Etta James

130 Solitude 2:09 Day Dream: Best Of The Duke E… Ella Fitzgerald

131 What Reason Could I Give 5:18 The Cherry Thing Neneh Cherry & The Thing

132 What Reason Could I Give 3:48 Dona Nostra Don Cherry

133 A Closer Walk With Thee 4:23 Speaking in Tongues David Murray feat. Fontella Bass

134 Take My Hand, Precious Lord 10:09 Don Byron New Gospel Quintet

135 Precious Lord 3:59 W/Bob Stewart, Tuba James Baldwin

136 Suffering With The Blues (LP Ver… 5:39 W/Fontella Bass World Saxophone Quartet

137 You Don't Know Me (LP Version) 6:36 W/Fontella Bass World Saxophone Quartet

138 Its The Talk Of The Town 8:21 W/David Murray & Teresa Brewer

139 Skylark 4:25 W/David Murray & Teresa Brewer

140 Blue Moon 6:06 W/David Murray & Teresa Brewer

141 Misty 4:39 W/David Murray Teresa Brewer

142 Say It (Over And Over Again) 6:03 Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane - Karrin Allyson

143 You Don't Know What Love Is 5:38 Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane - Karrin Allyson

144 Too Young To Go Steady 5:44 Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane - Karrin Allyson

145 I Wish I Knew 4:22 Ballads: Remembering John Coltane - Karrin Allyson

146 What's New? 5:55 Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane - Karrin Allyson

147 It's Easy To Remember 6:03 Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane - Karrin Allyson

148 Naima 6:39 Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane - Karrin Allyson

149 Why Was I Born? 3:42 Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane - Karrin Allyson

150 Every Time We Say Goodbye 6:01 Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane - Karrin Allyson

Detroit! Where it used to be.

West End News

Otis “Bu Bu” Turner
At the baby-grand piano,
Sings If You Could See Me Now beneath a triumphal arch,
Separating two rooms of beboppers, night-owls, ‘Players’ who knew what Bu Bu was saying, knew What he was playing, knew Diz and Dameron.

Blues In The Phone Booth

Alvin Jackson, a double-bass playin’ brother,
Brother of Bags, has completed his phone-call,
Leaves the door wide-open for the trumpet player who, 
Prefers to jam sitting down - get down sitting down then.

Roy! Brooks! drummin' man
Has set up his drummin’ stuff to one side of Bu Bu’s baby-grand.

Trumpet’s in the phone booth - was that Lonnie, Lonnie Hillyer, inside with his Trumpet, 
Pet?
Phone booth action happened on the other side of Bu Bu - at his left hand.

In Walked Charles of the McPherson clan - an alto playin’ 
Man!

Worst coffee in the world! But the West End Hotel's after-hours' hang, 
Provided everything else that this young man’s soul required. 
Man! 

R. W. White
20 March 2013

Ed McKenzie's Dance Party

"I think Philly was referring to Minton's Playhouse. In those days musicians would think twice before they got on the bandstand." Eddie Lockjaw Davis

Ethan Iverson in a recent post writes:

Recently Oliver Lake tweeted "happy birthday" to Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.  I [Iverson] responded, "If I played tenor, I'd spend all my time not with TraneSonnyWayne but Lockjaw, Byas, Gonsalves, A. Cobb, G. Ammons, B.Webster, Lucky T."  

http://dothemath.typepad.com/ 

I first became aware of master musician, tenor saxophonist, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis when I was in grade school in Highland Park, Michigan. The disc jockey Ed McKinzie had a weekly TV show, Ed McKinzie's Dance Party, that featured musicians who were performing a clubs in and around Detroit, the Rouge Lounge was one such club. It was on the Ed McKinsey TV show that I first saw and heard Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. It was on McKinsey's Dance Party that I saw and heard Art Tatum, Charlie Parker and Charlie Ventura (among many others).

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis was a fabulous tenor saxophonist.

Ed McKenzie was a very famous disc jockey - radio and TV personality - in Detroit, Michigan in the 1950s. His radio programs were broadcast on WJLB and then on WXYZ. His TV Dance Party was broadcast on WXYZ-TV.

                           Paradise Theater-Detroit: Illinois Jacquet & Ed McKenzie

                                       Illinois Jacquet, Sarah Vaughan & Ed McKenzie

Ed McKenzie donated his photograph collection to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. There are 67 photographs of musicians who appeared on his radio and TV programs. In addition to these photos are photographs of the back-sides of the photos that contain Ed McKenzie's personal reflections on the subjects of the photos. McKenzie's annotations and comments provide us with perceptive insights about Detroit and music in the late1940s and1950s. Take a look using the museum's link below:

http://chwmaah-archive.com/?cat=218 

Ed McKenzie was/is a fabulous soulful man. He quit WXYZ in 1959 in protest to formula radio. See:

http://www.mcrfb.com/?p=26102

 

Alto Saxophone Despondency - Unwarranted?

I blogged on the other day about being unable to think of alto saxophonists of THIS music (fka Jazz) after Jackie McLean that inspired awe on my part.  I guess what I really had in mind were young alto players. There may be youngsters who can play (burn), but I just haven't made contact with them either in person or by recordings. I may also be that one of the young altos that I recently heard in person was struggling in a group that did not provide an appropriate musical context for his art. I took another listen to the alto player in another (highly regarded quartet) and I remained unimpressed with his (and the group's) music-making and music. A friend of mine was (and is) quick to apply the appellation "avant" to the group, which I suppose is short for "avant-garde jazz or improvised music". I believe the terms "avant" and "avant-garde" are overused and used without regard to the terms' focal meaning having to do with invention of new works, forms and ultimately stylistic change.
   It's a matter of musicians inventing the new and not a matter of musicians expropriating (without invention) what was new - pastiche elements of the early 1960s' improvised music strung together without variation or development. I blame myself for detesting music minimalism - Glass' works. And I find minimalist influences in some of the improvised music that I quite don't find interesting. Years ago I heard the Philip Glass Ensemble in concert - three soprano saxophones, electric keyboard/organ, sound projection set-up, and vocalist. As a performance it was quite hip and very satisfying. Although I have a good number of CDs of Glass's music, today I cannot stand to listen to it.
  Right now I'm listening to William Parker, Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter, and Rashid Bakr: Other Dimensions in Music - Now. Yesterday I was quite satisfied with the music of the alto saxophonists Rob Brown and Jameel Moodoc in the good company of William Parker and others. I wouldn't call THIS music "avant" or "avant-garde". I will say this: Whatever we call it, it's HEAVY.
  If you've read what I've blogged on about previously, you'll know who I'm talking about.