July 26, 2026

Series

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Jazz Note #5 – Get a Nickname

dave@weheartmusic.com April 10, 2008

Although Julian was born on September 15th 1928 in Tampa Florida, musically speaking he was given birth and inspired in New York City by the great Charlie “Bird” Parker.  But before that all happened he picked up a nickname; not because his alto sax sounded like incoming artillery.  In fact, Cannonball is a spin-off of another childhood nickname “Cannibal”, given for his healthy appetite, which I have read he went in with gusto, which can also best describe the way he plays his horn.

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Jazz Note #4 – Stick Around

dave@weheartmusic.com January 6, 2008

Contrary to a popular rock ‘n roll belief, some musicians are better off not burning out quickly or fading away.  Like a fine whiskey or an endearing ballad, jazz musician only get better with time.  Sure, their technical skills may diminish a little, but there is something more worldly and expressive that manifests in musicians with more than a few decades notched into their instruments.  At least that’s what I saw in concert with:

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Jazz Note #3 – Paint a Picture

dave@weheartmusic.com December 5, 2007

One of the advantages working with 12-16 musicians is the conductor’s ability to expand his palette.  Without uttering one word a big band can create a vivid scene rich in color and bustling with motion.  For example take Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” and Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia.”  Or since we are moving into the season, listen to Dave Holland’s “First Snow” from his 2002 EMC release “What Goes Around.”

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Jazz Note #2 – Play a Showtune

dave@weheartmusic.com November 15, 2007

The best way an artist can grab the attention of an ever-elusive audience is to take something tried and true and turn it on its head.  I’m talking about reinterpretation.  When it comes to jazz, there is no better way to ease a new listener into a new sound than to play a familiar tune, especially when song comes from the Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical, “Oklahoma” and Ray Charles is the one singing “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” from the 2006 Concord release, “Ray Sings Basie Swings.”

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Jazz Note #1 – Make it Catchy

dave@weheartmusic.com October 28, 2007

As post-war Bebop began to wane into the cold war era, a group of jazz musicians sought to reconnect with their audience. Hard Bop, West Coast Cool, wherever the name, the songs usually stated a quick, catchy theme, letting the players take it from there. A few classics from this time are Lee Morgan’s “Sidewinder”, Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father” and this gem from Miles Davis, “Milestone” from the same-name 1958 Columbia record.

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