What Jazz are you listening to now?

[KevinP]

Again, going not with music here but with a lecture. Russo on Duke Ellington.


https://youtu.be/i7xMbC04p-Y?si=0F7R7rJ5t9rKwRdz

It was recorded for preservation and not for commercial release, but it's easy to follow.

It's a new channel and I know nothing about it.

Judging by the date, I would have been in the next iteration of this lecture the following semester.

In the end, Bill passes around a gold cross necklace that Ellington had given him. Touching it may not seem like much, but just around a year ago, I gave a speech on how profound and unforgettable the moment was for me.

[KevinP]

Like a lot of Ellingtonians, Hodges recorded many of his non-Ellington sides surrounded by other Ellingtonians. (Basie-ites did as well, with other Basie members.) Still, it's odd that this extends to other big band settings, as in this recording. Most of the players in this band are from Ellington's, the arrangements are by Strayhorn, and most of the songs are Ellington's, with a couple of Strayhorn's thrown in.

So it should sound like an Ellington record just with a different pianist, but it doesn't. It's billed as a Hodges record, that's what you get. And Strayhorn deserves his byline.

[KevinP]

Let's just stay with Strayhorn.

In fact, they'll be a lot more as I started this book last night. Not far in but I've already learnt a lot.

I mean, I've always heard him portrayed as a genius, but it turns out he has some big name detractors (Marsalis and Gunther Schuller).



Other tidbits that spoke to me:

• 1500 surviving Strayhorn autograph scores exist.
• Over 500 Strayhorn scores have been recorded by the Ellington band
• (Author's opinion) Some people see Strayhorn's artistry as a threat to the claim that Ellington is the greatest American composer.
• Ellington guarded all the scores closely. On one occasion, he wouldn't even give the conductor access to the score.
• Ellington often edited Strayhorn's scores, but usually at the formal level (removing an introduction, resequencing sections) but not changing notes, chords, etc.
• Strayhorn seldom traveled with the band.  He sometimes mailed his scores to Ellington.
• Ellington had a copyist, but Strayhorn extracted his own parts.
• Strayhorn's earliest known performed piece was a concerto for piano with percussion (now lost).

Except the last one,  those were all from the introduction.

[SimonNZ]

One Strayhorn tidbit I learned from the Ellington bio I read last year was that right up at the end he was still tipping glasses of spirits... into his feeding tube. That's just bad-ass.


and coincidently I found this in the secondhand store yesterday:



Ellington at Newport '59

[Karl Henning]

Oh, that looks nice!

TD:

[SimonNZ]

[KevinP]

Oh, that looks nice!

It's considered one of his best works of the LP era, with charts by Johnny Richards who also did the Cuban Fire suite.

This is the mellophonium band.

[Karl Henning]

It's considered one of his best works of the LP era, with charts by Johnny Richards who also did the Cuban Fire suite.

This is the mellophonium band.

Superb!

[San Antone]

In fact, they'll be a lot more as I started this book last night. Not far in but I've already learnt a lot.

I mean, I've always heard him portrayed as a genius, but it turns out he has some big name detractors (Marsalis and Gunther Schuller).

I am a big fan of Billy Strayhorn and think it is unquestionable that his impact on the Ellington band and jazz in general was significant.  That said, I am convinced that Ellington would have had a major impact on American music without Strayhorn. I'm not sure the same could be said for Strayhorn without Ellington.

[Number Six]

Scott Henderson: Karnevel! (2024)

Last night, I watched a number of "favorite jazz albums of 2024" videos. I have an unofficial resolution to explore more jazz in 2025, and I figured mixing in some current stuff alongside the classics can't hurt. So I set aside a bunch of these albums in my TIDAL library.

This one is guitar-heavy, as you can tell by the artwork. I would call it fusion. I am about half way through it as I type this post, and I am digging it.

[Karl Henning]

It's considered one of his best works of the LP era, with charts by Johnny Richards who also did the Cuban Fire suite.

This is the mellophonium band.

I love how they ease up on the tempo for "Gee, Officer Krupke!"

[Number Six]

Weather Report: Heavy Weather

[Karl Henning]

Weather Report: Heavy Weather

Classic!

[Number Six]

McLaughlin/Pastorius/Williams: Trio of Doom
Live 1979

[KevinP]

I love how they ease up on the tempo for "Gee, Officer Krupke!"

And 'America', rather than being in Bernstein's compound 6/8 + 3/4, is recast in (I think) 7/4.

Pretty daring (for want of a tamer word) considering the staged version premiered in '57 and this was recorded in '61, months before the movie was released, though the movie came out first. The songs were largely known to the public but were still new and current, not yet in need of such reinvention.

[KevinP]