Jazz for aficionados
Frogman, I hope you're having a happy Thanksgiving, a lot of people aren't. Can you add subtract, and multiply; I can, and so can this man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNyBLLcEIds The Pentagon................. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez8I8VGLNUw Senator Bernie Sanders.............. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmijFEF5Fk8 I'll wait for your response.........After this I'll give you more. |
O-10, I am not about to engage in a protracted discussion of these issues on this thread. All I can say at this point about those clips is that propaganda takes many forms and that Bernie Sanders is a fool (which I already knew). Now, let's take a look at why this discussion got even this far. From someone who you have previously accused of "spreading discontent": I make what I would consider a positive, optimistic comment about this country while acknowledging that there are still many problems and that mistakes have been made. Still, I consider it a great country in spite of those negatives. I also point to my feeling that Jazz (Coltrane's "Blue Trane" in particular) is one of its contributions and one of the reasons that it is a great country. You had three choices at that point: 1. You could have ignored my comment. 2. You could have acknowledged that, particularly now, during the Thanksgiving season, there is always room for a bit of positive outlook on just about any issue; or, 3. You could "disagree 300%" and take the issue into the realm of "injustice" and the condemnation of the "college educated". Obviously, you are free to take anyone of those choices; but, let's be clear: who is it that is spreading discontent? More importantly: where, exactly, is the disagreement? I think it's fair to say that we would both agree that there are problems and that this country has made mistakes. I also think it's fair to say that Jazz, the subject of this thread, is one of this country's greatest artistic contributions. So, what is left? The idea that this is a great country. With all due respect, anyone who can't recognize that this country is, in spite of all its problems and ample room for improvement, a great country is, just like Bernie Sanders, foolish. It is unfortunate that some will not have a Happy Thanksgiving as you suggest. Unfortunate, because there is always something to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving. |
Sonny Rollins: fabulous!! And yes surprisingly neglected here. One of the few musicians who could pull off playing in a piano-less setting. Such is the command of the harmony and there is so much logic and clarity to the improvisation that it makes it easy to follow the harmonic progression of the tune without the piano to spell it out. His rhythmic authority is fantastic. Some musicians have the ability to play so "in the pocket" that the rhythm section plays to their rhythmic pull and not the other way around. Louis Armstrong had it, Ray Charles had it and Sonny Rollins has it. |
Btw, you made an interesting commnent in a recent post about how you feel drum or bass solos " interrupt the flow of the music". It is often true. Not because it's drums or bass per se, but because the players of those instruments have traditionally been almost exclusively in the role of time keeper and simply haven't developed as melodists. That has changed a lot in recent times as bass players became more facile and technically and harmonically more advanced. Remember the days when all a bass player could do was play a "walking bass" solo? Basically the same thing that they would do while keeping time for a horn norm piano player. Then they graduated to attempts at melodic solos and the results were often a lot of out of tune and even wrong notes; often painful to listen to. Btw, you made an interesting commnent in a recent post about how you feel drum or bass solos " interrupt the flow of the music". It is often true. Not because it's drums or bass per se, but because the players of those those instruments have traditionally been almost exclusively in the role of time keeper and simply haven't developed as melodists. That has changed a lot in recent times as bass players became more facile and technically and harmonically more advanced. Remember the days when all a bass player could do was play a "walking bass" solo; basically the same thing that would do while keeping time for a horn norm piano player. Then they graduated to attempts at melodic solos and the results were often a lot of out of tune and even wrong notes; often painful to listen to. Now we have virtuosic bass players who can improvise with the same technical facility as horn players. Same thing for drummers, but even more of a challenge since the drums are not a melody instrument. Btw, also why, as you pointed out, they were seldom band leaders. A band leader needs to have knowledge and command of the melody and harmony side of things and not just of rhythm in order to be effective as a leader. A restaurant which has a great chef is doomed if that chef, who can't add and subtract, tries to also be the book keeper. Some drummers (Max Roach) will actually tune their drums to specific pitches in order to bring melody to the drum solo. Speaking of musical flow, notice ,how the drum solo on your Rollins clip does not interrupt the flow; Pete La Roca was a fabulous drummer. Some favorite Sonny: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gActLqZZX68 Check out the bass solo! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v4DTR0I7xhA |
Frogman, take off your blinders, this is a new reality, unlike anything in the past; the fact that it's not happening is the "new propaganda". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bUaHIIxh50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obho7uBg3-A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFfUl8dHncE Enjoy the music. |
