Drifting
For music lovers, YouTube can be a gold mine of videos from your favorite artists. Its also where you can discover new music and new musicians. Andy McKee is a phenomenal guitarist. I discovered him a little more than a year ago, and came across him again recently, so I thought I would share.
Straight No Chaser
10 friends from college re-unite after a decade apart to pursue their life-long passion performing a cappella. December 2008 saw the release of "Holiday Spirits" spending 14 days at #1 on Amazon and 5 days in the top spot on iTunes. They’re back again in 2009 with "Christmas Cheers," featuring an all new mix of bass thumping, percussion filled, holiday hits. You will be amazed at the sounds of trumpets, moroccos, and other wind and percussion instruments produced a cappella. That’s right…they sing bass, drums, and wind instruments. You won’t believe how well they sound!
With "The 12 Days of Christmas" set to "Africa" by Toto, the "Mission Impossible" themed "We Three Kings" (listen below), and the tongue in cheek "Who Spiked the Eggnog?", Straight No Chaser bring a creative approach to spreading Christmas cheer.
Keep in mind, according to Buddy the Elf – "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear."
The real treat of "Christmas Cheers" is in a series of pop covers found at the end of the album beginning with "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse. If you are in need of some Christmas cheer, or are just in the mood for some feel-good music, I highly recommend this album.
Akai EWI4000
I’ll take one…oh…and throw in some pedals too!
Cousin Mary
John Coltrane, 1926 to 1967, known for his distinctive "sheets of sound" is the most recognizable tenor saxophonist in history. Living to the age of 40, he spent the last 12 years of his life reshaping modern jazz by exploring the possibilities of modal improvisation more deeply than any other jazz musician. Sadly, like so many jazz musicians of the early to mid 1900′s, a hard life on the road combined with heroin use and liver cancer shortened the life of yet another jazz great.
John Coltrane means many things to many people. As an aspiring tenor saxophonist growing up in small town America, John Coltrane challenged my musical maturity. In all honesty, out of frustration, I put down my first John Coltrane recording and picked up Kenny G. I was not mature enough to grasp, or even understand what John Coltrane was doing. It was easier for me to listen to the more accessible music of main stream jazz. It wasn’t until the album, "Kind of Blue," that I really learned to understand and enjoy John Coltrane. His recording as sideman to Miles Davis helped to ease my transition into his Hard Bop style.
"Giant Steps" was his second album to be recorded by the Atlantic label marking the first time all of the pieces on a recording had been composed by John Coltrane. "Cousin Mary" is one of the more accessible tracks from the album. Please enjoy. Click on the album art below to play.
Warehouse
Goosebumps! I love music that gives me goosebumps! Seeing a band on the cusp of achieving something monumental, creating a once in a lifteime music experience is very special. From a twitter post leading to the Dave Matthews Band website taking me to MySpace, I was treated to a video (embedded above) that captures such a special moment. Please enjoy!
Delta City Blues (live)
Michael Brecker may be the greatest musician to ever play the saxophone. A generation of musicians have spent countless numbers of hours, days, and years studying him to reproduce his musical style. In January 2007, after fighting a long battle with leukemia, he passed away at the age of 57. I hope this video will give you some insight into the genius that was Michael Brecker.
I Mean You
When I first began to post, my intentions were to use this blog as a driving force pushing me to dive back into the world of jazz through the examination and sharing of jazz solos which have impacted my life. I also wanted this to be a place where those who visit might experience something "off the beaten path."
Since my first post in September of 2007, I have strayed from this goal becoming distracted by the novelty of personal blog posts. Essentially, writing on jazz solos fell away to personal videos and commentaries, which then degraded to poor attempts at comedic bits. See "My first product review" in the archives, September, 2007, for a good example.
While I will continue to write on personal topics and share aspects of my life with you, I want to take this opportunity to "right the boat" and get back on track. With that in mind, I would like to feature a jazz solo by the great tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker. Sadly, Michael Brecker, unquestionably the top tenor saxophonist of this era, passed away on January 13th, 2007.
Born in the late 70′s, I missed out on the chance to hear and see so many great jazz musicians. To have seen John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderly, or any of the numerous jazz greats at the top of their game in the mid 1900′s would have been life changing. Regretfully I must now add Michael Brecker to that list of names.
The solo, which you can listen to by clicking on the album art below, comes off the track "I Mean You" found on the McCoy Tyner album entitled "Infinity." I began writing this post 4 months ago. During that time I have been unable to find the words that appropriately convey what Michael Brecker’s music means to me. I have many favorite Brecker solos and songs, so there are more to come, but for now, please enjoy and let me know what you think.
What makes a great jazz solo?
What makes a great jazz solo? Is it the musician? Is it the listener? How about the technical aspects of the way the musician plays their instrument? How about the musician’s soul, attitude, or heart? Does the solo need to fit the style of the song it lies within? Is a great solo defined by the speed at which the musician blows through note after note? Can a slow passionate solo be a great solo?
I ask these questions because I don’t know the answers. For me personally, when I hear a great solo, I can hear the pain inside the musician being set free in a powerful release of emotion and musical creativity. Pain from life’s struggles, life’s regrets, overwhelming joy, or excruciating excitement set free in a moment of transparency. Is this because in my experience as a saxophonist, soloing provides this emotional outlet?
In all honesty, there are countless great solos and great soloists. Deciding what makes a great solo is a very personal choice. This is my opportunity to share with you the musicians and the solos that have impacted my life.
Moodswing, released in 1994 by Joshua Redman features Brad Mehldau on Piano, Christian McBride on Bass, and Brian Blade on drums. Fitting with the title of the album, the songs on this album range from the slow emotional blues ballad Sweet Sorrow to the 1970′s funk style of Headin’ Home with a variety of styles in between, but the song and consequently the solo that has me coming back to this album time after time is Mischief.
The upbeat Pink Pantherish blues of Mischief sets the perfect scene for a great solo, and Joshua Redman delivers on time. Beginning slow and salty, Redman quickly builds into a powerful solo characterized by precise timing and note choice, but also including that intangible pain I mentioned before, which others may refer to as heart and soul.
When deciding which solo to share first, I was unsure about picking a contemporary musician. Maybe I should have chosen one of history’s greats like Charlie Parker or John Coltrane. What about the recently passed Michael Brecker who I believe may be the greatest musician to ever play the saxophone? I am a saxophonist, so I knew I would start off with a musician of that instrument, but was unsure of whom. I can say that I believe choosing Mischief was the right choice.
In making Moodswing, Joshua Redman attempted to dispel the myth that Jazz was a forbidding and overly intellectual art form. Mischief is a great example of Redman’s success in transforming theory and technique into fun and emotion. I would love to share this song and solo with you. Click on the album art below to listen to the song, and please let me know what you think.