Elise – Page 54

Steps Ahead | Self Portrait

“Steps Ahead is an American jazz fusion group (which) arose out of spontaneous sessions at Seventh Avenue South, a jazz club in New York City owned by saxophonist Michael Brecker and trumpeter brother Randy Brecker,” (AllAboutJazz). Fully deserving of the term “supergroup,” the band’s “shifting roster has included vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, saxophonists Michael Brecker, Bob Berg, Bendik Hofseth, Bill Evans, Ernie Watts, and Donny McCaslin; pianists Don Grolnick, Eliane Elias, Warren Bernhardt and Rachel Z; guitarists Mike Stern, Chuck Loeb, and Steve Khan; bassists Eddie Gomez, Darryl Jones, Tony Levin, Victor Bailey, Richard Bona, and Marc Johnson; and drummers Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Steve Smith, and Dennis Chambers. Steps Ahead was active during the 1970s and 1980s, intermittently during the 1990s, and reunited for concerts in the mid-2000s.”

“Released in 1984, Modern Times … was a radical departure from their self-titled debut,” (JazzMusicArchives). “Unlike the first album’s mostly acoustic textures, Modern Times is a high-tech, futuristic, jazz-of-tomorrow fusion masterpiece … Strong compositions, impassioned performances, and early DDD production are married to otherworldly yet urban atmospheres to create one of the best albums any of these distinguished players has ever appeared on. “Self Portrait” (is a) classic Mainieri composition: long-lined unforgettable melodies, loud/soft contrasts, quirky bridges, outstanding solos over synth splashes, and sudden endings.”

Starting in D major, this 1986 live version of “Self Portrait” shifts into D minor between 1:14 – 1:39 before returning to the original key; the two keys continue to alternate throughout the tune. This particular gathering of the band, perhaps its quintessential lineup, featured Michael Brecker on tenor sax; Mike Mainieri, vibes; Darryl Jones, bass; Mike Stern, guitar; and Steve Smith, drums.

for Mark

Bill Chase | Bochawa (feat. United States Marine Band)

“The U.S. Marine Band’s mission is to perform for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps,” (Marine Band website). “Founded in 1798 by an Act of Congress, the Marine Band is America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization. President John Adams invited the Marine Band to make its White House debut on New Year’s Day, 1801, in the then-unfinished Executive Mansion. In March of that year, the band performed for Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration and it is believed that it has performed for every presidential inaugural since. In Jefferson, the band found its most visionary advocate. An accomplished musician himself, Jefferson recognized the unique relationship between the band and the Chief Executive and he is credited with giving the Marine Band its title, ‘The President’s Own.’”

“‘Bochawa’ was written by Bill Chase (1935–74); this version was arranged by Jackie Coleman,” (from the video description). “Chase was a trumpet player who graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with Herb Pomeroy and Armando Ghitalla. After graduation, Chase soon found himself working with Maynard Ferguson, where he remained for about a year before moving on to the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Chase finally settled into the lead trumpet chair in Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd. After leaving Herman’s band in August 1967, he moved to Las Vegas where he worked as a freelance musician and arranger. Around this time, The Beatles burst onto the scene, and his interest turned towards rock. As the 1970s began, Chase wanted to create his dream band comprised of four trumpets, four rhythm instruments, and one vocalist. Chase gained national attention after his group earned a Grammy nomination in 1971 for Best New Artist. ‘Bochawa’ comes from Chase’s third and final album, Pure Music.“

Splitting up into various smaller ensembles to perform for various events is a constant process for the Marine Band, including the jazz quintet heard here. Featuring the trumpet in the original spirit of Chase’s composition, the funk/rock track modulates up a whole step at 4:47.

New Kids on the Block | Please Don’t Go Girl

“This is the song that put New Kids on the Block on the map and got their career started in a big way,” (Songfacts). “This song was fronted by Joey McIntyre, who was the youngest member of the band. Ten years later, the song was covered by Aaron Carter, who was 11 years old at the time.

(The track) was written and produced by New Kids guru Maurice Starr, who not only controlled their business affairs, but also their music. Most of the ballads Starr wrote for the boy band find them singing directly to the girl, professing their love. Starr used a similar formula in his work with New Edition” a few years earlier. Both groups were Boston-based.

When Hangin’ Tough, NKOTB’s second album “came out in 1988 … the video for the single ‘Please Don’t Go Girl’ was released to BET and Starr focused on Black radio stations, where he had connections from his days with New Edition,” (Biography.com). “But then a Florida pop radio station started playing ‘Please Don’t Go Girl.’ The requests poured in, and plans for promoting the album shifted. New Kids on the Block had found the young girls who would make up their devoted fan base. After a tough beginning, they were on their way to stratospheric success.”

Along with New Edition, NKOTB and its hits like “Please Don’t Go Girl” set the template for subsequent boy bands NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys, and many others. The track features a textbook half-step key change at 2:44 as the bridge transitions into the chorus.

Climax | Precious and Few

Vocalist Sonny Geraci, a Cleveland native, didn’t become a household name in his own right, but he was at the helm of two very different but prominent pop hits with two different bands. “’Time Won’t Let Me,’ (The Outsiders), a frenetic dancefloor rocker … incorporated popular soul music elements and was consistent with the garage-band trend of the mid-’60s, (BestClassicBands). ‘Mersey meets Motown,’ was how Geraci once described it.”

Geraci “resurfaced in 1972 fronting the Los Angeles-based Climax … their ballad ‘Precious and Few’ became one of the biggest hits of that year, but they were only able to follow it with one more chart single, “Life and Breath,” which topped out at #52. Their first and only album, simply titled Climax, fizzled at #177 and the group disbanded in 1975.”

The power ballad pulls out all of the stops, featuring layers of orchestral instrumentation and extra backing vocals in addition to the sound of the band itself. Starting in A major, the track makes a stop in Bb major at 1:30, then drops a hearty rubato into the mix during the transition to B major at 1:59.

Marvin Gaye + Tammi Terrell | Your Precious Love

“Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye melded their melodious performative perfection for ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ like a pair of songbirds delivering a twittering Sunday service,” (FarOut). “The cover of the classic Ashford & Simpson track launched them as the soul-extolling duo about to give loving joy to a generation.”

Tragically, Terrell was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was only in her early 20s, but kept performing for a time, releasing ‘Your Precious Love’ with Gaye in 1967. In 1970, “at the tender age of 24, Terrell passed away. At her eulogy, Gaye delivered one final performance of ‘You’re All I Need to Get By’. He later would comment: ‘I had such emotional experiences with Tammi and her subsequent death that I don’t imagine I’ll ever work with a girl again.'” Gaye went through a mourning period for Terrell during which he stopped performing altogether. However, he couldn’t have channeled his grief any more productively: his 1971 solo release, the legendary What’s Goin’ On, is touted by Rolling Stone as its #1 album of all time.

“Your Precious Love,” once again written by Ashford and Simpson, reached #5 on Billboard Pop Singles chart and #2 on the R&B Singles chart. Members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra added dimension to the usual band instrumentation. After a start in Bb major, the short choruses lift into Db major first heard from 0:43 – 0:58) before reverting to the original key.

Manhattan Transfer | On a Little Street in Singapore

“Celebrating their 50th Anniversary, The Manhattan Transfer continues to set the standard as one of the world’s greatest and most innovative vocal bands,” (ManhattanTransfer.net). “Winners of ten Grammy Awards, with millions of records sold worldwide … Defying categorization, The Manhattan Transfer became the first vocal group to win Grammy Awards in the pop and jazz categories in one year, 1981: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for ‘Boy From New York City’ (a cover of the 1964 song by The Ad Libs), and Best Jazz Performance by a Duo or Group for ‘Until I Met You (Corner Pocket).'”

Janis Siegel, the quartet’s alto, “emphasizes the group’s unmatched ability to excel performing a wide variety of music. ‘We didn’t say we were a pop group. We didn’t say we were a jazz group. We’re a vocal group.'” The quartet are now members of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

“On a Little Street in Singapore,” originally released by Frank Sinatra and the Harry James Orchestra in 1939, takes on a cinematic quality in the Manhattan Transfer’s 1978 cover. The quartet is backed by WDR Funkhausorchester, an ensemble affiliated with the German big band powerhouse WDR Big Band. Featuring plenty of small harmonic sidesteps before the main vocal’s entrance at 1:30, the tune settles into C major. Between 2:54 and 3:15, an instrumental break modulates up a half-step to Db major in time for the next verse — but the textures are sufficiently ornate to hide the seams, obscuring the exact moment of the shift.

(press play — the video does work, even though it doesn’t look like it will!)

Talking Heads | And She Was

“According to David Byrne, who is the only writer credited on the track, this was written about a girl he knew who used to take LSD in a field next to the Yoo-Hoo drink factory in Baltimore,” (Songfacts). “‘Somehow that image seemed fitting, the junk food factory and this young girl tripping her brains out gazing at the sky,’ he told Q Magazine in 1992. ‘But it wasn’t a drugs song at all and I don’t think people took it that way. I think it gives the impression of a spiritual or emotional experience, instantaneous and unprovoked. The sublime can come out of the ridiculous.’ Talking Heads never performed this live: They stopped touring in 1984 after their Stop Making Sense concert film was released.”

The video was the first created by Jim Blashfield, who pioneered a collage-animation style with his short film, Suspicious Circumstances. That got the attention of Talking Heads, which wanted a similar motif for their ‘And She Was’ video. The resulting clip earned MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best Group Video and Best Concept Video. Blashfield was commissioned for more videos in this style; his work can be seen in ‘The Boy in the Bubble’ (Paul Simon) (and) ‘Sowing the Seeds of Love’ (Tears For Fears).”

After a start in E major, the pre-chorus shifts into F major (0:29 – 0:44) before a return to E major for the chorus. The bridge (1:53 – 2:08) drops into B minor before returning to the overall pattern.

Teenage Fanclub | I Don’t Want Control of You

“Initially lauded for the sonically dense, guitar-driven anthems that heralded them as unexpected stars of the alternative rock era, the perception of Scotland’s Teenage Fanclub transformed over time, eventually earning the group a reputation as pop craftsmen famous for a distinctive brand of classicist ’60s- and ’70s-style power pop and folk-rock,” (Qobuz). “Originally centered on the talents of three singer/songwriters — Norman Blake, Gerard Love, and Raymond McGinley — Teenage Fanclub emerged in the late ’80s mixing sludgy guitar riffs and memorably hooky choruses that drew inspiration from iconic guitar rock bands like Big Star, Badfinger, and the Byrds.

… The band broke through with its 1991 Geffen major-label debut, Bandwagonesque, which hit #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, and spawned three Top 20 modern rock hits … They eschewed larger pop culture trends like grunge and Brit-pop in favor of further honing their sparkling, guitar-based sound, a choice that only worked to endear them to their loyal cult fan base.” The Glasgow-based band has pursued a “continued dedication to writing heartfelt songs imbued with timeless lyricism, nuanced maturity, and warm vocal harmonies.” In 1991, “they joined Nirvana on tour, after which Kurt Cobain was famously quoted as saying they were the ‘best band in the world.’ By year’s end, Bandwagonesque had landed at the top of Spin Magazine’s Best-Of list, surpassing Nirvana’s Nevermind … and R.E.M.’s Out of Time.” The band has continued to release albums into the 2020s.

Released on the 1997 album Songs From Northern Britain, “I Don’t Want Control of You” features a dense guitar-centric arrangement, a broad harmonic vocabulary, and tight vocal harmonies. The single reached only #43 in the UK, the only place where it hit the charts. An economical guitar solo (1:48 -2:06) doesn’t hit many notes — just the right ones. Some 6/4 measures are mixed in with the otherwise standard-issue 4/4 meter rock feel, including right before the key change. Determining the power pop pedigree of mid-tempo tracks is an inexact science, but the dense tapestry of this track seems to qualify.

The Beatles | If I Fell

“John Lennon wrote this song, which may have been influenced by the ambivalence he felt during his first marriage,” (Songfacts). “Lennon called this song ‘my first attempt at a ballad… it’s semi-autobiographical, but not consciously.’ Lennon and McCartney sang together into the same microphone when recording this song. John sang the lead on the intro, then Paul sang in a higher lead while John sang harmony.” The tune “was used as the B-side of ‘And I Love Her.’

Paul McCartney said of his songwriting partner: ‘People tend to forget that John wrote some pretty nice ballads. People tend to think of him as an acerbic wit and aggressive and abrasive, but he did have a very warm side to him really, which he didn’t like to show too much in case he got rejected. We wrote ‘If I Fell’ together but with the emphasis on John because he sang it. It was a nice harmony number, very much a ballad,'” (BeatlesBible.com).

The intro of the 1964 track, a single from the Hard Days Night album, is largely in C major, but transitions to to C# major at 0:34, where it stays for the balance of the tune.

Art Tatum | Have You Met Miss Jones? (Rogers + Hart)

“From the first moment, there was no doubt that (Dick Rogers and Lorenz Hart) would work together: it was love at first sight,” (The Atlantic). “Larry was twenty-three, Dick not yet seventeen. ‘I left Hart’s house,’ wrote Rodgers a lifetime later, ‘having acquired in one afternoon a career, a partner, a best friend, and a source of permanent irritation.'” The duo wrote over 500 songs together, many from the 28 musicals they on which they collaborated, including “My Funny Valentine,” “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered,” “My Romance,” and “Have You Met Miss Jones?”

“Have You Met Miss Jones” was written by Rogers/Hart for the 1937 musical I’d Rather Be Right. The dizzy middle eight is completely unmoored from the overall key of F major and features the lyric:

And all at once I lost my breath,
And all at once was scared to death
And all at once I owned the earth and sky.

In the hands of legendary pianist Art Tatum, who was famous for his reharmonization and ability to play lightning-fast runs, the tune becomes even more sublimely unhinged from its written tonality as it progresses.