instrumental – Page 5

Errol Garner | Misty

“In 1954, the Erroll Garner Trio introduced the instrumental ‘Misty.’ A year later Johnny Burke penned the lyrics, creating the song we know today,” (JazzStandards.com). “‘Misty’ remained relatively unknown until Johnny Mathis popularized the vocal version with his million-selling recording in 1959. Although it was never a number one hit, ‘Misty’ has been performed by hundreds of instrumentalists and vocalists … the melody soars over a range of nearly two octaves with many pitches falling on color tones or chord extensions (mainly the major seventh, the ninth and the eleventh).”

Built with a classic AABA form, the tune’s B section ” … begins with a fairly orthodox harmonic progression- v -I7 -iv, in which the I7 functions as a V7 of the new subdominant key (in the original key, Eb modulating to Ab). But then the IV chord (Ab) is followed by a minor 7th chord a half step higher. Aural experience tells our ears to expect this Am7, which is followed by a D7, to be a ii7 -V7 sequence to G major or G minor. Instead, Garner surprises us once again by a deceptive resolution to Cm, the vi of the original tonic of Eb. From there, it’s an easy modulation back to the tonic (but what a fascinating detour!)”

In this 1961 live performance on TV’s Ed Sullivan Show, Garner presents the tune in a single chorus, which ranges from a staid left-hand stride style to a gently shimmering right hand technique. There are no subsequent choruses to host a formal solo, but Garner’s interpretation of the melody is so whimsically ornamented that the single chorus gets the job done all on its own. The legendary B section’s first few notes begin at 0:47, with the section starting in earnest at 0:50. The closing A section begins at 1:14.

For a more straightforward treatment of the melody, it would be difficult to improve on Johnny Mathis’ 1959 rendition:

Tamsin Elliott | Emerging/Full Squirrel

“Tamsin is a folk musician, composer and film-maker based in Bristol, UK,” (TamsinElliott.co.uk). “With roots in the dance tunes of the British Isles, her interests and playing styles extend to European and Middle Eastern musics as well as experimental and ambient sounds. Her ‘beautiful, filmic compositions for accordion, harp, whistle, and voice’ (The Guardian) are rooted in tradition, whilst pushing boundaries and exploring minimalist, neo-classical, sound art and other non-traditional formats.

Her debut solo album Frey (2022), which features the playing of Sid Goldsmith and Rowan Rheingans … explores themes of limbo, pain, healing and acceptance, reflecting on the microcosm of her personal experience of chronic illness alongside wider themes of societal disconnection and environmental grief. ‘One of the most accomplished debut albums we’ve heard in a long time… the influence of tradition pulses through every track,’ (Tradfolk).”

After an extended rubato intro in A minor, an accelerated waltz section begins at 1:48. A shift to A major begins at 2:08, returning to A minor at 2:25. More transitions continue from there.

Jean Sibelius | Symphony #5, third movement

“Sibelius is without doubt one of the Last Romantics. Along with his younger contemporary Rachmaninov, he kept faith with the common building blocks of music in the latter half of the 19th Century well into the 20th,” (Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment). “But both had a non-conformist streak and began to find ways to move away from the prevailing styles of their time …”

“Sibelius composed the first version of his Fifth Symphony late in 1914, introducing it on his fiftieth birthday, December 8, 1915 …” (bso.org). “He conducted a revised version of the symphony a year later … on December 14, 1916. Still dissatisfied with the work, he withdrew it for a second time, leading the premiere of the final version only on November 24, 1919 … When the horns take flight in the finale … it is the Romantic gesture par excellence. A soaring melody in the heroic key of E flat, a moment that profoundly stirs the listener, conjuring swans winging across imagined Nordic skies … amidst the romantic gestures and almost Mozartian figuration we can also see the emergence of a progressive approach to musical form that set the bar for the century ahead, the layered textures of Ligeti and the orchestral sonorities of the generations of Finnish composers who came after Sibelius.”

The Swedish Radio Orchestra’s performance featured here is conducted by fellow Finn Esa-Pekka Salonen, who is known as both a conductor and a composer. The movement begins in Eb major but pivots exquisitely to C major at 2:24.

Jim Scott | Song for Rainbow Bridge

Massachusetts-based composer, guitarist, and vocalist Jim Scott co-wrote “Missa Gaia / Earth Mass” and other pieces with the Paul Winter Consort (JimScottMusic.com). He has recorded many albums of original music and is the curator and arranger of The Earth and Spirit Songbook, an anthology of 110 songs of earth and peace by contemporary songwriters. Scott has performed in all 50 states, much of Europe, Australia, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Canada and in venues from Carnegie Hall to the Newport Jazz Festival.

Scott has shared the stage with Pete Seeger, Peter Yarrow, Paul Horn, Holly Near, John Denver, Tracy Chapman, Joan Baez, 10,000 Maniacs, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg, Odetta, Steve Gadd, Tony Levin, Nelson Rangell, and many other artists. His compositions would be familiar to anyone who’s spent time with a Unitarian Universalist congregation, starting with the contemporary hymn “Gather the Spirit.”

Of the instrumental piece “Song for Rainbow Bridge,” originally released on the 1981 album Hands On, Scott writes: “It’s just 40 years since I went into a studio and recorded a bunch of instrumental guitar pieces. I had recorded before. I’d been on recordings for other people, particularly with the Winter Consort, but this felt different. I’d always been hired to do a job; this time I was paying for it myself … My repertoire of vocal songs was small at that point, only a few. I thought of myself as a guitar player who sometimes sang. In the ensuing years, as I wrote more songs and so many went in an activist direction, I found my identity to grow into … I’d gone from classical guitarist to jazz (and any style music in bars) electric guitar, and then evolved to use the classical guitar on gigs, and then of course with the Winter Consort. This was my statement on the nylon string classical guitar that, ‘I’m here.'”

Built in E major overall, the tune features a bridge (1:51 – 2:25) in E minor.

Aly Bain + Phil Cunningham | The Jig Runrig

“Fiddler Aly Bain and accordionist Phil Cunningham are two of the most celebrated musicians on the Scottish traditional scene,” (Compass Records). “By the time they began working together in 1988, they were already renowned for their previous accomplishments. Bain was a founding member of the Boys of the Lough, a group whose repertoire includes both Scottish and Irish influences. Cunningham became a member of the infamous Silly Wizard at the age of sixteen, launching a prolific and diverse musical career. The duo first worked together on a television series in 1988, and embarked on their first tour shortly after. They were so well-received that they have been touring together ever since. Their two previous duo recordings, The Pearl (1996) and The Ruby (1998), have been met with high acclaim.”

“Having toured together since 1986 to packed concert halls all over the world, Aly and Phil continue to charm audiences with their stunning music and on-stage charisma that defies description,” (PhilCunningham.com). “Witty and humorous banter sits alongside tunes that tug the heartstrings, and joyous reels and melodies that have feet tapping along at their ever popular concerts. The pair have recorded many highly acclaimed albums in their thirty years together including two ‘Best Of’ collections. Aly and Phil have won numerous awards, including the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards’ BEST DUO Award, and have been nominated in the Scottish Traditional Music Awards for ’Live Act of the Year.’”

The duo’s piece “The Jig Runrig,” performed here in 2019, modulates several times, starting with a shift up a perfect fourth at the 0:30 mark. The duo’s phrasing is uncanny, with the fiddle and accordion often sounding like a single instrument during the unison sections!

Duane Eddy | Rebel Rouser

“Duane Eddy, a pioneering guitar hero whose reverberating electric sound on instrumentals such as ‘Rebel Rouser’ and ‘Peter Gunn’ helped put the twang in early rock ‘n’ roll and influenced George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and countless other musicians,” died last month, (NPR). “With his raucous rhythms, and backing hollers and hand claps, Eddy sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and mastered a distinctive sound based on the premise that a guitar’s bass strings sounded better on tape than the high ones.

‘I had a distinctive sound that people could recognize and I stuck pretty much with that. I’m not one of the best technical players by any means; I just sell the best,’ he told The Associated Press in a 1986 interview. ‘A lot of guys are more skillful than I am with the guitar. A lot of it is over my head. But some of it is not what I want to hear out of the guitar.’ He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Eddy was not a vocalist, saying in 1986, ‘One of my biggest contributions to the music business is not singing.'”

“Rebel Rouser” (1958) rose to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, #8 on the Canadian pop chart, and #8 on the R+B Best Sellers chart. Starting in E major, the tune shifts up a half step at 1:01, 1:19, and 1:37.

Camille Saint-Saëns | ‘Cyprès et Lauriers,’ Op. 156, for Organ and Orchestra

“‘I compose music’, said Camille Saint-Saëns, ‘as a tree produces apples,'” (DeutscheGrammophon.com). “A child prodigy, virtuoso pianist and accomplished travel writer, the prolific French composer came to embody the spirit of Classicism in an era of high Romantic creativity … Saint-Saëns took pride in his family’s Normandy roots, but his father had moved to Paris before his birth and Camille was thoroughly Parisian in his upbringing and outlook.

… In 1871 he was the driving force behind the new Société Nationale de Musique, formed to promote instrumental music in the face both of German pre-eminence – this was the year after the Franco-Prussian War.” Regarding his most prominent piece, ‘Carnaval des Animaux’ (‘Carnival of the Animals’), “Saint-Saëns would only allow this satirical piece to be played in private in his lifetime, as he feared its light-hearted character would tarnish his reputation as a serious composer. All, that is, except for one movement: ‘The Swan’. Played by a solo cello and piano duet, the lyrical melody has a depth of feeling that is unusual for Saint-Saëns … Living on for half a century after he founded the Société Nationale, Saint-Saëns was able to witness the great flowering of French chamber music that took place during the period, led by his pupil (Gabriel) Fauré.”

From the video’s description: “‘Cyprès et Lauriers,’ Op. 156, for Organ and Orchestra was written … in 1919 to celebrate the Allied victory in World War I and dedicated to then President of France, Raymond Poincaré.” The gravity of The Great War was still reverberating throughout Europe at that time; the artistic community did its best to respond to the tremendous shock waves which the war set into motion. The piece’s chromaticism can at times obscure its modulation points (the first takes place at the 2:15 mark), but the video’s score format is useful for keeping track, via changing key signatures!

Yellowjackets | It’s Almost Gone

A nearly criminally overdue MotD debut for Yellowjackets, a band which was centrally important to the sound of jazz fusion in the 1980s and has continued its work into the 2020s. “Most contemporary jazz or instrumental pop albums released over the past 25 years owe one thing or another to the style and sound advanced by this 1981 (self-titled) debut (AllAboutJazz.com) … keyboardist, composer and arranger Russell Ferrante pulled drummer Ricky Lawson and bassist Jimmy Haslip into his fledgling swarm … ‘It wasn’t like the earlier fusion of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever, which was a very chopped kind of rock sound,’ recalls Ferrante. ‘We were influenced by fusion that was more melodic and compositional.'”

“A leading crossover jazz outfit, Yellowjackets found success combining polished funk and R&B grooves with a strong post-bop- and fusion-influenced sound (AllMusic) … In addition to their commercial success, they picked up accolades including the Grammy for R&B Instrumental Performance for “And You Know That” off 1986’s Shades, and the Grammy for Jazz Fusion Performance for 1989’s Politics. The band’s ability to balance crossover appeal with a dedication to improvisational excellence has attracted top-level players over the years.”

“… Ferrante introduces and closes ‘It’s Almost Gone’ with sadly beautiful solo piano,” (AllAboutJazz) but the tune’s midsection is something entirely different. The track begins in F# minor, with the bass line descending in alternating major and minor thirds. At 0:14, an identical pattern starts, but this time in G# minor. The pattern continues as a rangy melody is added at 0:30. A “B” section provides contrast from 1:33 – 1:53 before the initial F# minor section returns — this time with a 6/8 groove, complete with an insistent syncopated overlay, until a gentle outro mirrors the feel of the track’s opening.

Franz Liszt | Sonata in B minor

“Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B minor (1854) is arguably his finest composition and one of the greatest piano sonatas ever written,” (PianoStreet). “Many place it alongside Schumann’s Fantasy Op. 17 as “the two 19th-century masterpieces” of the piano literature.

Although Liszt performed it for his enthusiastic disciples in Weimar, the work failed to impress Brahms or Clara Schumann. Robert Schumann, to whom it was dedicated, was already incarcerated in the asylum in Endenich by the time of the Sonata´s arrival in his home in Düsseldorf. The Sonata drew an enthusiastic compliment from Richard Wagner … It has now been more than 150 years after the Sonata’s public premiere and no musicologist, music theorist or classical music fan can deny its influence, craft, and original power. The work also represents one of the most successful solutions of the problems of the sonata form to come out of the 19th century.”

The four movements of the Sonata are blurred together; between the first and second movements, a chord is sustained over the bar line, or the nominal demarcation between the movements, followed by a very unexpected chord progression. The transition to a surprising new key center is the result, starting around the 12:00 mark in the first video below. The second video, by Polychoron Productions, provides a detailed discussion of the modulation.

Lester Young Trio | Body and Soul

“In the 1930s, Lester Young — known as the “President of Jazz” or simply “The Prez” — led a revolution on the tenor saxophone that influenced generations to follow,” (NPR). “He was Billie Holiday’s favorite accompanist, and his robust tenor playing influenced everybody from Charlie Parker to Sonny Rollins. Young was famous for his porkpie hat and his hipster language, but he’ll always be remembered for his remarkable solos.

Young said that even though he became famous with the Count Basie Orchestra, he didn’t like big bands. ‘I don’t like a whole lot of noise — trumpets and trombones … I’m looking for something soft. It’s got to be sweetness, man, you dig?'”

Young’s ideal soft sound was certainly central to this 1942 version of his composition “Body and Soul,” accompanied by an early-career Nat King Cole (billed as just “King Cole” on the recording) on piano and Red Callender on bass. The middle 8, first heard from 0:58 – 1:23, starts a half-step above the home key; its second half is a half-step below it. This is the third version of this jazz standard we’ve featured on MotD, perhaps because the key changes couldn’t be more innovative or distinctive!