Tag: jazz

Robert Glasper Experiment | Trust

“On Black Radio 2 (2013), the Robert Glasper Experiment attempts the near impossible: create a sequel that delivers fully on the promise of its groundbreaking, Grammy-winning predecessor,” (Qobuz). “Glasper’s group — bassist Derrick Hodge, Casey Benjamin on vocoder and synth, and drummer Mark Colenburg — again enlists a stellar cast of vocalists.

Instead of relying on covers, this set is almost entirely comprised of originals. There is an organic feel as well: there are no programmed loops on the record; everything was played live … Black Radio 2 is much more subtle than its predecessor. While it’s true that it possesses fewer standout performances, it’s wholly consistent, and on some level, it’s braver for relying on original material to carry it. It requires more listening to appreciate fully. Taken as a whole, however, it serves and fulfills the role of a sequel: the album deepens the band’s music-making aesthetic, and further establishes their sound not only as a signature, but even, perhaps, as its own genre.”

Co-written by Glasper and the track’s vocalist, Marsha Ambrosius, “Trust” starts in Eb minor; the chorus shifts into F dorian at 1:08, cycling through an incongruous but compelling G/A chord at the end of each phrase (first heard at 1:12). The short loop occurs a total of four times before the next verse begins at 1:36, reverting to the original key. The two key areas alternate from there.

Brian McKnight (feat. Take 6) | Bless This House

“Bless This House,” originally published in 1927 and written by Helen Taylor and May Brahe, is the final track on American singer Brian McKnight’s 2008 album I’ll Be Home For Christmas, his second holiday record. The track also features the a cappella group Take 6, known for their synthesis of jazz and spiritual themes.

The tune begins in Bb and shifts up to B at 1:48. A subtle transition to C major occurs around 3:29.

Adam Hawley (feat. Julian Vaughn) | God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Guitarist Adam Hawley released his first holiday album, What Christmas Means To Me, this past October. On this track, the second on the record, he features Kansas City-based bassist Julian Vaughn.

The track begins in E minor and shifts abruptly up to F minor at 2:25.

Stephanie J. Block | Manhattan in December

“Manhattan in December” is featured on Merry Christmas, Darling, Tony-winning actress Stephanie J. Block’s debut holiday album released earlier this year. The record also features tracks with Block’s husband and daughter.

The jazzy number starts out in F and shifts up a half step to Gb at 3:08.

Count Basie | Moten Swing

“In the ‘20s and ‘30s Kansas City was a hotbed of jazz, and pianist/bandleader Bennie Moten was at the heart of it,” (JazzStandards.com). “The recordings with his Kansas City Orchestra from 1923 to 1935 document the evolution of his style as he moved from ragtime to jazz in the mid-to late ‘20s, establishing what came to be known as the ‘Kansas City style.’ He began raiding another established K.C. band, Walter Page’s Blue Devils. By the end of the decade Count Basie, Jimmy Rushing, Hot Lips Page, Eddie Durham and Ben Webster had left the Blue Devils to join Moten. When Moten died suddenly in 1935, Basie took over leadership and the group eventually developed into the Count Basie Orchestra.

In A New History of Jazz, Alyn Shipton describes the development of Moten’s style. ‘Whereas his first discs show a rhythmic stiffness and a debt to ragtime, despite a reliance on the harmonic structure of the blues, he went on to define the loose, blues-influenced style, with a four-bar pulse, which became the predominant local jazz genre, and underpinned the work of later Kansas City bands like those of Count Basie and Jay McShann.’”

Many covers of 1932’s “Moten Swing” exist, but the standard is strongly associated with Basie. After a opening section in Ab major where the piano hearkens back to the light touch that was Basie’s unmistakeable trademark, 1:38 brings an explosive, syncopated modulation to C major. At 1:53, we’ve returned to Ab major for the final A section.

Michael Buble | Orange Colored Sky

Written by Milton Delugg and Willie Stein in 1950, “Orange Colored Sky” has been covered by Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole, Lady Gaga, Doris Day and others. Michael Bible included the song as a bonus track on his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible.

The track begins in Bb with a slow intro before moving into double time. There is a subtle key change up to C at 2:42.

Clifford Brown | Joy Spring

Clifford Brown was a “shortlived but massively influential hard-bop trumpeter – whose gleaming sound … remains clear in the work of Wynton Marsalis, Guy Barker and many others,” (The Guardian). “Brown was polished without sounding glib, his phrasing was immaculately shaped and packed with fresh ideas, and he sounded relaxed at any tempo.” Brown died in a car accident in 1956 at the age of only 25; he was “a genius whose impact on jazz could have been immense.”

It’s not surprising, then, that one of the most enduring standard ballads is “I Remember Clifford,” written as a memorial to Brown by tenor saxophonist Benny Golson (video below). The tune has been notably covered by dozens of artists, including Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (Brown was a founding member), Donald Byrd, Ray Charles, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Oscar Peterson, Sonny Rollins, and Arturo Sandoval.

The uptempo “Joy Spring,” written in 1954, borrows its title from Brown’s pet name for his wife, Emma Larue Anderson. After the intro, the buoyant melody begins at 0:11 in F major, moving up to Gb major for a re-statement. The B section of the AABA form starts in G major at 0:34 before pivoting all over the place; the final A section is in F major at 0:46.

Sarah Vaughan + Count Basie Orchestra | Moonlight in Vermont

“Ben and Jerry’s, Bernie Sanders, and maple bourbon are some of things that Vermont is world-famous for,” (Burlington Free Press). “But for some, what truly puts the state on the global map is (the) jazz standard ‘Moonlight in Vermont.’ An unofficial anthem of Vermont, the tune has been recorded hundreds of times, including by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Sarah Vaughan, and Willie Nelson.

The song was written in 1944 by Karl Suessdorf and John Blackburn … The song’s lyrics are unusual for not rhyming, but instead following a haiku pattern … They also pay tribute to the sycamore tree, which is native to Vermont, but is not among its most common trees … Still, its quirky charm had wide appeal, especially for soldiers stationed away from home for World War II … In the 1990s, a group of lawmakers tried to make ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ the state’s official song, but were ultimately defeated. Some thought the song’s melody would be too difficult for the average person to sing.”

Vaughan performs the tune in Db major in this version, although it generally appears in Eb major (see below). The middle eight travels far afield from the overall key before returning, but this 1957 arrangement of the standard also modulates in earnest up to D major at 2:37.

The Revivalists | Celebrate (feat. Preservation Hall Jazz Band)

“The strongest bonds never bend, break, or burst. Such a bond forms the bedrock of anything worth fighting for, whether it be a family, a friendship — or a band,” (TheRevivalists.com). “The Revivalists retain this union 15 years into their impressive career as they prepare to unleash their strongest material yet. Standing together, this eight-piece rock ‘n’ roll collective has made the journey from hole-in-the-wall marathon gigs to sold-out shows at hallowed venues a la Radio City Music Hall and Red Rocks Amphitheater, multi-platinum success, numerous national television performances, and more than 800 million streams.

… ‘Art can revive and make life feel vibrant. Live music can especially do that. When we first started out, we were watching New Orleans rebuild after Katrina, and fight to keep the city’s spirit alive. In a way, that’s what we’re seeing now, except on a global scale. Everybody realizes what they almost lost, and it happens to be many of the things New Orleans is known for – being with friends, experiencing things good and bad, building fulfilling relationships, and going to concerts and restaurants. It boils down to the zest for life – that’s what our band name and music are all about.'”

Featuring the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band, an ensemble with roots going back 70+ years in the Crescent City, “Celebrate” is often a joyful shout chorus: just about everybody is playing at any given time. But the boisterous tradition of the shout chorus is something of a New Orleans specialty — and it’s used expertly here. At 3:08, a half-step key change appears.

Franz von Chossy Quintet | Perpetual Lights

“Franz von Chossy was a Munich native who began playing the piano when he was 6,” (JazzInfo). “His mother introduced him to classical music and encouraged him to learn folk music. Franz went to Amsterdam to study at The Conservatoire of Amsterdam. He then moved to New York to attend the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Kenny Barron and Garry Dial, Dave Liebman and John Taylor. He also studied film composition with Edward Green in New York.

Franz has released numerous critically acclaimed CDs under his own name, as well as his quintet and his trio. Franz has played in Europe, America, Canada, Asia, India, Jordan, and Syria as well as Africa (Tunisia and Morocco) and Asia. Franz is a valuable member of jazz groups such as the Pascal Schumacher Quartet or Arifa. His ability to improvise … allows him seamlessly switch between styles …”

“The new suite from the Franz von Chossy Quintet, When the World Comes Home, is a musical interpretation of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise,” (JazzSick Records). “Von Chossy’s evocative piano playing moves between jazz and classical music and infused with fresh, contemporary accents by his band. Inspired by his collaboration with the Metropole Orchestra, he composed a cinema-like suite with Adam, Eve, and the fall of man as its points of departure … When the World Comes Home features an extraordinary line-up of piano, drums, cello, violin and clarinet.”

“Perpetual Lights,” the album’s opening track, is an ambitious piece of more than eight minutes in length. One of the few through-lines from start to finish is a restless subdivision of each beat into 16th notes — softly stated by the percussion or carried only by the piano. At other times, the 16ths grow into an overlay for something close to a straight-ahead rock groove, all the more noticeable because the melody often features sustained notes and phrases. The unusual instrumentation jumps out here and there: we hear a cello where we’d expect a bass; the violin and clarinet speak as one at first, then jump into dialogue. The piece starts in Eb, shifts to Bb minor at 1:09, then changes to C minor at 1:28. More changes in tonality follow.