Extraordinary Renditions by Mark Ramsden
Enlightened by John Altman’s excellent Jazz Journal article on little known standards and their use by musicians and in the movies I was inspired to profile some jazz musicians in unusual contexts. These tracks can all be sampled and bought on Itunes or heard in their entirety at Spotify.com
Koto Song Dave Brubeck And Paul Desmond “1975 The Duets”
A free music duet by Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond? Wait! Come back! It’s actually a lovely, lyrical tribute to the music of Japan. Brubeck evokes the Japanese Koto, by playing on the strings inside the piano while Paul Desmond flaps the pads against the bell of his saxophone, setting a timeless Zen atmosphere. Desmond then imitates the Japanese flute, the Shakahachi, helped by his customary breathiness. Brubeck, now using the piano keys, finds a single Asian tonality over which the saxophonist weaves a meandering melody. Exquisite.
Bill Evans orchestration by Claus Ogerman
2nd movement Largo “Symbiosis”
This thoughtful tranquil track was featured in the wise and funny movie Sideways, about a pair of mid-life goofs going on a Vineyard tour of California before one of them has to marry and maybe grow up. Once you hear the opening two chord motif it becomes a part of you forever. Bill Evans plays solo, introducing a wistful theme before the strings help develop this into a unique blend of jazz and classical sensibility which is intensely moving.
The first three tracks on Symbiosis, the opening movement of this suite, comprise the sort of 20th century classical/jazz music that is more interesting than appealing. It’s certainly worth hearing once. With some effort they reveal more with each hearing. But the last two tracks can be listened to by anyone who loves Bill Evans ballads and great orchestral writing - even members of the general jazz-hating public. Track six builds to a furious lengthy climax has to be heard to be believed, after which the delicate opening is reprised. Bill Evans’s orchestral projects usually contain two or three hauntingly beautiful tracks, such as Granadas on the Bill Evans trio with Symphony Orchestra(Verve) and some that are good but not an essential purchase. The final two tracks of Symbiosis may be downloaded alone, if you don’t fancy the more experimental openers.
Chris Potter’s solos on Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature
You may be familiar with Phil Wood’s solo on Steely Dan’s Katy Lied (also his fine work on Billy Joel’s Just The Way You Are) both of which were genuine bebop solos with enough melody in them to please the ear of the uninitiated. Steely Dan are hardcore jazz freaks from way back (Walter Becker produced a Warne Marsh album) and they’re happy for Chris Potter to burn. He is one of the most powerful post-Brecker players, combining soul with complex chromaticism, as powerful and thrilling as you could wish for. He’s perhaps best at giving you an energy rush but he’s played very sensitively with Jim Hall too. One of the best current tenor players, he triumphs on Gaslighting Abbie, Janie Runaway (alto) and West of Hollywood, a four minute final tear up which is arguably too long but Steely Dan probably just couldn’t bear to cut it. Attempting this closing work out would keep most saxophonists busy for years. Yet the track remains listenable due to Steely Dan’s usual painstaking production and their usual Rolls Royce funk rhythm section. You can even understand the lyrics for once, not always a given with these two snarky ironists. Some people confuse the surface gloss of their music with a candy floss sweetness. In actual fact the lyrics are pretty damn bleak, often debauched and cynical, and the music has enough complex jazz chords to keep even the most advanced players on their toes. If that’s ‘smooth funk’ or ‘adult rock’ then count me in.
http://www.chrispottermusic.com/ contains his straight jazz work, sheet music, online tutoring and much more.
Hubert Laws The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky from
Jazz funk is not generally popular with critics, who think it’s an easy option, although it’s infinitely harder to play in time and tune and record it well than it is to produce a ‘pet shop on fire’ session. (Although I’d prefer ‘The Pet Shop Boys on fire’. Now you’re talking...) I’d love to hear the majority of free jazz only musicians sit in on this session and play the parts in front of them. Not that easy now, is it? As for Hubert Laws, he has flawless technique, an individual sound and is an expert bebopper and Coltraneologist, also good enough to be a classical soloist. Some dislike this music because of its luxurious production values and the 1970s waterbed and bong hit aesthetic but if Stravinsky isn’t radical enough for the naysayers then there’s nothing more I can add.
Hubert Laws’s Rite of Spring keeps the mysterious pagan vibe of the original and manages to make the difficult uneven time signatures groovy. (Steve Gadd is on drums) Mr Laws is virtuosic and passionate throughout an album of difficult 20th century classical music which grooves its ass off.
And what’s wrong with mellifluous music anyway? My Above the Clouds project, for Soprano sax and Church Organ (Steve Lodder) with a gorgeous natural reverb sold well worldwide, despite much of it being improvised, but was dismissed by a promoter with “My wife would like this.” Being a sensualist myself women-friendly music seems like a good idea. Try charming them with some bearded buffoon screeching and flutter-tonguing multiphonics over clattering pots and pans. Doesn’t happen, does it?
Mark Ramsden has also recorded Tribute to Paul Desmond with Dave Cliff and Chilled with Jim Mullen. His latest, Grease in the Grooves is available from MarkRamsden.co.uk His novels are published by Serpent’s Tail and Troubadour.
“Ramsden is a prodigiously gifted saxophonist –good chops, beautiful sound, plenty of power and even more imagination. Richard Palmer Jazz Journal”
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Steely Sax
Extraordinary Renditions by Mark Ramsden
Enlightened by John Altman’s excellent Jazz Journal article on little known standards and their use by musicians and in the movies I was inspired to profile some jazz musicians in unusual contexts. These tracks can all be sampled and bought on Itunes or heard in their entirety at Spotify.com
Koto Song Dave Brubeck And Paul Desmond “1975 The Duets”
A free music duet by Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond? Wait! Come back! It’s actually a lovely, lyrical tribute to the music of Japan. Brubeck evokes the Japanese Koto, by playing on the strings inside the piano while Paul Desmond flaps the pads against the bell of his saxophone, setting a timeless Zen atmosphere. Desmond then imitates the Japanese flute, the Shakahachi, helped by his customary breathiness. Brubeck, now using the piano keys, finds a single Asian tonality over which the saxophonist weaves a meandering melody. Exquisite.
Bill Evans orchestration by Claus Ogerman
2nd movement Largo “Symbiosis”
This thoughtful tranquil track was featured in the wise and funny movie Sideways, about a pair of mid-life goofs going on a Vineyard tour of California before one of them has to marry and maybe grow up. Once you hear the opening two chord motif it becomes a part of you forever. Bill Evans plays solo, introducing a wistful theme before the strings help develop this into a unique blend of jazz and classical sensibility which is intensely moving.
The first three tracks on Symbiosis, the opening movement of this suite, comprise the sort of 20th century classical/jazz music that is more interesting than appealing. It’s certainly worth hearing once. With some effort they reveal more with each hearing. But the last two tracks can be listened to by anyone who loves Bill Evans ballads and great orchestral writing - even members of the general jazz-hating public. Track six builds to a furious lengthy climax has to be heard to be believed, after which the delicate opening is reprised. Bill Evans’s orchestral projects usually contain two or three hauntingly beautiful tracks, such as Granadas on the Bill Evans trio with Symphony Orchestra(Verve) and some that are good but not an essential purchase. The final two tracks of Symbiosis may be downloaded alone, if you don’t fancy the more experimental openers.
Chris Potter’s solos on Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature
You may be familiar with Phil Wood’s solo on Steely Dan’s Katy Lied (also his fine work on Billy Joel’s Just The Way You Are) both of which were genuine bebop solos with enough melody in them to please the ear of the uninitiated. Steely Dan are hardcore jazz freaks from way back (Walter Becker produced a Warne Marsh album) and they’re happy for Chris Potter to burn. He is one of the most powerful post-Brecker players, combining soul with complex chromaticism, as powerful and thrilling as you could wish for. He’s perhaps best at giving you an energy rush but he’s played very sensitively with Jim Hall too. One of the best current tenor players, he triumphs on Gaslighting Abbie, Janie Runaway (alto) and West of Hollywood, a four minute final tear up which is arguably too long but Steely Dan probably just couldn’t bear to cut it. Attempting this closing work out would keep most saxophonists busy for years. Yet the track remains listenable due to Steely Dan’s usual painstaking production and their usual Rolls Royce funk rhythm section. You can even understand the lyrics for once, not always a given with these two snarky ironists. Some people confuse the surface gloss of their music with a candy floss sweetness. In actual fact the lyrics are pretty damn bleak, often debauched and cynical, and the music has enough complex jazz chords to keep even the most advanced players on their toes. If that’s ‘smooth funk’ or ‘adult rock’ then count me in.
http://www.chrispottermusic.com/ contains his straight jazz work, sheet music, online tutoring and much more.
Hubert Laws The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky from
Jazz funk is not generally popular with critics, who think it’s an easy option, although it’s infinitely harder to play in time and tune and record it well than it is to produce a ‘pet shop on fire’ session. (Although I’d prefer ‘The Pet Shop Boys on fire’. Now you’re talking...) I’d love to hear the majority of free jazz only musicians sit in on this session and play the parts in front of them. Not that easy now, is it? As for Hubert Laws, he has flawless technique, an individual sound and is an expert bebopper and Coltraneologist, also good enough to be a classical soloist. Some dislike this music because of its luxurious production values and the 1970s waterbed and bong hit aesthetic but if Stravinsky isn’t radical enough for the naysayers then there’s nothing more I can add.
Hubert Laws’s Rite of Spring keeps the mysterious pagan vibe of the original and manages to make the difficult uneven time signatures groovy. (Steve Gadd is on drums) Mr Laws is virtuosic and passionate throughout an album of difficult 20th century classical music which grooves its ass off.
And what’s wrong with mellifluous music anyway? My Above the Clouds project, for Soprano sax and Church Organ (Steve Lodder) with a gorgeous natural reverb sold well worldwide, despite much of it being improvised, but was dismissed by a promoter with “My wife would like this.” Being a sensualist myself women-friendly music seems like a good idea. Try charming them with some bearded buffoon screeching and flutter-tonguing multiphonics over clattering pots and pans. Doesn’t happen, does it?
Mark Ramsden has also recorded Tribute to Paul Desmond with Dave Cliff and Chilled with Jim Mullen. His latest, Grease in the Grooves is available from MarkRamsden.co.uk His novels are published by Serpent’s Tail and Troubadour.
“Ramsden is a prodigiously gifted saxophonist –good chops, beautiful sound, plenty of power and even more imagination. Richard Palmer Jazz Journal”
Enlightened by John Altman’s excellent Jazz Journal article on little known standards and their use by musicians and in the movies I was inspired to profile some jazz musicians in unusual contexts. These tracks can all be sampled and bought on Itunes or heard in their entirety at Spotify.com
Koto Song Dave Brubeck And Paul Desmond “1975 The Duets”
A free music duet by Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond? Wait! Come back! It’s actually a lovely, lyrical tribute to the music of Japan. Brubeck evokes the Japanese Koto, by playing on the strings inside the piano while Paul Desmond flaps the pads against the bell of his saxophone, setting a timeless Zen atmosphere. Desmond then imitates the Japanese flute, the Shakahachi, helped by his customary breathiness. Brubeck, now using the piano keys, finds a single Asian tonality over which the saxophonist weaves a meandering melody. Exquisite.
Bill Evans orchestration by Claus Ogerman
2nd movement Largo “Symbiosis”
This thoughtful tranquil track was featured in the wise and funny movie Sideways, about a pair of mid-life goofs going on a Vineyard tour of California before one of them has to marry and maybe grow up. Once you hear the opening two chord motif it becomes a part of you forever. Bill Evans plays solo, introducing a wistful theme before the strings help develop this into a unique blend of jazz and classical sensibility which is intensely moving.
The first three tracks on Symbiosis, the opening movement of this suite, comprise the sort of 20th century classical/jazz music that is more interesting than appealing. It’s certainly worth hearing once. With some effort they reveal more with each hearing. But the last two tracks can be listened to by anyone who loves Bill Evans ballads and great orchestral writing - even members of the general jazz-hating public. Track six builds to a furious lengthy climax has to be heard to be believed, after which the delicate opening is reprised. Bill Evans’s orchestral projects usually contain two or three hauntingly beautiful tracks, such as Granadas on the Bill Evans trio with Symphony Orchestra(Verve) and some that are good but not an essential purchase. The final two tracks of Symbiosis may be downloaded alone, if you don’t fancy the more experimental openers.
Chris Potter’s solos on Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature
You may be familiar with Phil Wood’s solo on Steely Dan’s Katy Lied (also his fine work on Billy Joel’s Just The Way You Are) both of which were genuine bebop solos with enough melody in them to please the ear of the uninitiated. Steely Dan are hardcore jazz freaks from way back (Walter Becker produced a Warne Marsh album) and they’re happy for Chris Potter to burn. He is one of the most powerful post-Brecker players, combining soul with complex chromaticism, as powerful and thrilling as you could wish for. He’s perhaps best at giving you an energy rush but he’s played very sensitively with Jim Hall too. One of the best current tenor players, he triumphs on Gaslighting Abbie, Janie Runaway (alto) and West of Hollywood, a four minute final tear up which is arguably too long but Steely Dan probably just couldn’t bear to cut it. Attempting this closing work out would keep most saxophonists busy for years. Yet the track remains listenable due to Steely Dan’s usual painstaking production and their usual Rolls Royce funk rhythm section. You can even understand the lyrics for once, not always a given with these two snarky ironists. Some people confuse the surface gloss of their music with a candy floss sweetness. In actual fact the lyrics are pretty damn bleak, often debauched and cynical, and the music has enough complex jazz chords to keep even the most advanced players on their toes. If that’s ‘smooth funk’ or ‘adult rock’ then count me in.
http://www.chrispottermusic.com/ contains his straight jazz work, sheet music, online tutoring and much more.
Hubert Laws The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky from
Jazz funk is not generally popular with critics, who think it’s an easy option, although it’s infinitely harder to play in time and tune and record it well than it is to produce a ‘pet shop on fire’ session. (Although I’d prefer ‘The Pet Shop Boys on fire’. Now you’re talking...) I’d love to hear the majority of free jazz only musicians sit in on this session and play the parts in front of them. Not that easy now, is it? As for Hubert Laws, he has flawless technique, an individual sound and is an expert bebopper and Coltraneologist, also good enough to be a classical soloist. Some dislike this music because of its luxurious production values and the 1970s waterbed and bong hit aesthetic but if Stravinsky isn’t radical enough for the naysayers then there’s nothing more I can add.
Hubert Laws’s Rite of Spring keeps the mysterious pagan vibe of the original and manages to make the difficult uneven time signatures groovy. (Steve Gadd is on drums) Mr Laws is virtuosic and passionate throughout an album of difficult 20th century classical music which grooves its ass off.
And what’s wrong with mellifluous music anyway? My Above the Clouds project, for Soprano sax and Church Organ (Steve Lodder) with a gorgeous natural reverb sold well worldwide, despite much of it being improvised, but was dismissed by a promoter with “My wife would like this.” Being a sensualist myself women-friendly music seems like a good idea. Try charming them with some bearded buffoon screeching and flutter-tonguing multiphonics over clattering pots and pans. Doesn’t happen, does it?
Mark Ramsden has also recorded Tribute to Paul Desmond with Dave Cliff and Chilled with Jim Mullen. His latest, Grease in the Grooves is available from MarkRamsden.co.uk His novels are published by Serpent’s Tail and Troubadour.
“Ramsden is a prodigiously gifted saxophonist –good chops, beautiful sound, plenty of power and even more imagination. Richard Palmer Jazz Journal”
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