Tags
Bill Evans, books about jazz, Dave Brubeck, Dinah Washington, jazz, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, McCoy Tyner, Paul Desmond, Quincy Jones, Red Nichols, romance, silences, Stuart Kallen
I read a lot of books about jazz, some of them my own and others from whatever library is closest in one place or another. At the moment, I’m in a jazz-starved corner of Utah where any mention I make of “jazz” is met with “Yeah, it’s a great team.” Why Utah would choose to name its professional basketball team after music that’s hardly known here from the look of things is beyond me. But, hey, I’m not judging – just observing.
Before you rush to let me know about Red Nichols, Utah’s one big claim to jazz fame, I’ll tell you that I am somehow distantly related to him. (Utah is a place for distant relations with hordes of cousins everywhere.) But the Wikipedia entry on famous musicians from Utah doesn’t afford him so much as a mention.
Given all that, it was a breath of fresh jazz air to find a delightful book at the neighborhood library this week. The History of Jazz is by Stuart Kallen and part of a series for young audiences titled “The Music Library.”
Kallen doesn’t write down to his young audience, nor does he shine things up by leaving out important information about addictions and afflictions that have taken their toll on the jazz world over the years. Since the book is intended for students, it includes a good bibliography, a list of books “for further reading” and chapter notes that identify sources for all the quotes. And there are a lot of quotes including Louis Armstrong’s legendary definition of jazz: “Jazz is music that’s never played the same way once.”
For anyone new to jazz and wishing to learn more, or for anyone who wants to introduce their own young readers to the music, Kallen’s book is a great place to start. Even those better acquainted with jazz will find tidbits and treasures, along with a lot of good photos.
Kallen is an author who lives in San Diego and has written hundreds of books for young readers as well as a few for adults including a couple on the subject of beer. His music-writing creds must come largely from his “other” job as a singer/songwriter and guitarist in the San Diego area.
For Stuart, I dedicate this great old tune, “I Could Write a Book,” from the hit Rodgers and Hart musical, “Pal Joey.” Many have recorded this one, and the jazz trio in the club where I hung out while “doing research” for my own jazz novel played it more than once when I walked in the door. It’s done here by Miss Dinah Washington and friends with arrangement by Quincy Jones. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6XCS9MXYHY
The next tune is one of my all-time favorite Bill Evans recordings. If you’re in love, you’ll understand. If you’re not, don’t give up hope. With music like this, it could happen anytime. Here’s the late, great, greatest Mr. Evans – “Like Someone in Love.” Listen for the music between the notes. Evans went to a lot of trouble working on those silences. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFoapxPvZy4
Speaking of Louis Armstrong, and we were, and speaking of love, and we were, take your partner gently by the hand for a turn around the dance floor with the master. Love often begins after all with “A Kiss to Build a Dream On.” If you’re alone, ask the attractive stranger at the next table to dance. Go on. One never knows. Play it, fellows. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHjZQb-kGek
Okay, I’ll admit it – the mood is definitely romantic tonight. The stars seem to be aligned for cozy cuddling and soft whispers. Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond are more than happy to help out here with a version of “My Romance,” charmingly bouncy but not so much as to mess with the mood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxpjQLTTPKQ
Finally, John Coltrane with McCoy Tyner says all there is to say when it comes to romance, “I Want to Talk About You.” The opening notes on this one always get the juices going. I have it on a Coltrane CD titled, “John Coltrane Plays for Lovers.” Amen to that. Get ready to get mellow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4cQkkObYDY
And that’s a wrap for this time.
Stay sweet. Stay happy. Stay in love.
Ciao, JazzBabies.
JazzCookie 
The Utah Jazz were originally located in New Orleans where the name New Orleans Jazz was a natural. Why they kept the Jazz part of the name when the moved to Salt Lake City is something that I cannot explain.
I have a neat story about “I Want to Talk About You.” Several years ago a friend and I had dinner with Bobby Tucker at our locl jazz spot, Shanghai Jazz. Bobby had been a legendary accompanist, having worked with Billie Holiday at one time, and was Billy Eckstine’s pianist for about the last 30 years of Billy’s career. I mentioned to Bobby how much I liked “I Want t Talk About You,” a tune credited to Billy, and wonderfully recorded by him. For a live version see (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96DAcgmStS8). Bobby responded with the words, “Oh, Billy! He was lazy. He stole that tune from three others.” I did not ask him to elaborate, so I remained in the dark about what songs Bobby believed to be the source of his song.
A few years ago, I received the Mosaic box set of Jimmie Lunceford recordings from my wife for Christmas. As I listened through the discs, an instrumental started playing that sounded very familiar to me, much like “I Want to Talk About You.”. I looked on the CD song list and found that the song was titled “Living from Day to Day.” When I looked at the liner notes, they indicated that the song was used as the basis of “I Want to Talk About You.” These notes credited Tadd Dameron with having written it for Billy Eckstine, but the published song is credited fully to Billy Eckstine. I will send an mp3 file of the Lunceford tune directly to you, as the tune on YouTube with that title is not the correct recording, in fact sounds nothing like it.
Just a curious addition to this story. One of the most famous tunes in the book of Stan Kenton was “Intermission Riff,” the composing credited to Ray Wetzel. Listen to “Yard Dog Mazurka,” written for Lunceford by Gerald Wilson several years before “Intermission Riff” was first played, and you will find great similarities between these songs. Here are links to both:
Yard Dog Mazurka (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjPaGqBhRKQ)
Intermission Riff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHJfDKAeP4M)
I suspect that in both cases, the later iterations of the melody were not intentionally stolen. Neither of the Lunceford tunes was a major hit. Eckstine/Dameron in the case Of “I Want to Talk About You, and Wetzel in the instance of “Intermission Riff” probably heard the tunes in passing at some time, and they were embedded in their sub-conscious.
Joe
LikeLike
Joe – Thanks so much for the great information and the links. You are a fountain of jazz knowledge! I did know the story of the Jazz name for the Utah team. Here’s a link with a poignant plea from a NO fellow for the return of their name, if not the team. http://jazzland.blogs.deseretnews.com/2012/04/15/sorry-new-orleans-there-is-some-jazz-in-utah/ The letter is at the end of the column.
The problem of “copying without intent” occurs in writing, too. We read or hear things and they disappear into the vast and not always tidy warehouse of our memories and we recognize what we’ve done only later. Of course, there are always the cases of intentional theft as too often occurred long ago with jazz and blues tunes taken from poor nobodies and capitalized on for profit. I remember, too, listening to a Bob Dylan tune once and recognizing it from a much different composer.
Re the New York CD – you included a few tunes I particularly like or have a connection with like “Another Hundred People” from “Company” (was in a production) and “Do You Miss New York?” Dave Frishberg lives in Portland now (my old home town) and I saw him a few times with Rebecca Kilgore who so kindly gave me the blurb for the novel. He has a wacky and witty sense of lyric. Love Susannah McCorkle’s version of his “Quality Time.” Heck, I love Susannah McCorkle! Wept in Seattle when she died. Had a nice conversation with Howard Alden a few years ago when he came to Whidbey Island where I was living for the Djangofest. He knew her well. Stay in touch…
LikeLike
I am always surprised that people who intentionally copy things think that they will get away with doing so, yet it happens frequently, and I suspect that many do benefit from doing so. Look at the situation with the recent Senate candidate from Montana who had to withdraw from the race.
As far as the Dylan song, that’s what you get for listening to Dylan. (Ha! Ha!) The host of the TV show “Live at the Actor’s Studio” always asks his guests the same series of questions at the conclusion of the show. One is “What is your favorite sound and your least favorite sound?” When I heard that question for the first time, I immediately thought that my favorite sound is Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, and my least favorite sound is Bob Dylan’s voice.
I am glad that you enjoyed the New York songs. I saw Susannah McCorkle several times. The first time that I did was when she sat in with Ronny Whyte at a club soon after she had moved back to NYC from England. Hers was certainly a tragic life. Have you read the bio of Susannah titled “Haunted Heart?” Becky Kilgore is a favorite of mine. I will be seeing her at Birdland on September 25.
Joe
LikeLike
Swapping “Jazz” for “Saints” has been knocked around since I lived in SLC 30 years ago! I left there for Baltimore, who had just lost the Colts, who were then replaced by the Ravens, who were actually the Browns of Cleveland. Same old pop standard that gets a new interpretation every time someone gets up on stage 🙂
LikeLike
As Shakespeare remarked, “What’s in a name?” I guess plenty for sports fansI
I kind of favor the Utah Prickly Pears myself…;-) No religious or political connotations and I can see the logo right now!
LikeLike
Now that would take a real act of courage to set a screen!
LikeLike
😉
LikeLike