JazzWax

Half Nelson: Cool Perfection

For those who don't quite get East Coast cool jazz or why it's special, I have two words for you: Half Nelson. The song is by Miles Davis, who created a new melody using most of the chord changes to Tadd Dameron's Lady Bird, first recorded in early 1947. Half Nelson was recorded for Savoy in August '47 by the Miles Davis All Stars, featuring Miles Davis (tp), Charlie Parker (ts), John Lewis (p), Nelson Boyd (b) and Max Roach (d). Originally a bebop tune, the song was later picked up by Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh, two exponents of the cool school. [Photo above of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis in the late 1940s by William P. Gottlieb]

The sound of cool jazz is distinguished by a light, airy sound, a more spacious geometry of notes and dry tones in contrast to bebop, which was more furious, dense and bluesy. Pianist Lennie Tristano's staccato rhythms and snapped off ideas in the late 1940s was an influence on cool but so were modern classical approaches. In the hands of leading cool players, Half Nelson was given a flat feel, allowing the song's beauty to surface without being overly rendered or juiced. Instead, the emphasis is on chord voicings by the horns, and their harmonies and counterpoint. [Photo above of Lennie Tristano by William P. Gottlieb]

Yesterday, I found a perfect example of what I'm talking about. In this video of Half Nelson, the cool jazz approach becomes apparent in the horns. Here's Warne Marsh (ts), Lee Konitz (as), Don Elliot (tp, mellophone), Billy Taylor (p), Mundell Lowe (g), Ed Safranski (b) and Ed Thigpen (d). They open with Lady Bird, with Elliot on trumpet. The second half is Half Nelson, when Elliot switches to mellphone.

Listen carefully to the modern chord voicings created by the horns. The performance was on the 1958 NBC TV show The Subject is Jazz, hosted by Gilbert Seldes with music direction by Billy Taylor. First Billy plays the song in its original bop idiom. Then the septet handles it with a cool approach. It's all in the horns. [Photo above of Lee Konitz from YouTube]

Here's Half Nelson...

A special thanks to Bill Kirchner.

Chuck Israels on Hampton Hawes

In May 1965, pianist Hampton Hawes recorded an album of mostly standards with bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Donald Bailey. The album was Here and Now, an extraordinary session for the Contemporary label. Seven of the eight songs were recognizable by most people picking up the album in stores, but the execution was anything by standard. Hampton, Chuck and Bailey sail into each song with fresh energy and determination to rock the canoe, so to speak. For example, Hawes and Chuck solo off each other for most of Fly Me to the Moon and What Kind of Fool Am I? and they turn The Girl From Ipanema inside out. It's a beautiful, invigorating recording, largely because all three players are so special and work together perfectly.

The tracks are Fly Me to the Moon, What Kind of Fool Am I?, The Girl From Ipanema, Hawes's Rhonda, Dear Heart, People, Chim Chim Cher-ee and The Days of Wine and Roses.

For Chuck, the album was sandwiched between his work in the Bill Evans Trio. The Evans group had returned from an extended European tour in February and March of '65, and then recorded The Bill Evans Trio With the Symphony Orchestra recorded for Verve in September.

Here's what Chuck told me about the Hawes date:

Even though Bill was successful, the trio wasn’t working all the time, so I had time to explore other opportunities. At the time, I was in Los Angeles working as a famous folk singer's music director. That was a frustrating, almost depressing experience because of her habit of singing every song as if the lyric was, “Listen to my beautiful voice.” Her voice was beautiful, and she’d achieved her success by depending on it. But it didn't suit songs we took on.
[Photo above of Chuck Israels in 1965]

I don’t remember how I ran into Les Koenig in L.A., but as soon as he knew I was going to be there for more than a day or two, he set up the recording session with Hamp. It was my impression that what interested Les and Hamp was the juxtaposition of the way I played with Bill against how Hamp played. If they hadn’t encouraged that, I might have been a little less adventurous and more supportive of Hamp on the session in a more conventional way. In any case, whatever I was doing seemed to please both Hamp and Les. And playing with Donald Bailey was magically uplifting. [Photo above of Lester Koenig by Ray Avery/CTSImages.com]

As far as the session, I do remember that Contemporary Records' studio where we recorded was filled with LP boxes. I recall Hamp and I discussed the harmonies for "What Kind Of Fool Am I?" Hamp was interested in the ones I had come up with while playing the song with Bill. We mostly used them. Hamp was friendly.

I was just starting to get to know Donald, who would later become a good friend as well as musical colleague. I know I was glad Les had included him on the date. Several years earlier, while attending Brandeis, I was at the Jazz Workshop in Boston listening to Herb Pomeroy’s quintet when Floyd “Floogie” Williams, a Boston drummer who’d been playing with Lionel Hampton’s band, ran in. [Photo above of Donald Bailey by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images]

He grabbed me by the shoulder and said, “Chuck, you’ve got to come hear this genius drummer.” He took me across the street to hear the Jimmy Smith Trio with Donald playing drums. I remember being quite surprised, because I had no idea that Floogie had paid any attention to me or my bass playing—or why he assumed (correctly, it turned out) that I’d understand how extraordinary Donald’s playing was.

So, when Donald turned up on the Hawes date in '65, I was already looking forward to playing with him. Donald was unique. His playing had so much variety—so much going on quietly and subtly, generating commentary and enthusiastic lift. Yet all this activity never covered up what others were playing. He always had the appropriate dynamic, from a whisper (or even silence) to a roar, in perfect connection to the emotional shape of the music. Some of us were lucky enough to have had the chance to make music with him.

Hamp is, of course, the better known musician, and I enjoyed playing with him. But I didn’t get to know him as well as I got to know Donald. Donald didn’t like flying, so when I invited him to spend 10 days with us recording and teaching at Western Washington University, he took the long train ride from where he was living in Emeryvlle, Calif. Donald stayed with us in our home, and my family all loved him.

Those are my memories—not so much about Les and Hamp, both of whom I wish I’d taken more initiative with and gotten to know better. By the way, someone transcribed the piano and bass parts from "Fly Me To The Moon." Here it is...

JazzWax tracks: Hampton Hawes's Here and Now is difficult to find on CD. Try Discogs.com.

JazzWax clip: Here's the entire album, with Hawes, Chuck Israels and Donald Bailey...

Rock Concert: An Oral History

Yep, you're looking at the cover of my new book, Rock Concert: An Oral History as Told by the Artists, Backstage Insiders, and Fans Who Were There, coming on November 9 from Grove Press. Two and a half years ago, I was sitting in the office of Morgan Entrekin, my editor and Grove Atlantic's president and publisher. I was pitching him the idea of an oral history tracing the evolution of live rock, from 1950 to 1985. Morgan published my last book, Anatomy of a Song, in 2017. He immediately lit up.

At the heart of the book is the answer to a basic question: How did the rock concert transition from small R&B shows in Los Angeles to a teenage rite of passage at sporting arenas and stadiums throughout the country and eventually the world? The story weaves through L.A., Cleveland, Chicago, Memphis, New York and Newport, R.I., expanding to urban ballrooms and theaters and outdoor festivals and large controlled venues. Throughout the book, I trace the events, visionaries and inventions that allowed the rock concert and business to thrive and become an $8 billion industry.

I'm fortunate to have Morgan as my editor. He's shrewd, hip, literary and loves pop culture as much as he loves fiction and history. This year, a book he bought as publisher and edited, Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy, by David Zucchino, won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. With me, Morgan was supportive throughout the writing process, letting me do my thing but providing critical advice along the way to reel me in and intensify the book's drama and crystalize its purpose. The mark of a great editor.

Rock Concert runs nearly 400 pages but it's a fast, engaging read, providing two histories in one. Not only does the book detail the flowering of live rock through the words of eyewitnesses, promoters and rock stars but it also gives you the history of the music, from jump blues events in 1950 and '51 to Live Aid in '85, the last of the old school, low-price spectaculars. You won't be able to put it down.

Pre-order a copy of Rock Concert for yourself or for family members and friends. It's a perfect birthday or holiday gift. And because the cover is glossy, you won't even have to wrap it. By pre-ordering, you'll be guaranteed a copy even if the advance buzz causes a rush on the book. And remember, all purchases are for a good cause. Buying the book will allow me to continue writing JazzWax and provide it to you six days a week for free. If that isn't an incentive, I don't know what is.

Tomorrow, JazzWax will return to the music—and I'll be starting my next book.

JazzWax pages: You'll find Rock Concert (Grove Press) here or here. For my friends in the U.K., Canada and Australia, Rock Concert will be published in your countries simultaneously as well. Check your favorite local bookstore or online retailer, including Amazon.