To fully feel the beauty and grace of jazz at its highest level, you must savor the sadness that comes with the joy and the poetry that's baked into the music's history. They are one, like two sides of the same coin. Most exceptional jazz musicians had tragic sides, making one wonder whether greatness was even possible without the demons and deep melancholy. [Photo above of Bud Powell]
Yesterday, Matt LeGrouix sent along a link to a stunning French documentary on Bud Powell that just went up in June. It's gripping and emotional, weaving in and out of the bebop pioneer's music and life using terrific historical film, performance footage and interviews with key players in Powell's life. [Photo above of Bud Powell by Francis Wolff (c) Mosaic Images]
Here'sBud Powell: Inner Exile, a 1998 French documentary directed by Robert Mugnerot...
In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Bettye LaVette for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Bettye is a deep, souful singer who began recording at 16, in 1962. She talked about growing up in Detroit, the jukebox in her parents' living room and her biggest mistake—breaking with Atlantic records after her first hit single. Her new album, Blackbirds (Verve), is terrific.
As a leader, Duke Ellington was a tonal impressionist who thought in pictures. Each musician in his band functioned as a tube of paint with distinct properties—a hue, a thickness, a mood. Taken as a whole, his orchestral pieces became large sound canvases with overlapping colorations and textures, awakening the listener's imagination.
Here are three of Ellington's top saxophonists on solo showcases, providing an opportunity to hear their distinct sounds isolated:
And here's Johnny Hodges on I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)...
Charlie Parker, worldwide. Tonight, watch a free streaming of Clint Eastwood's Bird (1988) on your computer or phone as well as other tributes to Charlie Parker tomorrow thanks to 92Y, one of New York's foremost cultural institutions. For information and to register for the events anywhere in the world, go here.
On September 11, 1939, one of the finest tentets ever assembled recorded four sides for RCA Victor. As lineups go, this one is hard to beat: Dizzy Gillespie (tp); Benny Carter (as,arr); Coleman Hawkins, Chu Berry and Ben Webster (ts); Lionel Hampton (vib,vcl); Clyde Hart (p); Charlie Christian (g); Milt Hinton (b) and Cozy Cole (d). [Photo above of Lionel Hampton in 1946 by William P. Gottlieb]
We get to hear so much on these four recordings: Dizzy Gillespie's early staccato heat; Benny Carter's arrangements and smokey-sweet alto playing; Coleman Hawkins, Chu Berry and Ben Webster puffing in the same sax section (Berry would die in a car crash in 1941 at age 33); Lionel Hampton singing and starting to develop the jump-blues feel; Charlie Christian playing rhythm guitar (he'd die in 1942 at age 25 after an illness rooted in earlier tuberculosis); Clyde Hart's beautiful piano solos; Milt Hinton's thumping bass; and Cozy Cole's snappy drums. [Photo above of Chu Berry]
Here are the four sides. All were done in one take except When Lights Are Low, which took two (I'm using the alternate take here because the sound is brighter):
JazzWax note: Saxophonist Bill Kirchner sent along the following...
Hi there. I have a copy of Benny’s score for When Lights Are Low, and there are two interesting curiosities:
1. A good bit of his writing for the horns is edited out, shortening the chart. Why? There’s nothing that is too difficult for these players, and it’s not for lack of sufficient time. The resulting takes are both only slightly over two minutes long—short even by 78 rpm standards.
2. All of the saxes have the names of the players on their parts. But Dizzy’s part says only “trumpet”—which indicates that Dizzy was hired as an afterthought.
I never had the opportunity to ask Benny about these things. I should have called him.
On December 14, 1972, Oscar Peterson was in Hanover, Germany, on a TV show called NDR Jazz Workshop. So was tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. They were joined by Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (b) and Tony Inzalaco(d). Here they are, in color no less...
JazzWax tracks: You'll find a CD and DVD set of the performance here.
Guitarist Grant Green recorded two gospel-flavored leadership albums for Blue Note. The first was Sunday Mornin', in June 1961, and the second was Feelin' the Spirit, in December 1962. Green, of course, would become a New York studio star in the 1960s and '70s, but he grew up in St. Louis where he began his career at age 13 playing guitar in churches, backing a gospel vocal group. [Photo above of Grant Green by Francis Wolff (c) Mosaic Images]
Sunday Mornin' features Kenny Drew (p), Grant Green (g), Ben Tucker (b) and Ben Dixon (d). A solid, sensitive trio behind Green, especially Drew. The album's tracks are Freedom March, Sunday Mornin', Exodus, God Bless the Child, Come Sunrise, So What and Tracin' Tracy. The last two aren't noted gospel songs but they fit right in for any Sunday morning.
Feelin' the Spirit includes Herbie Hancock (p), Grant Green (g), Butch Warren (b), Billy Higgins (d) and Garvin Masseaux (tamb). The tracks are Just a Closer Walk With Thee, Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho, Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen, Go Down Moses, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child and Deep River.
On both albums, the last track was added in the digital age, when the Blue Note albums were released on CD. Green's picking style works neatly on both albums. Of the two albums, I prefer the first. Sunday Mornin' has heart and reflective pacing, and its the more hymnal and spiritual of the two with a jazzier flavor. Feelin' the Spirit is funky and more rollicking, which seems a bit out of character for the soulful Green. [Photo above of Grant Green by Francis Wolff (c) Mosaic Images]
Green remains underappreciated, overshadowed by Wes Montgomery's broad, commercial thumb. His picking attack, melodic style and rich sound are magical. When I hear Green, I feel his playing and can't wait to hear more. He really is a deliciously tasteful player. All of these qualities come into play on Sunday Mornin' and not so much on Feelin' the Spirit. What may have seemed like a great idea turns out to be ill-fitting and soulless. [Photo above of Grant Green and Herbie Hancock by Francis Wolff (c) Mosaic Images]
Grant Green died in 1979.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Green's Sunday Mornin'here and Feelin' the Spirithere.
I came upon Allegra Levy's new album in July, when Nils Winther at Steeplechase in Denmark alerted me to its August release. As I listened to Lose My Number, I flipped. Allegra's voice was wonderfully hip, the song melodies were unknown but sophisticated and savvy, the lyrics were superb and smart, and she was backed by three women. If ever an album dismissed the notion that female jazz artists don't measure up to their male counterparts, this one scatters that myth to the wind. Lose My Number (Steeplechase) is among my favorite jazz vocal albums of the year. [Photo above and throughout of Allegra Levy courtesy of Allegra Levy]
Recorded in October 2019, the album features Allegra on vocals backed by Carmen Staaf (p), Carmen Rothwell (b) and Colleen Clark (d). John McNeil, who wrote the music to all nine of the songs, is on trumpet on multiple tracks. Pierre Dørge is on Ukulele one. And Allegra wrote all the lyrics. The songs are Samba de Beach, Livin' Small, Tiffany, Strictly Ballroom, C.J., Dover Beach, Ukulele Tune, Zephyr and Lose My Number.
Last year, Allegra won the first-place category in the Great American Song Contest for her entry, Waste My Time.
Recently, I reached out to Allegra:
JazzWax: Where did you grow up and when did you start singing? Allegra Levy: I grew up in West Hartford, Ct., and thrived in the jazz programs of King Philip Middle School and Hall High School. My first love was musical theater. I started singing at age 7 and performing in community theater programs at age 8. Then, when I was 11, I sang in Hall’s Pops ‘N Jazz show, an annual extravaganza that has featured the likes of Brad Mehldau, Joel Frahm, Erica Von Kleist, Richie Barshay, and Noah Preminger. From that day on, my dream was to become a jazz singer.
JW: Who were your major influences and who introduced you to their albums? AL: My older brother, Aidan Levy—a jazz journalist, music biographer and baritone saxophonist. He was the most instrumental person in my jazz education. He introduced me to Charlie Parker and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as Shirley Horn, Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins and Dianne Reeves. I also was influenced by my peers at Boston's New England Conservatory. They introduced me to music by Joni Mitchell and Nancy King, along with Betty Carter and the “cool jazz” singers like June Christy, Anita O’Day, Chris Connor, and Blossom Dearie. I was especially influenced by Joni in my songwriting and also have a great love for Carole King’s effortless lyricism.
JW: Were your parents encouraging? AL: My parents have always been my No. 1 support system. My father's a jazz fanatic, my mom not so much. My brother and I grew up listening mainly to my parents' Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel cassettes in the car. My parents have come to almost every one of my performances,except those in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Madrid. Despite any misgivings they had about career opportunities for a jazz singer, they allowed me to study music at a conservatory instead of going to a liberal arts college. They're both writers and even contributed a lyric or two on my current album project. I’m very aware of how fortunate I am to have that force behind me. Whenever I get down about my career, they always encourage me to keep going.
JW: What years were you in Boston and who did you study with at NEC? AL: I was at NEC from 2007 to 2011. I was 17 when I first started, surrounded by incredibly talented and intimidating graduate and undergraduate students. I studied with vocalist Dominique Eade and learned composition from Ken Schaphorst. Bert Seager was my piano teacher. In Boston, I also met John McNeil, who became my greatest ally. I quickly grew to love and respect his genius.
JW: Tell me about John McNeil. His songs on your new album are fabulous. AL: John is the most astute listener. When I first moved to New York in 2011, John was leading his famed Tea Lounge Jam Sessions in Brooklyn. I knew that each note I sang had to be spot on. John was always listening carefully, and I had to work hard on the bandstand to gain his trust. His knowledge of theory and love of melody are unparalleled. He’s also the funniest, kindest guy around. Above all, he’s a true storyteller. I love hearing him play his songs. There's so much intention and purpose behind every note. [Photo above of John McNeil courtesy of John McNeil]
JW: Where did you meet John? AL: John was my teacher, ensemble leader and mentor at NEC. I first got to know his music in the ensemble, and he got to know mine and encouraged me to keep writing. It was there that I first penned lyrics to his beautiful tune, Livin' Small. I was struggling with fibromyalgia then and dealing with difficulties at school. John was incredibly empathetic and encouraging throughout. I wouldn't have made it through NEC without him.
JW: And the jam sessions? AL: The Tea Lounge Sessions weren't your average jazz jam. John and trombonist Mike Fahie carefully curated the sessions in a way that made them sound more like a concert than an impromptu random jazz hang. Often at sessions, it's hard to sit in as a singer, as the band tends to visibly roll their eyes or groan at the thought of having a singer come on.
JW: Why? AL: They think singers mess up the vibe. So I made sure I knew tunes that everyone knew and called regularly, and that I picked keys that would be more suitable for all. I'd seen a couple of singers asked to sit down when they got up there and weren't up to snuff, so it was a very serious session. It's where I met most of my New York jazz compatriots. A strong group of NEC alums and really profoundly swinging players from all five boroughs of New York. John always played the first set of the session. That's when I got to know his music and songwriting.
JW: When did you start writing songs and who has recorded them? AL: I started writing when I was just a kid. I had a song for every moment and was always making stuff up around the house. I didn’t start formally recording them until I was 18. So far, I’m the only one to record any of them. But I have a few dozen of them now— nothing like John's prolific output. I’ve also been writing some feminist-toned pop stuff lately.
JW: Being a woman holds a special place in jazz for you, yes? AL: As an artist, I've always been aware of my womanhood. I was the only woman and female singer in my freshman class at NEC, and one of the few girls at Litchfield Jazz Camp as a teenager. There was an assumption that I didn’t understand jazz—and a drive on my part to prove that I could indeed hang with the guys.
JW: On the album, you're backed by an all-female quartet. Is that deliberate, and if so, why? AL: Playing with women is incredibly liberating for me. I don’t have to think about what I’m wearing, my tone, or my every move. I just have to dig in and really let go, just as they do. And I think the adversity women often face in jazz makes them different musicians. It creates a different voice, a different sensitive artistry, a keen ear and trust that allows them to understand the true meaning behind the compositions.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Allegra Levy's Lose My Number: Allegra Levy Sings John McNeil (Steeplechase) here.
You can listen to the entire album at YouTube here.
This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed legendary fashion designer Pierre Cardin for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). I've always admired Cardin for his exquisite taste, pop-couture sensibility and love affair with the future. His accomplishments in design are exceptional. [Photo above of Pierre Cardin courtesy of Pierre Cardin]
In 1947, he worked with Christian Dior, including Dior's "New Look" collection and the revolutionary Bar suit (above).
Pierre opened his first boutique, Eve, in the early '50s, he was the first haute-couture designer to take his designs to French department stores in the late '50s (known as ready-to-wear), first to add his "P" logo and scripted name to clothing, the first to launch a men's line, first to integrate the Space Age into his collections, first to turn his name into a brand and put it on a wide range of products, first to launch lines in Japan and to employ a Japanese model, and the first to hold a fashion show on China's Great Wall in '79. The 98-year-old designer talked about his two escapes as a child and his early fascination with fashion, theater and architecture. I wore his spread-collar dress shirts in the late 1970s and I still wear his lemon-based aftershave today. A joy to interview, the designer encompasses all of post-war fashion.
Here are the Beatles being asked about their collarless Cardin jackets in 1963...
And here's the trailer for Cardin's new documentary, House of Cardin...
SiriusXM. Last week I was on SiriusXM's Feedback with Nik Carter and Jeff Slate, who was sitting in for Lori, to talk about Gordon Lightfoot's Sundown. Go here...
Carmen McRae. Pianist Roger Kellaway dropped a line last week on my Carmen McRae posts...
Hi Marc. I produced Carmen's 1972 album, I Am Music. For that album, I wrote a song for her that was my first collaboration with the Bergmans. The song was, I Have the Feeling I’ve Been Here Before. The band was recorded at United‘s studio B in Los Angeles, live. We only had enough money in the budget for 10 strings. So, for this chart I wrote for a stereo string quintet—with three violins, viola and cello on the left and on the right.
Bill Frisell. In July, the guitarist stepped outside for a bit of fresh air with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston. [Photo above of Bill Frisell courtesy of Bill Frisell]
Thelma Huston and composer-pianist Jimmy Webb got together with singers for Someone Is Standing Outside. Go here...
Vocalist Meredith d'Ambrosio wrote last week about my post on Michael Weiss's album, Soul Journey...
Hi Marc. This is a great review! I love Michael Weiss's playing. His album sounds great. I had the pleasure of hearing him for the first time at Riles in Cambridge, Mass., before the club closed. We were honoring the life of Steve Schwartz of WGBH radio who had passed away too soon. It was a huge concert for Steve. I played and sang some songs just before Michael played. Needless to say, I was impressed!!
Charlie Parker radio. To celebrate the centennial of Charlie Parker, WKCR-FM in New York will present a special eight-day marathon radio broadcast, from August 27 through September 3 (EDT). You can tune in from anywhere in the world on your phone, iPad or computer by going here.
This week, I've been celebrating Charlie Parker's upcoming centenary on August 29 by posting what I believe are the alto saxophonist's five major contributions to jazz and the culture at large. In Part 1, I posted about Parker's invention, with Dizzy Gillespie, of bebop in 1945. In Part 2, I posted on Parker's popularization of high-speed improvisation using the chord changes of songbook standards. In Part 3, I posted on how Parker turned the blues into a seductive, lyrical form. And in Part 4, I posted on Parker's pioneering albums with strings that were the first albums to unite jazz and pop standards.
In my final part, a look at Parker's inadvertent role in helping to launch the American civil rights movement among jazz musicians. By inventing bebop, which relied on sophisticated improvisational skills, Parker created a Black idiom that placed a focus on exceptional Black artists and their talent. At the outset, bebop celebrated Black individualism, encouraged creative development divorced from white and Black band leaders, and built up self-confidence and self-determination. As a result, a distinct sense of pride flowered among Black modern jazz artists in the late 1940s and early '50, and many became emboldened to demand equal rights and justice.
In many cases, Black jazz musicians' demands for equality were triggered by harsh encounters with segregation and racism while touring in the South and West. In other cases, musicians' demands for equality was a byproduct of artistic self-assurance and was expressed through their music.
Parker's influence on bebop musicians in the 1940s and early '50s cannot be understated. So much so that many attributed their own drug use to Parker's consumption and his ability to perform at a high levels under the influence. But first and foremost, Parker was a musical role model, since his tone and skill were singular and impossible to mimic. As musicians grew comfortable expressing themselves musically, they had little trouble articulating their social and political opinions musically. Artists such as Sonny Rollins, Randy Weston, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Grant Green, John Coltrane among many others took up the civil rights cause after Parker died in 1955.
Here's Sonny's Airegin, which is Nigeria spelled backward. The country had just become a federation in 1954 when Sonny wrote the song...
Here's Donald Byrd's The Jazz Message (With Freedom for All) in 1956...
Here's Charles Mingus's Fables of Faubus in 1959, a protest against Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, who in 1957 called in the state National Guard to prevent the racial integration of Little Rock Central High School by nine Black teenagers...
Here's Mingus's Prayer For Passive Resistance in 1960, live in Antibes, France...
Here's Max Roach's Freedom Day in 1960, with singer Abbey Lincoln...
Here's Oscar Peterson's Hymn to Freedom in 1962...
Here's John Coltrane's Alabama, recorded in November 1963, two months after the bombing of a Black church in Birmingham, Ala., that killed four girls...
And here's Billy Taylor's I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free in 1968...
This week, I'm celebrating Charlie Parker's upcoming centenary on August 29 by posting on what I believe are the alto saxophonist's five major contributions to jazz and the culture at large. In Part 1, I posted about Parker's invention, with Dizzy Gillespie, of bebop in 1945. In Part 2, I posted on Parker's popularization of high-speed improvisation. In Part 3, I posted on how Parker turned the blues into a seductive, lyrical form. [Photo above of Charlie Parker by William P. Gottlieb]
Today, I'm posting on how Parker became the first modern jazz musician to unite jazz and pop in an album format—a natural combination that continues to this day.
Before the Dave Pell Octet's songbook series was launched in 1953, before Buddy DeFranco's Gershwin album in 1954, before Ella Fitzgerald's famed songbook series began in 1956—before all of them, there was Charlie Parker and Strings, a 10-inch album produced by Norman Granz for Mercury and recorded in 1949. This album was followed by Charlie Parker With Strings Part 2, recorded in 1950. To understand how big a deal this was, you need to understand how the record industry's three major labels operated in the late 1940s and how pop had become so pervasive.
Up until 1948, records by Columbia, RCA and Decca (along with those produced by smaller labels) were sold in one format—78rpm. The relatively heavy, brittle shellac discs could hold only three minutes and change on each side. For classical and top-selling pop and jazz artists, major record labels issued groups of multiple 78s in packages that looked like photo albums. Hence, the name "album." But that didn't solve the problem of short playing times on each side.
In 1948, Columbia unveiled the 10-inch long-playing album. It met the growing demand by consumers for a format they didn't have to flip over as often. The LP's benefits were immediately clear, not only for classical but also for pop. Starting in the late '40s, the suburbs were developing rapidly as veterans received favorable home loans under the G.I. Bill. Interest in going out to dance slowed, and a wave of newlyweds raising families remained at home. The music that many young suburban adults favored to ease the stress of kids, commuting and cleaning was the blander, more soothing pop.
During this period, pop dominated, and modern jazz was relegated mostly to subsidiary imprints and a surge of independent labels that had emerged in 1944. In 1948, Granz signed a deal with Mercury, an independent label, to promote and distribute his Clef albums, most notably his Jazz at the Philharmonic series and other jazz records. What made Mercury so attractive to Granz was its dominance in the critical jukebox space, especially in Black markets. [Photo above, from left, Buddy Rich, Ray Brown, Charlie Parker, Mitch Miller and two unknown violinists]
Charlie Parker had already signed on with Granz in 1947, and his first strings recording was an accident. As Neal Hefti rehearsed a modern orchestral composition prior to recording for Granz at Carnegie Hall, Parker wandered onto the stage from his own recording session to listen. When he heard Hefti, Parker was moved to accompany the orchestra on his horn. Granz decided to record them together. [Photo above of the same artists mentioned previously, with the inclusion of arranger and conductor Jimmy Carroll]
It's unclear whether the Hefti composition originally was entitled Repetition or that's what they wound up calling it after Hefti had to play it twice—once with just the orchestra and a second time with Parker soloing. Hearing Parker backed by strings gave Granz an idea. [Photo above of Neal Hefti by William P. Gottlieb in 1947, around the time of Repetition's recording]
In 1949 (following the 1948 recording ban), Granz had Parker solo on six songbook standards backed by strings. Several of the singles from the album were jukebox hits. The following July, Parker recorded eight more songbook standards for Granz backed by strings. These popular albums would become the model for thousands of jazz-pop "with strings" albums that followed in the decades ahead.
Here's Charlie Parker soloing on Neal Hefti's Repetition in December 1947. The first run-through is just the orchestra, the second is with Parker...
Here's Parker playing Just Friends on November 30, 1949, arranged and conducted by Jimmy Carroll with Mitch Miller on oboe...
Here's Parker playing April in Paris from the same session...
Here's Parker playing Everything Happens to Me from the same session...
In July 1950, here'sDancing in the Dark, arranged and conducted by Joe Lipman...
Here's Parker playing Laura from the same session...
And here's Parker playing I'm in the Mood for Love from the same session...
Bonus1: The jazz-pop concept Parker pioneered with strings was so popular, he toured with an ensemble playing songs from the albums. Here's Bird playing Laura with strings at Birdland in 1951...
Bonus2:Here's a tribute to Charlie Parker with strings by the Paris Philharmonic Orchestra last year...
Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Anatomy of 55 More Songs," "Anatomy of a Song," "Rock Concert: An Oral History" and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax has won three Jazz Journalists Association awards.
