It has long astonished me that so many jazz musicians choose to ignore the Third Great American Songbook when looking for songs to cover on albums and in performance. Instead, many regularly turn to songs by composers such as Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, and Jimmy Van Heusen. Or they turn to jazz standards by Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and others (do we really need another Satin Doll or Yardbird Suite?). [Photo above of Don Braden, courtesy of Don Braden]
Others have dipped into the well of what I call the Second American Songbook, which includes more contemporary songwriters such as Hal David and Burt Bacharach, Lennon and McCartney, and composers who worked out of New York's Brill Building and 1650 Broadway and Detroit's Motown and wrote 1960s radio hits.
Too often ignored is the Third American Songbook—hits by 1970s and early 1980s soul composers such as Thom Bell, Stevie Wonder, Maurice White, Marvin Gaye, Bobby Eli, Norman Harris, Allan Felder, Al Green, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Valerie Simpson, Linda Creed, Curtis Mayflield, Van McCoy, El DeBarge and many others.
In 2018, jazz saxophonist Don Braden released a superb album of songs by Earth, Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder called Earth Wind and Wonder (Creative Perspective). It featured soul hits such as Can't Hide Love, Getaway, After the Love Has Gone and Don't You Worry About a Thing. The covers were well chosen and Don's improvisation was excellent and bossy in the Stanley Turrentine tradition. Now, he's back with Volume 2 (Creative Perspective), featuring covers of Reasons, Bird of Beauty, Creepin', That's the Way of the World and others.
Don was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1963. He grew up in Louisville, Ky., and began playing tenor sax at 13. His first paid gig came two years later. In high school, he played in the McDonald's All-American High School Jazz Band. After graduation, he attended Harvard from 1981 to 1984 to study engineering and was in the university's jazz ensemble. After graduation, he moved to New York and played with the Harper Brothers, Lonnie Smith, and Betty Carter. Between 1986 and '87, he was on the road with Wynton Marsalis before moving on to work with Roy Haynes, Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard, J.J. Johnson, Tom Harrell, Art Farmer and the Mingus Big Band. [Photo above of Don Braden by Hans Kumpf, courtesy of Don Braden]
On Volume 2, Don plays tenor saxophone, flute and alto flute. He's backed by Art Hirahara and Miki Hayama on piano and keyboard, bassist Kenny Davis, drummer Jeremy Warren and percussionist Kahlil Kwame Bell. As Don says in the album's press package...
We are definitely pushing for the next-level of true jazz energy in the performances: more swing, creativity and connection to jazz’s African-American roots. I truly believe that all these qualities intermingled with these amazing songs make for wonderful jazz journeys, both for us players and for the audiences. [Photo above of Don Braden by Jack Grassa, courtesy of Don Braden]
Bravo, Don! The music is fabulous, strong and pays tribute to important music by American composers long overlooked by many black and white jazz artists. Hopefully that will change.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Earth Wind and Wonder, Volume 2 here.
You'll find Earth Wind and Wonder (2018) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Earth, Wind & Fire's Reasons...
Here's Stevie Wonder's Bird of Beauty...
And here's EW&F's That's the Way of the World...
Bonus: Here's Don playing Don't You Worry About a Thing, with Aaron Graves on piano, Lee Smith on bass and Webb Thomas on drums...
