Smash Arts Akron: New Evidence Unearthed

The Institute

While this is not our first foray into interdisciplinary art exploration, we at the Institute are aware that our preoccupation with novel perspectives on jazz tonsure has left us open to charges of artistic parochialism. Our core mission of advancing jazz historiography remains intact. However, we made the decision to expand our vision and have undertaken an investigation into a phenomenon that has recently come to our attention: Smash Arts Akron. 

We are aware that graduate students in Harvard's Department of Museum Studies have been sifting through and dissecting the work forged in the studios of Smash Arts Akron, but even their rabid attention has failed to unearth a great deal of valuable cross-artistic detritus. Our own research has uncovered evidence of a hitherto unknown musical component of this visionary group. I'm proud to announce our preliminary findings.

The first evidence of an interdisciplinary aspect of the Smash group's opus arose from a close examination of the above photo. Notice that each person in the photo is looking in a different direction. In music, we call this a Polyphonic Grouping and its use has been traced to the early days of multi track recordings in jazz. The woman on the left is holding sheet music and electronic magnification shows watermarks identifying it as the original Dave Lambert vocal chart for the unreleased Gil Evans/Charlie Parker "Bird with Voices" recording.

Close examination of the above clearly shows that the subject of the photo is not drinking, but is blowing into the bottle; further, that he is using the one-handed bi-liter grip first employed by Lester Overholt on a 1928 Red MacKenzie Blue Blowers session. 

The above "objets," which we conjecture were carved by Buddy Bolden's first wife's brother-in-law, were part of a schema used in place of the Western musical notation system of notes, rests, and clefs. The 5-5-5 matrix was an allusion to the 5 square block area of the Treme Dstrict of New Orleans where the system was first developed. We speculate that the tops of the objects represent an nascent form of Tweeting.

The above is the unfortunate aftermath of an impromptu jam session organized by Sol Hurok, 

involving members of Smash Arts Akron and Charles Mingus.  

The complete results of our research are in the process of being peer-reviewed at the Journal of Jazz Epiphenomena and will be released on the final Tzolkin of the Haab.

Pre-Election Tunes

Here's some of the music rattling around in my brain a week before the November 8, 2016 elections. What's in your brain?

Jimmy Knepper--Storyteller

In an interview, Charles McPherson talks about the influence Charlie Parker had on trombonist Jimmy Knepper. I nod internal agreement, but also think: Knepper found musical pathways that are not available to any other instrument. To me, he was among the most expressive trombonists; one who used tremendous technique in service of the music, not in service of the technique.

Knepper was quoted as saying ''in a lot of ways, [jazz is] just shallow, superficial and pyrotechnical.''  Maybe that's why it was so important to him to prove that jazz could be played that was not shallow, superficial and pyrotechnical for its own sake.

Piling on the ironies, although Knepper sounded great in any setting, I believe he was most expressive in the musical context provided by the man who assaulted him and almost ended his career: Charles Mingus. Mingus' music gave a kind of scope that freed Knepper. The stops, starts, changes of tempo and mood, freedom to explore less "refined" tonal directions, provided a dramatic stage on which Knepper thrived. 

Yet, in 1981, Knepper told Downbeat: ''It was very depressing to think that I'm linked with this guy for the rest of my life." 

I have no problem with the contradictory nature of all this. It gives the lie to the easy assumptions that people make about personality and art.

Before getting to Mingus music, let's start with Knepper in a more straight-ahead context, Here he is in a 1957 release, A Swinging Introduction from September 1957 with Knepper (tb), Gene Quill (as), Evans (p), Teddy Kotick (b) and Dannie Richmond (d). The tone is there-a good deal of vibrato; harmonically it's squarely in the bop idiom, but with some unusual interval leaps and a subtly dramatic quality.



Here he is in his first Mingus recording, Tijuana Moods, recorded the same year-1957. He responds well to this rhythmic environment, which is both more demanding and looser. He also begins to explore the trombone's tonal palette.


Here's Jimmy on Gentleman's Agreement (1983) with Danny RIchmond, drums, George Adams, tenor sax, High Lawson, piano. Mike RIchmond, bass. Knepper 's statement is solid and contains almost all the elements we find in the Mingus context. Still...


In this final tune, the title track from Tonight At Noon (1961), It sounds as if Knepper has completely internalized the resonance of this Mingus group. Everything he plays sounds like it comes from a complete emotional commitment.


Thanks, Jimmy.

Jazz Bass Technique Evolution-Pt. 2

The question inspiring these bass posts is: Has the playing on this instrument progressed farther technically than on any other jazz instrument?

In Part One, we listened to foundational tuba and bass players from the 20's and 30's. We'll pick up now starting with Jimmy Blanton who, if not the first "modern" player, has as good a claim to that title as anyone.

Jimmy Blanton

Blanton's strong regional reputation led him to Duke Ellington's band in 1939, where he played until he died in 1942, at age 23, from TB.

Slam Stewart had the technique of the walking bass line down, but was also unique in his ability to bow solos and sing/hum along with them (see my previous post on arco-bowed-bass playing.

Jazz, Junk, Cool and Nostalgia

So, who gives a crap about nostalgia, that fatuous relict of Ye Olde Bullshit Shoppe? I do.

nos.tal.gia. From two Greek words: nostos (homesickness) and algos (pain).

Notwithstanding the abuse it takes, nostalgia is a singular brain state of happy/sad/hyper-self conscious/free-floating-ness that feels like nothing else. When any emotional state grabs me that hard, I pay attention.

Jazz-the music itself-doesn't traffic much in nostalgia, although jazz-the listeners-with their wax and catalogues, do. Jazz musicians are known for not wanting to listen to their own old recordings, but name me a jazz fan who can't tell you the first album they bought.

                                

Out-and-out schmaltz, like Jackie Gleason jazz records, or schticky trad bands are more bathetic than nostalgic. Unrooted in any particular time, they lack the weight to induce nostalgia, although they may induce a treacly simulacrum. In fact, I think there's an anomalous combination of elements that can make it happen in jazz.
                     
                             Shmaltz + Cool = nostalgia.

Miles, then, would seem to be a candidate-plays a lot of ballads and medium tempi, often uses the harmon mute, cultivates an elusive persona-but his playing lacks schmaltz, which keeps it cool and non-nostalgic. (Miles Davis, the Bertolt Brecht of jazz?)

Chet Baker's pose is emotionally distant, like Miles, but Baker's music has the schmaltz and is nostalgic. His drug habit makes sense in this context. Heavy dope is not about being here now. The Now is Just Too Much. It's about retreating to a place of your own imagining; hassle-free, light (not heavy), but not without bittersweetness. This is also a credible definition of nostalgia. We relate to the music with a sigh, a sense of yearning, an emotional attachment to the notes. 

I don't know of a lot of tracks in jazz that use the word "nostalgia." The two below are the most well-known and are often covered. The first, by Fats Navarro, is in a medium tempo and actually has many of the qualities I defined as nostalgic. Despite the fact that Fats was one of the most declamatory trumpet players, he tempers his style and his solo here fits well in the emotional framework established by the song.

We think of Charles Mingus as one of the least nostalgic players-and people; seemingly, always searching for new musical routes, staunchly in the moment, to the extent that his groups were "workshops" and he taught his musicians their parts by singing them. He also had a streak of violence we don't associate with nostalgia.

While the tempo of this tune is slightly slower than the Navarro, the rhythmic approach is choppy and the second restatement of the tune is even choppier, which actually makes it seem faster. There is a fair amount of dissonance in the melody and little of the lilt and legato of the Navarro. Being nostalgic in Times Square is no simple matter.


OK, now to contrast Miles and Chet, here are their versions of My Funny Valentine. Of course, Miles never sang, and that makes a hell of a difference, but just listen to their horn solos.





Kudos, contrary opinions, suggestions for inclusion, elision and relevant EKG's are welcome.

Was turned on to Svetlana Boym by Artemis Nasby. Found a great essay about nostalgia written by her here.

The Scene in L.A./ Central Ave.

Jazz, R&B and blues from 1940's-50's L.A, played on the Duplex Mystery Jazz Hour with Steve Provizer on 06/19/2014. Audio archived at WZBC.ORG 

 PLAYLIST

 Roy Porter´s 17 Beboppers "Sippin With Cisco" (earliest recording session of Eric Dolphy)

 Howard McGhee Sextet "Dial-Ated Pupils" 

 Roy Porter´s 17 Beboppers "Gassin the Wig" 

 Howard McGhee Sextet "Up In Dodo's Room" 

 Johnny Otis Quintet & The Robin & Esther "Double Crossing Blues" 

 Gerald Wilson "Cruisin' With Cab" 

 Gerald Wilson Orchestra "Dissonance In Blues (1947)

 Joe Liggin & Honey Drippers "Pink Champagne" 

 Dexter Gordon Quintet "Mischievous Lady"

 Wardell Grey "move" 

 Nellie Lutcher "I Thought About You" 

 Percy Mayfield "Please Send Me Someone to Love"

 Lionel Hampton "Red Top" 

 Big Jay McNeeley "Deacon's Hop"

 Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray "The Chase" 

 Charles Brown "Black Nite"

 Jimmy Witherspoon "Big Fine Girl"

 Camille Howard & Her Boyfriends "Money Blues"

 Nellie Lutcher "Fine Brown Frame"

 Roy Porter´s 17 Beboppers "Little Wig"

 Teddy Edwards Quartet "Blues in Teddy's Flat" 

 Wardell Grey "Farmer’s Market" 

 Annie Ross "Farmers Market" 

 Joe Swanson Orchestra "East of the Sun" 

 T-Bone Walker "Stormy Monday"

 Big Jay McNeeley "Nervous, Man, Nervous" 

 Jimmy Liggins and His Drops of Joy "Tear Drop Blues" 

 Frank Morgan "The Champ" 

 Roy Milton and His Solid Senders "Hop, Skip and Jump"

 Art Tatum "Too Marvelous for Words"

 Pee Wee Crayton "Blues After Hours"

 Charles Mingus "Mingus Fingers"

 Charles Mingus "These Foolish Things"

Music (& Influences) of David Dominique

David Dominique is on hand to talk about his music on this edition of the Duplex Mystery Hour. We listen to large ensemble music from his "Ritual" cd and also to some of the music that either inspired him or simply helps to put his work into context. 

Here's the Audio.

Here's the Playlist:

David Dominique “Ritual” (David Dominique 2013)

Franco Donatoni “Lumen”  (1975)

David Dominique “Ritual 4” from Ritual (David Dominique 2013)

Charles Mingus “Duet Solo Dancers” from The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (Impulse 1963)

Igor Stravinksy “L'histoire du Soldat” (1918)

David Dominique “Ritual 4” from Ritual (David Dominique 2013)

David Dominique “Drunk Hump”from Ritual (David Dominique 2013)

Henry Threadgil “Paille” from You Know The Number (RCA Novus 1987)

David Dominique “Golden Retriever” from Ritual (David Dominique 2013)

Prefuse 73 “Suite For The Ways Things Change” from Extinguished: Outtakes  (Warp 2003)

David Dominique “Mulatto Shuffle” from Ritual (David Dominique 2013)

Peggy's Blue Skylight

Just want to point B.C. readers to this video I uploaded to You Tube. This is the well-known Charles Mingus song with my lyrics. (I have put lyrics to a lot more of the song and to the Booker Ervin solo, but they are not performed here).

For posting, I excerpted it from my *teleplay of the same name, which is why you will see some video of the main characters in that teleplay over the audio.

The song is beautifully sung by Dominique Eade, with support by John Leonard on Bass and Tom Beaver on keyboard.




Here are my lyrics to the song:

[chorus]
A building is greying, its edges are fraying, a sign;
Of bad luck beckoned and innocence destined, to die.
Leave it and you feel,
You've got nothing left but to conceal,
The loneliness living in the city
That you cannot bear.

A blind man is singing, his cup is set ringing, a dime;
A gambler shuffles, a sucker is hustled, for wine.
Windows open wide,
Admitting not light but dark inside;
A face will appear and glow soft in the moonlight,
And die.

But a thought has begun to renew you.
To bury the blue you;
The loneliness shattering to pieces;
Thinking of Peggy and drinking in Peggy,
It's clear where your solace and your peace is.

Wakening in love,
Enfolding her tight, you look above;
The skylight is blue,
A frame for your emotions, tonight.

[Booker Ervin solo]:
As the rhythm of this solo
Marks up time with its notes;
So are our days measured by events,
Quickly or slowly the quality will tell,
That time is measured not by minutes or days,
Its pace a relative question changing with our lives;
People passing through, events determine, times pace;
Are we the victims of fate or do choices we make make a difference?

The answer may lie between the two,
A constant compromise between shifting winds of fate
And taking hold,
Making hard decisions and forcing life's hand.

Trying to find the questions,
Unsure which questions we should ask,
Hoping the answers won't be denied,
To a person who is living honestly, trying to be open.

Learning daily,
That pleasure often hides in, simple, places;
Born on a breeze bearing the scent of a warm autumn day,
Seen on the face of a child at play,
Lost in a warm moon-lit ray;
Locked in the laughter of your lover as she lay,
By your side soft, warm and gentle;
Questions fading,
As you see life is time lived moment to moment.
[Return to chorus]

I have written vocalese lyrics to many jazz songs and solos. Vocalists are welcome to contact me about checking out my material.


*I have posted the complete teleplay (14 minutes long): http://youtu.be/y_wXcgq4mQY

Practical Tips From Jazz Masters

After I was shown the Charles Mingus Cat Training Toilet Training web page (guaranteed real), I gave an earful to my flunkies at the Institute. If one is not at the cutting edge of such surreal conjunctions, where is one?

To grease the machinery, I upped the number of nembutal breaks for Institute staff and threatened to shut off their twinkies ration. Productivity skyrocketed and here we are, all smiles. The results will be available in convenient .pdfs when Birnam Wood do come to Dunsinane. Until then, here are your ten teasers:

• Harry Carney on Proper Pipette Cleaning
• Coleman Hawkins' Philately for Dummies
• Mal Waldron's 5 Steps to a Cleaner Colon 
• J.C.Higginbotham's Esperanto Recipe Book
• Buddy Rich Solves Your Septic Problems
• Warne Marsh on Mulch
• Charlie Shavers: Lepidopterist On The Move
• Johnny Griffin Grills For you!
• Zoot Sims' Duck Tape Omnibus
• Gato Barbieri's 10 Secrets For A Successful Luau

Watch your local google-owned website for the arrival of these valuable tracts.