Showing posts with label fanspeak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fanspeak. Show all posts
Monday, April 27, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Notes on style and then some
Listening to a lot of euphonium on youtube in the last few days. I heard a few euph+piano duos and they are uniformly amazing. Here are a few: Piazzolla's Café 1930 and Ibert's La cage de cristal by Anthony Caillet, Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata; Badinerie and Chiapanecas on tuba.
I also listened to several examples of baritone as a part of jazz combo and found it rather underwhelming. The deep rich sound that complements solo piano so well tends to get lost somewhere in the sonic muck and in general sounds rather out of place.
I also listened to several examples of baritone as a part of jazz combo and found it rather underwhelming. The deep rich sound that complements solo piano so well tends to get lost somewhere in the sonic muck and in general sounds rather out of place.
Also, today I learned of anime series about euphonium. I... uh... am struggling to find words... Actually, instead of trying to come up with something meaningful to say, I think I'll just up and move to Japan.
Friday, November 22, 2013
QotD
We are musicians and our model is sound not literature, sound not mathematics, sound not theatre, visual arts, quantum physics, geology, astrology or acupuncture
- Gérard Grisey
Friday, September 16, 2011
QotD
We have also sound-houses, where we practise and demonstrate all sounds and their generation. We have harmony which you have not, of quarter-sounds and lesser slides of sounds. Divers instruments of music likewise to you unknown, some sweeter than any you have; with bells and rings that are dainty and sweet. We represent small sounds as great and deep, likewise great sounds extenuate and sharp; we make divers tremblings and warblings of sounds, which in their originalare entire. We represent and imitate all articulate sounds and letters, and the voices and notes of beasts and birds. We have certain helps which, set to the ear, do further the hearing greatly; we have also divers strange and artificial echoes, reflecting the voice many times, and, as it were,tossing it; and some that give back the voice louder than it came, some shriller and some deeper; yea, some rendering the voice, differing in the letters or articulate sound from that they receive. We have all means to convey sounds in trunks and pipes, in strange lines and distances.
- Sir Francis Bacon, THE NEW ATLANTIS (1624)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A chapter from Lennie Tristano: His Life in Music by Eunmi Shim, detailing Tristano's pedagogical approach - read it on Scribd. Maybe jazz educators should get a f-ing clue...
I firmly believe that modern jazz education as it is practiced in American colleges serves only one purpose, and that is to castrate the student, kill his creative impulses, stamp out the natural ability to enjoy music making, and force him into conformity. The music that is taught and played there is not jazz, but modern American classical music that semi-convincingly emulates jazz.
The following four things can rectify the situation:
* The students should play by ear and from memory as much as possible.
* The focus should be not on individual solos, but on the band sound - namely, the arrangements, the balance, the communication and interplay between the group members.
* As a long-time student in the "jazz combo classes," I know first-hand that it is possible to finish the class and get an A without hearing the original tunes once. This SHOULD NOT be the case. If the students play covers, they MUST listen to the originals.
* The students should be not just encouraged, but forced to take creative control - come up with their own arrangements, write and perform their own tunes.
DIXI
The following four things can rectify the situation:
* The students should play by ear and from memory as much as possible.
* The focus should be not on individual solos, but on the band sound - namely, the arrangements, the balance, the communication and interplay between the group members.
* As a long-time student in the "jazz combo classes," I know first-hand that it is possible to finish the class and get an A without hearing the original tunes once. This SHOULD NOT be the case. If the students play covers, they MUST listen to the originals.
* The students should be not just encouraged, but forced to take creative control - come up with their own arrangements, write and perform their own tunes.
DIXI
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The Cambridge Companion to Brass Instruments
I am reading The Cambridge Companion to Brass Instruments. I doubt I will read everything, so instead of a full review I'll just make a few points.
It's a collection of essays by different authors on brass-related topics. A majority deals with academic music, with subjects like instrument history (sackbut, keyed trumpets, ophicleide, Baroque/Classical horn etc.), repertoire, brass pedagogy; also several essays on the topics outside of academic music. Of what I read, the essay I liked the least was the one on jazz. Best ones were essays on the rise and fall of cornetto and "Vernacular Brass Traditions".
Cornett(o) is a fascinating instrument; looks much like a recorder with a trumpet mouthpiece. It first rose to prominence in the early 16th century, together with the early trombone (AKA sackbut), and developed in tandem with it; a good amount of music was played by the cornetto/sackbut consorts, and both instruments went into a steep decline after about 200 years of prominence. However, sackbut had a rebirth and second flowering as a trombone we all know and love (or hate), and cornetto disappeared without a trace. The mystery, of course, is - why? Cornetto is claimed to be a difficult instrument, but trombone is, perhaps, even worse. It should also be not that difficult to make; there's a master in UK doing semi-pro level resin replicas for ~$200, so I am sure they could crank out some cheap ones in China...
The other article I liked is about brass bands and "vernacular" brass music around the world - which I much appreciate. The following passage I found particularly interesting:
In Jakarta, bands retaining the name by which Portuguese colonists called them — Tanjidor — play what Ernst Heins has described as "Jakarta-Chinese, and Sundanese gamelan music. .. on the instruments of the European brass band," the effect of which is a "dazzling heterophony, which defies any rule and regulation of European musical theory" This case is a particularly vivid example of a phenomenon that has become widespread in the twentieth century. Any western brass player uninformed of such practices who listens to one of these non-western brass bands could be forgiven for mistaking the sound it makes for a cacophony. In fact the players in such bands are exercising a different set of values. They may be playing western brass instruments, but the musical culture that shapes their terms of reference derives from their own indigenous roots.
A big ethno-music boom is happening nowadays; there is a multitude of small labels that seek out, unearth, or record music in rural Eastern Europe, Nigeria, Colombia, Senegal, Turkey, Thailand, and basically anywhere else, yet it seems that tanjidor is virtually unknown. Most links that turn up on Google are in Malay. There are a few scattered mentions in scholarly ethnomusicological research, but even there the 1975 article by Ernst Heins appears to be the only serious treatment of tanjidor. And the recording evidence is even more scant: I think the disc below is the only thing available. I am yet to hear it, and I really want to.
It's a collection of essays by different authors on brass-related topics. A majority deals with academic music, with subjects like instrument history (sackbut, keyed trumpets, ophicleide, Baroque/Classical horn etc.), repertoire, brass pedagogy; also several essays on the topics outside of academic music. Of what I read, the essay I liked the least was the one on jazz. Best ones were essays on the rise and fall of cornetto and "Vernacular Brass Traditions".
Cornett(o) is a fascinating instrument; looks much like a recorder with a trumpet mouthpiece. It first rose to prominence in the early 16th century, together with the early trombone (AKA sackbut), and developed in tandem with it; a good amount of music was played by the cornetto/sackbut consorts, and both instruments went into a steep decline after about 200 years of prominence. However, sackbut had a rebirth and second flowering as a trombone we all know and love (or hate), and cornetto disappeared without a trace. The mystery, of course, is - why? Cornetto is claimed to be a difficult instrument, but trombone is, perhaps, even worse. It should also be not that difficult to make; there's a master in UK doing semi-pro level resin replicas for ~$200, so I am sure they could crank out some cheap ones in China...
The other article I liked is about brass bands and "vernacular" brass music around the world - which I much appreciate. The following passage I found particularly interesting:
In Jakarta, bands retaining the name by which Portuguese colonists called them — Tanjidor — play what Ernst Heins has described as "Jakarta-Chinese, and Sundanese gamelan music. .. on the instruments of the European brass band," the effect of which is a "dazzling heterophony, which defies any rule and regulation of European musical theory" This case is a particularly vivid example of a phenomenon that has become widespread in the twentieth century. Any western brass player uninformed of such practices who listens to one of these non-western brass bands could be forgiven for mistaking the sound it makes for a cacophony. In fact the players in such bands are exercising a different set of values. They may be playing western brass instruments, but the musical culture that shapes their terms of reference derives from their own indigenous roots.
A big ethno-music boom is happening nowadays; there is a multitude of small labels that seek out, unearth, or record music in rural Eastern Europe, Nigeria, Colombia, Senegal, Turkey, Thailand, and basically anywhere else, yet it seems that tanjidor is virtually unknown. Most links that turn up on Google are in Malay. There are a few scattered mentions in scholarly ethnomusicological research, but even there the 1975 article by Ernst Heins appears to be the only serious treatment of tanjidor. And the recording evidence is even more scant: I think the disc below is the only thing available. I am yet to hear it, and I really want to.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Some folklore
Captain Beefheart's 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing (@)
1. Listen to the birds
That's where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.
2. Your guitar is not really a guitar, your guitar is a divining rod
Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you're good, you'll land a big one.
3. Practice in front of a bush
Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush dosen't shake, eat another piece of bread.
4. Walk with the devil
Old Delta blues players referred to guitar amplifiers as the "devil box." And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you're bringing over from the other side. Electricity attracts devils and demons. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.
5. If you're guilty of thinking, you're out
If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.
6. Never point your guitar at anyone
Your instrument has more clout than lightning. Just hit a big chord then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.
7. Always carry a church key
That's your key-man clause. Like One String Sam. He's one. He was a Detroit street musician who played in the fifties on a homemade instrument. His song "I Need a Hundred Dollars" is warm pie. Another key to the church is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty-making you want to look up her dress the whole time to see how he's doing it.
8. Don't wipe the sweat off your instrument
You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.
9. Keep your guitar in a dark place
When you're not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure you put a saucer of water in with it.
10. You gotta have a hood for your engine
Keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house, the hot air can't escape. Even a lima bean has to have a piece of wet paper around it to make it grow.
1. Listen to the birds
That's where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.
2. Your guitar is not really a guitar, your guitar is a divining rod
Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you're good, you'll land a big one.
3. Practice in front of a bush
Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush dosen't shake, eat another piece of bread.
4. Walk with the devil
Old Delta blues players referred to guitar amplifiers as the "devil box." And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you're bringing over from the other side. Electricity attracts devils and demons. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.
5. If you're guilty of thinking, you're out
If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.
6. Never point your guitar at anyone
Your instrument has more clout than lightning. Just hit a big chord then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.
7. Always carry a church key
That's your key-man clause. Like One String Sam. He's one. He was a Detroit street musician who played in the fifties on a homemade instrument. His song "I Need a Hundred Dollars" is warm pie. Another key to the church is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty-making you want to look up her dress the whole time to see how he's doing it.
8. Don't wipe the sweat off your instrument
You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.
9. Keep your guitar in a dark place
When you're not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure you put a saucer of water in with it.
10. You gotta have a hood for your engine
Keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house, the hot air can't escape. Even a lima bean has to have a piece of wet paper around it to make it grow.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Bach's Inventions for 2 voicess
My practice time is very limited, what with the work, the family, and the commute. I am always trying to squeeze the most out of my daily 40 minutes. The right balance is not easy to find. If I don't play something fun every day, I lose my motivation fast. If I don't work on technique (i.e. scales/arpeggios = boring shit), I don't get better, so I end up playing the same stuff over and over and lose my motivation slowly. Seems like Catch-22.
I did a few transcriptions this year. It started with Badinerie - I wanted to try it and could not find a trumpet adaptation. Then a few more Bach pieces. Then I read somewhere that Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz played Bach's Inventions for Two Voices as duets for alto/tenor saxes; in fact, No.13 in Am is on their London Concert LP, here is is below.
*
So I tried the Inventions and got hooked. I never thought it possible to pack so much musical education into so few bars of music. Bach himself subtitled his work as follows:
"Honest method, by which the amateurs of the keyboard – especially, however, those desirous of learning – are shown a clear way not only (1) to learn to play cleanly in two parts, but also, after further progress, (2) to handle three obligate parts correctly and well; and along with this not only to obtain good inventions (ideas) but to develop the same well; above all, however, to achieve a cantabile style in playing and at the same time acquire a strong foretaste of composition."
Let me proceed in order:
- "to obtain good inventions [...] to develop the same well" These pieces are based on simple short phrases - bits of scales, arpeggios - that are stretched, compressed, inverted, and finally woven into rich tapestries. Each piece is a lesson on thematic development - something every jazz improviser aspires to learn but so few master. It is amazing how much mileage can Bach get out of an eight-note sequence - see, for instance No.1 in C.
- "acquire a strong foretaste of composition" I would recommend the Buzoni edition of Inventions, available for free at IMSLP. Each one concludes with a discussion of the form. There is also a book called "An Analytical Survey of the Fifteen Two-Part Inventions by J.S.Bach," I actually have it but have not read much of it.
- "to learn to play cleanly in two parts" Of course a monophonic instrument cannot play solo in two parts, but all horns have to be able to play with others - a skill that Arban and other brass instructors address with duets. Bach's Inventions can and should be played as duets. I typed them into Finale and generated audio files every which way - slow, medium, fast; both voices audible or top voice removed - and then used them as a play-along. They are quite challenging to play that way. A lot of Arban duets have voices play similar figures. Here the voices are complementary and opposite: one is fast, the other is slow; one is busy, the other lays out; contrary motion all over the place... I found canons to be the most difficult - when the other voice plays something you played two bars ago, it can really throw you off. These pieces are great for developing the ear and ability to hear counterpoint.
- The brass players may not have the technical challenges that the pianists have, but there are definitely a few of our own. These lines were not written with a horn in mind. Bach loves long, flowing phrases with three, four, five bars of consecutive sixteenths and for me, every time it feels like a drowning accident - by the third bar I would turn blue and dizzy and then gulp air like a fish, trying to steady my breath. It does get better with practice, though.
- There are also range considerations. Fortunately, Bach's keyboard did not go much beyond C above the staff, and most of the time right hand stays within two-and-a-half octaves. In some pieces, top line can be played right off the score; in others, I transposed it a step down. Even the transposed ones have a few high notes in them - A, always; Bb, often; B, sometimes; C, occasionally. Playing the inventions integrates the high-note practice in a very natural way and since last spring my register expanded and got much stronger at the top.
Another aspect is that there are plenty of runs from one extreme to the other and sudden jumps of an octave or even more. These things are avoided in the beginner's studies because they are difficult - not a consideration for Bach, obviously. Here they are naturally integrated into a bigger piece, which makes them easier to practice - at least the point of doing it is obvious; the jumps are there because of the inner logic of the line.
- Another challenge for me is the aural training. I am trying to memorize them and sing them along with the bass line. Of course, this is not specific to Bach. I find the Inventions to be very different in difficulty - some get imprinted in my mind very quickly, others I keep struggling with. Interestingly, the ones I find more attractive - and easier - are the minor inventions: Em, Cm, Am are the ones I learned already. Many of the major ones seem like a jumble of notes; I am now wrestling with No.3 in D.
- Not a challenge, but a side benefit for someone learning the inventions is that, unlike the trumpet etudes etc., these can be heard. There is a multitude of recordings out there that can be played over and over for fine details of interpretation and articulation. I heard several and my favorites are Gould and Peter Serkin.
This all sounds rather difficult, and it is. When I first looked at No.1 in C, or, worse yet, a beautiful but very hard No.13 in Am, I was really intimidated. However, the challenges are varied enough to stay interesting: once I get tired of trying to hit that high C at tempo, I can focus on breathing, or try to sing along with the bass line, or simply listen to Gould ripping through them. And the lines themselves are really beautiful.
A great essay on the Inventions.
I did a few transcriptions this year. It started with Badinerie - I wanted to try it and could not find a trumpet adaptation. Then a few more Bach pieces. Then I read somewhere that Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz played Bach's Inventions for Two Voices as duets for alto/tenor saxes; in fact, No.13 in Am is on their London Concert LP, here is is below.
So I tried the Inventions and got hooked. I never thought it possible to pack so much musical education into so few bars of music. Bach himself subtitled his work as follows:
"Honest method, by which the amateurs of the keyboard – especially, however, those desirous of learning – are shown a clear way not only (1) to learn to play cleanly in two parts, but also, after further progress, (2) to handle three obligate parts correctly and well; and along with this not only to obtain good inventions (ideas) but to develop the same well; above all, however, to achieve a cantabile style in playing and at the same time acquire a strong foretaste of composition."
Let me proceed in order:
- "to obtain good inventions [...] to develop the same well" These pieces are based on simple short phrases - bits of scales, arpeggios - that are stretched, compressed, inverted, and finally woven into rich tapestries. Each piece is a lesson on thematic development - something every jazz improviser aspires to learn but so few master. It is amazing how much mileage can Bach get out of an eight-note sequence - see, for instance No.1 in C.
- "acquire a strong foretaste of composition" I would recommend the Buzoni edition of Inventions, available for free at IMSLP. Each one concludes with a discussion of the form. There is also a book called "An Analytical Survey of the Fifteen Two-Part Inventions by J.S.Bach," I actually have it but have not read much of it.
- "to learn to play cleanly in two parts" Of course a monophonic instrument cannot play solo in two parts, but all horns have to be able to play with others - a skill that Arban and other brass instructors address with duets. Bach's Inventions can and should be played as duets. I typed them into Finale and generated audio files every which way - slow, medium, fast; both voices audible or top voice removed - and then used them as a play-along. They are quite challenging to play that way. A lot of Arban duets have voices play similar figures. Here the voices are complementary and opposite: one is fast, the other is slow; one is busy, the other lays out; contrary motion all over the place... I found canons to be the most difficult - when the other voice plays something you played two bars ago, it can really throw you off. These pieces are great for developing the ear and ability to hear counterpoint.
- The brass players may not have the technical challenges that the pianists have, but there are definitely a few of our own. These lines were not written with a horn in mind. Bach loves long, flowing phrases with three, four, five bars of consecutive sixteenths and for me, every time it feels like a drowning accident - by the third bar I would turn blue and dizzy and then gulp air like a fish, trying to steady my breath. It does get better with practice, though.
- There are also range considerations. Fortunately, Bach's keyboard did not go much beyond C above the staff, and most of the time right hand stays within two-and-a-half octaves. In some pieces, top line can be played right off the score; in others, I transposed it a step down. Even the transposed ones have a few high notes in them - A, always; Bb, often; B, sometimes; C, occasionally. Playing the inventions integrates the high-note practice in a very natural way and since last spring my register expanded and got much stronger at the top.
Another aspect is that there are plenty of runs from one extreme to the other and sudden jumps of an octave or even more. These things are avoided in the beginner's studies because they are difficult - not a consideration for Bach, obviously. Here they are naturally integrated into a bigger piece, which makes them easier to practice - at least the point of doing it is obvious; the jumps are there because of the inner logic of the line.
- Another challenge for me is the aural training. I am trying to memorize them and sing them along with the bass line. Of course, this is not specific to Bach. I find the Inventions to be very different in difficulty - some get imprinted in my mind very quickly, others I keep struggling with. Interestingly, the ones I find more attractive - and easier - are the minor inventions: Em, Cm, Am are the ones I learned already. Many of the major ones seem like a jumble of notes; I am now wrestling with No.3 in D.
- Not a challenge, but a side benefit for someone learning the inventions is that, unlike the trumpet etudes etc., these can be heard. There is a multitude of recordings out there that can be played over and over for fine details of interpretation and articulation. I heard several and my favorites are Gould and Peter Serkin.
This all sounds rather difficult, and it is. When I first looked at No.1 in C, or, worse yet, a beautiful but very hard No.13 in Am, I was really intimidated. However, the challenges are varied enough to stay interesting: once I get tired of trying to hit that high C at tempo, I can focus on breathing, or try to sing along with the bass line, or simply listen to Gould ripping through them. And the lines themselves are really beautiful.
A great essay on the Inventions.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Brass power
There is a multitude of lists compiling top ten trumpeters; who is the fastest, highest, most soulful, underappreciated, overrated, this, that, and the other... But I am yet to see a a list of the favorite brass bands. Let me step up with my nominations.
Fanfare Ciocarlia - Gili Garabdi
Subtitled "Ancient Secrets of Gypsy Brass," this album brings the Balkan brass tradition to the new century. A few recognizable covers - James Bond Theme, Caravan - are thoroughly balkan-ized, while even the most traditional of Horas and Sirbas have unexpected quotes bubbling to the surface (e.g. a glimpse of Pink Panther Theme in Hora Evreiasca). There are Balkan bands that are more authentic, playing more odd-metered dances and less pop fare (Slonovski Bal), there are some with a more virtuosic playing (Boban Markovic Orkestar), featuring a fiery frontman - but there are none that can compare with Fanfare Ciocarlia in their single-minded pursuit of getting people to dance.
Брасс Белые Ночи - Ретро в Советах (White Nights Brass - Soviet Retro)
Here's an obscure one. I love it not for being groundbreaking and revelatory, but for faithfully and lovingly recreating a dying - or, rather, stone-cold dead - tradition of Russian brass bands of the early XXth century. I believe they play not just the right tunes - waltzes, marches, tangos - but the original charts. There are no attempts to modernize the sound in any way except for the modern recording quality. Each voice comes through clear and strong, the fine dynamic shadings are not buried under scratches, boxy sound, and poor remastering. Extra points for the prominent use of baritone - used not just for oom-pah-pah, but as a leading voice. Grab it if you can find it.
Bollywood Brass Band - Bollywood Brass Band
I don't think I can give the background to this any better than the article East Meets West Meets East Meet... I'd like to include it in my list for a few reasons. This album is one of many that led me to picking up trumpet. It was not necessarily a major life-changing influence, but at some point I realized that most of the music I listen to have a brass section, and this disc was definitely on the horizon. Secondly, like Fanfare Ciocarlia above, it has the same fine balance between being reasonably authentic yet palatable to Western ears. Thirdly, it is really as good as much of the conventional brass band music, yet different and unique. I guess it can be interpreted as "my music taste is hipper than yours" selection :)
Honorable mention:
The Brass Company - Colors [1974]
36 years old; also, not really from a brass band tradition but more of an overgrown modern jazz combo. From the fact that it came out on Strata-East and from the affiliations of the players, some classify it as "spiritual/deep jazz." Anyway, great music, very adventurous harmonically, and also features my new favorite player Charles Tolliver. Great stuff!
Fanfare Ciocarlia - Gili Garabdi
Subtitled "Ancient Secrets of Gypsy Brass," this album brings the Balkan brass tradition to the new century. A few recognizable covers - James Bond Theme, Caravan - are thoroughly balkan-ized, while even the most traditional of Horas and Sirbas have unexpected quotes bubbling to the surface (e.g. a glimpse of Pink Panther Theme in Hora Evreiasca). There are Balkan bands that are more authentic, playing more odd-metered dances and less pop fare (Slonovski Bal), there are some with a more virtuosic playing (Boban Markovic Orkestar), featuring a fiery frontman - but there are none that can compare with Fanfare Ciocarlia in their single-minded pursuit of getting people to dance.
Брасс Белые Ночи - Ретро в Советах (White Nights Brass - Soviet Retro)
Here's an obscure one. I love it not for being groundbreaking and revelatory, but for faithfully and lovingly recreating a dying - or, rather, stone-cold dead - tradition of Russian brass bands of the early XXth century. I believe they play not just the right tunes - waltzes, marches, tangos - but the original charts. There are no attempts to modernize the sound in any way except for the modern recording quality. Each voice comes through clear and strong, the fine dynamic shadings are not buried under scratches, boxy sound, and poor remastering. Extra points for the prominent use of baritone - used not just for oom-pah-pah, but as a leading voice. Grab it if you can find it.
Bollywood Brass Band - Bollywood Brass Band
I don't think I can give the background to this any better than the article East Meets West Meets East Meet... I'd like to include it in my list for a few reasons. This album is one of many that led me to picking up trumpet. It was not necessarily a major life-changing influence, but at some point I realized that most of the music I listen to have a brass section, and this disc was definitely on the horizon. Secondly, like Fanfare Ciocarlia above, it has the same fine balance between being reasonably authentic yet palatable to Western ears. Thirdly, it is really as good as much of the conventional brass band music, yet different and unique. I guess it can be interpreted as "my music taste is hipper than yours" selection :)
Honorable mention:
The Brass Company - Colors [1974]
36 years old; also, not really from a brass band tradition but more of an overgrown modern jazz combo. From the fact that it came out on Strata-East and from the affiliations of the players, some classify it as "spiritual/deep jazz." Anyway, great music, very adventurous harmonically, and also features my new favorite player Charles Tolliver. Great stuff!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Been reading a flame at Amazon blogs: Who are the three most overrated trumpet players in the last 40 years? Messrs. Marsalis and Ferguson are prominently featured (I concur); there's an obligatory discussion of Miles' chops and Hubbard's albums from the 70s.
Fortunately, a few people listed their choices for the most underrated players; two I will have to check out are Carmel Jones and Dizzy Reece; honorable mention for Claudio Roditi and Don Ellis, whom I know and like.
P.S. My favorite trumpet players would be Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, Armstrong, Buck Clayton, and possibly Art Farmer. I like Don Ellis' recordings and Mulligan/Baker Quartet, but not necessarily for the trumpet playing; ditto Jazz Messengers.
Fortunately, a few people listed their choices for the most underrated players; two I will have to check out are Carmel Jones and Dizzy Reece; honorable mention for Claudio Roditi and Don Ellis, whom I know and like.
P.S. My favorite trumpet players would be Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, Armstrong, Buck Clayton, and possibly Art Farmer. I like Don Ellis' recordings and Mulligan/Baker Quartet, but not necessarily for the trumpet playing; ditto Jazz Messengers.
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