Comments for The Key Bop Chronicles http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary a blog about improvisation, piano, and the Jazz tradition Mon, 13 May 2013 03:28:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Comment on Bluesology (originally posted 9/21/09) by tgcleary http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/2012/01/04/bluesology-originally-posted-92109/#comment-1241 tgcleary Mon, 13 May 2013 03:28:03 +0000 http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/?p=7#comment-1241 Interesting comment, Brad, and thanks for including the Dave Holland link. This group has some characteristics that set it apart from many other jazz groups, and which are also factors its success and prominence – the open-sounding, adventurous and yet still melodic writing and the use of vibes instead of piano or guitar as a chord instrument, which is becoming more and more common but is still an unusual feature. But this performance is also full of aspects that place it squarely within the jazz tradition, for example, the way the players carry on a constant musical conversation, rather than falling into more traditional soloist and accompanist roles, and the way the soloists deal with the harmony, expanding on it rather than using it as a series of closed concepts. To my ear, the lick you refer to is more related to the intervallic concepts in Sonny Rollins’ and Wayne Shorter’s playing – in particular in makes me think of the bridge of Wayne’s ‘Speak No Evil’ , in the way it defines an ever-expanding melodic range through the use of wider and wider intervals. These players are all masters of the modern melodic language that includes bebop, and I think we have more to gain by looking at how they take the tradition forward than we do by trying to list the ways they depart from it. Chris Potter’s solo on ‘Tune Up’ that can be heard on YouTube is an interesting example of a modern player taking a very traditional tune through a series of approaches: first completely diatonic, then adding bebop chromaticism, then moving on to more abstract approaches. (A link is below.) Another example of this kind of solo is Herbie Hancock’s solo on ‘Autumn Leaves’ from the album ‘Miles Davis In Europe’, where to my ear he summarizes the approaches of Miles’ previous pianists, including Wynton Kelly, Red Garland and Bill Evans, and then moves on more of his own ideas. All the summarizing and the innovating, however, is done in a single, coherent musical voice. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=chris+potter+tune+up&mid=C33312347CA17D59ACD4C33312347CA17D59ACD4&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1

]]> Comment on Bluesology (originally posted 9/21/09) by Brad O http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/2012/01/04/bluesology-originally-posted-92109/#comment-1239 Brad O Mon, 13 May 2013 01:54:38 +0000 http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/?p=7#comment-1239 I just wanted to share this link even though I am no long in your class Mr. Cleary sharing brings more meaning to the things I listen too (also couldn’t find anyone excited or interested about it either.) Your blog says jazz tradition. When I think of tradition I think of that classic medium swing or bop eighth note improvisational feel. I do not think of Chris Potter or anything considered “out” or “Avant-garde” as traditional jazz UNTIL these past couple of days. Today’s modern jazz can’t be played without studying masters of “traditional” jazz, yes I know this is a cliche to say this and I’ve heard otherwise from some. Here is a video of the Dave Holland Quartet in Belgium http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8O2B6U6KIc
Chris Potter plays, in my opinion, a very classic lick at 32:30. It gets fairly complicated. Some of the comments on the video are negative opinions of “Potter’s” fringe playing and it has to many sharp edges. I wonder how improvised this lick at 32:30 really is though. Seems like a great example of bop influence to me and outlines the chords great! I would love to read a blog of your thoughts about playing in this kind of Chris Potter, Dave Holland (some of Dave Holland…), McCoy Tyner style and how bop influences “modern” jazz. Something along the lines of this. I’ve been talking to some other students at schools other then UVM recently and they describe these groups as completely unexpected or completely different then convention or traditional jazz. I am conflicted though, I kinda disagree. I hope people actually read this and take these thoughts much further! P.S. I couldn’t figure out how to comment on any other article so this is kinda random 0.0

]]> Comment on Everybody’s Boppin’ by dluongo http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/2012/01/05/everybodys-boppin/#comment-1159 dluongo Tue, 07 May 2013 04:07:54 +0000 http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/?p=36#comment-1159 Cool to hear about how you integrated your jazz experience with simpler “jam” progressions! I’m curious if the forms of any tunes you play with Mike Gordon have any open group improvisation sections worked into the songs where no specific chord progression is adhered to? If so, do you enjoy that sort of thing? I am also curious if anyone knows any jazz groups that have open ended jams, as most jambands seem to stick to diatonic progressions and I’m interested if there are jazz musicians who can improvise tightly as a group with more complex progressions.

]]> Comment on Rhythm Changes and Trading Fours by Paul Cirignano http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/2013/02/19/rhythm-changes-and-trading-fours/#comment-797 Paul Cirignano Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:31:51 +0000 http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/?p=77#comment-797 Here is a cool recording of The Bad Plus playing with Bill Frisell: http://www.npr.org/event/music/158004697/the-bad-plus-with-bill-frisell-live-in-concert-newport-jazz-2012
At about 18:30 they play the tune No Moe, a Sonny Rollins rhythm changes. After Frisell, Iverson, and Anderson take their solos there is a chorus of some interesting trading. In addition to the trading, this whole concert is a great example of musicians interacting with each other in the moment.

]]> Comment on Everybody’s Boppin’ by pmarkley http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/2012/01/05/everybodys-boppin/#comment-677 pmarkley Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:55:48 +0000 http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/?p=36#comment-677 Speaking of genres, one cannot overlook the relationship of jazz and hiphop. Not always in instrumentation or rhythm, but rather in the emotional connection to the ‘groove’ or the ‘pocket’. (NOT to be confused with dirty south crotch-grabbing ‘gansta rap’ that you hear on the radio) Check out some artists like the ‘Jazz Liberatorz’ and ‘Pete Rock’, these groups/producers constantly sample from traditional jazz standards (and take time to give credit to the original jazz artists).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xk0eGIU0Ys

PS- I’ll make someone a nice dinner if they can tell me the jazz song that this piano sample is from…

]]> Comment on Rhythm Changes and Trading Fours by tgcleary http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/2013/02/19/rhythm-changes-and-trading-fours/#comment-430 tgcleary Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:53:51 +0000 http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/?p=77#comment-430 It’s interesting to contrast this Derek Trucks tune with the Snarky Puppy tune Peter mentioned – where the Snarky Puppy sax players’ trading uses a fair amount of bebop language, Trucks and Kofi Burbridge on flute create variety through what is sometimes called ‘side-slipping’, i.e. using scales borrowed from outside the key of the moment.

]]> Comment on Rhythm Changes and Trading Fours by tgcleary http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/2013/02/19/rhythm-changes-and-trading-fours/#comment-429 tgcleary Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:38:17 +0000 http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/?p=77#comment-429 Great example, Brad! I think Clark’s trumpet/flugel trading, rather than just displaying his amazing ability to switch embouchures, is an example of how great players sometimes approach a solo as trading fours with themselves, or between themselves and an imaginary second voice. This also suggests that trading fours might have evolved not just as a way add an additional element to a spontaneous group arrangement, but as a way for musicians to practice improvising short phrases and expand their vocabulary by picking up ideas from each other.

]]> Comment on Rhythm Changes and Trading Fours by tgcleary http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/2013/02/19/rhythm-changes-and-trading-fours/#comment-428 tgcleary Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:23:53 +0000 http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/?p=77#comment-428 There’s a lick Peterson uses for the first time at 3:58 – and uses several times afterwards – that is very similar to the one that appears in m. 20-21 of the second chorus from Clifford Brown’s ‘Pent Up House’ solo. Not sure what you mean by Pass’ chromatic lick – can you find a timing?

]]> Comment on Rhythm Changes and Trading Fours by tgcleary http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/2013/02/19/rhythm-changes-and-trading-fours/#comment-427 tgcleary Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:06:21 +0000 http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/?p=77#comment-427 The first chorus of the solo is definitely a great example of developing a simple idea. In the first chorus he also uses pieces of what in class we call the ‘turnaround lick’ – first the ‘tail’, then the beginning. His version of the tune changes the feel from the original triplet/swing feel to straight eighth; he also stretches out the form to twice as many measures as usual – if I were transcribing it I’d write it in cut time and use eighth rather than sixteenth notes…

]]> Comment on Rhythm Changes and Trading Fours by tgcleary http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/2013/02/19/rhythm-changes-and-trading-fours/#comment-426 tgcleary Mon, 18 Mar 2013 02:52:18 +0000 http://blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary/?p=77#comment-426 The trading between the tenor players at 3:20 in ‘Slow Demon’ is a great example of trading, also of how bebop language works well in this context.

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