Jazz in Papers/Reviews III

[Tenor Freak]

Meh, jazz guitarists all seem to want to sound like Jim Hall (RIP). Trouble is, the original is so good.

[Ian Thumwood]

I think that jazz guitar seemed to go in to a hiatus after Charlie Christian with everyone following on from his model and maybe refracting it through "cool jazz" with the end results being pretty band. Prior to Christian, I think the acoustic version of the instrument produced some amazing musicians like Eddie Lang, Teddy Bunn, Django Reinhart but I feel that other than Burrell , Montgomery and sometimes Grant Green, the results could be under-whelming. Even technically brilliant musicians like Joe Pass leave me switching off as he did for the guitar what Peterson achieved with the piano. You would have thought that Christian would have inspired so many other musicians to come out of the traps in pursuit yet the "disciples" all seemed under-whelming. Herb Ellis actually had his roots playing with Glen Gray's Casa Loma orchestra in the early 40's by which time that band had given up the ghost as a credible jazz or even swing unit.

For me, I feel that jazz guitar often lagged behind the blues musicians. Granted, the likes of Django were incredibly original, yet blues guitarists from the late 20's onwards seemed to have a far more relaxed style of playing. Rhythmically the blues guitarists of the country era seem far more modern than their jazz counterparts. The record that Lang and Johnson cut are staggeringly ahead of their time , for example. It is almost as if jazz guitar was trying to play catch up.

Since the 70's, the instrument seems to have worked a niche in jazz and there is a plethora of approaches so that jazz guitar sounds as relevant as the horns as a credible jazz instrument and able to fit in to a variety of contexts. I agree with Bruce regarding Jim Hall - surely a major inspiration as be was such a talented improviser and always moving forwards. Small wonder that Frisell studied with him and so many other contemporary guitarists have cited him as an influence. Far from being bland, I think guitarists have made some of the most exciting contributions to jazz on the last thirty years with Frisell often being central to this. Nice also see hear someone like John Scofield who has borrowed from soul, funk and rock also being one of the principle musicians I would suggest hugely indebted to Ornette Coleman. The comment about Cream was interesting in this respect as there is actually far more of Ornette in Scofield's approach. Hou can also say the same with Metheny is another major Ornette fan.

What about James "Blood" Ulmer - any fans out there?

[Serial_Apologist]

Well, I am always up for a challenge!

Jazz guitar is difficult to get right, it can be so bland, but I am amazed at how awful/crass Herb Ellis could be. A friend sent me a rare tape of the Peterson trio in Canada, Ellis channeling Bill Halley, that near.

BN.

Funnily enough it was finding that one-chorus guitar solo on "Rock Around the Clock" the most interesting thing on it at age eleven that probably set me up for jazz and improvisation.

[Ian Thumwood]

Of that era, one guitarist who was quite interesting was Les Paul who himself was influenced by the commercial music of that time.

Whatever happened to Bill Halley?

[Tom Audustus]

the Graun has dropped Jazz from the directory of culture on its website ... is this the end?

The 'Culture' pages now look a complete mess.

[Serial_Apologist]

What about James "Blood" Ulmer - any fans out there?

Not a big fan but I do like him.

I think when it comes to pre-rock fuzz-toned fusion or post-fusion guitar in the mainstream as probably best represented by Jim Mullen for many years over here, it's the guitar in combination with sax (preferably tenor) acoustic bass and drums that in ballads especially best evokes a modern urban equivalent to moments in Debussy of getting away from the crowd. Jim Hall fulfilled this beautifully on Sonny Rollins's "The Bridge", and there are bits of the "Alfie" soundtrack that mimic this; and Gabor Szabo on Charles Lloyd's "Of Course, Of Course", also from 1966. In fact I can't think of better musical counterpoints of the quotidian 1960s than those of jazz - not even "Sergent Pepper" which just caught the unique atmosphere of the summer of 1967. For me, at any rate, the electric guitar tone - not the acid screamy look-at-me tone of rock guitar - captures that feeling of being at home with myself in certain situations when in a state of unlonely aloneness, as RD Laing expressed it.

On a musical level, straight jazz guitar tone works best I think when the player manages to improvise asymmetrically to the underpinning harmonic and metric structure. There are one or two young guitar players with German names currently active on the London scene who can manage the harmonic but not the metric side of this and thus bore, because straight modern jazz guitar tone can easily sound bland, and needs something extra to compensate for this blandness; the British guy in the clip below, who now co-runs my regular Amersham Arms Tuesday night with a bassist named Matt Ridley, succeeds for me in both senses. Here he is from two years ago (he is even better now) in company with an altoist who is another regular of ours and two guys posters will be familiar with from more publicised settings. The choice of tune possibly helps here, but their way of taking it outside (or not) is sufficiently ambiguous in it's effect on the listener - have they quit the changes? - to make it work, I think:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJxt97L6KXw

[Ian Thumwood]

SA

Love that clip!! In my opinion, this is almost the defining sound of contemporary jazz which I suppose I first encountered with bands such s John Scofield's quartet with Joe Lovano. The Moutin Factory had a similar style to this when I saw them in the summer. For me, this sax / guitar combo sound is the contemporary equivalent of the Hard Bop trumpet and tenor. If Blue Note had it's 50's / 60's policy now, the label would be full of band such as this. It would be the staple sound of Blue note.

I don't think they have quit the changes but the harmony has been amended so that the tune is unrecognisable. I've heard so many bands play in this style that it is familiar and immediately agreeable. This is the kind of stuff I would call "contemporary mainstream" - a new name to me but one worth checking out and more urgent and relevant than a lot of more fancied, current British names.

I'm not sure on the comment about straight, current jazz guitar tone can bore. I would have agreed with you concerning earlier players but someone like Pat Metheny has a gamut of tones (as well as a number of guitars) which always fascinates and someone like John Scofield has an earthiness that immediately grabs your attention. I love Scofield - he is rooted in the blues but can go completely outside without people really realising what he is up to. For me, Scofield has been a major source of pleasure and one of my heroes as a contemporary jazz musician encapsulating what the music should be about and making the music connect.

[Ian Thumwood]

Meh, jazz guitarists all seem to want to sound like Jim Hall (RIP). Trouble is, the original is so good.

What about Lionel Loueke ? I think je sounds totally original. I'd forgot to mention him but he is in the Esperanza Spalding record I am playing at the moment.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

he will be on Jon3 this Monday night Ian .... if we have concluded the diversionary riff on the guitar we might consider the papers again which are downgrading jazz and need a reminder from fans &c .... if not please feel free to start another thread on the guitar in jazz

[Ian Thumwood]

Calum

The Sunday Telegraph also revised it's magazine a couple of weeks ago and the details are now found within the paper. This paper does cover jazz quite well (Ivan Hewitt writes the reviews) and the paper had a review of trumpeter Avishai Cohen's gig on Friday too. The choice of CDs reviewed is always interesting but the Telegraph seems to get things right when they choose to write about jazz. I also like cinema and books so miss the magazine that the ST issued. I never buy a paper on Saturday as there is no when to read it as the afternoons are taken up with watching football and I usually need to get the shopping done in the morning.

The problem with the Guardian's reviews is that they were written with John Fordham and I often disagree with his assessments. I suppose if you are a sandal wearing school teacher, you will probably agree with his assessment. By and large the tabloids seem oblivious to the fact that jazz exists but it is interesting how often jazz CDs get chosen by celebrities when asked by the Daily Express on Fridays. One of the Expresses reviewers was a jazz fan and used to have the odd disc that was of interest but he no longer writes the reviews. You are better off going on line to check out what records are worth checking out although a website like "All about jazz" never seems to be negative and is a bit hagiographical whenever ECM issue anything. I can't believe that they are never less than ecstatic about ECM as I am constantly under-whelmed by what they issue or at least feel Manfred Eicher's deadening hand seems to have too much of an impact.

Right, off to see "Paddington" now...................................

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

murdoch rothermere and barclays will never see this jazbo's penny!

[charles t]

Speaking of jazz guitarists, can't find a mention of Joe Pass. (Possible hang-up on surname?)

I had the occasion to hear this mainstreamer in a club setting and his seemingly effortless facility & style, might be somewhat overlooked in these decades of high-voltage stylists...

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

murdoch rothermere and barclays will never see this jazbo's penny!

Not sure how true the cliche of the Guardian reader/teacher reach is any more. They have just dumped what was left of their "Society" section. Remember all those public sctor job ads? It now seems to be written by and for the (London) media class itself. The sooo faux Oxbridge 30 something, "we know fk all really and are very happy to demonstrate it..." "Death by G2" as someone called it. Dumbing to new depths I call it. It is also a deeply snide rag to anyone that crosses it. A "Mail" like gatekeeper for the Liberati.

Alan Rusbridger is moving on to chair the Scott trust and oversee the Guardian's offshore tax avoidance schemes. I expect Fordham's days are now numbered.

BN.

Richard Williams' blog is worth reading tho.

[Ian Thumwood]

The Guardian is based in Manchester and had it's origins of the time that radical politics first appears in the 1800's. It was one of the first papers to actually champion the working class yet I very much doubt if working class readers actually bother with it now. The Sun seems to hold sway on the building sites where I work and their jazz coverage is about as widespread as their championing of liberal causes!

I like the Telegraph as it does have good arts coverage and is also more keen to review the kinds of things that interest me across things like music, books and film. The one thing that is fascinating is the more "highbrow" approach to pop music whereby the reviewers can append some quite lofty opinions to reviews of concerts and records. This is fascinating in itself. If you can writing purple prose in favour of pop acts, how do you deal with artistically superior music like jazz? Even "All about jazz" is getting in on the act with recent reviews including people as diverse as George Michael and U2. Have we now reached the stage whereby ordinary pop music is so dire that similar acts from 20-30 years ago can now be lauded as being superior and worthy of serious consideration? It is a weird situation made complicated by the fact that some reviwers like John Fordham seem unreliable to me. This is certainly the case with a writer like Stuart Nicholson - wonder whether he ever reads the stuff he wrote 10-15 years ago and realises just how wide of the mark he actually turned out to ne. i.e. No European dominance of jazz or at least , European jazz just seems to be more homogenous.

I think the availability of downloads and the recent farrago concerning the "free download" of the recent U2 record regardless of whether anyone wanted it is making music more disposable and perhaps less worthy of review. Consumers are not buying CDs and in jazz artists seem increasingly involved in marketing and distributing their recordings.

If you want serious arts reviews in the newspapers, you need to rely on the broadsheets . As I said, I like the Telegraph yet their own magazine has been re-jigged within the last few weeks and it is difficult to find substantive writing about any of the arts. If the Guardian has pulled the plug, I wonder if this is a trend? Irrespective of the fact that I find their writer far too worthy and hypocritical, it is a shame if jazz does loose it's footing in the popular press as an art form worth discussing. That said, I am a snob and would have to say the jazz and classical music have a place in a weekly arts review column whereas other styles of music are not so worthy in my narrow-minded opinion. Two arts forms have dominated the 20th century and they are jazz and film - both have a place in any credible arts review section of the board sheets and , with cinema, there is as good a case as jazz with the red tops seemingly only interested in blockbusters or films likely to attract a sizable audience. For my money, the better films are often historical ones or even foreign language films which treat their audiences with greater respect.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"I've worked for the paper from the days
when I regarded it as a bourgeois, SDP-
loving crapsheet. In some ways nothing
has changed, except that nowadays the
SDP-lovers would be considered far too
leftwing." Steve Bell, Guardian cartoonist, 2010.

Plus ca change.

BN.