Small's Jazz Club NewsLetter... Moanin'

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

yep chas it is!

compared to the Prom on BBC 4 last night on BBC4

Jazz singer and broadcaster Clare Teal transports us back to the heady days of the swing band era of the 1930s and 1940s in a recreation of the bands of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Conductor James Pearson of the Count Pearson Proms Band takes on Grant Windsor of the Duke Windsor Proms band in a roof-raising battle, with help from vocalists Gregory Porter and Vula Malinga. The evening culminates in a bespoke rousing 'battle royal' for the biggest audience ovation. Presented by Katie Derham.

... me i am not saying any thing ... not a word ....

[Stanfordian]

yep chas it is!

compared to the Prom on BBC 4 last night on BBC4



... me i am not saying any thing ... not a word ....

Hiya Calum Da Jazbo,

I had to turn off last nights televised 'Jazz' Prom on BBC 4. The music just didn't swing for me at all. I didn't like the 'battle of the bands' format they had devised and Clare Teal's presentation was toe-curlingly awful.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"The evening culminates in a bespoke rousing 'battle royal' for the biggest audience ovation. Presented by
Katie Derham."


I just glanced at that and thought "Kenny Dorham"!?

Oh, if wishes were horses etc.

Caught the Greg Porter sings/slings Joe Williams bit. Did an Ed Reardon.

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

... welcome Stanfordian to da bored for one of your all too rare incursions! as for No 30 least said &c ......

the battle of the bands has a precedent:

an object lesson in swing eh ...

[Stanfordian]

... welcome Stanfordian to da bored for one of your all too rare incursions! as for No 30 least said &c ......

the battle of the bands has a precedent:

an object lesson in swing eh ...

Hiya Calum Da Jazbo,

Thanks for the clip. Now that is what I do call swing. Not the soggy fare we were served up on last night's televised 'Jazz' Prom on BBC 4.

[Serial_Apologist]

the battle of the bands has a precedent:

Indeed - a Prez-ident!

[Ian Thumwood]

It's strange how celebrated records now get treated as performance pieces and it is probably symptomatic of the fact that scores for these recordings are now widely available. I know this is the case with the Miles / Gil Evans arrangements which were unavailable until the 1990's.

The Ellington / Basie album is a brilliant record and quite fascinating. It does merit repeated listening as the styles are so different. I've heard two French big bands recreate this record in concert and whilst one of my friends complained that it wasn't in the spirit of jazz and a bit lazy to put on such a popularist concert, it was fascinating to see how the instrumentation in the scores works to produce the distinctive sounds. I'd always been more sympathetic to Ellington's approach and , if it indeed was a battle, initially felt that the Duke took the honours. Hearing the music performed live gives a different impression and it was striking that the "Basie" elements are actually more "modern." The best track on that record is "Segue in C " - one of the best grooves in the history of jazz. I was awestruck when I first heard that track as a teenager and it has still retained it's fascination.

[charles t]

The latest from Spike, re: the Wash Post broo-ha-ha

"Dear Friends:

I want to thank everyone for the amazing response I got to last week's newsletter in regards to the insipid attacks on jazz in the Washington Post as well as the piece aimed at Sonny Rollins in the New Yorker. There was quite a few letters sent to the editors and a lot of backlash in the social media. It's encouraging and sends a strong message. We will not tolerate blatant and unnecessary lashing out at historic artists who's reputations don't need to be tarnished at this stage. Both the New Yorker and The Washington Post lamely reiterated that the articles were "satire", although neither were funny or clear that they were satire. There was a video response from Sonny himself on Youtube and quite a few rebuttals published in journals - even in other countries. This music has a passionate following. We must remember that jazz and art are extremely important and must not be devalued. In this time of conflict world-wide and confrontation in this country we need to value the things of quality that we have and what they represent - creativity, peaceful abidance and communication. Jazz is a music of quality and intellect. It is a music of the Human Spirit and cannot be tarnished..."

[Old Grumpy]

" Jazz is a music of quality and intellect. "

I do like that

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

the trouble for us OAPs is that we can no longer afford quality and have misplaced whatever intellect we may once have laid claim to ...

and jazz is music of emotion and expression too or it is nothing but noodles and exercises in circular writhing ...

[Serial_Apologist]

the trouble for us OAPs is that we can no longer afford quality and have misplaced whatever intellect we may once have laid claim to ...

and jazz is music of emotion and expression too or it is nothing but noodles and exercises in circular writhing ...

Oh no you haven't-click-haven't-click-haven't-click-haven't-click-haven't...

Etc etc - "Repetition Compulsion": dedicated to the other Reich and committed to tape loop a posterior

[charles t]

Serialist: When you mention (the other) Reich it brings to mind the story - in Boston, I believe - after only a few minutes or so of performance of one of his typical compositions, a voice shouts from the balcony:

"ENOUGH! I CONFESS!"

[Serial_Apologist]

Serialist: When you mention (the other) Reich it brings to mind the story - in Boston, I believe - after only a few minutes or so of performance of one of his typical compositions, a voice shouts from the balcony:

"ENOUGH! I CONFESS!"

Hadn't heard that one before - I must confess!

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"Rollins, who turns 84 next month and has not
been in great health lately, was given the chance
to express his feelings in a video interview with
Doug Yoel. It’s half an hour long and sometimes
repetitive, but stick with it. Looking back over
a career that began in the late 1940s, Rollins
says he remembers articles proclaiming “Jazz is
dead” in magazines every five or 10 years
throughout that time. “Jazz has been mocked,
minimalised and marginalised throughout its
history,” he says. Now Django Gold and the
editors of a magazine’s website have done their
bit. Jazz is still a part of New York, but evidently
no longer an important part of the New Yorker."

- Richard Williams @ Blue Moment Blog. August 2014

A very good blog. Good piece also on the recent Kenny Wheeler benefit concert.

BN.

[Quarky]

The latest from Spike, re: the Wash Post broo-ha-ha

"Dear Friends:

I want to thank everyone for the amazing response I got to last week's newsletter in regards to the insipid attacks on jazz in the Washington Post as well as the piece aimed at Sonny Rollins in the New Yorker. There was quite a few letters sent to the editors and a lot of backlash in the social media. It's encouraging and sends a strong message. We will not tolerate blatant and unnecessary lashing out at historic artists who's reputations don't need to be tarnished at this stage. Both the New Yorker and The Washington Post lamely reiterated that the articles were "satire", although neither were funny or clear that they were satire. There was a video response from Sonny himself on Youtube and quite a few rebuttals published in journals - even in other countries. This music has a passionate following. We must remember that jazz and art are extremely important and must not be devalued. In this time of conflict world-wide and confrontation in this country we need to value the things of quality that we have and what they represent - creativity, peaceful abidance and communication. Jazz is a music of quality and intellect. It is a music of the Human Spirit and cannot be tarnished..."

A very good response. Certainly all such attacks have to be nailed down and taken apart.

What's going on? Vicious attacks out of nowhere? Riots in Missouri? I always look for possible underlying reasons for such events, but not being a resident of USA, I just can't fathom it out.