clii. ZAPPA, Frank: The Black Page #2

clii. ZAPPA, Frank (1940-1993)

The Black Page #2 (1976)
FZ, guitar
Roy White, rhythm guitar
Eddie Jobson, keyboards, violin
Patrick O'Hearn, bass
Terry Bozzio, drums
Ruth Underwood, percussion, synthesizer
Lou Marini, alto saxophone, flute
Mike Brecker, tenor saxophone, flute
Ronnie Cuber, baritone saxophone, clarinet
Randy Brecker, trumpet
Tom Malone, trombone, trumpet, piccolo
David Samuels, timpani, vibes
John Bergamo, percussion overdubs
Ed Mann, percussion overdubs
(5:36)

from Zappa in New York.

Originally a drum solo for Bozzio, by the time Zappa hit the Palladium stage in December 1976, it was a full-fledged big-band composition with a timely disco beat!

The title The Black Page comes from the fact that Zappa's original manuscript was 1/4 = 60; meaning the note values were small, making a lot of black space:

Here it is, a bit easier to read, with the note values quadrupled (note that the above Black Page #1 is slightly different than the disco-inflected #2!):

cli. BECKER, Walter: Downtown Canon

cli. BECKER, Walter (1950-2017)

Downtown Canon (2008)
WB, vocals, guitar, bass
Keith Carlock drums
Jon Herington, guitar
Dean Parks, guitar
Ted Baker, keyboards
Larry Goldings, organ
Gordon Gottlieb, percussion
Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery, background vocals
Kate Marokowitz, background vocals
Cindy Mizelle, background vocals
Windy Wagner, background vocals
Carmen Carter, background vocals
(5:37)

from Circus Money.

Don't trade today for tomorrow, tomorrow for tomorrow night

Too bad she don't remember, too bad that I still do

**

I cracked the code and I knew what it's all about
We found the loft on Greene Street, swept that bad boy out
Alsatian wine, playing records way past four
Making some crazy soulful love on the hard wood floor
Where did our love go?

You hung the picture of young Dizzy on the wall
According to me that was the best day of them all
Sweet, sweet words like honey from the tongue
Yes, there was magic then in ever song we sung

Hey, don't let 'em kid you, stay cool it'll be all right
Don't trade today for tomorrow, tomorrow for tomorrow night
You chop wood, carry the water, sometimes it be that way
No lie, the downtown canon so wild so fresh so free
Stand by the downtown canon, I say that it's got to be

Chasing sensation to remind us who we are
You met that half-crazed painter fool in some damn bar
Cocaine dreams and chiba-chiba nights
You had to share his world in shades of black and white
Did'nt'cha baby?

Yes, aye, it's a real good theory, can you live with the day to day?
Sure thing, no problemo, sometimes it be that way
You go girl, it's now or never, no one holds out that long
Says here in the downtown canon keep it real, it'll be okay
Right here, the downtown canon, could it be any other way?

Packed up the Dylan and the Man Ray and the Joyce
I left a note that said, well, I guess I got no choice
Excuse me, girl, while I'm kickin' it to the curb
I'm leaving with all I need but less than I deserve

She says, poor everybody, never mind for me and you
Too bad she don't remember, too bad that I still do
It all goes wrong in a hurry, you know it's the second law
Writ large in the downtown canon, it goes up and it must come down
Right here, the downtown canon, catch you on the turnaround

cl. WONDER, Stevie: Ngiculela -- Es Una Historia -- I Am Singing

cl. WONDER, Stevie (1950-       )

Ngiculela -- Es Una Historia -- I Am Singing (1976)
SW, vocals, instruments
Nathan Watts, percussion
Shirley Brewer, backing vocals
Renee Hardaway, backing vocals
Josette Valentino, percussion
Amale Mathews, percussion
Charles Brewer, percussion
John Fischbach, percussion
Marietta Waters, percussion
Nelson Hayes, percussion
(3:49)

from Songs in the Key of Life.

Ngiculela ikusasa
Ngiyacula nao thando
Ngiyacula ngeliny' ilanga
Uthando luyobusa
Jikelele kulomhlaba wethu

Es una historia de mañana
Es una historia de amor
Es una historia que amor reinará
Por nuestro mundo
Es una historia de mi corazón

There's songs to make you smile
There's songs to make you sad
But with a happy song to sing
It never seems is bad
To me came this melody
So I've tried to put in words how I feel
Tomorrow will be for you and me

I am singing of tomorrow
I am singing of love
I am singing someday love will reign
Throughout this world of ours
I am singing
Of love from the heart
Let's all sing someday sweet love will reign
throughout this world of ours
Let's start singing
Of love from the heart

Peace and Love in Zulu, Spanish and English.

Vince Aletti, writing the first review in Rolling Stone, writes:

"Even the best songs are marred by uncomfortably twisted phrasing 'To me came this melody'."

I've always found it charming, but ... chacun à son goût.

The staccato, harpsichord-like electric piano sound fits with Wonder's powerful singing, especially in the final chorus.

cxlix. ABERCROMBIE, John / JOHNSON, Marc / ERSKINE, Peter: Light Beam

cxlix. ABERCROMBIE, John (1944-2017) / JOHNSON, Marc (1953-       ) / ERSKINE, Peter (1954-       )

Light Beam (1989)
JA, guitar, guitar synth
MJ, bass
PE, drums
(3:08)

from John Abercrombie / Marc Johnson / Peter Erskine.

This feels like a simple improv by these three geniuses -- from a live Boston date in 1988 -- but nevertheless presents a trio in rapt conversation.

The more you stare at that cover ...

cxlviii. GRATEFUL DEAD: Uncle John's Band

cxlviii. GRATEFUL DEAD

Uncle John's Band (1970)
Jerry Garcia, guitars, vocals
Bob Weir, guitar, vocals
Pigpen (Ron McKernan), keyboards, harmonica, vocals
Phil Lesh, bass, vocals
Bill Kreutzmann, drums, percussion
Mickey Hart, drums, percussion
(4:46)

from Workingman's Dead.

It was 1971. It was Paris. It was Room 44 at Reid Hall.

I didn't know any of their previous four albums; nor did I know that this one represented a huge stylistic change from those earlier psychedelic-tinged releases.

I just knew that the harmonies and the lyrics hit me in a way that no other Non-Classical music had ever done since I first heard The Beatles in 1963.

Then this phrase always seemed blazing:

And finally these eight bars of a capella truly blew my mind:

cxlvii. McCARTNEY, Paul: Fuh You

cxlvii. McCARTNEY, Paul (1942-       )

Fuh You (2018)
PM, vocals, bass, keyboards
Ryan Tedder, backing vocals
David Angell, violin
Alicia Enstrom, violin
Betsy Lamb, viola
Paul Nelson, cello
Jack Jezzro, bass
(4:08)

from Egypt Station.

I'm pretty sure that I Want To Hold Your Hand was the first Non-Classical song I ever heard! I was nine-years-old, but I think -- even then -- I had a suspicion that the singers wanted something more than just holding hands.

Almost 50 years later, I guess Paul felt he could get more explicit.

**

Co-written with Tedder, Paul had sung "I just wanna shag you" in the chorus as a joke, during rehearsals. It quickly morphed into its present shape ...

Notice how the chorus moves into longer note values, setting a nice contrast between the verses. The "C" section with strings is beautifully composed, as the kid skips off the curb, ala Gene Kelly.

Great video! No one is ever seen lip-syncing both words of the song title ...

cxlvi. BRUBECK, Dave: Take Five

cxlvi. BRUBECK, Dave (1920-2012)

Take Five (1959)
DB, piano
Paul Desmond, alto saxophone
Eugene Wright, bass
Joe Morello, drums
(5:29)

from Time Out.

It is one of the great honors and privileges of my life to have worked for this amazing wonderful human being for a couple of months in the summer of 1970, copying his orchestral score for Truth Is Fallen.

**

Composed by Desmond, and fashioned for the group by Dave, Take Five was the first jazz single to sell a million copies.

It was this composition that inspired me as a very young kid to explore non-traditional time signatures -- and even today, when I hear something in five or seven, my brain immediately goes all happy. (The Beatles' All You Need Is Love, for example -- in seven) ...

**

Here is the transcription, including Desmond's beautifully improvised-structured solo:

When Desmond finishes, Brubeck continues comping as Morello gradually begins a sophisticated drum solo (deleted from the single!) ...

Head and out!

cxlv. TURTLE ISLAND STRING QUARTET: Seven Steps To Heaven

cxlv. TURTLE ISLAND STRING QUARTET

Seven Steps To Heaven (1994)
Darol Anger, violin, baritone violin
Tracy Silverman, violin
Danny Seidenberg, viola
Mark Summer, cello
(4:20)

from Who Do We Think We Are?

Miles' version (co-written with Victor Feldman).

**

TISQ was revolutionary in turning the centuries-old genre into a vehicle for jazz and rock. Not only do they incorporate the ideal sonic palette of the four distinct voices of the string quartet into a homogenous template for their fantastic arrangements of classics like this one -- but Mark Summer uses his cello as a percussion instrument, while the others use innovative techniques like the chop chord.

I'm certainly prejudiced, since we were good friends growing up together in Pittsburgh, but Danny Seidenberg's viola solo (starting at 0:49) is one of the finest jazz string solos I've ever heard!

Summer's up next and he grooves and gives way to Silverman (I think) ...

They return to the head, but with a totally different arrangement -- including pizzicato and diminution (playing the notes at half-speed).

cxliv. REDBONE, Leon: Desert Blues (Big Chief Buffalo Nickel)

cxliv. REDBONE, Leon (Dickran Gobalian) (1949-2019)

Desert Blues (Big Chief Bufalo Nickel) (1975)
LR, vocals, mouth trombone
Joe Venuti, violin
Don McLean, banjo
Milt Hinton, bass
Charles Macey, Hawaiian guitar
Patty Bown, piano
Ralph MacDonald, castanets
Steve Gadd, drums
Billy Slapin, clarinet
Garnett Brown, trombone
Joe Wilder, trumpet, cornet
Seldon Powell, saxophone
Philip Bodner, saxophone
Jonathan Dorn, tuba
(3:42)

From On the Track.

Redbone yodels and plays some "mouth trombone."

cxliii. DUKE, George: It's Summertime

cxliii. DUKE, George (1946-2013)

It's Summertime (1998)
GD, keyboards, vocals, barbecue party
Everette Harp, alto saxophone
"Little John" Roberts, drums
Phil Perry, vocals, barbecue party
Jim Gilstrap, vocals, barbecue party
Ray "The Weeper" Fulton, guitar
Lenny Castro, percussion
Lynn Davis, barbecue party
Josie James, barbecue party
Wayne Holmes, barbecue party
Erik Zolber, barbecue party
(5:24)

from Is Love Enough?

"You didn't bring the seasoning?"
"I got some potato salad."
"Is that red pepper or paprika?"

Whoosh.

Duke -- with a soulful alto obligatto by Everette Harp -- is in his mellow mood here.

Classically trained, Duke got a degree in trombone and composition (with a minor in contrabass!) from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1967.

In 1969, he recorded an album with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and his trio (John Heard, bass; Dick Berk, drums).

Both Frank Zappa and Cannonball Adderly heard this group, and vied for his services. He went with Zappa for two years, the Adderly for the next two -- finally returning to Zappa again, and around the same time starting recording dates under his own name for the MPS label.

His compositions always seemed to fuse his classical leanings, as well as R&B, funk, and pop. His piano technique is astonishing, though he doesn't always show it off, as in this track ...

It was with Zappa that he received the confidence to first sing (Inca Roads).

"Where's the seasoning tray?"
"Shoot, I've been waitin' all day for this barbecue."
"I need to get my mama down here ..."

cxlii. WEATHER REPORT: Night Passage

cxlii. WEATHER REPORT

Night Passage (1980)
Joe Zawinul, keyboards
Wayne Shorter, saxophones
Jaco Pastorius, bass
Peter Erskine, drums
Robert Thomas Jr., percussion
(6:33)

from Night Passage.

Recorded live at The Complex studios in L.A. on July 12-13, 1980.

So no fancy studio tricks -- just a cookin' band of five guys groovin' their asses off.

Here's Wayne:

cxli. ZAPPA, Frank: The Evolution of "Oh No"

cxli. ZAPPA, Frank (1940-1993)

The Evolution of "Oh No" (1967)

1. Sink Trap [from The Lumpy Money Project/Object (2009)]
starting at 0:38

2. Oh No [from Lumpy Gravy (1967) {original instrumental}]
Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra
(3:09)

3. Oh No (from Weasels Ripped My Flesh [1970])
FZ, guitar, vocals
Jimmy Carl Black, drums
Ray Collins, vocals
Roy Estrada, bass, vocals
Lowell George, rhythm guitar, vocals
Don Preston, keyboards
Buzz Gardner, trumpet
Motorhead Sherwood, baritone saxophone, snorks
Art Tripp, drums, vibes
Ian Underwood, alto saxophone
(1:45)

Frank's response to All You Need Is Love (also in 7/4!) ...

On the Weasels version, after the line “do you really think it can be told?” — listen to Frank’s guitar growl “NO”

cxl. CARMICHAEL, Hoagy and CHARLES, Ray: Georgia On My Mind

cxl. CARMICHAEL, Hoagy (1899-1981) and CHARLES, Ray (1930-2004)

Georgia On My Mind (1930)

1. CARMICHAEL, Hoagy, vocals
Chauncey Morehouse, drums
Bud Freeman, tenor saxophone
Jimmy Dorsey, alto saxophone
Jack Teagarden, trombone
Joe Venuti, violin
Eddie Lang, guitar
Bix Beiderbecke, cornet
(3:57)

2. CHARLES, Ray, vocals, piano
Edgar Willis, bass
Milt Turner, drums
(3:52)

Of course, though the still from To Have And Have Not (1944) has nothing to do with the song, it's still nice to see Hoagy and Ms. Bacall.

Charles -- smart string arrangement, and unobtrusive background vocals -- sings with all the soul he is known for ... what a tune! Written over 90 years ago ...

The chromatic descending bass line in bars 13-14 (D/C#/C/B) is a beautiful touch.

cxxxix. TAKE 6: So Much To Say

cxxxix. TAKE 6

So Much 2 Say (1990)
(1:09)

from So Much 2 Say.

And they do have a lot to say:

**

Gotta make this quick
Gotta make it stick
Better begin
So listen up
Won't you give an ear
To hear a hip communique
So much 2 say
So little time
(And it flies when you're having fun, so)

Takin' it slow
(Only got about a minute)
Ain't a propos
(Not too many seconds in it)
And none to spare
A consequence some are unaware of
As many through sequential and historic ages ...
No time for excess chitter-chat mess (What?)
So much 2 say (Oh!)
So little (time)

If you can be attentive
The talk'll be preventive
A cure for cataclysmic strife
The rule is not exemptive
But it is redemptive
A formula for richer life
So much 2 say

so little ...

Time is the indefinitely limitable durational
Within eventuality distinguished from infinity

We hath not much time ...
And yet we have
So much 2 say
So much 2 say
So much 2 say ...

Meaningful moments
Are far and few between
You gotta seize the meaning
(If you see what I mean)
Say what?

cxxxviii. FAGEN, Donald: New Frontier

cxxxviii. FAGEN, Donald (1948-       )

New Frontier (1982)
DF, vocals, synths
Larry Carlton, guitar
Ed Greene, drums
Abraham Laboriel, bass
Hugh McCracken, harmonica
Michael Omartian, keyboards
Starz Vanderlocket, percussion, background vocals
(4:44)

John F. Kennedy:

"We stand today on the edge of a New Frontier -- the frontier of the 1960s, the frontier of unknown opportunities and perils, the frontier of unfilled hopes and unfilled threats."

One reviewer wrote that he thought that Fagen was using the term humorously as a "metaphor for the mysteries of sex and adulthood."

In any case, we are definitely in the 60s here. The video's imagery is super-compelling. A lot of the animation came from the now-defunct Cucumber Studios.

Some of the strongest images come from the phrase "just in case the Reds decide to push the button down:"

With the mention of Brubeck, the album cover of Time Out (1959) by Neil Fujita comes into play:

Look at how Cucumber deconstructed it, before presenting Fujita's actual album cover:

Great line:

"She's got a touch of Tuesday Weld."

cxxxvii. SUN RA: Bassism

cxxxvii. SUN RA (1914-1993)

Bassism (1961)
SR, piano
Bernard McKinney, trombone, euphonium
Marshall Allen, alto saxophone, flute, "morrow" (a Japanese shakuhachi with a Bb clarinet mouthpiece)
John Gilmore, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Pat Patrick, bass saxophone
Ronnie Boykins, bass
Willie Jones, drums
Leah Ananda, conga
(4:03)

from The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra.

New York City! Just like we pictured it!

"The idea was just to play a few gigs, maybe some studio work, and then go back to Chicago ... but as soon they crossed the George Washington Bridge, they collided with a taxi and bent one of the wheels of Boykin's father's car. With no money to have it fixed, they were stranded again. Ra went to a phone booth and called Tom Wilson, and the band all moved in together into a couple of hotel rooms over the Peppermint Lounge on 45th Street. [They moved around] until they found a cheaper place farther downtown in the seventies, where they all lived together."

No one bothered to review this album for 23 years. It was eventually re-released under a new title, with one reviewer giving it some "damning-with-faint-praise" cheer:

"This is one to play for the mistaken folks who think the Arkestra did nothing but make noise. Excellent."

cxxxvi. DAVIS, Miles: Pharaoh's Dance

cxxxvi. DAVIS, Miles (1926-1991)

Pharaoh's Dance (1970)
MD, trumpet
Wayne Shorter, soprano saxophone
Bennie Maupin, bass clarinet
Joe Zawinul, electric piano (left)
Larry Young, electric piano (center)
Chick Corea, electric piano (right)
John McLaughlin, electric guitar
Dave Holland, bass
Harvey Brooks, electric bass
Lenny White, drums (left)
Jack DeJohnette, drums (right)
Don Alias, congas
Juma Santos (credited as "Jim Riley"), shaker
(20:06)

from Bitches Brew.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of this album in the transformation of the jazz and rock worlds at the beginning of the decade of the 70's.

Miles' previous album, In A Silent Way (1969) strongly hinted at what was to come, with extended compositions by Davis and Zawinul.

But nothing prepared our ears for this groundbreaking double-album ...

**

Pharaoh's Dance was lightly sketched out with the few phrases composed by Zawinul. The band created the finished product by creating tight, informed group improvisation that would go on for hours. Then -- in post-production -- the brilliant Teo Macero (Davis' longtime producer) worked his magic; much like George Martin did for The Beatles.

"Macero pioneered the application of the studio as a musical instrument, featuring stacks of edits and studio effects that were an integral part of the music ... there were many special effects, like tape loops, tape delays, reverb chambers and echo effects. Through intensive tape editing, Marcero concocted many totally new musical structures ... Pharaoh's Dance contains 19 edits -- its famous stop-start opening is entirely constructed in the studio, using repeat loops of certain sections. Later on in the track there are several micro-edits: for example, a one-second-long fragment that first appears at 8:39 is repeated five times between 8:54 and 8:59."

A totally fun thing to do is to identify what Zawinul, Young and Corea are doing. They each have their own style and -- at times -- are all playing at the same time!

cxxxv. KENEALLY, Mike: Only Mondays

cxxxv. KENEALLY, Mike (1961-       )

Only Mondays (2000)
MK, vocals, guitar, keyboards
Bryan Beller, bass
Marc Ziegenhagen, keyboards
Jason Harrison Smith, drums
Tricia Williams, percussion
Rick Musallam, guitar, vocals
Evan Francis, alto saxophone, flute
Chris Opperman, trumpet
(2:04)

from Dancing.

Mike writes:

"This song was largely dreamed. I awoke one morning, just a couple of weeks before the beginning of the album sessions, with most of the verse and chorus melody and a couple of lines of lyrics including the chorus. I also knew it would be an answer song to The Carpenters' 'Rainy Days and Mondays' (Karen Carpenter being the 'Karen' in the lyrics). The song was completed within about ten minutes of waking up. I thought I had already written everything for the album, but this song insisted on being included, and I'm grateful to it (I like it a lot) ..."

" ... Thank you Oppy (Chris Opperman) for making my Bacharach dreams come true in the trumpet solo!"

A ridiculously fantastic song.

cxxxiv. YOUNG, Lester: Body and Soul

cxxxiv. YOUNG, Lester (1909-1959)

Body and Soul (1942)
LY, tenor saxophone
Nat Cole, piano
Red Callender, bass
(5:10)

from The Complete Aladdin Recordings of Lester Young.

Nobody played like "Prez."

The nickname came from Billie Holiday, comparing him to Franklin Roosevelt -- "the greatest man around." In turn, he nicknamed her "Lady Day."

Here -- with just piano and bass accompaniment -- he blows his way through this great standard with the coolness of his sound -- laying back behind the beat, and plunging down to the lowest notes on the instrument.

Cole and Callender keep everything simple -- you can almost hear an imaginary drummer playing with brushes.

Cole solos with block chords and moves things up a half step for Callender's solo.