- “I Remember Summer” by Marquis Hill, Modern Flows Vol. 1, released on 10/21/2014
- “Cornet Chop Suey” by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven, Okeh Records, recorded on 2/26/1926, released in May of 1926
- “Cleanhead Blues” by Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson, Red Holloway, The Original Cleanhead, Flying Dutchman, released in 1970
Red Holloway – Cleanhead Blues
- “Chameleon” by Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters, Columbia Records, recorded in September of 1973, released on 10/26/1973
Herbie Hancock – Chameleon (Official Audio)
- “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Benny Goodman, Louis Prima, Brunswick Record Corporation, recorded in February of 1936, released in July of 1937
“SING, SING, SING” BY BENNY GOODMAN
- “Street Named Hell” by Sun Ra, Jazz by Sun Ra, Transition Records, recorded on 7/12/1956, released in 1957
- “Ballye de Nina” by Jaco Pastorious, Ira Sullivan Quintet, The Early Years, Holiday Park Records, recorded on April 8th, 1973, released in 2006
Jaco Pastorius / Ira Sullivan Quintet – Ballye de Nina (1973) at “The Playboy Club”
- “Door of the Cosmos” by Sun Ra, Sleeping Beauty, El Saturn Records, recorded and released in 1979
- “Didn’t I Tell You” by Doctor Jo Jo Adams, Chance Records, recorded and released in November 1953
DR. JO JO ADAMS – DIDN’T I TELL YOU – CHANCE
- “Jess’ One Mo’ Time” by “Madman” Jones, Cameo Records, MAD Records, released in June of 1958
“Madman” Jones – “”Jess” One Mo’ Time” (MAD) 1958
This is a playlist featuring a few relatively unknown figures in Chicago Jazz History, but have played a pivotal role in the development of what we know as Jazz today. This process has been very interesting in the sense that we take the context and ideas that we have been working on all semester, and simply look back on it with our new ideas and understandings in mind. This engages us to think about the experiences and themes from a different perspective than we initially did when writing our responses. Learning of things such as the Musicians’ Unions such as the Local 10 and 208 and realizing their impact on the jazz scene when hearing the spoken intro to “Nostalgia in Times Square”, where Ronnie Cuber speaks of his first time encountering Mingus, “At Birdland one night I said, ‘Charles, can I play one with you?’ He said, “Yeah, come on man, As long as the union don’t bust us.” The idea of the Union isn’t just a Chicago Jazz thing but rather an issue for black musicians even being mentioned in a tune as prominent as “Nostalgia in Times Square.” Making small connections like that from the context and material from the class makes it very intriguing. When listening to tunes during this time, the ideas of exploitation, racism, and segregation is generally kind of “built in” to the music and I definitely was not thinking about it in that way going into this. The idea of experimentalism in music, especially jazz as early as this is something that is very interesting to me. Artists like Sun Ra who pushed the boundaries of what the standard could be despite not always being praised because of it are the reason music is able to evolve and how we are able to experience jazz in the way that we know it.
- “I Remember Summer” by Marquis Hill, Modern Flows Vol. 1, released on 10/21/2014
This tune represents the feeling of nostalgia and the sense of being able to recall a time that may have been more peaceful or calming. This whole album has a different vibe to it that sounds very modern but also has a very specific, classic sound. Which I feel is heavily attributed by the use of the vibraphone, played by Justin Thomas who is featured heavily throughout Marquis Hill’s discography. I believe since the tune’s main theme is “remembering,” using whole tone and diminished sounds really adds to that aspect of the tune. Overall the tune feels like someone longing for something, to go back to way the things were in the past. Meagan McNeal on vocals especially adds a perfect layer on top of this mix with her voice. The personnel on this tune features, Marquis Hill on Trumpet, Christopher McBride on Alto Sax, Justin Thomas on Vibraphone, Joshua Ramos on Acoustic Bass, Bryan Doherty on Electric Bass, and Makaya McCraven on Drums
- “Cornet Chop Suey” by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven, Okeh Records, recorded on 2/26/1926, released in May of 1926
The tune “Cornet Chop Suey” was recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1926, featured on disc 1 of the “Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings” album. The personnel on this recording featured Kid Ory on trombone, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Lillian Hardin Armstrong on piano (who was also Louis Armstrong’s wife), and Johnny St Cyr on Banjo. The tune is in the key of F major and features a chromatic progression that can be substituted for a I-vi-ii-V then goes to the minor ii with a I-vi-ii-V back into the next A section which repeats basically the same thing but holding the I chord in the last 4 bars. The B section primarily holds out on the I chord but also switches between a major/minor IV going back into the I which leads into 2 measure long breaks leading back into going back to the I which leads into a break that leads into solos, One thing I will say is that in historian Gene Anderson (2003, 19) states “No Earthshaking Jazz may have resulted.”I believe this to be wrong. The whole recording session is “earth shattering” in a sense but “Cornet Chop Suey” is a tune that is definitely a “genre-defining” tune in itself. What I mean by that is when someone who isn’t a jazz musician may picture the term “jazz,” this would be a tune that would perfectly capture the essence of what jazz is. Armstrong’s extravagant solos that move in a way that is stated to be “almost as if he wrote it out beforehand” in a blogpost I found while exploring this tune’s backstory. (Cornet Chop Suey) If this were to be the case, it would say a lot about how you could possibly be approaching soloing. I don’t imagine Armstrong wrote out and read an entire solo, but rather took inspiration from bits and pieces he did write out, which could be interpreted as just practicing vocabulary.
- “Cleanhead Blues” by Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson, Red Holloway, The Original Cleanhead, Flying Dutchman, released in 1970
This tune is known as “Cleanhead Blues” and is seen as an homage to Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, who this tune is named after as he originally recorded the tune in 1947. The personnel in the YouTube video features Red Holloway leading the band on vocals/sax, Massimo Farao on piano, Lady Bass on Bass, and Bobbie Durham on drums. The tune follows a regular blues form, and in the recording it seems to be in the key of Eb. Eddie Vinson lost a good amount of his hair and was forced to shave off the rest of it. He seemed to like the look he was able to achieve with his baldness and almost used it as a way to set him apart from other musicians. It gives him an image with a sense of presentability which may have allowed for him to stick out when it came to a job. I feel like this relates to what we were talking about in relation to the Hot Five/Seven and the idea that better presentation is a better image in terms of booking and playing shows and essentially being showmen for people to gawk at when experiencing “real jazz.” Cleanliness and presentability is a large part in being hired as a musician and the standard was essentially set by them in that regard. Vinson’s “cleanhead” definitely added to his stage presence and his ability to charm the audience, and obviously became a large part of his identity. The way that Red Holloway sings in this recording is definitely an homage to Vinson, the band swings in a way that is very sweet and smooth while keeping its slow but moving tempo. The band has a certain connection with each other that becomes apparent during a moment at 1:14 of the video where the drummer shows some expression toward Holloway and then the piano joins in all while Lady Bass is holding it down. You can feel the energy in the room through the video—even the video quality has a certain charm to it. Red Holloway is very interactive with his band and isn’t afraid to express a little excitement when something great may be happening throughout the tune and it’s apparent that the excitement is shared with the entire audience. This video was recorded on June 7th, 1995 while Jazz had already developed to a great extent, the musicians still play in a way that no one else can.
- “Chameleon” by Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters, Columbia Records, recorded in September of 1973, released on 10/26/1973
I believe every jazz musician knows this tune by heart. “Chameleon” is a tune by the father of Hip-Hop, Herbie Hancock. I believe that what we’ve been learning recently in our course is that jazz at its roots has been about connecting and breaking barriers, and, in my opinion, the whole Headhunters album is about breaking barriers. That’s what the tune represents. Even today, the bass line to this tune is universally known across the Jazz community as it is a part of a pivotal point in jazz fusion. Snoop Dogg thanks Herbie Hancock for ‘creating hip hop’ at the 36th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, Snoop Dogg’s Tribute to Herbie Hancock at the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors where influential artists such as Earth, Wind, and Fire, Santana, and Elton John have been honored for their contributions to American culture. Herbie Hancock received this honor due to the fact that his music, and very much the Headhunters album has contributed heavily to what we know as jazz/funk/hiphop today. The tune itself is what I would say is the basis of funk, musicians all over the world try to replicate what Hancock did on this recording and it is impossible to. This tune features Herbie Hancock on Keys, Bennie Maupin on Saxophone, Paul Jackson on Bass, Harvey Mason on Drums, and Bill Summers on Percussion
- “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Benny Goodman, Louis Prima, Brunswick Record Corporation, recorded in February of 1936, released in July of 1937
This tune is known as “Sing, Sing, Sing”, although the tune is written by Louis Prima and performed by Benny Goodman, the drums throughout the tune were playing by Gene Krupa and is a heavily influential drum groove that is known well throughout the jazz community. This is especially noticeable in the drum feature in the very beginning of the tune. I was somewhat familiar with Benny Goodman but quite unfamiliar with Gene Krupa, however I have been extremely familiar with the tune “Sing, Sing, Sing” since I was a kid. It was one of the tunes that my music teacher in elementary school would play in class. Gene Krupa is believed to be the best drummer of all time and has had an extreme influence on drumming as a whole. Gene Krupa and Bud Freeman growing up on the South and West Sides of Chicago shows that the music doesn’t belong to anyone but is definitely a means of being able to bring people together especially as thinking of our conversations about whites being allowed in Black venues. It seems when you think of jazz drummers Gene Krupa definitely is up there and the popularity of his playing can definitely be attributed to his skill in the music
- “Street Named Hell” by Sun Ra, Jazz by Sun Ra, Transition Records, recorded on 7/12/1956, released in 1957
For this playlist entry, I chose the track “Street Named Hell” from the Jazz by Sun Ra album, recorded on July 12th, 1956 at the Universal Recording studios. The main thing I immediately noticed was that this tune definitely does not feel like something that would be released in the year 1956, which could also hint that this album was a great first step in how Jazz began to change in 1956. The personnel on this track has Sun Ra on Keys/Percussion, Art Hoyle on Trumpet/Percussion, Dave Young on Trumpet/Percussion, Julian Priester on Trombone/Percussion, James Scales on Alto Sax, John Gilmore on Tenor Sax, Pat Patrick on Bari Sax, Richard Evans on bass, Wilburn Green on electric bass, Robert Barry on drums with Jim Herndon on Timpani. What a group to hear in the 1950s. In my opinion, the most important aspects of this “Arkestra” that give off the space vibe are the timpani and the dissonances that are being created by the melody instruments. Also, during the little drum/timpani break in the middle section of the piece exudes the feeling of openness while also being hectic with the bass walking in the background of the tune. The timpani definitely makes the word “bounce” come to mind when listening to its section of the trading between drums and timpani. These elements make me wonder when the timpani began to be regarded as an instrument that was able to make you picture space. I ask this because I definitely do feel like in today’s time, the timpani is one of those instruments that you would hear and would instantly make the association to something like space, or something grand. I personally feel like that is partially due to John Williams’s composition of the main Star Wars theme. Timpani is heavily present throughout that piece and that specific wide, boomy sound is iconic for having a sound like that. This observation makes me wonder where that idea of the timpani alluding to space came from. The tune definitely is swing, the groove/melody in the head of the tune moves around over the timpani in a way that grooves. The dissonance in the trombone in the B section of the tune kind of makes you feel uneasy with the tension and the “bounciness” of the melody. The last minute of the tune is where things seem to become quite tense while also keeping a mellow and smooth undertone with more of a “big band” and “dissonant” sound while switching to a 3/4 feel. Big Band Jazz is one of the main styles that come to mind. The timpani and the baritone sax, in my opinion, play the biggest role in making the band “boom” during this piece while the bass was able to help in setting up the head out and the final section of the piece while walking throughout the drum/timpani solo. This recording being released in 1956 really makes me think that this music is deeper than just the “evolution of jazz.” There are many ways that jazz branches out into different styles and this definitely is one of the first examples of that “out-there” style that African American jazz often turns to, something that needs more interpretation than just a passive listening. The texture with timpani and bari sax are adding something new that can be interpreted as stepping out of the musical comfort zone that society may have deemed “acceptable jazz”.
- “Ballye de Nina” by Jaco Pastorious, Ira Sullivan Quintet, The Early Years, Holiday Park Records, recorded on April 8th, 1973, released in 2006
For this playlist entry I chose to analyze “Ballye de Nina,” a tune featuring the Ira Sullivan Quintet and Jaco Pastorious. I personally have never been hip to Ira Sullivan but hearing this “lost” recording made me ask how Jaco was able to be so diverse in his playing while also fitting in with a group such as the Ira Sullivan Quintet. In the band, there is Ira Sullivan on Trumpet, Joe Diorio on Guitar, Alex Darqui on the Fender Rhodes, Steve Bagby on drums and Jaco Pastorious on Bass. This tune was recorded on April 8th, 1973 and is named after Pastorius’s daughter, Mary, who would dance around the apartment a lot at that time with the name of the tune meaning “Little Girl Dance”. Thought the recording itself seems very shaky throughout as it might have been a restored recording, I believe this recording ties in to what we are talking about now in class, or at least in a recent reading, speaking about Guy Warren and the “fusion” of sounds, this tune definitely does not follow the traditional sound of “jazz” or “swing” but expands on an open sound. It’s hard to define what produces an “African” or “traditional” sound but I feel this tune has that Latin or African feel to it that makes you move in a different way that traditional swing would. There is a great story told in the comments of this video that features Jaco Pastorious and Mingus hitting it off apparently which is pretty interesting to me, but also claims that this recording happened at the Miami Beach Playboy Plaza Hotel’s Very Large Lounge while the tune is featured on the Jaco Pastorious album titled The Early Years Recordings. The video description itself credits Jaco as “Jocko” which another commenter claims he was credited as Jocko on an Ira Sullivan Quintet album. When I think of what was going on in the 1970s with Weather Report and their influence on jazz fusion as a genre, the term “continuous improvisation” comes to mind.
The group is able to improvise as a collective, Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew is a primary example of the influence that eventually would lead to a fusion based jazz scene, especially as musicians such as Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter being heavily involved with Miles Davis before Weather Report.
- “Door of the Cosmos” by Sun Ra, Sleeping Beauty, El Saturn Records, recorded and released in 1979
For this entry, I chose “Door Of The Cosmos” by Sun Ra. This tune comes from the Sleeping Beauty album that was released in 1979 by El Saturn records. The personnel features Sun Ra on Piano/Keys, Michael Ray and Walter Miller on Trumpet or Flugel, Tony Bethel and Craig Harris on trombone, Vincent Chancey, Marshall Allen, John Gilmore and Danny Ray Thompson on the saxophones, Eloe Omoe on Bass Clarinet/Flute, James Jacson on bassoon, Disco Kid on electric guitar, Richard Williams on bass, Harry Wilson on vibes, Atakatune (Stanley Morgan) on percussion, Luqman Ali on drums, and June Tyson with vocals. Quite a hefty band, the band is definitely seeming more like an “Arkestra” than a regular band at this point. The original tune is nine minutes long with everything in a good way, I was thinking it can be simplified more to the “Door To The Cosmos – Mixed” version of the tune. When it gets to the initial sax solo section in the “Door Of The Cosmos” version, I feel it could stay closer to that style of things and then expand on that as we go, but overall I feel like this would be another jam. I really liked the neo-soul vibe that I got from it and I feel we can really have fun with that sound. There is an “African” type of beat (also for lack of a better word) which I am not sure how to place into the mix of things, we talked in class about how to define the difference types of genres and subgenera and how blurry things can get when trying to define the style of someone like Sun Ra.
- “Didn’t I Tell You” by Doctor Jo Jo Adams, Chance Records, recorded and released in November 1953
Jo Jo Adams recorded this tune with the Melvin Moore’s Orchestra. The album was released by Chance Records, based in Chicago, Illinois. The record label hired a good amount of notable talent from Chicago during that time from genres such as doo-wop, blues, jazz and gospel. With artists like the Flamingos, the Moonglows, and featuring artists that we have gone over in class in their house band like Red Holloway and Lefty Bates. A word that I saw that was used to describe Adams was “flamboyant,” In this context I feel like it is a perfect word to describe his voice and the “showmanship” in the way that he is singing and expressing himself in his delivery. I can almost picture Adams showing a lot of physical expression while singing this tune, especially being that love for his woman is the main subject. The tune is a twelve-bar blues that has a section toward the end of this specific recording that is almost like a shout feel that in my opinion has a (in my opinion) second line feeling to it. A question I would ask is who exactly is in the Melvin Moore Orchestra that backed him? I could not find any information on that group but I am also curious about his relationship with the band to be able to express himself like that with them backing him.
- “Jess’ One Mo’ Time” by “Madman” Jones, Cameo Records, MAD Records, released in June of 1958
For this final playlist entry, I chose a tune by saxophonist “Madman” Jones. Two things especially caught my attention—his name and the fact that the tune feels more like a surfer rock tune. It definitely has a different energy to it compared to some of the other tunes on the list but it is a nice groove. The tune is repetitive in form and features an electric guitar sort of noodling throughout. However, something about this tune also feels kind of chaotic. I believe the ride cymbal hitting all throughout the recording definitely adds to that vibe. Jones earned the nickname “Madman” from being probably a loud and joking person with his sax and personality. A primary theme that I feel like we addressed toward the end of this term was realization of being open and “out there” in the process of music making can really add to the creative aspect of what you’re trying to do. Jazz is not linked to just one genre but many and the idea I have is that openness in music is key to being able to express yourself in the way you wish to. This tune features Madman Jones on Tenor Sax and Vocals, Bob Knowles on Piano, Dolphus Dean on Bass, and Joe Williams on Drums.
Julian Peinado is a jazz bassist born and raised in the South Side of Chicago, Julian has been playing music in Chicago for over 10 years and hopes to pursue a degree in jazz studies as well as a career as a musician in the city of Chicago in the future.
Sources
Anderson, Gene. 2003. “The Origin of Armstrong’s Hot Fives and Hot Sevens.” College Music Symposium, 2003, Vol. 43: 13–24.