- “Just Wanna Be With You” Art Porter, Lay Your Hands on Me, Verve Records, August 20, 1996, 1995-1996
- “The Essence ” Marquis Hill, Modern Flows EP Volume 1, October 22 2014, June 2014
- “St James Infirmary” Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong Hot 5 and Hot 7 Sessions, Okeh records, 1925-1928, 1925-1928
- “St Louis Blues” Dorthy Donegan, The Incredible Dorthy Donegan Trio, Chiaroscuro records, October 28/30 1991, 1991
- “Exactly Like You” Bud Freemen and Bucky Pizzarelli, Buck and Bud, RCA Records, 1976
- “Falling In Love With Love” Paula Greer, Introducing Paula Greer, Workshop Jazz, 1963
- “I’ll Close My Eyes” Jodie Christian, The Jodie Christian Trio Reminiscing, Delmark Records, July 2000, 2001
- “Saturn” Sun Ra, Sound Of Joy, Delmark Records, November 1st, 1956, 1958
- “Flight Time” Art Porter, Lay Your Hands on Me, Verve Records, August 20, 1996, 1995-1996
- That D-Minor Thing, Bud Freeman, The Complete Bud Freeman, Monmouth Evergreen Records, December 1959, March 1st, 2022
My playlist represents the different varieties of Chicago jazz musicians that I like and enjoy. And showcases my musical journey in discovering different Chicago jazz artists I connected with. One of the first songs in my playlist is a Marquis Hill tune. He is somebody I have always been familiar with. He has been my favorite Chicago jazz musician before taking this course and learning about Chicago jazz history and different Chicago jazz musicians. I also included Art Porter in my playlist. He is a tenor sax player, which I learned about when taking this course. And I connected to his music because I’m a big fan of R&B, hip-hop, and Robert Glasper. Art Porter’s music reminds me of Robert Glasper and hip hop. That was one of the reasons why I included him in my Playlist, as I learned more from the class and listened to more artists. I included older musicians that are not as mainstream. Such as? Dorothy Donegan. Bud Freeman. Sun Ra And many other artists. I discovered these artists through class recordings and diving deep into Chicago jazz history. My playlist represents my knowledge and journey while taking this class this semester. As the playlist evolves, different kinds of Chicago jazz artists are represented that are not as well-known. The playlist also starts with more mainstream artists like Marquis Hill. My playlist connects to class readings and discussions. This is because I included a different variety of Chicago jazz artists. I have Dorothy Donegan, a Captain Dyett student at DuSable High School. We talked a lot about the history of the DuSable High School program and the many students of his who went on to have outstanding careers. Dorothy Donegan is one of them. I also have players like Bud Freeman, a white tenor sax player from the north side who was friends with many Black South Side musicians. His playing represents a topic we often discussed which was. Can white Musicians play jazz? When you listen to his style. Something about it sounds white and sounds different than how black musicians play. I also included a Louis Armstrong tune from the Hot Five and Hot Seven recording sessions, St James Infirmary. The Hot Five sessions were recorded in Chicago. That album influenced many Chicago jazz musicians, such as Bud Freeman. And many others. We also talked about the history of that album, the connection it had with Chicago, and the jazz scene at the time. In conclusion, I have picked all of these songs for my playlist. They represent musical styles and specific musicians that I love and enjoy. These musicians have historical connections to important Chicago jazz history that we have studied this semester. It also connects to different discussions that we have had this semester. This shows the growth of my knowledge as I discovered different Chicago jazz artists through reading, discussion, and studying.
The first tune in my playlist is “Lay Your Hands On Me” by Art Porter. One of the reasons I selected this recording is because I am a big fan of RnB and hip hop. In particular, I enjoy when jazz artists combine hip hop and R&B with jazz it gives it a pop sound that’s a different musical experience than listening to straight-ahead jazz. The fact that this tune, in particular, features vocalist Brian Mc Knight makes me connect to the song even more and have a more intimate and enjoyable time listening to it. This is because he is an R&B singer, and the musical blend of having an R&B artist with a jazz player creates a different mixture of musical styles that makes me feel like I’m listening to a pop song that I can connect to rather than straight ahead jazz which is a very different listening experience. What this recording represents is RnB and hip hop meets jazz and being able to mix those styles to make a more commercial song and sound that still has styles and traits of traditional jazz but in a different situation that can attract both jazz listeners and non-jazz listeners. This also shows how diverse Art Porter’s music taste is because this song gives me Alicia Keys’s 90s RnB vibes, which are very different from traditional straight-ahead jazz. As we were talking about in class, many people have different perspectives on what jazz is, so a traditionalist like Wynton Marsalis might not think it’s jazz. Still, it is just in a different musical context borrowing from different styles to appeal to a more mainstream and commercial audience. Jazz history discourses, both verbal and musical, that I think Art Porter is exploring is making a commercial smooth jazz hip-hop song that combines both elements. This is because Art Porter’s improvising uses traditional jazz lines and language, and I would hear someone like Charlie Parker play in a different musical context. Musical elements in the recording that I find compelling are Brian McKnight’s singing and vocal performance. This is because he is not a jazz singer. He is an RnB singer. I find this compelling. It makes me enjoy music differently when you have a beautiful heartfelt musical performance that touches you and makes you feel different emotions than when listening to someone like Charlie Parker. The way Art Porter is playing is more of a smooth jazz style and vibe. This sound and style fits the RnB genre and sound Art Porter is going for and feels just right.
As I continued picking songs for my playlist, I wanted to pick a modern and contemporary Chicago jazz musician, and for the next tune in my playlist, I chose “The Essence” by Marquis Hill. I liked this recording because Marquis Hill is one of Chicago’s most recognizable modern jazz trumpet players, and I like his music, which is similar to Art Porter’s. He combines hip-hop elements with jazz. I picked this song in particular because this song is very melodic and soothing, and the way the melody is composed sounds slightly different from a swing tune. This is because when he composed this tune, he was thinking melodically and creating a beautiful melody, which is why this tune sounds like that. This song also connects to topics we were learning about when we were listening to a lot of New Orleans-style jazz and very early styles of music that preceded jazz, and I heard some of this influence in his playing. For example, the way he phrases notes. He phrases very similar to Louis Armstrong by holding onto one note for a long time and thinking more rhythmically and melodically. I hear some of that early jazz language in his playing. The elements of this recording that represent jazz are his improvisation, the way he is improvising, and the arrangements for this song. For example, there are horn backgrounds, a sound technique used for a long time with big band music, which King Oliver probably used back in the 1920s. Elements drawn from other styles are that the melody sounds like something a singer would sing and not a traditional bebop Melody. This song also has a chill vibe that I associate with hip-hop music. Considering these two elements, he was drawing inspiration from both styles and using elements that were used in the 1920s, combined with elements of hip-hop, to create his sound. Marquis Hill has a very unique sound that’s his own. That’s also very modern. This tune and the elements. I just described sums all of that up.
As we were learning about different Chicago jazz artists, we learned about Louis Armstrong and the Hot Five sessions, and I picked a cool tune off that album called “St James Infirmary.” This was recorded in 1928 and was track 75. The personnel for this song was Louis Armstrong on trumpet and vocals, Fred Robinson on trombone, Jimmy Strong on clarinet, tenor saxophone, Don Redman on clarinet, alto saxophone, Earl Hines on piano, Mancy Carr on banjo, Zutty Singleton on drums. Components of this recording that represent artistic processes are the way the horns are phrased. There are specific ways the trombone and horn section phrase lines are very staccato and have an almost punchy sound that fits the song’s vibe. Components of the song that I think represent entertainment practices is when I’m listening to this track, I feel like I can dance to it because it’s a slow blues that sounds very raw, and I can imagine people dancing to this song in a saloon. I think the recording company might’ve influenced them at the time that they had a track like this that would be more commercial and get people to dance. I believe this would’ve been a song that would’ve been played at many clubs to get people to groove, and this song has that kind of vibe. When I am listening to this track, I feel like they’re swinging super hard in this. The rhythm section sounds very tight, and listening to it makes me wanna move and dance. I know a little bit about the history of this song, and I know St. James Infirmary refers to prison, so there is a lot of history I feel like this song is connected with, and I can feel it in the music when I listen to it. I can imagine a prisoner trying to escape or conditions of prisons back then this is due to the song having a raw strip-down blues sound.
Captain Walter Dyett was an important teacher and mentor to many upcoming Southside jazz musicians, and he ran the music program at DuSable High School. While researching his former students, I discovered Dorthy Donegan, a student at Dusable, and this tune is by her trio, “St Louis Blues.” This track connects to our class discussions because I remember talking about Bud Powell‘s playing style. We talked about how his playing style is unique and how, when it comes to Bebop, he is one of the best piano players. Dorothy Donegan has a bebop sound that is very similar to Bud Powell. This is because she plays very fast and is a virtuoso due to her fast playing and fast bebop lines. This is evident in St. Louis Blues when she plays fast lines that outline the changes. Her playing style is also very soulful due to the chords she plays in the left hand with a gospel sound. I chose this track because I wanted to pick a piano player. The reason is that piano players inspire me as a guitar player, and I think there are a lot of critical musical elements you can pick up by listening to piano players. When I first heard of Dorthy Donegan, I was amazed and shocked. She has a unique and specific sound that combines elements of classical music and bebop language. My reaction to her was similar to when I first heard Bud Powell playing “Anthropology.” I was just shocked and immersed in the music. Her playing style was nothing like I’d heard before, which attracted me to her music and made me want to pick her. I also think surprise is significant in music. We know we’re listening to something very special if we listen to music that surprises us within the first eight bars. If I’m not surprised when listening to a piece of music. I will have tuned out because I feel like the essence of music is about surprise. Classical, jazz, and gospel in Dorothy’s music are specific musical elements that interest me. Specifically, In the beginning section, she is improvising using chords, and there’s a part where she’s playing the melody to Amazing Grace and playing these chords that made me feel like she’s taking me to church. This is due to the specific chord voicings and the rhythms she chooses to use. There are also other sections where she’s playing these chords that sound precisely like a Chopin piece. They don’t sound like seventh chords or typical jazz harmony. All these different musical influences she puts in her playing make her style unique and attract me to her music. I feel like the fact that it surprises me and is something different is why I dig her playing and enjoy it.
The next song in my playlist is “Exactly Like You” from the Bud Freemen and Bucky Pizzarelli album. This tune is fascinating because it is a ballad, and Bucky and Freeman are playing together. One thing I noticed is there’s a lot of call-and-response with Buds playing. What I mean by that is he will play a statement and follow that with another statement, like a sentence, and it almost sounds like two saxophone players are playing. This also feels like a very intimate experience because it’s a duo, just guitar saxophone, and you can tell they’re listening to each other because they are both complementing each other. Bud Freemen’s style is also unique because he reminds me of an early version of Charlie Parker, and I remember when we analyzed his solo, we concluded that he uses enclosures, bebop scales, and all of the foundations of bebop. I was paying attention to those details and heard that in his playing in this recording.
I learned about many essential jazz singers one that caught my attention was Paula Greer. The tune I picked was “Falling in Love with Love” off the album Introducing Paula Greer, released in 1963. This track is exciting because it uses a lot of space, builds up, and uses dynamics. At the beginning of the tune, it’s just drums, vocals, bass, and flute. This is an interesting texture because usually, when you have a singer, you want a comping instrument like a guitar or piano to accompany them. So it is a fascinating texture not to have a comping instrument. Upon repeated listens, I learned to appreciate this because you can hear the singer shine through without the piano or guitar getting in the way. Then, once the tune kicks in, the piano enters, and the entrance makes the song sound complete. I like that it gives the song a little build-up. I also thought that the drum pattern in the beginning reminds me of many big bands like a Duke Ellington or Count Basie recording, but obviously without all of the horn section. The vocals also gave me an old-school scatting sound to it. As I was listening to this recording, I could imagine. Paula Greer played this at a club, and I imagined her stage presence in my head. Something about how she sings made me imagine that in my head. Another aspect of the recording that was interesting was the flute. I feel like the flute is under-appreciated in jazz. The flute added a lovely soft texture that fit the song. If it were a trumpet or a saxophone, it would be too loud and the flute fits the song perfectly. This tune has a very soft old-school swing feel, and I feel like having a loud instrument like a horn would be too much, and the flute fits very nicely.
The next tune I picked for my playlist is “I’ll Close My Eyes,” on Jodie Christian’s Reminiscing album recorded in July 2000 at Riverside Studios. The album features Dennis Carrol on bass and drummer Tony Walton. The elements that I find compelling in this recording are how he builds up a solo, goes from playing simple and not doing a lot doing chord ideas, and uses both hands. When he starts his solo, it sounds like he’s only using his right hand. This way of playing reminds me of how a guitar player will play since playing chords while soloing is usually pretty challenging. For a couple of courses, it’s just the right hand, then he starts using the left hand for more chord ideas and builds up the solo. I like how he builds up the solo and starts it off simple It makes me feel like I am being told a story, and there’s a beginning and an end. It’s nice how he starts playing simple melodic ideas in this solo and builds up to that climax. I have noticed that many piano players like Oscar Peterson, for example, will start big and do a lot of chords at the beginning of their solo. I like Jodie Cristian Solo. He starts with just the right hand, which was a fascinating choice and texture to use. This connects to our class discussions because we have been discussing many venues on the southside and the type of black musicians playing at these venues. This recording is an example of the kind of musicians who represent the south side of Chicago.
Sun Ra was a very important jazz musician in Chicago, and I picked a tune by him for my playlist that impacted me and showed how he innovated music. The tune I picked was “Saturn” on Sun Ra’s Sound of Joy album. The album was released in 1968, and the personal are Sun Ra – Piano, Art Hoyle trumpet, Dave Young Trumpet, John Avant Trombone, Pat Patrick Alto, Baritone Sax, John Gilmore tenor sax, Charles Davis Baritone Sax, Victor Sproles bass, William Cochran drums. Sun Ra is drawn from the musical styles of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Charlie Parker. This is because this song and album have a traditional big band sound and feel. It reminds me a lot of Count Basie’ and Duke Ellington. This is due to the horn backgrounds, the melodies, the swing, the feel on the drums, and the overall general sound that you would associate with swing and big band music. The Charlie Parker Influence is due to the Saxophone solo after the melody. It reminds me a lot of bebop, precisely the way Charlie Parker plays with a lot of enclosures, bebop scales, and musical elements like that that you would find in Charlie Parker’s music, and it reminded me of a Charlie Parker solo. Aspects of the music that I think he is drawing from tradition are the horn backgrounds and the way the horns operate for the melody and horn backgrounds played during soloist. This is because many of these techniques are musical elements I have listened to in Count Basie and Duke Ellington’s music. When I first heard this album, it reminded me a lot of that traditional big band music that Duke Ellington and Count Basie wrote. From my perspective, I could tell that Sun Ra took inspiration from those prominent traditional big band artists and used those techniques in his writing. Sun Rah is trying to innovate by using the way this sounds very modern and out there. An example of this is the intro that happens before the head. There are a lot of different countermelodies going on, and it might sound very dissonant to someone who has not listened to a lot of jazz. It might sound like a lot of wrong notes—this intro. Sounds very cool and innovative because this was released in the ’60s, and I feel like most jazz musicians weren’t doing this much experimentation during this time. It didn’t come until later, and this style of writing has a lot of dissonance and a modern sound that reminds me of free jazz and other contemporary jazz artists that I am a big fan of. It kind of reminds me of jazz fusion from the 80s. It gives me that kind of sound It also reminds me of a Lage Lund quartet album with a similar sound. The dissonance in the Melodies and the solos reminds me of Wayne Shorter’s solo on Speak No Evil. This tune connects to the Utopian discourses we have been discussing because. This album feels like a concept album there are song titles like Saturn and Planet Earth, which we discussed when we watched his clip from his movie. I know he uses a lot of imagery, like planets in space and time, to describe the feelings he has in his music, and when I am listening to the songs, it feels like Saturn and these different planets. I am not sure how, but when I listen to this tune, it feels like I am on another planet.
After learning about Art Porter, I listened to his album Lay Your Hands On Me, which I am a big fan of, and picked another tune off that album. The song I picked was “Flight Time” by Art Porter. It came out on August 20, 1996; the record label was Verve Records. I chose this tune because I am a big fan of jazz artists Who have a more R&B style to their music that combines elements of jazz and R&B and hip-hop and rap. Artists such as Robert Glasper, Thundercat, and Maurice Brown. Art Porter’s music style reminds me a lot of that because he plays with a lot of R&B artists on Lay Your Hands On Me, and when I was researching him, a lot of his music was classified as smooth jazz, and when I was checking out more of his albums, they have smooth jazz and R&B sound to them. This album reminds me of Alicia Keys and 2Pac, and I’m a big fan of jazz artists who use hip-hop and R&B elements. This tune connects to our class because we have talked about what the word fusion means, how fusion implies the blending of different musical styles, and what fusion means in the jazz world. This tune represents what we have also talked about in class. What does fusion mean? Art Porter’s style, his history, and his contribution to Chicago Jazz history. We also listened to the album Rain Or Shine by Cristian Jodi, which Art Porter plays on.
The final tune I have selected for my playlist is “That D Minor Thing” by Bud Freeman. This connects to various class readings and discussions we have had about race. The reason is that we have talked about the divide in Chicago between black musicians living on the south side and white musicians on the north side. We had discussions with various readings on the topic of can white people could play this music since this music primarily has roots in African Americans. We also analyzed different white musicians and how they played differently; this recording is an example of that. Bud Freeman is swinging and uses a lot of bebop language, but when I hear him play, it sounds different than a player like Von Freeman. This is because musicians who are white tend to have a different feel than black musicians, and it’s also an example that anybody can play this music. It’s who you are and your culture that makes your musical style come out in the music.
Nathaniel is a 3rd year guitarist in the UIC jazz studies program. I also love listening to Alternative rock and Classic Rock while also loving jazz. I am a fan of musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin, Chick Correa, Miles Davis, John Scofield, and Pat Metheny.