That Jazz - Monkey Max Music and File Download

Chapter 2: Altered Ears: Understanding the Traits and Roots of Jazz
Listen to various versions of the same tune to distinguish different voices.
A prime example: “Body and Soul.” Tenor saxophonists Lester Young and
Coleman Hawkins were contemporaries (see Chapter 6). But Hawkins’ readily
available 1939 recording of the song is very different from Young’s versions
of the same tune. The comparison offers a straightforward way to hear how
each group combines harmony and melody, how they improvise, and what
qualities distinguish their individual voices on saxophone.
Each player was an early modernist but in different ways. Young’s versions
are generally characterized by
� Slower tempo: Both musicians played up-tempo tunes, but Young
leaned toward slower songs and ballads that showcased his lyrical
improvisations.
� Reverence for the basic melody: Traces of this admiration can be found
in his solos, where Young incorporated aspects of a song’s original
melody in his solos.
� Long, flowing lines of melody and improvisation, and fewer notes in
each line: As a forerunner of ’50s cool jazz, which I cover in Chapter 7,
Young preferred a languid, understated approach that gave his music an
easy flowing quality.
� Slurry, gentle, and breathy tone: Young’s sound romanced your emotions
as you listened to his music.
Hawkins’ landmark version of “Body and Soul” exhibits other traits:
� Abandonment of the written melody, in favor of new melodies that
Hawkins improvises over the original chords as played by his band
� Faster, edgier melodic lines, and greater density of notes in his improvisation
� Gentler tone but with more definition to each note.
From here, your explorations into jazz include many similar comparisons.
Most great jazz players recorded versions “standard” tunes, especially ballads.
These standards give you a chance to compare the ways in which the
best players from different eras interpret the same songs. Discover, for
instance, how Fats Waller’s original “Honeysuckle Rose” differs from subsequent
interpretations by Oscar Peterson and many other jazz greats, or,
especially, how the great trumpeters, saxophonists, and vocalists compare
in their treatment of tunes.
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