Stan Getz

For Andy...

[NOTE: The ninth post in the Musical Theory series of posts can be found below]

Link (Stan Getz on The Jazz Files):
http://www.thejazzfiles.com/JazzGetz.html

Name: Stanley Gayetzky
Born: February 2, 1927
Died: June 6, 1991
Instrument: Saxophone

"When I got this saxophone, it became a religion. There wasn't TV, there wasn't much money, and there was just a real dedication...I never thought of it as an art. It was just work that I loved. Not just work, but work that I loved. I loved it so much, I would play it if nobody listened to it. Any jazz musician, if there's nobody around to listen, would play just for the sheer joy of improvising music."

Beginnings of Obsession:
Stan Getz first picked up the Sax at the age of 13, after expirementing with a number of other instruments, and fell instantly in love. The instrument was a present from his father, and sparked a powerful obsession in Stan that would stay with him right up until they day he died. Three years later, at the age of 16, Stan got picked up by Jack Teagarden. Over the next 3 years he played with numerous bands including Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman, but finally made his name with the Woody Herman band from 1947 to 1949. His lyrical solos an immaculate tone gained him much attention, and with his solo on Early Autumn. Stan's mastery of the instrument was apparent through the subtle touches he used to colour his work. He was able to create melodic solos that were mellow, without getting locked into the "foo-foo" sax sound. Soft articulation and breath were paired with sharp, pure tone in a way that accentuated the melodic line. Everything was used in perfect moderation, compiled to create a stunning, and extremely memorable whole. When asked about how he developed his sound, later on in life, he replied:

"I never consciouly tried to conceive of what my sound should be. I never said, 'I want this kind of sound!' I believe it was because of the bands I played with from the ages of 15 to 22. The first one was Jack Teagarden, who we all know played trombone, but his sound was so great, so...(pause) sort of legitimate, and effortless. I never tried to imitate anybody, but when you love somebody's music, you're influenced. Then I was with Benny Goodman when I was 18 and I believe his sound had an influence on me; such a good sound that he had in those days, you know? And, in-between I heard Lester Young of course, and it was a special kind of trip to hear someone like Lester, who sounded so good and almost classical in a warm way. He took so much of the reed out of the sound. I really don't know how I developed my sound, but it comes from a combination of my musical conception and no doubt the basic shape of the oral cavity. I did always try to get as much of the reed out of the sound as I could."

Cool Jazz:
During the 1950's, Stan became quite popular playing in the world of Cool Jazz. Even Charlie Parker, the saxophonist that every sax player wants to sound like, said of Stan "Let's face it. We would all play like him, if we could." While playing in this genre, it became apparent that Stan was also a highly intellectual player. A good example of this is his work on the song Crazy Chords, in which he takes his band through a whirlwind of keys, some of which no sax player in their right mind would ever dream of touching. The stunning part is how effortless he makes it all sound, all the while maintaining his purity of tone. Unfortunately, as happened to most Cool Jazz or Bebop players, Stan adopted a problem drug habit. Moving to Copenhagen to deal with his problem, Stan go to play with European Jazz musicians such as Lars Gullin, Martial Solal, and Bengt Hallberg, which most likely further contributed to his unique sound.

Bossa Nova:
Upon returning to the United States, Stan teamed up with guitarist Charlie Byrd who had just returned from Brasil. It was during this time that Stan put out one of his most popular tunes, Desafinado on the Jazz Samba album. This was his brief foray into popular culture, as a Bossa Nova craze swept over the states. Where to go from here? Down to Brasil to work with the source itself: Antionio Carlos Jobim and the Gilbertos. Jobim was a legend in the area of Bossa Nova, and Stan helped to popularize it through the Grammy winning song Girl From Ipanima, release in 1963. (The file is available below.) Bossa nova is a derivative of the Samba style, but less percussive and more harmonically complex. It was this harmonic complexity that appealed to many Cool Jazz players at the time. (The use of sevenths and extended chords.) Bossa nova would be the genre that Stan would be most associated with. In his later years, Stan would still enjoy playing in the bossa nova style, although he would try to play more obscure tunes, rather than the almost cliche Girl From Ipanima.

Brief Electricity:
Stan Getz had a brief affair with fusion and electronic jazz, but was panned by the press for it and quickly decided it was not the genre for him. His passion and love of the saxophone stayed with him in his later years, all through his battle with liver cancer. Despite his success and "god-like" status in the music world, Stan was a very kind and open man. Easy to get along with, he enjoyed telling stories of past gigs, and the odd dirty joke. When he found out he had cancer, he quit smoking, drinking, and any of the drugs that had been left over from before his trip to Copenhagen. Before he died, Stan was taking herbs, eating health food, and receiving special massages every day. Yet, he still was obsessed with his love of music, and performed, even if it would mean literally collapsing from exhaustion backstage after a show. His morale was good, even up until the day he died. Who could blame the man? He was able to spend his life doing what he loved, and I'm sure that his young model girlfriend, Samantha, also contributed to his mood. He lived what he loved, and died a happy man in June of 1991. We should all be so lucky.

[Links removed -- Files available upon request]

Musical Theory IX

Time Signatures - a brief introduction

I don't want to alarm anyone, but there is some math involved in time signatures. This is probably the most clear example of the connection between math and music. Music is a division of time into smaller portions, and what better way to convey this division of time than through basic fractions. If the idea of time signatures in music was taught alongside the concept of fractions in mathematics in our schools, our children would have a much clearer understanding of both. In my experience, I found that students of mine that spoke a second language or were strong in mathematics were much quicker to pick up musical concepts. Similarly, some of my younger students who started with me prior to starting school, once they were in school were much stronger at math and languages. I don't think this connection is a coincidence.

In order to make keeping track of your location in a piece of music easier, the music is divided up into "bars". (Seperated by vertical lines, or bars, hence the name.) Within the bar, there can be a combination of several different kinds of notes

Whole notes
Half notes
Quarter notes
Eigth notes
Sixteenth notes

...and the list continues.

At this point you may notice that the names of the knows corrispond to fractions, and in particular, the negative powers of two. (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32...) This is because the system is build upon dividing notes in half. Two half notes are equivalent in time to a whole note. Two quarter notes are equivalent in time to a half note. The pattern continues. Dots and ties can be used to get time values that are not equal to negative powers of two, but these will be discussed next week.

How do we know how many notes we are able to fit into a bar, and which kind of note gets the beat? (Yup, it's important to know which note gets the beat. If you have a conductor standing over you, banging his baton on your stand, red-faced, you REALLY don't want to be guessing.)

This information is indicated by the time signature. The time signature is composed of two numbers, and closely resembles a fraction. Time signatures such as 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, and 6/8 are very common. In fact, the time signature of 4/4 is call "common time", and may sometimes be represented by a C.

The top number in the time signature is a count of how many. Break apart those common time signatures in your mind into 2*1/4, 3*1/4, 4*1/4, and 6*1/8. Mathematically, this makes sense as 4*1/4 is equivalent to 4/4. But what can this tell us? Well, the bottom number indicated the type of note that gets the beat. In the case of the first three, the quarter note gets the beat. Translated into english, as time signature such as 2/4 would be "Two quarter notes to the bar". The last time signature listed above, 6/8, would have have the eighth note as the beat, and be translated to "Six eighth notes to a bar".

Bars don't have to hold less than one, either. In the case of 5/4 time, there are 5 quarter notes to a bar. This leads us to the Quiz Question that was carried over from last week:

Quiz Question:

Name one song (other than Take Five) that is in 5/4 time.
(*Hint* There is a very well-known movie theme in 5/4 time...)

Dave Brubeck

[NOTE: Musical Theory posts will resume next week!]

Link (The Brubeck Institute):
http://www.pacific.edu/brubeck/

Name: David Warren Brubeck
Born: December 6, 1920
Instrument: Piano

Rebellious:
Dave Brubeck is a man of eccentric time signatures. Using everything from 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, to my personal favorite 9/8, Brubeck is an interesting combination of the well-trained, the whimsical, and a tried-and-true Jazz man. Born in Concord, California, Brubeck was schooled classically, but quickly developed his unique improvisational skills. It was his mother, an aspiring concert pianist, that gave him his piano training. Brubeck, like most piano students, was not interested in reading music or sticking to any particular methodology, and wrote his own melodies instead. This later caused problems for him, almost getting him expelled from college when it was discovered he couldn't read sheet music. Upon testimony of many of his professors, and a solemn promise that he would never teach piano, Brubeck was allowed to stay until his graduation in 1942, after which he was drafted into the army for four years. Later, he would return to school to study fugue and orchestration, under Darius Milhaud. The Dave Brubeck Quartet was formed in 1951, which included Joe Dodge on the drums, Bob Bates on bass, and the talented Paul Desmond on sax. Probably the most famous Dave Brubeck Quartet song, Take Five, was not actually written by Brubeck, but Paul Desmond. Drum and bass were later chaired by Eugene Wright and Joe Morello, causing Brubeck to cancel many concerts and television appearances in the late 1950's because of Eugene's African-American heritage.

Talented:
In 1959 the hesitantly released Time Out stunned audiences with such pieces as Take Five (in 5/4), Blue Rondo a la Turk (in 9/8), and Pick Up Sticks (in 6/4). The record quickly went platinum and they followed up with Time Further Out, Time in Outer Space, and Time Changes. The covers of these albums used modern art that was as quirky as their music, including Franz Kline and Joan Miro. Brubeck went on to compose (and in some cases record) two ballets, a musical, an oratorio, four cantatas, a mass, works for jazz combo and orchestra, and too many solo piano pieces to count. In recent years he has continued to play, organize more quartets, and continue with various projects. He has been honoured with the BMI Jazz Pioneer Award, the 1988 American Eagle Award (presented by the National Music Council), as well as four honourary degrees. But we all know that all the recognition in the world means nothing if the music doesn't live up to it. Below are links to Take Five and on of my all-time favorites as a kid Blue Rondo a la Turk. (I used to play along to the first minute or so, and then lay on the floor by the piano and just listen to the rest. If you are able to lay on the floor near a piano and listen to this piece, that is how I recommend you hear it. If not, I'm sure it won't detract from the work!) You tell me if the man has lived up to the legend.

...And a Good Man:
Above all else, Dave Brubeck is among some of the few truly good men in music. Just as he wouldn't make a television appearance in the late 1950's after hearing that his bass player was to be kept off camera because of his race, Brubeck is one of the few greats who knows it isn't all about him. It's about the music. Please take the opportunity to look around the link above to The Dave Brubeck Institute, which is described in Dave's own words:

When I graduated from college in 1942, little did I dream that some day an incredible program such as that offered by the Brubeck Institute would be established at my alma mater, University of the Pacific. Back in the ‘40s, the thought of a jazz studies program at the Conservatory of Music was inconceivable. We weren’t even allowed to play jazz in the practice rooms. Although I was enrolled in the Conservatory as a music major, I was also engaged in an unauthorized course of study, playing jazz piano in nightclubs and dance halls, gaining real life experience as a musician and performer. This was my internship and initiation into the world of music making. Now, such performance opportunities are created in the Fellowship program that allows talented students to focus on practice and performance while learning from professional musicians and visiting jazz masters.

The Institute is a realization of a dream. From the earliest days in my career I sought the acceptance and recognition of jazz as a serious art from that reflected American ideals of freedom and individual expression balanced with group responsibility and interdependence. Like America itself, jazz has always drawn from many cultures and has been enriched by that cross-fertilization.

The Brubeck Institute is not about jazz studies alone, however. It is also about social and philosophical issues. Over the years I have become more and more interested in applying these thoughts to classical composition for chorus and orchestra, chamber ensembles, and contemporary music in a variety of forms. I believe in the power of music to transform lives as well as to enlighten and entertain.

Once when asked how I would like to be remembered, I answered, “As someone who opened doors.” The purpose of the Brubeck Institute is to provide the key that opens doors for all who participate, whether as a research scholar in the Brubeck Archives, a Brubeck Fellow or Colonist, a member of academic symposia, a classical performer or teacher, contemporary composer, or an interested member of the audience. The door is open. Welcome!

Dave Brubeck

[Links removed, files are available upon request]

Medeski, Martin, & Wood

(requested by ME! - because I really dig these guys)

[NOTE: There is no Musical Theory post this week, instead find a contribution from Bonfire Jones, on John McLaughlin, below]

Link (official site):
http://www.medeskimartinandwood.com/

Name: Medeski, Martin, & Wood
Members: John Medeski, Billy Martin, Chris Wood
Born: 1991 in New York

A little bit on the members:
John Medeski is the keyboardist in the trio, playing everything from the Hammond B3, to mellotron, melodica, clavinet, and whatever else takes his fancy. At the performances he can be seen surrounded by a plethera of keyboard instruments, and he'll use every single one of them. John was adopted at birth by the Medeski family, Mrs. Medeski an overacheiver and Mr. Medeski who was in the furniture business. It is said that his mother started to teach John to read before he could even speak, but it was his father that started him on the piano, teaching him basic chord changes and standards. At 9 years old, John had his first experience in "the zone". The state of mind that musicians refer to as "the zone" is a kind of meditative state. You are perfectly calm, and can watch yourself play the instrument as if your body moves of it's own free will and your mind can simply sit back and relax. Perhaps this is a kind of intense physical memory which just takes over, but more likely the brain is just operating at a higher than usual level. Like many musicians with this kind of talent, John found it hard to do anything else and worked obsessively. So obsessively, in fact, that he gave himself the tendonitis that almost ended his career. (This is a danger for any musician, so be forewarned: if you over-practice your career could end before you even start!) Through Hoshino therapy, John was able to reteach himself how to use his body, using a balance of mental, physical, and spiritual cleansing. Good thing too, as this allowed him to finish his musical schooling, and land "some strange Boston gig" where he would meet Chris Wood.

Billy Martin was the unofficial leader of the group from very early on. He booked the gigs, dealt with the press, the making of records, the hunting down of paycheques, and oh yes, he is the band's drummer. Billy's first 11 years of his life were spent in New York's Washington Height's neighbourhood, with his parents and two older brothers. His father was a classical violinist, his mother a Radio City rockette, so Billy was exposed to music early in his life just as John was. When Billy was 11, his family moved to New Jersey. Besides the impact it had on Billy's social life, the move was critical as it allowed Billy to discover one of his older brother's drumkits when it was being packed. Billy set the drumkit up at home and immediately set out playing along to Zappa, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, and other such bands. By grade 10, Billy was playing in the school Jazz band, and jamming with older kids in the evenings. He chose to joing the union in New York City and play every gig he could get hired for. (This is the way to do it. If you are a pipe-fitter you join a union, if you are a brick-layer you join the union, if you are serious about being a musician, join the union. And never say no to a gig!) It was playing in New York that John Medeski and Chris Wood found him in 1991, and a trio was born.

Last we come to the bass player for the group, Chris Wood. I'm going to take this opportunity to call Chris Wood "the Pete Townshend of the bass". His live performance is always electric, vibrant, and athletic. Unlike John and Billy who hide behind a wide assortment of musical paraphenalia, Chris is out in center stage dancing around, tossing his bass, and generally being the center of attention. Chris could just as easily be a rock and roll player as a Jazz man, and he sure doesn't subscribe to the "cool jazz" stiff upper lip. (Editorial Note: I've seen them perform live quite a few times, and the guy is ONE HELL of a stage presence. Wow! ...And he's cute too.) When asked about being the center stage bridge between the chord chair and rhythm, Chris quoted from the legendary Spinal Tap: "I'm very fortunate to have two visionaries, fire and ice, on either side of me... I'm the luke warm middle." Obviously, the man also has a sense of humor. Born in Pasadena, California, Chris is a west-coast boy. His family moved to Colorado when Chris was six, and there he grew up learning to play tennis, drawing, and just doing "normal kid stuff". He dabbled in music from a very young age, playing piano and clarinet, but bass was where it all started for him. Like John, Chris had a "zone" moment which he attributes to both his love of music and a sincere desire to excel at something, anything. Chris began jamming with groups at every chance he got, and after graduating took a year off to work on his craft. Chris then moved to Boston and enrolled in the New England Conservatory of music, which he dropped out of after one semester having been given too many good gigs and skipped too many classes. One of these gigs was the "weird" one, where he met John.

Tone, Time, and Space:
After 1991, the band was playing around New York with quite a bit of success, but only after touring with as the opening act for a mainstream band in 1995, did they really hit "the bigtime". (See this week's quiz question.) This performance gave Medeski, Martin, & Wood it's introduction into the 'Jam Band' genre. Jam Band's are defined by their concerts being largely improvised, such as Phish, Cream, and The Grateful Dead. These concerts are always interesting, "never played the same way once" as I've heard said. The music has to be highly conversational, and the players have to be intelligent, as it's not an easy genre to play in. Most Jazz Jam Bands work from a lead sheet, which provides each musician with the chord changes, they vary the tempo, feel, and voicings. However, as any true Jam fan will attest, the musicians will quickly deviate from the original "road plan", as it were, if they are comfortable enough playing with each other. This makes each concert a unique experience, with some very cool new ideas rising at each performance. (It should be noted, there are always a couple of "whoops, that didn't work" moments as well.) Overall, Jam Band performances tend to be just as much an intellectual, and spiritual in many cases, experience for the listener as it is for the musician. Where many fans may like to go to a concert and hear their favorite bands play their favorite songs the way they know them from the recordings (so they can sing along and hold lighters aloft etc.), it is really a marvelous experience to hear truly talented musicians create, emote, improvise, and talk to eachother on stage. It's like musical sex. Does that make us voyeurs?

Here are a couple of samples from their Uninvisible album (2002), which has been burning out the battery on my iPod lately, and inspired this article. Enjoy!

Your Name Is Snake Anthony

Nocturnal Transmission

Quiz Question:
Who was it that helped Medeski, Martin, & Wood get their big break in 1995? He stated their music made him "drive too fast". (Justin should be able to get this one! :) )

[P.S. - I did promise an article on Buckethead, but I'm currently trying to work out some video for that article. It's still on my mind, I haven't forgotten, but I'm trying to get some cool media for everyone. He doesn't really qualify as "Jazz" per se... but I'm sure we could take a tiny break for one article somewhere down the road.]

Johnny McLaughlin -Electric Guitarist- 1978 Columbia Records

This is my first JazzBlog post! I'd like to thank Jackie for inviting me onboard! Also...I'd like to dedicate this post to Robert J. Kerns who inadvertantly led me to the discovery of some fine music! Mr.Kerns (as I called him) was my good buddy Mark Kern's father. He was a top record salesman for CBS Records. He helped break many jazz & rock acts in the New York region. As with any salesperson there are always 'samples' of the wares! He would bring back all kinds of really cool promos! Mark (his son) & I would go through bins & bins of the coolest vinyl you could imagine - looking for new stuff to check out! Among tons of rock records were also a multitude of jazz albums. If they were on CBS, Columbia or any subsidiaries Mr. Kerns probably had it! This is where I discovered John McLaughlin for the first time. Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc... it was all there! And so...My initial post is on Johnny McLaughlin's 'Electric Guitarist' album originally released in 1978. In 1990 it was finally released on CD. This album features many great artists who along with John McLaughlin helped define Jazz Fusion at it's inception & onwards. 1) New York On My Mind - This tune features John McLaughlin, guitar; Billy Cobham, drums; Jerry Goodman, violin, Stu Goldberg, electric piano, organ, mini-moog synthesizer; Fernando Saunders, bass. If someone were to ask me for a perfect song to explain what Jazz Fusion sounds like this would probably be it. Sounds great driving through the city! 2) Friendship- John McLaughlin, guitar (second guitar solo); Carlos Santana, guitar (first guitar solo) Narada Michael Walden, drums; Neil Jason, bass; Tom Coster, organ; Alyrio Lima, percussion; Armando Peraza, congas. This is a great tune with Carlos Santana & John McLaughlin each taking a breathtaking solo! Has that 'Latin feel' & swing. 3) Every Tear From Every Eye- John McLaughlin, guitar; David Sanborn, alto sax; Alphonso Johnson, Taurus Bass pedals, bass; Patrice Rushen, piano; Tony Smith, drums. It doesn't get more stellar than this! Everyone shines on this ecclectic track! 4) Do You Hear The Voices That You Left Behind? - John McLaughlin, guitar; Chick Corea, piano; Stanley Clarke, acoustic bass; Jack Dejohnette, drums. Jazz Fusion solos galore! This track really is a showcase for blowing notes- yet with a strong sense of 'ensemble playing' so often overlooked by many. 5) Are You The One?- John McLaughlin, guitar; Jack Bruce, bass; Tony Williams, drums. Another 'power trio' you ask? Of course! Jack Bruce & Tony Williams make for an intense rythmn-section on this 'bluesy' number. 6) Phenomenom: Compulsion- John McLaughlin, guitar; Billy Cobham, drums. When I initially heard this tune I freaked out! Van Halen who??? Don't get me wrong, I love Eddie Van Halen but this came first & it's absolutely nuts! John McLaughlin was the 'original' shredder! 7) My Foolish Heart- John McLaughlin, guitar; arranged by, John McLaughlin. On this tune the album comes to a very soft close. Almost like a 'lullaby' to help relax you from the frantic pace of the previous numbers. This is truly one of the most beautifull pieces of guitar work that I have ever heard! Great chords & melody line. Soft & silky like a moon lit night. I suggest this album to anyone who appreciates virtuosity without compromise. How did I do for my first post? Thanks again Jackie! Ed

Pat Metheny

(requested by Gary)
[NOTE: The eighth post in the Musical Theory series of posts can be found below.]

Link (PMG Listener Network):
http://www.patmethenygroup.com/

Name: Patrick Bruce Metheny
Born: August 12, 1954
Instrument: Guitar

Metheny beginnings:
Pat Metheny started on guitar when he was 13 and developed quickly. Must be something in the blood, as his older brother Mike is a very talented trumpet player. Pat was already teaching at both the University of Miami and Berklee in his teens, making his debut in 1974 with the one and only Jaco Pastorius. Following this, he played with Gary Burton's group where he met Lyle Mays, a keyboardist with whom he would form the first encarnation of the Pat Metheny Group. This group would also include Mark Egan on bass and Danny Gottlieb on drums. Their second album, American Garage released in 1980, went straight to top of both the billboard Jazz charts as well as the Pop charts. What a beginning!

The Metheny sound:
Although Pat Martino and John McLaughlin had used 12-string electric guitars previously in jazz, Metheny was the first significant user. He introduced some cool alternate tunings in songs such as Sirabhorn, Icefire, and San Lorenzo. For example, in the song Sirabhorn all of the pairs of strings had the second (lower) string tuned down a fifth. He maintains that this created a less "clustery" sound, however the song can be played in regular tuning. Metheny also combined techniques used by current rock musicians, made use of sythesizers, and experimented with unique instruments such as the 42-string Pikasso Guitar created by Canadian luthier Linda Manzer. The signature Metheny sound, however, is one of the most copied guitar sounds in Jazz. It combines the resonance of a hollow-body guitar, which lends itself to a rounder tone, with the sound of a high-mid setting on the amplifier. Using the round end of a high gauge pick contributes to the special attack, and DSP chorus effects fill out the rest. Just don't ever mention using reverb! Metheny feels that reverb magnifies errors, and will often use it as a tool to show students their mistakes. This may seem a little cruel, but when playing an instrument it is sometimes difficult to seperate what you are really hearing from what you would like to be hearing. Reverb is able to remove the sound enough from what the player is currently thinking, that the player can hear what is really going on instead of what is going on in their own mind. This is like a technique that visual artists use, holding a drawing or work up to a mirror to view the reversed image. You can instantly see the mistakes because you are seeing what is there, not what you want to be there.

Diversity:
Metheny is definitely a man for trying anything once, and as such is constantly pushing the envelope. He has done what any musician dreams of, maintaining a constant fanbase through whatever changes of style or concept takes him whim. Performing with the likes of Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Haden, Ornette Coleman, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Herbie Hancock, as well as siting influences like Trey Anastasio and Jerry Garcia in the same breathe as classic jazz players like Wes Montgomery, Metheny has just about covered it all. And why not? The man can pull it off. And before you ask, yes he is still doing it. After creating the 68 minute "The Way Up", based on two 3-note groupings (B, A#, F# ---> B, A, F#) he embarked on a 90 world tour. Currently he is playing The Melting Point in Athens. (Details can be found HERE.) Metheny is one of the greats that the world is still fortunate to be able to go and see. Do I recommend it? Hell yes!!! A Pat Metheny concert is close to a religious experience for any true Jazz guitarist. (Not to mention his side men are always hot players, in case you aren't a guitarist!)



Current Metheny:
Pat Metheny has three dates in North America before jetting off to Autrailia, Singapore, and Thailand. The dates and contact information is as follows:

February 17 : Tallahassee, FL for THIS festival
February 18 : Greenville, SC found HERE
and
February 19 : Falls Church, VA perfoming HERE

(What a schedule! I really don't envy the man at all... but I do recommend going to see him!)

And of course you ALL need to run out and buy his new CD right now:
THE WAY UP

All The Things You

Metheny and Bowie (just for fun)

Musical Theory VIII

George Shearing Voicings

Now that we have some basic Jazz chords down, it's time to play around with voicings. Voicings are how you arrange the notes in a chord. As I demonstrated in the last couple of posts, a chord name simply tells you what notes comprise that chord, not which order to play them in. Different voicings have different effects, and it is just as important to choose the right voicing for your chords as to play the right notes.

George Shearing was a piano legend, and if you are interested in more information the man he can be found here. Essentially, the concept of what he did was relatively simple. On a lead sheet, a jazz musician is given a melody line and indications of the chord changes as seen below:
This is a sample of the kind of thing you would see in a "fake book". The history of the fake book is an interesting one in and of itself. One of my favorite fake books, and a very famous one, is called "The Real Book". Yes, some guy had a sense of humor. That same man with a sense of humor was also a godsend to the jazz community. My very first "Real Book" was an amateur-bound set of photocopies of every lead sheet from every band this funnyman had ever played in. It was extensive, and for my purposes may as well have been complete. There are some songs in that book I STILL haven't heard. (Which is a sin, yeah, I know.) That copy had to be bought out of some basement in LA, and I'm not sure entirely how "legal" such a beast was at the time. It didn't really matter, because if you were serious about playing Jazz, you had to have one. Now, "The Real Book" is published by Warner, and you can have it ordered for you from any music store. Things have changed, but it still remains a must have for anyone serious about playing Jazz. Get the fake book, be able to play every song in every key, you are now a Jazz monster. Simple as that.

The Shearing voicings are more aimed towards piano players, but it may be applicable to other chord chairs such as guitar. Bass players probably don't need this information as much, similarly horn players, and if you happen to be a drummer and are still reading this, I'm impressed. (Would you like a gig?) For our purposes here, I will explain how to play Shearing voicings on the piano.

George Shearing voicings are the musical equivalent of the mathematical squeeze theorem. The basic idea is to play the melody on the top and bottom of the chords, and squeeze all of the other notes inbetween. Sounds simple? It doesn't stop there. You also have to find the closest inversion from one chord to the next, to minimize moment around the keyboard. The first thing anyone does when asked to play chord changes, is automatically play everything in root. This, of course, has you hopping around the keys like an idiot with their ass on fire (a phrase I always loved from my piano teacher), and doesn't sound very exciting either. The next progression from there is Shearing. It is very structured, yet gets the player thinking about chords in more than just one note order. My recommendation? Take a straight ahead chart, like Straight No Chaser, and play through it in George Shearing voicings. Don't worry about playing slowly at first, the exercise is for your brain, not your fingers. Chords need to be thought of as constantly shifting entities, not root position rocks.

There you go, and get to it! Next weeks quiz question may be related to voicings.

Quiz Question
This one is going back to a previously mentioned concept. What is tritone substitution?