never a bad combination.
have a double with me...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
big band jazz and me
when i started listening to jazz i thought that the sextet was as far as i would go. the big band appeared so archaic and from an earlier, less hip, time. swing music did not interest me.
i wanted the spare and hip sound of miles davis playing 'so what' and not jimmy dorsey or cab calloway jumping around a stage with a bunch of guys sitting down. every note planned out seemed the antithesis of what i wanted from jazz.
then i met gil evans and saw what he could do with miles davis and a big band. then i learned about evans' album, out of the cool. it took all the best of cool jazz and added a big band. the full sound of the band not cheesy anymore. not swinging away with a clarinet, but beautiful and sparse and full.
have a listen.
i wanted the spare and hip sound of miles davis playing 'so what' and not jimmy dorsey or cab calloway jumping around a stage with a bunch of guys sitting down. every note planned out seemed the antithesis of what i wanted from jazz.
then i met gil evans and saw what he could do with miles davis and a big band. then i learned about evans' album, out of the cool. it took all the best of cool jazz and added a big band. the full sound of the band not cheesy anymore. not swinging away with a clarinet, but beautiful and sparse and full.
have a listen.
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