The Guide to Classic Recorded Jazz (17 page)

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Authors: Tom Piazza

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BOOK: The Guide to Classic Recorded Jazz
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Page 29
Swinging Out
If "stomp" was the most common word for the characteristic rhythm of celebration of the late 1920s and early 1930s (as in "Black Bottom Stomp," "Sugar Foot Stomp," "King Porter Stomp," "Cotton Club Stomp,'' etc.), then the 1930s saw it change to "jump," and, especially, in the word that gave the era its name, "swing." The names weren't arbitrary; they betrayed a bias in rhythmic feeling: just as a stomp might suggest a heavy emphasis on a down beat, a jump might suggest an impulse in the up direction. And swing suggests that what is being planned is a movement forward, not just up and down.
And that is what the mid-1930s was about - finding a way to step lightly on the beat and to keep moving forward. This had a lot to do with the introduction of electric microphones, which encouraged the use of the upright bass in place of the tuba (the string bass could continue to play a legato four beats per bar long after a tuba player would have run out of breath) and the replacement of the banjo with the springier-sounding guitar. These two changes alone insured that the rhythmic difference in the music would be every bit as marked as the difference between Bennie Moten's 1930 "New Moten Stomp" and his 1932 "Moten Swing" (both available on
Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra (1929-1932): Basie Beginnings
[RCA/Bluebird 9768-2-RB]).
It is perhaps no accident that this new rhythmic sense in the music was being introduced - pioneered, you might say - by musicians from the Midwest and Southwest. The New Orleans beat was designed to echo the stop-and-go strut of paraders making their way down a street on a hot day; parades were
 
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occasioned by holidays, funerals, celebrations - the milestones of life in a circumscribed community with an established and full sense of the cyclical rhythms of life and death.
But the pure four-four that came to identify the best of the so-called swing bands, above all Count Basie's, which grew out of Bennie Moten's, was music of the road and the train. The Midwest - Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma - still partook of a frontier mythology of possibility, mobility, and independence. The music the midwesterners brought with them was redolent of optimism, possibility, a better life just down the road - a message that was sure to be popular during the Great Depression.
Riffing
Not all of the swing big bands played in straight four-four all the time, and few held the beat as lightly as the Count Basie orchestra, but the era was defined by a quick sense of how to impel forward movement. The use of riffs became a kind of science; the best arrangers could use them to create an irresistible momentum of swing.
The 1930s: Big Bands
(Columbia CK 40651) is a perfect introductory sampler to the syles of most of the important jazz-oriented big bands of the time. The majority of the performances in the collection, from Claude Hopkins's 1932 "Mush Mouth" to Benny Goodman's 1939 Fletcher Henderson - arranged "Stealin' Apples," rely on the accretion of riffs for their character and effect. Musicians were learning how to use the expectations set up by the even four beats per bar to create a new kind of tension, surprise, and satisfaction, as in the wild Cab Calloway performance of "The Man from Harlem," when the trumpets alter the accents of Chopin's
Funeral March
to increase the effect of forward momentum. (Calloway exhorts the band through a series of exciting riff choruses, too.) Louis Armstrong had known this secret at least since his first recordings with Fletcher Henderson, but his knowledge was being integrated into every musician's vocabulary.
One of the ways of creating tension and release was to alternate long, held notes with phrases consisting of short, punchy notes; Fletcher Henderson's "Can You Take It?" uses this strategy. The tune "Let's Get Together," by drummer Chick Webb's band, uses a similar technique - the alternation of a simple two-note motif with an answering phrase of more complexity. These techniques derive from the incantatory call-and-response patterns of the African-American church and create the same climate of involvement and community that call-and-response and percussive incantation always point toward. They also reflect the instrumental strategy of the New Orleans ensembles, with the trumpets playing simpler lines which are answered by the reeds.
 
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"Passionette," by the important but little-known band of Teddy Hill (which included such greats as trombonist Dicky Wells and trumpeter Frankie Newton), is built entirely on riffs and, in its main theme, shows another way of creating suspense: the countering of a series of up-beat accents with an answering phrase beginning on the down beat, which creates a feeling of tumbling forward. In the late choruses of "St. Louis Wiggle Rhythm," by the Blue Rhythm Band, call-and-response technique has been telescoped into simultaneous riffs dovetailed over one another; this became standard operating procedure, a kind of counterpoint of riffs. (Charles Mingus took this principle to its logical extreme in his recording of "E's Flat, Ah's Flat, Too," available on
Blues and Roots
[Atlantic 1305-2], in which every horn in the ensemble plays a different riff simultaneously.) This set is an essential one-volume survey of the genre.
Another excellent overview of big-band styles is the two-disc set
An Anthology of Big Band Swing 1930-1955
(Decca/GRP GRD-2-629). It includes representative tracks by seminal jazz big bands such as those of Fletcher Henderson, Luis Russell, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Earl Hines, and Jimmie Lunceford, strongly jazz-inflected performances by Jan Savitt, Artie Shaw, the Dorsey brothers, and others, and echoes of New Orleans and Chicago in performances by the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Muggsy Spanier, and Noble Sissle (whose "Polka Dot Rag" features a raging solo by Sidney Bechet). Because the set ranges so far and wide, it affords a broad view of the way in which jazz techniques were used, alluded to, and transmuted by the big dance bands. A bonus in this set is a booklet full of very intelligent commentary by saxophonist and musicologist Loren Schoenberg.
The Count
Possibly no band ever swung more than Count Basie's, which grew out of the Kansas City bands of Bennie Moten and Walter Page. The recordings they made between 1937 and 1940 demonstrate that Basie's was one of the greatest ensembles in jazz history. It contained some of the most individual voices in jazz, yet together they contributed to one of the most relaxed, roomy, exhilarating group sounds ever heard. An excellent introduction to the basic Basie sound is
One O'Clock Jump
(Decca/MCA MCAD-42324), which contains the big band's first studio recordings. The band's strategy in its ensemble playing was the archetypal one of the swing era; the trumpet, saxophone, and trombone sections were set against each other, playing riffs that interlocked to create an exquisite and exciting rhythmic tension and balance, as on the final choruses of "Honeysuckle Rose," in which the trumpets play a simple repeated riff against a repeated saxophone melody.
 
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Many of these tunes are what used to be called head - i.e., unwritten - arrangements, in which members of the different sections would set up riffs for their respective sections. But even the early Basie band's written arrangements had the loose, stripped-down quality of head arrangements. This set is full of such gems, especially the title track, which is a perfect capsule version of the approach. The brass soloists are backed by subdued riffs from the saxes, and the saxophone soloists are backed by subdued brass riffs. After the soloists there is a chorus of pure "walking," or four-beats-to-the-bar timekeeping, from the bass player, Walter Page, while guitarist Freddie Green strums four to the bar as well, drummer Jo Jones keeps time on the high-hat, or "sock," cymbal, and Basie plays short, stabbing treble piano accents which sound very much like short trumpet riffs. Basie and the others sound absolutely cool and unruffled as they delineate the outlines of one of the greatest mysteries in life - time itself. Then the band rides out with the trumpets, trombones, and saxophones all playing their own riffs in one of the most famous passages in jazz. The combination of relaxation and excitement is characteristic of the Basie approach to swing.
Basie's piano is a constant presence here, commenting on the solos, playing riffs against the ensemble passages, and taking an active solo role as well, in an instantly identifiable manner built on riffs and the right-hand style of Fats Waller. Green, Page, and Jones were such an absolutely authoritative unit that Basie didn't need to worry about hammering out time; he could pick his spots, comment on the action, feed a soloist things to think about. A good tune on which to study his approach at length is "Roseland Shuffle," in which Basie and tenor saxophonist Lester Young go head-to-head, exchanging ideas in a fascinating dialogue for three exhilarating choruses. After they finish, listen to Basie's right hand answering the ensemble riffs at the end. Jimmy Rushing's vocals, both on blues material like "Good Morning Blues" and "Boogie-Woogie" as well as on pop songs like "Pennies from Heaven" and ''Boo-Hoo," are a gas, and the seldom-heard baritone saxophone pioneer Jack Washington has some fine solos, as does Lester Young. But the stars of this collection are Basie's piano and the band itself, combining a new rhythmic propulsion with a new degree of relaxation.
Good as
One O'Clock Jump
is, all jazz fans owe it to themselves to acquire
Count Basie: The Complete Decca Recordings
(Decca/GRP GRD-3-611), a three-CD set that includes everything on
One O'Clock Jump
as well as forty-six more tracks, many of them the original recordings of eternal Basie classics such as "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "Shorty George," "Doggin' Around," and "Jive at Five." Tenor saxophonist Lester Young really comes into his own here, soloing on these tunes and many others, including "Texas Shuffle," on which he plays
 
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clarinet, and "You Can Depend on Me," on which his exchanges with Basie and trumpeter Shad Collins are a thing of priceless beauty. Young's solos on these early Deccas would be quoted in other jazz musicians' solos for decades to come. Young's sectionmate Herschel Evans is heard in his classic tenor solo on "Blue and Sentimental," and Jimmy Rushing sings classic blues in "Blues in the Dark" and ''Sent for You Yesterday." In addition, this set includes a series of blues recorded by only Basie and the rhythm section; these exemplary recordings, like "How Long Blues" and "The Fives," reach way back into jazz's deep blues background. Fantastic stuff, all of it; I would urge anyone with even a moderate taste for the swing style to spend the extra money and get
The Complete Decca Recordings
.
The band's further adventures are documented on Columbia's
The Essential Count Basie, Volume 1
(CK 40608),
Volume 2
(CK 40835), and
Volume 3
(CK 44150). By the time of the first big-band recordings on this set (March 1939), the band steps even more lightly on the beat, Basie has become even more elliptical, and arrangements such as "Rock-A-Bye Basie" and "Easy Does It" are miracles of relaxation. The band's full complement of soloists is in place (with the fine Buddy Tate replacing tenor saxophonist Herschel Evans, who died in February 1939), and much of the time they are accompanied by a rhythm that is implied as much as stated.
"Miss Thing (Parts 1 & 2)" on
Volume 1
is one of the band's greatest performances, beginning with one of Lester Young's best solos. But the band's playing of riffs is what makes this a masterpiece of light-stepping propulsion, especially at the end of part one (this was issued on two sides of a 78-rpm record). In part two, the band shows a phenomenal mastery of dynamics, moving from a roaring, shouting riff chorus down to a whisper, down to an even lower whisper, until just Harry Edison and the rhythm section are playing, finally leaving Jo Jones playing his high-hat cymbal with the band woofing at him. A real moment of glory.
"Taxi War Dance," also on
Volume 1
, is just as good, with full-chorus statements from Young and trombonist Dicky Wells and effortless riffing from the full band.
Volume 2
finds the band continuing its winning streak into 1940, with classics like Lester Young's "Tickle Toe" and the powerhouse "Blow Top." By this time, the band's ensemble playing had become tighter, more "professional," even glossy, and some performances, such as "Louisiana," are a little dated-sounding, almost as if the band were copying itself. But then Lester Young comes in and everything is right with the world again. He leaves the band midway through
Volume 3
, but not before making some great noises on "The World Is Mad" and "Broadway." His place is taken by the fine stylist Don Byas. There is a version of "Moten Swing" that makes an interesting
 
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comparison to the Moten version from 1932. And on two tracks, "9:20 Special" and "Feedin' the Bean," the band is joined by special guest Coleman Hawkins.
Two other Kansas City bands that were widely admired for the high quality of their musicianship, arrangements, ensemble feel, and soloists were Andy Kirk's and Jay McShann's. If you like Basie's characteristic blues-based, riff-oriented approach, you might want to check out
Jay McShann Orchestra: Blues from Kansas City
(Decca/GRP GRD-614). The McShann band is best remembered as the first to feature Charlie Parker on recordings; on this set, "Swingmatism," "Hootie Blues," "The Jumpin' Blues,'' and "Sepian Bounce" feature Parker playing short but classic solos that brought him to the attention of all who had ears to hear. But this set's 1941-1943 recordings are also worthwhile for their irresistible ensemble swing, the leader's excellent blues piano, and the sly blues vocals of Walter Brown.
Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy was distinguished above all by the piano playing and arranging of one of jazz's giants, Mary Lou Williams. The set
Andy Kirk and Mary Lou Williams: Mary's Idea
(Decca/GRP GRD-622) gives a full and convincing sense of the band's range, with good tenor solos on many tracks from the little-known Dick Wilson, as well as large helpings of Williams's piano. Not to be missed on this set is "Walkin' and Swingin'," a 1936 Williams masterpiece of adventuresome ensemble writing and harmonic insight.
Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman made a huge contribution to the music, both as a nonpareil clarinetist (since his first recordings with Ben Pollack's orchestra in 1926) and as the longtime leader of a swinging band with extremely high musical standards. Along with much good jazz, he recorded a lot of popular ephemera - forgettable songs that he was unwilling to grant a higher life to, as artists such as Fats Waller and Billie Holiday routinely did with substandard material.
Still, his bands, when they were at their best, could hold their own with almost any band of the time, especially when playing arrangements by Fletcher Henderson, who laid the foundation for the band's repertoire, as well as arrangements by aces such as Jimmy Mundy and Edgar Sampson. Much of the Goodman available today, and there is a lot, mixes the gold with the schmaltz in a way that will be satisfying only to true Goodman freaks. So what follows is a highly selective introduction to Goodman's jazz side, after which you're on your own.
The best single document of the Goodman big band at work in the recording studio is undoubtedly
Benny Goodman and His Orchestra: Sing, Sing, Sing

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