He speaks right on coneption of Jazz

I did not go to music school. But I have listened lots of jazz and tried to imitate what they were doing. In due course, I have learned how to structure the improvisation line and how far I can go out of chord during improvisation.

It's all related to sharpening the sense of your music, I might say. This guy talks on that straight forward. He teaches in a college and admit that.

I felt uncomfortable

It's Sunday, the holiday. If I am one of internet marketer, there comes Sunday as there is for commuting sales persons. I went out to buy a set of ear piece that was messed up by my angry wife last night.

As I walked into the store I have noticed that there were lots of audio CDs, DVDs and such medium. Yes, they carry those at the first floor. Most of the store set portable phone shop at the first floor.

There were many staffs much older than 40 years. That made me think that the store was for the neighbors. Well, store itself is a branch of national chain. Right, it's getting harder to find any kind of store other than that.

So, I dropped by a booth where I can try current publication of jazz. There were 7 CDs set to listen. I started the first one. Yeah, that's the good old brass session, sounded like Benny Golson playing



Then the second one and the third one, I felt uncomfortable. The second one was a song album backed by a piano trio. And the third one was a piano trio. Both, I have never heard of. Well, they were young and fresh to the scene.

The second one was much obvious that the key of the song doesn't seem to match to the piano key. Besides they recorded singing voice in much bigger volume than the piano trio behind. I didn't like it.

The third one sounded that the pianist played improvisation off key. But she resolve to the base key somehow. The irritating was that I could not identify where she does that.

I searched for the clue going through Peterson, Garner, John Lewis. After 2 hours and 13 minutes later, I have arrived this recording. At the beginning of the refrain, Bill Evans does that.

That was the relief. But tell you the truth, I am glad to find Bill does that but in much more smoothly than that young lady. The new discovery for me on Bill Evans. So I wanted to report that to you all.

Thanks listening.

C jam blues, WOW!

Have you watched this Duke? It Is Amazing. C jam blues in 1942. I was born in 1943. This film is a bit older than I am. It nicely shows how each of the player join the performance and make it whole jam. Another excellent C Jam Blues I remember is the Oscar Peterson and Red Garland.

While I was checking if I could find Peterson played C jam, I've found Ella. This is something that I wasn't aware of. She sure has perfect pitch. She harmonizes with horn. That is something. She does four verses and lots of improvisation with her voice. Just amazing. You ought to watch this.



Well, Oscar could be the Night Train. Anyway C Jam Blues is the tune of blues and has easiest melody. You keep hitting a note and jump to the other one at the end a phrase. That alone shows the vast possibility of improvisation and that is why I like this tune.

Where is Miles Davis of 60es?

I am writing while listening Miles Davis in Muchen in 1987. I never liked Miles of 80es. He seemed to have foget the melody. He went to the rhythm. Well, technically, they are excellent and world class for sure. I'm wondering why he didn't try to integrate the rhythm of 80es with the melody line of his early 60es.

Rhythm itself is great though it's boring to listen to the improvisation without chord progression. The second tune started out rather slow. I am not familiar with Miles in 80es anyway.
Now I jumped to Wight '70. I see the base of his 80es here. Now I feel like Miles was nothing but a human. Os he's been doing this for next 20 years. Right? The keyboard player looks familiar. Yeah, I was in Fort Lee in 1970. But I didn't have tried Miles live.



It is interesting if you chekc the number of times the video has played at Google video. Someday prince will come, one of my favorites counting 959 times. On thw other hands, Miles Davis Hannibal that sound pretty close to the sound of Muchen counted for only 167. So, Let me conclude that quite a number of people prefer Miles in 60es than 80es. Don't you think?

Erroll Garner, the steady beat.

Hey, this is the Garner style. Tempo is good. I hear a little Bud Powell, don't you? His left hand sure amazes me every time I hear. But Garner wasn't my favorite. If you listen to the second tune, In a mellow Tone, you'll realize why he couldn't be mu favorite. He could fake the melody line but never be the excellent improvisation performer, I'd say.




But well, I like his intonation. That appears his third tune, Don't worry 'bout me. His ballad play is kind of boring and easily gets into the category of cocktail piano. He cannot be a player who can go along with drummer of bassist, I assume. You feel thrill with driving piano but never with the accompanist, right?

He's gone in 1977, at his age of 55. It's a long time ago. According to the WikiPedia, he's been active till 1974.I see interesting comment on him in the wiki, saying "Short in stature (5 foot 2 inches) Garner performed sitting on multiple telephone directories, except when playing NY, where Manhattan phone book was sufficient." Mmmmm...

Thelonious Monk, ballad: Don't blame me

Every body knows the quire playing style of Monk, right? I like his play as well as Oscar Peterson. The timing is themselves. But it get bored if you keep listening all the time. For that matter I'd say same thing to Bill Evans.

Monk is astonishingly technical sometime. If you check "Straight no chaser", you'll see it. But I love his poetic ballad playing. And this is one of them. See the left hand? And the way he kicks? That's Monk.



I tried him once. Everybody thought that I was just lazy and lousy player. It's a memory of my high teen years. Blue Monk is rather easy to perform his way. No legato, no dragging left hand chord. You play chopping melody line and improvisation line. That makes you Monk.

This is nice tutorial to support a singing.

It is not that easy to go along with singing. My first experience was total disaster. I was playing solo at a bar located near a train station. There were some beauties who might sit next to you to have a little chat with customers. No, that was not a bar where you would find hookers but rather a decent place.

That was third or fourth year since I started playing jazz piano. To tell you the truth, that was my first experience to play background of professional singer.



My first mistake was to try going along with her, the singer. I send chord as she sings. Which means that I listen to her phrasing and try to go along with it. So, if she stretch a bar, I follow it. Y'know something? If I do that, she'd lose the bar completely.

It took me three tunes to learn the lesson. During those three tunes, I did not feel I was playing at all. I got sweat so badly and had felt irritating eyeball due to the sweat into my eye.

Now you are lucky. Because you can learn the lesson through internet. And I find this tune pretty cute. The voice of this singer is great and the piano player has nice timing sense to back her up. Enjoy.

Check with my jazz piano lesson for the late starters. If you are over 40, there's nothing to worry. You sing along with piano and that is you improvisation.

Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, the Giants

While I was in NY during late 60es, I have missed to listen two Giants, Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. John died in 1967. I was too late to be any of the jazz spots at the time, like Village Vanguard, Village Gate, Five Spot and else where I didn't know the existence.

I was shocked listening to My favorite Things. That goes on and on for close to 30 minutes, if I remember correctly. If it doesn't last that long, I felt that way at the time. I listened it a few times and wasn't able to listen again. That was too heavy for me.



If you follow the narration of this video, you'd confirm that there was only one tune that had been played together, "Tenor Madness" But you will find that both admires mutually listening through this video.

It is said in the video that both revised the role of the instrument. Here's the story Sonny tells about meeting John first time, "He played one job in Autoburn Ball room in NY. And he had another saxophone player there, named John Coltrane. That was the first time I played with Coltrane. And I've met him, y'know, And I think it must have been 1948 or 9. "

Sonny: Trane was like a saint, serious an sincere.
Jimmy Jeffery: When we visited Trane's house Central West on 3rd st, he said;
Sonny can take any tune and play it like he wrote it.

I have to take tune that I feel little good to me play
Sonny he can take most of the skilled tune and play it like he wrote it.

They sure had been close, right?
Enjoy.

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Check here and enjoy!

Yo Yo Ma, a Tango

I heard this tune at a rest area of prestigious golf course at the turn of century. I made come back at the very end of the 20th century, well it was year of 2000 I mean.

We, I and my friend bought 80 years old company listed at Tokyo Stock exchange. This company had two memberships with this golf course. The course was one of the championship course. "Was", yes, they closed in 2001 and the area has been restructured to be residential area.

That means the tune connected to the best year of my life. That could be the reason why I get tears. Yes, I was with 21 years old college student majored in piano. Right, That was a good year. Not the best but one of, I dear say.



Tango itself has nostalgic feeling. The band-neon sounds that way, right? But the way Ma plays his instrument, that was a surprise. I and the girl had the chance to go to a concert featuring Mr. Ma.

Well, now I remember that that was the time when I re-start smoking. Vice induces another vice ,right?

Soothing back ground music, this is

The sound of piano can be noisy if you are talking to your loved one in a cozy small room. Most of the people doesn't know this. Yes, piano sound does fade away pretty fast as you leave from the instrument. But you can hear a drop of a finger touch at the very back sheet of a big concert hall.



I like its sound. That's why I started playing piano. Besides, you won't exhaust your breath playing with it, right?
Enjoy.

Where we were, Remember? that has passed 30 years now

I started from Helen Merrill, I mean jazz vocal. Then got into Cris Conner, and what was the other two who were called as the three daughters of that famous band leader?

My goodness, my memory is getting worse everyday. Sooner or later I might find difficult to remember own name.

Well, the thing is, when I heard Barbara Streisand first time, I was astounded by the high notes she went.

She wasn't my favorite anyway. For one thing is that her back band had always been full orchestra. Never a combo, or is there?



The way we were, remember Robert Redford? I was very much impressed with this song. Reason? yeah she had feeling. or rather, I'd put it that her voice has the expression.

I cannot recall what was with me though, I got tear comes down every time I hear this song with her. . .

It's nice. My mother died in 1973 at her age of 58, too young. I met a girl who is my present wife in 1974. My father died of cancer in 1978. It's been the best years of my life, yeah. And? I ws 30 years old then.

Jazz Messengers, remember?

Again, I'm not sure though, it could have been 1970 in NYC, village gate. I had a chance to listen to Mr. Blakey. I had no idea what had happened to him. He was bad player. Besides, there were no sidemen from this recording session, no Timmons, Gorden, nor Mr. Morgan the trumpet player.


We copied Messengers. The toughest was the Blues March. I had to keep hitting keyboard all the way for 10-15 minutes restless. Mr Timmons in this record represents the era of groove, don't you think? Wow, so nostalgic. The theme of this tune was everywhere in Tokyo during 60es, you cannot believe, yeah but that's the truth I remember. . . . .