Stardust, Paul Desmond plays clarinet, beautiful

I've been searching U-tube for some beautiful music. Yes, I wanted to listen to beautiful music because of the incident written below. And found this chorus. There are lots of sentiments for me in this song, Stardust. I started out to learn clarinet.

I was in love with Benny Goodman. It was mid 50es, as I started to go to junior high. This is one hell of the difficult tune to improvise and cannot be played without the verse. That makes harder to improvise. The initial 16 bars are so closely attached to the melody and it make you feel bad to neglect them. The reason may be that the melody line has been constructed so tightly and that makes us normal person difficult to improvise.



That makes me wonder if there's any piano player who dare to challenge its improvisation. So I've wondered around with the keyword "Stardust". La,la, la....
I've found a few.

Dave Brubeck duet it with Paul. The first passage of verse is intriguing. I see his face quite young. There is no discography though, I guess it could be before 1960. The sound of Desmond is so mellow but young, don't you think? Yeah, he does funny vibration around 4:50. Right, he is playing clarinet. This is the first I ever heard him with clarinet.



So, I needed something beautiful:
I stumbled over a road block and hit my right shoulder and knee plus got my left elbow skinned. Oh, I skinned a bit under the right eye as well. Right, to be exact I falled to the ground with my bicycle. It should have passed over 20 years since I tumbled over the ground last time. I feel like losing strength. I wonder if I have to accept that I am an old man. Those things made me sad.

This is the beautiful recording of Benny Goodman playing Stardust

Two powerful singers from 70es

Every once in a while, I feel the urge that I should let you know how the Japanese popular songs are. To do that, I sure will try to compare some technicality of it with jazz. If I say the popular, don't forget that I'm an old man. The Jazz is still one of the popular songs for me. So, the popular song can't be one of those anime songs that have been around with those cyber-creatures nonsenses.

During 1970es, well, allow me to repeat that I was young and full of hope to take over the corporation that my father established, or the blood and sweat and tears of his creation. There were, or should I say, are two ladies in this world who was singing with such powerful breathing and beautiful lyrics. Yes I can broaden the limits of each definition so that the area for jazz has been widened to include Ms. Streisand.

One was Ms. Barbara Streisand, singing "Where we were" and Ms. Sayuri Ishikawa, singing "Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu-geshiki", meaning "The impression of Tsugaru Channel in Winter". The song is classified as one of the best Enka, Enka is the designation to this kind of music.

Tsugaru Channel in Winter


It may require a little explanation what this means. Tsugaru Channel is the northern most Channel running in between the Honshu Island and the Hokkaido Island. The point is that the Channel is used as the symbol of depressing loneliness in the dark cold winter.

The lyric may be in contrast each other. But both are quite sentimental. Barbara tells you her memory with someone, Sayuri tells her own depressing thinking and what she sees in her mind while traveling back to her homeland. It is nice to listen to good music and nice singers sing beautiful songs regardless of its category. That is the beauty of the art, right?

I cry over those Japanese Enkas, for the songs are too fit to my sentiment. I just cannot stop tearing. I don't know what it is. It may be the regret that I have over my past, or mere sentiment to the people I lost contact with, some may have been dead now...

Let me hear what you say on this Japaense song that have been marketed specifically in Japan

Maid dance with Take Five

We were at the College Jazz Band Contest. It was 1962 or 63, It's 45 years ago. So anyone under 45 hadn't existed at that time. Now you know how old I am. We played "So what" and relaxed as being the audience when one of the other contestants started to play "Take Five".



We knew pretty well that the improvisation of it was quite tough. Yes, the rhythm is 5/4. You count five for a bar, which is tough. If you try to keep beat you'll lose the melody line of your improvisation. It may be OK for 5-6 bars but eventually you'll give in to the four beat.

They started out all right. There was this alt sax player whose sound was pretty close to that of Paul Desmond. He stayed with 5/4 for the first chorus. A few bars later he started to play four beat. Rhythm section failed to keep time within next few bars. We all laughed out loud.

I've found this video interesting. First of all that is the amine. secondly girls dancing wear maid uniform. How does that connect to each other? Well, you must be one of the anime fun or you don't know the maid cafe in Tokyo.

It has started 4-5 years and been fad since then. Those cafes are the spot you must visit or you won't be qualified as one of the anime fun. They say "Welcome home, Master" as you walk into the cafe. Hey, you like that!

No, they don't serve alcohol, No, they don't sit next to you. They may allow to take picture with you. They may entertain you with some performance of their own.

In essence you can enjoy seeing and talking with them but no sexual matter involved.

I put up this video for its strange combination of 21st century and 1960es or 1950es for that matter. Enjoy! Let me know if you like it.

Jim Hall and two pianists, Evans and Petruciani

I haven't known this guy named Petruciani. He plays pretty nice with Jim Hall at this video. And I found that there is amazing resembalance with the recording of Undercurrent that was done with Bill Evans and Jim.

Petruciani + Jim Hall : beautiful love.

I am pretty sure that the Undercurrent was recorded much earlier than this video, isn't it? Yeah, right. That was 1962. I was 19. Arrogant in every aspect of my life. Were you not at the age?

I hear Evans touch of backing. With nice combination of block coding at lower octave. Beside, voicing itself sounds pretty close to that of Bill.

Would Petruciani is that tactful guy? I don't know 'cause this is the first time ever listen to his playing. It may be this: If Jim has to be comfortable with backing, the accompanist must be like Bill, is it? Jim is quite nice at both accompaniments.

Jim sure plays better with Valentine. But then it's a recording session. They both could have great time knowing each other. . .

By the way, the recording with this video is much better than the LP I bought.

Jazz piano plyaers of Japanese origin

I know there are lots of Japanese jazz players active in US jazz scene. Mr. Ozone, is the one and these are the most frequently played pieces at You tube.

We are all alone. Simple chord progression, very basic. It sounds nice. Listening to his balad reminds of a discussion we had in college. That was around 1960, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, etc & etc. The best year for the so called Modern Jazz.

This is his trio version.

We were arguing whom to follow, Bill Evans or Oscar Peterson.

The LP disks were expensive at the time. The exchange rate was JPY360 to US$1. It is 1/3 now. We had to deversify the budget.

Years passed. Most of them are gone. But here are those new breeds. I am not crilicizing but the Japanese players sound too clean. There's no earthy nor gloomy feeling in there. It makes the whole sound something unrealistic. Well, for me, at least.

This is his solo of same tune.


I feel lucky because I can listen to any of those players on internet. Ozone or whoever it is.

Do you listen Radio?

I do a lot. Basically, I do not want any excessive noise around. I gave my wife to listen her favorite TV with earphone. Right, we are living rabbit burn. We used to live nice house in suburb. As we get older, it became pretty hard to go out for shopping. So we moved into a apartment house that has 25 floors.

That's right. It was 2 month ago we were hit by the heaviest earthquake in my life. The building did swing all right. We have a light hanging down from ceiling. It swung, men, it did swing and we surely got terrified.

We picked up pet cat, 16 years old by the way, and run down from 13th floor. It took much more time than we had expected. We got old. I was forced to realize that.

That was two months ago. Time flies. Well other than that, we live in peace and calm. Now I need some kind of sound every once in a while. I pick up earphone, not the headphone by the way. And listen to the Jazz.

I prefer vocal jazz sometime, piano jazz sometime, but never the jazz music of pre-1950es. And I was listening Tommy Flanagan. It's been a while. But his way of playing piano sounds so smooth. But if you wish to try his way, It's tough.

He sings. The way he sings cannot be imitated. It is completely different thing from so called swing. He sings. And I mean it. Check the video attached, you'll know what I mean.

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.

Looking for the shortest route to learn jazz piano?
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. . . . .