A hitory, "in a mellow tone"

It's been a while since I posted here. I've been busy to revise my way to affiliate. It's been time consuming and needed lots of focus than I have expected. During this period, I've been listening jazz through internet radio. I had been listening to jazzradio.com with winamp. Since I love piano jazz, I tuned to the "piano jazz". Yes, they play piano jazz all through the day. Well that's OK, that's why I tuned in with them, right?

But if you say you love piano jazz, you'd like to listen to other instruments every once in a while, don't you? For that I had to click through to reach a page where I select instruments that I wish to listen to. But who knows which instrument you'd like to listen till you actually start listening to it, right?

Then I checked smooth jazz. Well, they are not my jazz. Then finally I got my favorite. "Jazz Wyoming" They mix a couple of other instruments and vocal jazz other than piano during one hour nicely, or should I say it in subtle way. Yes, I am listening them lately. Try them
There are no big band jazz with them. So I wished to listen to Count Basie and started to surfing You Tube. And here they are! "In a mellow tone".



It was 35 years ago. I joined amateur big band that follows Count Basie's footsteps. We had two concert a year and the band tour once a year. The practice session was held in Shibuya. My love Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Tomy Flanagan, Hank Jones and never was Count Basie. I have listened to him at State room in Empire State Building once.

He sounded so light. I took him a composer rather than a piano player. I had to change my opinion when I encountered this tune "In a mellow tone". We got complete score of the tune. Those scene that you see starting from 4:30 and on, that get on with one the whole horn section was tough. There is a solo part in that score that has written down Basie's phrase. I never was able to get the reasoning of each sound. Yet, it swings nicely and sings beautiful. Yeah, that was Count Basie. Those were the good days, my, my. . . . . . .

My first encounter with Lynne Arriale

Ever heard of her play? Well, this is my first encounter. Nice, but colorless, let's say. She sure has learned classic music. I see it clearly from her play. Her tone is quiet and lonely somehow.

I was watching Woomy Schmidt interviewed her. The video is listed here with the title of "An Interview with Jazz Pianist Lynne Arriale (part 1 of 2) " . She said that she was adopted. She could have been lonely in her youth, I guess. And I hear it in her play. Does it? Well, at least it sounded me that way.

Woomy is a quick interviewer. He may sound too hard to be interviewed. But I liked him. He is talking with someone to entertain other people, after all.

Now, Would you like to listen to her play? Here's one:

At his interview, she said that McCoy Tynar is her respected jazz player. Does she sound one? No, I don't think so. Woomy asked her: What makes the great tune?

She replied saying; "A Great tune needs to tell a little story. Just like a short story in literature. Has beginning, middle and end. And one thing that is very important with great tune is having the first idea be completely engaging. In another word, we hear that idea 'n somhow our ears just relates to that. y'know, something universal that idea has touched. Then the big question is what needs to follow. What must be the next phrase. 'know, there are several versions with Beetobens 5th syphony. Well, he rewrote sections. And historians can looked at it saying 'see, the ultimate version we know is the best.'"

"When I'm writing a song often we have one idea and have another one ans, which one feels right idea that needs to follow organically. And again that's very subjective, and there's no books says this is what needs to happen next. But we look up the shape, we look at the idea and answer and an another idea and it takes us to engage a little musical journey."

Right, she is a professional piano player all right.

Jon the cocktail piano, in England

Hey, this guy's hilarious. I can build up lots of funny story concerning to his daily life. Here's one.

As Jon arrived home, a few minutes before midnight, his wife was standing at the entrance and blocking his entering to his home. As he's lots taller than his wife, he asked her why he could not enter.

She answered saying: "Oh, Jon, you have to smile at me with that silly empty smile first." Jon said　"Well, OK. but you cannot say it an empty smile, y'know" She said "Oh? I didn't know that".

Taking an advantage of this situation, well that was just that he was taller than she though, he said; "Her majesty didn't say that my smile was empty. You cannot argue with the Queen"

"Yeah, I know, That's why I'm arguing with you at this moment. Now you have to show me that silly smile so that I can . . . . . . "

Well, since I am not the native English speaker, I cannot complete this story with big laugh. But you can, right?

I was going through You tube searching with a keyword of "jazz pianist in England" and I got him. It's a kind of surprise that Her Majesty is present to make a comment. I have no idea how well he is known in England. So, I am not sure how famous he is.

Now, you sure will notice the way he look at camera, right? That's funny. And the piano play is so old and that reminds me of the good old cocktail piano, or champagne music. Besides, he should have tuned piano before he took this video.