"Fables of Faubus" - Charles Mingus

History:

• Just like other art-forms, music is an outlet for expression - in this case, political protest
• Composed by Charles Mingus (Bass) in 1959 to protest against Arkansas governor Orval E. Faubus
• in 1957, Faubus sent the National Guard  to prevent integration of Little Rock Central High School by nine African American teens
• Appeared on Mingus' 1959 album "Mingus Ah Um" on the Columbia record label
• Columbia refused to let Mingus release the recording with the lyrics 
• Under the Columbia label, just the instrumental version was released
• A year later, Charles Mingus released the uncensored version (with lyrics) under the Candid record label on the album "Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus"
• due to contractual issues, they had to release the song under the name "Original Faubus Fables"
• Charles Mingus - bass & vocals
• Ted Curson - Trumpet
• Eric Dolphy - Alto Sax
• Dannie Richmond - Drums (featured in the Call & Response with Mingus)
• listen to the uncensored version HERE 
• This was one of Mingus' most proud compositions and played it quite often

Lyrics:

Oh, Lord, don't let 'em shoot us!
Oh, Lord, don't let 'em stab us!
Oh, Lord, don't let 'em tar and feather us!
Oh, Lord, no more swastikas!
Oh, Lord, no more Ku Klux Klan!

Name me someone who's ridiculous, Dannie.
Governor Faubus!
Why is he so sick and ridiculous?
He won't permit integrated schools.

Then he's a fool! Boo! Nazi Fascist supremists!
Boo! Ku Klux Klan (with your Jim Crow plan)

Name me a handful that's ridiculous, Dannie Richmond.
Faubus, Rockefeller, Eisenhower
Why are they so sick and ridiculous?

Two, four, six, eight:
They brainwash and teach you hate.
H-E-L-L-O, Hello.

"St. Thomas" - Sonny Rollins

Artists in this video:

• Tenor Sax - Sonny Rollins
• Piano - Kenny Drew
• Bass - Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (Danish bassist)
• Drums - Albert "Tootie" Heath

Factoids:

• First released on Sonny Rollins' 1965 album "Saxophone Colossus" 
• The melody is based on a traditional nursery song sung to Rollins as a child in the Virgin Islands, hence the Caribbean feel.
• "St. Thomas" was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.  When you steal your next cop car or taxi in the game, tune into JNR 108.5 Radio Station and listen to some Sonny Rollins!

Listen for:

• The clip clearly highlights how jazz artists use the head (main melody/tune) as a foundation during improvisation 
• Notice how the bassist (Pedersen) starts his improv using the main tune as the opening statement.  When improvising, take the head and expand on it melodically and/or rhythmically.
• Albert Heath does a GREAT job using the main melody at the beginning of his solo.  The cymbal and snare hits nicely outline the syncopation in the melody.  He continues to play around rhythmically with the head throughout his solo.  Try humming or singing along as he plays.
• When the head comes back towards the end, Sonny Rollins really plays around with the basic framework.  He changes the rhythm and also plays other notes within the chord progression.

Bags Groove - Milt Jackson

Factoids:

• Composed by Milt Jackson (1923-1999)
• Apart of the 1957 album "Bag's Groove" 
• was first recorded with the Miles Davis Quintet in 1954
• other songs listed on the album have become jazz standards like "Oleo" and "Doxy"
• Milt Jackson is known for his amazing vibraphone chops
• was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet) in 1946 when he hired Milt for his sextet
• he set the oscillator to 3.3 revolutions per second for a subtle vibrato sound
• known for his variations of harmony & rhythm
• Milt Jackson formed the "Modern Jazz Quartet" in 1952 
• The simple melody in "Bag's Groove" makes it a popular tune that has been arranged for many different groups & ensembles
• Listen to Milt Jackson in this clip 
• he uses simple patterns and then expands on those ideas
• on the close-up shots, you can see him using the foot pedal (dampens or lets the metal bars ring) as the metal bars are pushed up and down
• if you look closely, you can see the spinning oscillator plates underneath the metal bars

"So What" - Miles Davis

History:

• "So What" appeared on Miles' album "Kind of Blue" released in 1959
• The album included jazz all-stars:  Bill Evans (piano), Jimmy Cobb (piano), John Coltrane (sax), Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (Sax), and Paul Chambers (bass)
• Miles handed his musicians just small sketches of some chords and scales before taping
• One track, "Flamenco Sketches", was finalized in the first take
• This was a pivotal stretch of album releases for Miles Davis and the jazz culture because it was a shift away from hard-bop (fast and technically demanding) to a more harmonically rich modal sound

Factoids:

• Miles Davis (1926 - 1991) composed "So What" 
• "So What" was revolutionary in the fact that the main melody is given to the bassist.  The bass was previously thought as just an instrument to outline chord progressions through a walking bass line, not a melodic tool
• is written in the Dorian mode - AABA form
• 16 bars of D Dorian, followed by 8 bars of Eb Dorian, then another 8 of D Dorian
• Miles Davis often faced his back towards the audience when playing - he had a certain presence that went unmatched 

click HERE to go to a page that has an audio clip and free transcription of his improv in "So What"

"One Note Samba" - Ella Fitzgerald

Factoids:

• Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)
• American jazz vocalist known for her amazing diction and "horn-like" improvisational scat singing
• Won 14 Grammy Awards
• Greatly influenced by Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and the Boswell Sisters
• Had a VERY tough early childhood where she was abused by her stepfather, worked for the mafia as a lookout, put into an all-black orphanage, escaped and was homeless for quite some time
• Made her big break at the age of 17 while singing at an amateur night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York
• Listen to her amazing diction and how syllables seem to effortlessly fall from her mouth
• She also throws in a musical quotation at the 5:00 minute mark to play with the audience
• Her scat style is very indicative of  jazz instrumentalists
• She alters the timbre of her voice just as horn player would - even mimicking how different mutes would alter the sounds of a trombone or trumpet player's instrument 

"September in the Rain"

Factoids:

• "September in the Rain" was written by Harry Warren  (lyrics by Al Dubin) in 1937
• Towards the end of this song, Hargrove scats (singing nonsense syllables) along with the band while engaging in Call & Response echoes
• Many groups have performed arrangements of this song from The Beatles to Norah Jones to Willie Nelson
• Roy Hargrove (1969 - ) is a jazz trumpet player and bandleader
• He has played with numerous jazz greats - Wynton Marsalis and Herbie Hancock as examples
• Leads the "RH Factor" big band that combines elements of jazz, funk, hip-hop, soul and gospel
• He is known for his stage presence along with his bold Nike shoes & tuxedo combination

Yardbird Suite - Charlie Parker

History

• Composed by Charlie Parker (sax) in 1946
• originally titled "What Price Love?"

Factoids

• Charlie Parker's nickname was Yardbird, later shortened to just 'bird
• follows AABA form 
• is considered a jazz standard
• Charlie Parker is known for his contribution to the "bebop" sub genre
• This is considered very "lyrical" for his style
• Charlie Parker tragically died in 1955 at the age of 34
• official cause of death was pneumonia and an ulcer (but he also suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and a heart attack.  Any one of those could have killed him

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

History:

• Written by Joe Zawinul for Cannonball Adderley's album "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at The Club"
• 1966
• reached #11 on the Billboard Charts
• Been performed by many bands from beginners to professionals

Factoids:

• The above band is the Buddy Rich (drummer) Memorial Big Band
• Dave Weckl is playing drums (he rocks the mullet really well, don't you think? ha)
• Theme is first played twice in the introduction
• Notes from the major pentatonic scale
• The chord progression has a 20 bar structure (unusual)
• The chords are mostly dominant 7th chords building on the first, fourth and fifth scale degrees giving it a "12 bar blues" effect
• This arrangement is driven by the high intesity of the drummer (there's also a key change towards the end)

Straight No Chaser

History

• Composed by Thelonious Monk (Piano) in 1951
• Blue Note Sessions album

Factoids

• This recording features Joshua Redman and James Carter
• the head of the tune is very repetitious
• 5 note motive starts before beat 1
• 7 note motive before beat 4
• everywhere else is a 4 note motive
• 12 bar blues
• originally recorded with Sahib Shihab (alto), Milt Jackson (vibes), Al McKibbon (bass), and Art Blakey (drums)

Redman and Carter’s “battle” throughout the chart is energy-packed and filled with virtuosic licks.  Listen to how their improvised lines compliment eachother

James Morrison - Trumpet/Trombone

James Morrison is an Australian jazz musician who plays numerous instruments, but is best known for his trumpet playing. He is a multi-instrumentalist, having performed on the clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax, flugelhorn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, and piano.  He is also a composer, writing jazz charts for ensembles of various sizes and proficiency levels.

The video is a clip from a demonstration where he talks about digital music.  His demonstration leads to a performance where he solos using both the trombone and trumpet while being backed up by his computer software.  Check out the beginning where he uses multiphonics to create a unique effect while playing a walking bass line.