So What?

The Shoes of The Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers

With Herbie Hancock's recent Album of the Year win this past Sunday for River: The Joni Letters at the Grammy Awards, I was thinking today of Joni Mitchell's collaboration Mingus. Elvis Costello did something similar back in 2001 with "Hora Decubitus". Costello is also on Hal Wilner's Weird Nightmare Mingus tribute, which I first heard in college and led me to explore the vast and wonderful catalog of, well, weirdness that is Charles Mingus.

So, anyway, the point is I listened to Mingus' Let My Children Hear Music this morning as I drove to vote in the Virginia presidential primary. As corny as it sounds, since I'm recently married and hope to begin a family in the next year or two, I can't wait for my children to hear music of all kinds.

Mingus was an irascible and difficult man, notorious for a number of reasons. Triumph of the Underdog is a good place to begin your own explorations of this twentieth century jazz giant.

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



Part 5



Part 6



Part 7



Part 8



Part 9

Jazz Odyssey, Part 1: Sheets of Sound

I've decided to do a series of posts throughout the next few weeks and months about my favorite jazz musicians, performances, and recordings. What better place to begin than where it all started for me?

In 1960, John Coltrane recorded with his quartet an entire album of standards by Rogers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, and the Gershwins. I first heard Coltrane's landmark interpretation of "My Favorite Things" probably in the late 80s or early 90s. I had only a passing familiarity with The Sound of Music at the time, so I fortunately didn't know Julie Andrews' version initially. That's likely a good thing, given this biting lyric I first heard in 1994:

" 'My Favourite Things ' are playing
Again and again
But it's by Julie Andrews
And not by John Coltrane"
- Elvis Costello, "This is Hell"

(Maybe I just need to be liquored up and/or in the right crowd to enjoy her version. )

"My Favorite Things" was successful commercially and critically in its day. Gorgeous and hypnotic, hinting at the Eastern influences and direction Coltrane as well as many other jazz artists would take throughout that decade and beyond, this recording opened many ears. 30 or so years later, I was another lucky listener.

"Memories always start 'round midnight..."

This blog is just over a month old today! To celebrate, let's get our theme song out there. As you might've read if you've been here since the beginning, it was at a Thelonious Monk tribute concert that I was inspired to create and name what you're (hopefully) enjoying now. Here are some notable versions of his true 20th century standard...

The mad Monk himself:




Miles Davis (with a young Herbie Hancock on keys):




Dizzy Gillespie and a big band treatment:




Ella Fitzgerald:




Nnenna Freelon (with an older Herbie Hancock and playing in Cloud City, apparently):



Cassandra Wilson (whom I met last year at the 930 Club when I saw her duet with T Bone Burnett):



Lastly, Bobby McFerrin. If you can forget the near misery-inducing irony of his ubiquitous 1988 smash "Don't Worry, Be Happy," it's pretty amazing what he can do with his voice:



Oh, Herbie Hancock is in that last performance, too, isn't he? Yeah, and he's also in the 1986 film Round Midnight with Dexter Gordon, as well (which I first saw back in 1990 or so and again recently). Okay, Herb. You win. What do you want me to do for you now?

Seriously?

Okay, you're the man, so here you go:

In the Mood - Thelonious Monk at Town Hall

I just saw Jason Moran and his musicians perform a tribute to Thelonious Monk at GWU's Lisner Auditorium. It was a fantastic multimedia event, with many superlatives I could attach. I'm tired now, so I'm going to let you just imagine them. All the best superlatives. Very exhilarating.

I've been married for just over one week! (Took me my librarian/wife to finally get this blog going.) I've decided to call it "'Round Midnight" not only because of the Monk composition but also since that's when I usually check email and noodle around the Web.