The Working Week Gets Greedy...
Sitting in the library on Fridays and weekends makes me listen to more blues and jazz than I normally do- which is good amount, but here the overall balance of power gets tipped. To give you, dear reader, an idea of just how fun it all is, I present the following exemplars:
Larry Young- Zoltan
Larry Young gets his fair share of credit from multiple sources- I guess the canonical conception of jazz places him second to Jimmy Smith in terms of organists. To avoid giving the canon too much credit, let's just consider the track. While his debut for Blue Note showed considerable promise and is a good listen in its own right, the 1965 album "Unity" marks Young's maturation from Smith's protege into a strong performer with his own ideas about improvisation. "Zoltan," the album's opener, was composed by Woody Shaw. The first few bars lay out the key and tempo of the overall track, but soon after the main bass/organ line kicks in and damn, it becomes clear that the song is going places. The group really plays off one another- each member effortlessly switches between the solo spotlight and tight backing arrangements. Elvin Jones throws down his usual brilliant clamor during the entire session, and he and Young turn in my favorite aspects here, but there's never a point where the composition lags. Dig, if you please.
Robert Belfour- What's Wrong With You?
Ah, one of the primal questions of Blues- what's wrong with you? Why are you such an asshole? And what's that I smell? Okay, so pretty much anything can follow from the first question, but you get the idea. Belfour's record, bearing the same title as this track, was released in 2000 on Fat Possum (look them up if you're not familiar, its good stuff). It's one of the only tracks with drum backing, and quite minimal at that. The guitar riffs are, well, characteristic of almost all blues music. So why do I listen? Because Belfour is so assured of his question- whatever the background, someone fucked up big time. And I can relate to his reaction. If you can't remember an incident that prompted asking this eternal question, chances are you recently got the internet in your cave. So next time whoever it is breaks the china, knocks over the urn, or accidently shoots the fellow hunter, let Belfour guide your retort.
Larry Young- Zoltan
Larry Young gets his fair share of credit from multiple sources- I guess the canonical conception of jazz places him second to Jimmy Smith in terms of organists. To avoid giving the canon too much credit, let's just consider the track. While his debut for Blue Note showed considerable promise and is a good listen in its own right, the 1965 album "Unity" marks Young's maturation from Smith's protege into a strong performer with his own ideas about improvisation. "Zoltan," the album's opener, was composed by Woody Shaw. The first few bars lay out the key and tempo of the overall track, but soon after the main bass/organ line kicks in and damn, it becomes clear that the song is going places. The group really plays off one another- each member effortlessly switches between the solo spotlight and tight backing arrangements. Elvin Jones throws down his usual brilliant clamor during the entire session, and he and Young turn in my favorite aspects here, but there's never a point where the composition lags. Dig, if you please.
Robert Belfour- What's Wrong With You?
Ah, one of the primal questions of Blues- what's wrong with you? Why are you such an asshole? And what's that I smell? Okay, so pretty much anything can follow from the first question, but you get the idea. Belfour's record, bearing the same title as this track, was released in 2000 on Fat Possum (look them up if you're not familiar, its good stuff). It's one of the only tracks with drum backing, and quite minimal at that. The guitar riffs are, well, characteristic of almost all blues music. So why do I listen? Because Belfour is so assured of his question- whatever the background, someone fucked up big time. And I can relate to his reaction. If you can't remember an incident that prompted asking this eternal question, chances are you recently got the internet in your cave. So next time whoever it is breaks the china, knocks over the urn, or accidently shoots the fellow hunter, let Belfour guide your retort.
posted by cares not at 4:40 PM
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