You like jazz, Evan?
Then I’ll play something for you. I can hold that note all day, buddy.
So I heard a friend of mine talking the other day about all the kinds of music that she likes. And at the end of her list she said that she didn’t like jazz. "Huh," I thought, "here is someone who is definitely dominate at the school, I wonder if we are talking about the same jazz?" So I’m making her a mix tape (cd really) of some jazz that I like and then we’ll be on the same page. Of course she may still not like it and then we won’t be friends. (Can you see the importance of this tape?)Here are some of my initial thoughts, if anyone has a suggestion, leave a comment and I’ll take it into consideration.
Miles Davis: maybe a little too be bop, but this guy has always been at the top of my list. Something off of Kind of Blue for sure. (BTW this is the very music the nanny in Jerry McGuire gave Tom.)
Harry Connick: lots to choose from here from trios and quartets to big band
Take6: have you heard their latest album? As Steve would say: butta.
Manhattan Transfer, "Oo Wah, Oo Wah cool, cool Kitty, tell us about the boy from New York City", may be a little too Do Wap to make a jazz mix, but Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square hits the heart of what I’m going for. Not to mention Birdland, although that may be a little too fusion.
Nora Jones, Diana Krall, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan can all sing.
And for swingin' jazz Sinatra. you know something from In the Wee Small Hours or Songs For Swingin' Lovers
Then maybe some jazz/new age blend off one of my Lights Out compilations.
any other suggestions?
I'll post the final tracks when I decide on them in the comments.
*Disclaimer: I will still be friends with her even if after hearing this awesome tape, she still claims to not like jazz.
posted by Jason Hill at 7:13 PM
13 Comments:
I don't like jazz either. Can I have a copy? :)
Dave Brubeck - Take 5
Singer's Unlimited - [Anything]
Mel Torme and George Shearing - I'm Hip
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - I Won't Dance
cadence - 50 ways (well, anything)
Stan Getz - the Girl from Ipanema
good list J!
Jamie Cullum, definitely Jamie. Great list going here.
not knowing for sure who you are speaking of, but being aware that we do run in some of the same circles, i shed this insight:
perhaps she was referring to the jazz that goes something like this...
step one... give saxaphone to kenny g.
step two... record everything he does
step three... sell it to housewives everywhere.
she probably just wasn't specific enough. personally, i don't care for kenny g, either. harry connick, however, makes me weak in the knees (in the musical sense of course.).
whoever she is, i'm sure she is waiting breathlessly for the mix tape.
Thelonius Monk needs attention.
You were right with Miles Davis.
Bob James.
Wynton Marsalis.
Ike I was also going to suggest Dave Brubeck! For anyone who might care to know, my first year of college when I was going to make millions singing opera, I got to see sing with him (he is alum of that conservatory). Yes, sir. It was comprised of awesome.
I also love me some Ella and Louis. I can go Ella solo or with her partner in crime Louis. I also think T. Monk is a staple among jazz.
I don't think it would be fair to leave Billie Holiday off the list. I've recently found a gal by the name of Madeleine Peyroux and she sings jazz (like old frenchy jazz, sittin' in a cafe watching the world pass by, frenchy jass. Does that make sense?).
I am kind of drooling over the potential awesomeness of this mix.
Also, remind me to grammar and spell check before I post. Thank you.
Alright J, I can see I am coming in late on this post but, I will throw somethings out there for you. If you check out what Jamie Cullum did in "Catching Tales" I think you would like most of if not all of that album. As far as your mix, I would take a listen to his remake of "Our Day Will Come". Allan might even swollow that one because of it's Hip-Hop flavor. You also might want to check Madeleine Peyroux. She has got a lot of jazz in her voice. It's light she adds the old scratchy record in by herself. She is nice. As far as standards you are going to be hard pressed to step out Ike for people to listen to. And if I named everybody I wanted to I'd be typing here all day. Take care and thanks for posting on my blog.
So the word is out, and so is the jazz mix. I wanted to be sure Rebecca got to hear the compilation before I posted it here, and now that she has I'll share it.
1. Tuxedo Junction, Manhattan Transfer
2. Come By Me, Harry Connick, Jr.
3. Let's Live It Up, Brian Setzer Orchestra
4. Come On, Take 6
5. The Girl From Ipanema, Stan Getz
6. I've Got the World on a String, Frank Sinatra
7. I Won't Dance, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
8. So Much 2 Say, Take 6
9. Heavenly, Harry Connick, Jr.
10. I'm on My Way, Take 6
11. Lullaby of Birdland, Sarah Vaughan
12. I've Got a Great Idea, Harry Connick, Jr.
13. Take Five, The Dave Brubeck Quartet
14. Chilli Hot, Us3
15. One Mint Julep, Poncho Sanchez/Ray Charles
16. Freddie Freeloader, Miles Davis
17. Change Partners, Harry Connick, Jr.
18. Fly Me to the Moon, Diana Krall
This project was more difficult than I expected, mostly because I wanted to keep it on one disk. That being the case, I was unable to put every awesome jazz recording on it. To help myself, I tried to focus on a couple of goals.
1. Build a mix of jazz recordings that no one could dislike, even if they previously expressed distaste for jazz.
2. Cover many flavors of jazz so that the sampling would represent all of what I consider jazz. On this album you'll find swing, vocal, be bob, acid, west coast cool, big band, and Latin.
In the end I limited it to stuff I listen to. I had suggestions for artists that were more than appropriate for this project, but they, for some reason, have not made it into my collection, (i.e. Jamie Cullum, Mel Torme, Cadence and oddly enough Theloneous Monk). Its not that they aren’t awesome jazz artists, it’s just that I haven’t been listening to them. So in a way, this is a mix of awesome jazz that I listen to. (I have, by the way, started listening to these guys and I am grateful to each of you who suggested them.)
A few notes:
I dig HCJ and Take6—they are almost half of this mix.
Saying that jazz is too random, Al, is like saying an impressionists painting needs more defined lines.
The junk they play on most smooth jazz stations isn’t good enough for my dog to poop on.
and you know... having enjoyed your cd a second time (the only reason it's only been twice is that it is not a short disc...) it is becoming more clear to me why i have been a jazz disliker (hater was too strong) in the past. it's just what you said. "The junk they play on most smooth jazz stations isn’t good enough for my dog to poop on."
i wouldn't want a dog to poop on my stereo system anyway.
Maybe the jazz that people don't like is that self-indulgent solo-after-solo type that goes on for ages and really can only be appreicated with medication. :) I like your collection below. I'll have to check out some of the artists with whom I am unfamiliar.
Post a Comment
<< Home