[Dixielandjazz] Too many notes / dissing musicians

[Charles Suhor]

Most listmates on this thread seem to be into the idea that plenty vs. 
few notes isn't the issue, but musical feeling and sense are what 
counts. I'll vote for that every time. To my ears, one of the best 
examples of cascading notes and dazzling technique combined with 
achingly beautiful expressiveness is Lee Konitz (with Billy Bauer, 
guitar) on "Indian Summer," circa 1949. If you haven't heard that one, 
I'd urge checking it out. As for economical use of technique (vs. 
simple lack of it), some folks mentioned Bechet, Fazola, and Bigard. 
Yeah.

Charlie Suhor


On Apr 4, 2005, at 9:37 AM, Steve barbone wrote:

> on 4/4/05 9:45 AM, Rick Knittel at knittelsportland at juno.com wrote:
>
>> I have listened to some musicians who seem to play as many notes as 
>> they
>> can to dazzle listeners with their facility on their instruments, 
>> whose
>> solos did not seem to have any sense of the song being played. I found
>> those solos a lot less exciting to hear than those played by musicians
>> for whom the melody and the words formed a basis for their solo and 
>> who
>> seemed to be expressing their thoughts and feelings in the notes they
>> played. Kenny Davern said, "Learn the words to the song and think 
>> about
>> them when you are playing your solo."
>
> Good advice for soloists, as well as for leaders picking the tempo. 
> Perhaps
> the bottom line is that music is either good or bad, depending upon 
> both the
> player and the listener, and has nothing to do with "notes."
>
>> There is the story about the two tenor sax players sitting in the 
>> front
>> of a big band after one played a solo with essentially only one note 
>> in
>> it but very rhythmically expressed, and the other having played every
>> phrase he knew in one chorus. The second asked the first "how come you
>> played only one note?" and the first replied "You're searching for 
>> that
>> note and I found it."
>
> Or about the young alto player on the Duke Ellington Band bus who 
> stood next
> to a dozing Johnny Hodges, tried to impress him, and blew every up 
> tempo
> Bird lick there was. Hodges opened one eye and said: "Yes, but can you 
> sing
> me a song?"
>
>> My favorite pianist, Oscar Peterson has often been accused of playing 
>> too
>> many notes. My impression of his playing is that the facility was 
>> there
>> and what he played what he felt. To me, his solos are very melodic,
>> rhythmically exciting and harmonically beautiful.
>
> Or hear Peterson on Green Dolphin Street circa 1950s (I gave the 
> record away
> long ago but still remember it vividly) with Milt Jackson added to the 
> trio.
> Absolutely gorgeous melodic, single note solo improvisation. OP 
> Creates a
> new melody line on it, around quarter notes. Swings like crazy. IMO, 
> both
> Peterson and Tatum played a lot of notes. Both are/were also great 
> players.
>
> My vote for clarinetist with the most "soul" is Sidney Bechet. E.G. 
> "Blue
> Horizon".
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>