[Dixielandjazz] Solo by Charlie Parker (was solos)

[Stan Brager]

Ken;

There are other definitions of elegant. The one which I'd use when listening
to Bird's "Embraceable You" is "elegance is the attribute of being unusually
effective and simple. It is frequently used as a standard of tastefulness."
This, for me, is the word which comes to mind when I listen to many of
Parker's later solos - with strings or South of the border. The more I
listen to music such as this, the more I can appreciate how appropriately
the definition of "elegant" applies.

I fully agree with you regarding Ben Webster ("Star Dust" from an old 78 as
well as Duke Ellington's Fargo Concert) and Ruby Braff & Dick Hyman
("America the Beautiful" from the album "A Pipe Organ Recital")

Stan
Stan Brager

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Gates [mailto:kwg28 at sbcglobal.net]
> Sent: Monday, July 19, 2010 12:22 PM
> To: Dixieland Jazz
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Solo by Charlie Parker (was solos)
> 
> 
> Subject: Solo by Charlie Parker
> 
> 
>   I'm a little late, but here's my observation on a favorite solo by
> Charlie Parker
>  on the tune "Embraceable You" as posted by Steve Barbone.  I will
> concede
>  that by many musical attributes, it is a terrific creative series of
> notes.  To
>  my taste, it simply does not have the important element of elegance.
> The
>  word "elegant" as used by engineers and other solution oriented
> disciplines---.
>  ------------------To quote from an online dictionary--
>  ==================================================
>  "In engineering, a solution may be considered elegant if it uses a
> non-obvious
>   method to produce a solution which is highly effective and simple. An
> elegant
>  solution may solve multiple problems at once, especially problems not
> thought
>   to be inter-related".
>  ==================================================
>  My partially trained ear reacts to "elegant"  (creatively simple, that
> is) restatements
>  of the melody of the tune.  I know it when I hear it.  I've heard it
> from festival
>  bands of not famous musicians, as well as famous people like Bobby
> Hackett,
>  Ben Webster, Bobby Gordon, Ruby Braff.etc.
> 
>   Another way to put it is a comparison of oratory styles.  Abraham
> Lincoln did
>  the Gettysburg address (elegant, for sure) with words that took two
> minutes.
>  The orator that preceded him took two hours of flowery language and
> many words
>  to convey less.  Maybe not the best analogy, but I'm just trying to
> say that my
>  musical chimes ring when I hear elegant solos.  To those whose chimes
> are rung by
>  the technical brilliance of Parker, Coltrane, Davis, etc----let the
> chimes ring,
>  there is plenty of room for all of us.
> 
>  Ken Gates.
>