Posts Tagged ‘jazz pianist’

Thelonious Monk: One Of The Pioneers Of Bebop

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

From amongst all the jazz legends and pop legendary pianists, Thelonious Monk is most known for what can be called ‘straight forward jazz’. Born Thelonious Sphere Monk on the 10th of October 1917, Monk began playing the piano at the tender age of nine. Most of what he knew on the piano was self taught in addition to the tricks he learned while slyly dropping in on his elder sister Marian’s piano classes and a little formal training.He dropped out of Stuyvesant High School where he was doing his schooling to start playing the piano professionally. He toured with an evangelist for whose meetings he played the church organ. In his later teens, he got gigs playing jazz piano. He was the house pianist at a club - Minton’s Playhouse - in the early 40’s. His influences at the time were most the stride pianists of the era - Duke Ellington, James P Johnson and the likes.
His trademark style of playing was something that he polished incessantly during the cutting competitions that took place at the club late at night featuring all the piano greats of the time. His stint at Minton’s Playhouse brought him in touch with the other exponents of Bebop - Charlie Christian, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Kenny Clarke. It is this period of time that the bebop style of playing was created . He influenced the the bebop style of playing so much that he has arguably been referred to as the founder of bebop.

Monk then moved on to playing for groups. His first ever studio recording was made featuring the Coleman Hawkins quartet in 1944. He became the leader of the Blue Note three years later. His recordings with Blue Note displayed his penchant for coming up with composing music with strong melodies. The same year saw his marriage to Nellie Smith, with whom he had two children. His son TS Monk was born in 1949. He is a jazz drummer, composer and band leader. His daughter Barbara was born in 1953.

In 1951, Monk ran into trouble with the police. A car in which he and fellow pianist Bud Powell was found to contain narcotics. During the trial against Bud Powell, he refused serve as witness testifying against Bud Powell. As a result, his New York City Cabaret Card was taken away by the police. Thus not being able to play in New York where there was liquor being served. He continued to play in other places though.

He continued recording, touring and composing. After his contract with Blue Note Records lapsed, he moves to prestige records. At Prestige, he recorded some not-so-successful but critically acclaimed albums with Sonny Rollins on saxophone and Art Blakey on drums. It was around this time that the famous Christmas Eve sessions were recorded which were released in the form of the two albums - The Modern Jazz Giants and Bags Groove and Miles Davis - both of these by Miles Davis.

He visited Europe in 1954. He went to Paris to record and perform. He met jazz patron and member of the Rothschild family, Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, with whom he struck a friendship that lasted his life long.

Though Monk was well recognized in jazz circles by his contemporaries and the jazz audience , his records didn’t sell as well. He shifted from Prestige Records to Riverside Records, who bought out his contract. In an effort to get the masses in tune with his style of music (which was thought to be too difficult at the time for the average listener), Riverside asked him to record an album two album of his own versions of the jazz standards of the time.

Thus Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington was released with the intention of increasing Monk’s market. The album has Duke Wellington’s tunes redone by Monk for which he had to study Duke Ellington’s pieces from scratch. On his next release, Brilliant Corners, he got a chance to actually record his own tunes. Expectedly the title track of the album was so difficult that it had to be put together from a total of three takes. Sony Rollins accompanied him on the album.

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George Shearing and His Quintet: The Amazing English Blind Pianist

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

George Shearing

George Shearing was born blind on August 13, 1919, but his life has been fast-paced and full of accomplishments. Born in London, Shearing was the youngest of nine children and even though blind from birth, went on to create one of the most recognized sounds in jazz.

By the age of three, Shearing learned to play the piano. Then, Linden Lodge School for the Blind was his home away from home for four years. While in school, Shearing also learned to play the accordion. He even performed at a local pub for the equivalent of almost 5 dollars per week.

Shortly after, Shearing joined a band of blind musicians. In 1937, at the age of 18, George Shearing began recording music with Leonard Feather. After three years of recording with Feather, Harry Parry’s band took in Shearing. During this time, Shearing was also honored as the winner of seven Melody Maker polls.

Although he moved to the United States in 1947, he became a United States citizen in 1956. During those nine years, George Shearing began playing a new style of music that incorporated swing, bop, and modern classic.

1949 marked the year that Shearing founded the first George Shearing Quintet. The quintet included Marjorie Hyams, Chuck Wayne, John Levy, and Denzil Best. The first single from the quintet was September in the Rain, and it sold over 900,000 copies. In 1969, the quintet stopped recording with Capitol; however, Sheaving solved the problem by starting Sheba, his own recording label.
From 1970 to 1978, the quintet disassembled. During these eight years, The Reunion and With George Shearing were released. Shearing recorded and released these albums in collaboration with well-known bassist Andy Simpkins, drummer Rusty Jones, and musician Stephane Grappelli. Over the years, other collaborations included music with Montgomery Brothers, Marian McPartland, Brian Q. Torff, Jim Hall, Hank Jones, Kenny Davern, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Ernestine Anderson, Dakota Staton, Carmen McRae, and Nancy Wilson. Concord Records signed George Shearing in 1979. Under Concord Records, he won Grammy awards in 1982 and 1983.

From the 1980’s through the 1990’s, George Shearing performed at numerous festivals, was on numerous radio shows, and made many recordings. Collaboration with Neil Swainson occurred in the 1990’s through the early 21st century. The Rare Delight of You, an album with Shearing and The John Pizzarelli Trio, was released in 2002. It received great reviews.

Along the way, a now-popular piano technique was named after Shearing. It is called Shearing Voicing. This technique uses a block chord with the melody on top in the right hand while the left hand repeats the melody in a lower octave and makes it stand out over the right hand. It is a difficult style to perfect, particularly when playing solo. In his quintet Shearing has the vibes player playing the melody also, creating what some have described as a “shimmering overtone” effect.

Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road describes a lovely Shearing performance. In all of his years of musical service, Shearing recorded and released close to 100 albums and has received many notable awards. Westminster College in Utah gave him an honorary Doctor of Music degree in 1975. Shearing also earned the Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans in 1978. In 1993, the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement was given to him. Shearing received another honorary degree from Hamilton College in New York. It was also a Doctor of Music honorary degree. He received the first American Music Award by the National Arts Club of New York in 1998. Recently, the BBC Jazz Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Shearing in 2003. George Shearing became Sir George Shearing in 2007 when he was knighted for his services in music.

Now, Sir George and his wife travel from their New York apartment to Berkshires frequently. Shearing is semi-retired.

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Andre Previn, Triple Threat: Composer, Jazz Pianist, Symphony Conductor

Monday, September 8th, 2008

Andre Previn
Andre Previn is a German-born pianist, conductor, and composer. From arranging and composing Hollywood film scores to his multiple marriages which sparked many musical inspirations, Andre Previn’s life was never dull.

I can still remember the excitment of hearing him for the first time on the radio, then rushing into Fowler’s Music Store in Auburn (my home town) to buy his new album “My Fair Lady” in which he took those great tunes and played them in his unique classical-jazz style (with help from drummer Shelly Mann and basist LeRoy Vinegar), then playing it over and over again and trying to imitate his style on songs such as “On The Street Where You Live”, “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”, “Get Me To The Church On Time” and others. I was terrible (or worse) but as I look back it certainly helped in my development.

Andre Previn is a German-born pianist, conductor, and composer. Born April 6, 1929, in Berlin, Previn was born to a Jewish family. In 1939, the Previn family immigrated to the United States; however, Previn did not become a citizen of the United States until 1943. At his high school graduation from Beverly Hills High School in 1946, he played a duo with Richard M. Sherman, who played the flute.
From 1950’s until recently, Previn has recorded and toured as a jazz pianist. He has worked with Shelly Manne, Benny Carter, Dinah Shore, and Julie Andrews over the course of his career. Previn frequently appeared on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show in the 1960’s. In 1966, Julie Andrews and Andre Previn collaborated on a Christmas carol album.

About 21 years after his high school graduation, the Houston Symphony Orchestra was in the market for a new music director. Previn soon filled that need. However, the London Symphony Orchestra wanted him, too. In 1968, Andre Previn became the tenured principal conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra, and he served there for 11 years. During his time with the London Symphony orchestra, he appeared on a television program called “Andre Previn’s Music Night.”
Although he was tenured with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra needed a music director. Previn decided to take on that role as well from 1976 though 1984. Working with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, another television program was born, “Previn and the Pittsburgh.” During this time, he worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as their principal conductor. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra named Andre Previn as their music director, but he resigned from that strenuous role in April 1989.

Previn’s first opera performance was A Streetcar Named Desire, which premiered in 1998 at the San Francisco Opera. Following the opera, Previn focused on vocal, chamber, and orchestral music with the occasional recordings of jazz.

Previn adapted and conducted many arrangements in the Hollywood spectrum. He did stage-to-screen adaptations for My Fair Lady, Kismet, Porgy and Bess, and Paint Your Wagon. From 1949 through 1970, Previn assisted with music in the following films: The Music Lovers, Inside Daisy Clover, Two for the Seesaw, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Bells are Ringing, Elmer Gantry, Silk Stockings, It’s Always Fair Weather, Bad Day at the Black Rock, Kiss Me Kate, Three Little Words, and The Secret Garden. Gigi, the 1958 Academy Award winning film, also featured many special works from Previn.
Previn, like many other amazing, multitalented artists, has received many acknowledgements and awards. Among his personal awards, he has received 13 Academy nominations and four Oscar victories. He also holds seven Grammy Awards. Andre Previn became an honorary Knight of the Order of British Empire in 1996; however, due to lack of citizenship in the Commonwealth, the title of “sir” cannot appear before his name. He instead puts the letters KBE with his name to indicate the honor.
In 1998, Previn received the Kennedy Center Honors for his classical music and opera contributions. 2005 marked the year that Previn received the International Glenn Gloud Prize for his achievements. On May 13, 2008, Previn received the London Symphony Orchestra’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Andre Previn is still touring. In April 2008, he performed in Rome at Italy’s Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia. On June 22, Previn performed with the London Symphony Orchestra and Anne Sophie Mutter in London at the Barbican Hall. August appearances include performances at the Koussevitsky Music Shed in Lenox, MA. Massachusetts’s Symphony Hall will host Andre Previn on October 2 through October 4 and October 7. November will be the month that Previn is in Seattle at the Benaroya Hall. On December 21, Previn will return to London’s Barbican Hall for his last performance of the year. Even at the age of 79, Andre Previn KBE is still as active in the music genre as ever.

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Dave Brubeck – The Master of Uncommon Time

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Brubeck - Time OutOne of the highlights of my early musical life was seeing and hearing the Dave Brubeck quartet in person at my high school. It was so exciting to hear the tunes I had been practicing at home played by the man himself — Brubeck in person!

Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck is one of the stalwarts of jazz piano. His music is characterized by unusual time signatures and can be either extreme – totally dynamic or or completely relaxed.

David Warren Brubeck (aka Dave Brubeck)was born on the 6th of December, 1920. His thing for music came from his mother - an aspiring concert pianist who was formally taught. She used to take piano classes to supplement her income. Despite having such organized music at home, Dave Brubeck took to his own way of learning and playing the piano opting to create his own melodies. He purposely avoided a situation where he have to read ,music and play using his bad eyesight as an excuse.

When in college, it was discovered that he could not read written music. This caused for the professor in charge to take action and expel him but his other professors stood by the fact that despite his inability to read music, he had a good abilities when it came to counterpointing and harmony. Taking his case as an exception, it was decided that he be allowed to graduate from the institute promising to never teach piano.

Armed with a degree from the University Of The Pacific, he was drafted to join the army in 1942. During his service in the army, he met his future partner in music – Paul Desmond. While serving in the US Defence Forces, he played in a band which brought both fame and dislike to his musical stylings.

After almost four years serving in the Army, he went back to college and got himself enrolled in Mills College in Oakland, California where he studied under Darius Milhaud, a great contempory classical composer.

Immediately after finishing his course in Mills College, he was signed to Fantasy Records in Berkeley California. He started singing with an octet and a trio – which eventually became a quartet when Army pal Paul Desmond joined the group which originally had Cal Tjader and Ron Crotty .

Taking after his inclination to play music that was more unusual than not at the time, they recorded some music which didn’t have enough mass appeal to be a success which hence gave them very few gigs. After failing to draw in crowds, Dave Brubeck spent many years playing nothing but the opposite of what he had intended to when he started out playing – jazz standards – with the other members of the trio except Paul Desmond. Paul Desmond had his own band by the time.

In 1951 after an almost fatal swimming accident, Dave formed his next group The Dave Brubeck Quartet this time with Desmond in it. They were the house band at the Black hawk nightclub in San Francisco. The new quartet was very successful. They started touring college campuses and made a series of recordings – Jazz At Oberlin, Jazz Goes To College and Jazz Goes To Junior College.

The fame and success got Dave Brubeck space on the cover of Time Magazine – the only one to have the honor after Louis Armstrong. Sometime around the mid 1950’s one half of the group – two members Bob Bates and Joe Dodge – quit the group. They were replaced by Eugene Wright and Joe Morello. Eugene Wright’s presence in the band put the band on a black list as he was a African – American. Many concerts were called off because club owners were averse to having ans African-American play in their premises.

Upon realizing that there were plans to not film Wright during a particular television show on which they were performing , Dave canceled the gig. 1959 saw the release of Time Out which had the one quality of Dave Brubeck that he is known by today – unusual timing. Despite them not being in common time, the album was a hit and the album was soon certified platinum.

Dave’s next act was a musical that he and his wife Iola co wrote a jazz musical based on the experiences that they had during an international tour on behalf of the US State Department. It had all the big names of the time – Louis Armstrong, Hendricks & Ross, Lambert and Carmen McRae. The further albums of the outfit include Time Further Out: Miro Reflections (1961), Countdown: Time in Outer Space,Time Changes and Time In. All these albums had iconic album covers by contemporary artists. They held a concert titled At Carnegie Hall in 1963 which was described as Dave Brubeck’s “greatest concert”, but 40 years later he continues to play great concert after great concert.

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