Giddins and DeVeaux on Miles Davis

"In the year between Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain, Davis regrouped his sextet to record a few unrehearsed musical ideas that he had been toying with and soon released as Kind of Blue. This album represented the fruition of the modal approach he had been working on since the film scoring in Paris, and would alter the playing habits of countless musicians. Here, in contrast to the strenuous orchestral projects with [Gil] Evans, Davis kept the compositional demands minimal. Determined to stimulate each of his musicians, he did not show them the pieces until they arrived at the recording sessions. His goal was nothing less than to banish the clichés of modern jazz. By 1959, jazz had been fixated for fifteen years on chromatic harmony and the technical challenge of improvising smoothly and efficiently within it. The liberating innovations of Charlie Parker now loomed as an unavoidable and endlessly imitated model. … In his early years, Davis had tried to prove himself precisely in that manner. But modal jazz sent him in the opposite direction: fewer chords and less concentrated harmonies — or rather, scales that override harmonies" (Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux, Jazz, p. 418).

Giddins and DeVeaux on Duke Ellington

"According to Ellington, his 1930 tune 'Mood Indigo' [available on this recording] was inspired by a plaintive scene. While having his back rubbed between shows, he described it to a newspaper reporter: '"It's just a little story about a little girl and a little boy. They're about eight and the little girl loves the little boy. They never speak of it, of course, but she just likes the way he wears his hat. Every day he comes by her house at a certain time and she sits in her window and waits." Duke's voice dropped solemnly. The masseur, sensing the climax, eased up, and Duke said evenly, "Then one day, he doesn't come." There was silence until Duke added, "'Mood Indigo' just tells how she feels."' That was the explanation given to casual observers, and an instance of Ellington's quick-witted verbal dexterity. He invented things like that all the time. In fact, the melody for 'Mood Indigo' came to Ellington from Barney Bigard (who had probably acquired it from his New Orleans teacher, Lorenzo Tio). But Ellington made it his own by adding a memorable bridge and casting the whole thing in a daringly original arrangement" (Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux, Jazz, p. 227).

Giddins and DeVeaux on Count Basie

"For dance bands, head arrangements offered special flexibility. Some became fixed arrangements, written down to preserve the order of riffs. But in the heat of performance, musicians could extend the tune to extraordinary lengths. New rifs could be created to match the dancers' ingenuity. Basie was particularly skilled at creating head arrangements from the piano, by cuing the saxophones with one keyboard riff and the brasses with another. 'When you play a battle of music, it's the head arrangements that you could play for about ten minutes and get the dancers going,' remembered Teddy Wilson, whose music-reading band could not keep up with Kansas City–style spontaneity. Once the Basie band began playing 'One O'Clock Jump,' the contest was over: 'That was the end of the dance!' 'One O'Clock Jump' [available on this recording] was a fluid, twelve-bar blues arrangement that had evolved gradually for more than a decade before finding its final form; only after it was recorded was it notated. … Many of its riffs were collected over time by Basie long-timers like saxophonist Buster Smith, trumpeter Hot Lips Page, and trombonist Eddie Durham" (Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux, Jazz, p. 216).

Giddins and DeVeaux on John Philip Sousa

"[T]he brass band … in peacetime became a local 'people's' orchestra. … The brass band's primary contribution to jazz turned out to be its compositional structure. The defining unit of a march is a sixteen-bar strain, which marries a dominant melody to an equally identifiable chord progression. Marches are made up of a series of strains, each usually repeated before passing on to the next. A typical march with four strains could be diagrammed as AABBCCDD or AABBACCDD (with the returning A offering a hint of closure and transition). No attempt is made to round things off at the end by reprising the first strain. The third or trio strain (C) is particularly significant. For one thing, it modulates to a new key (the subdominant, or IV), sometimes with the aid of a short introductory passage, and is often twice as long, lasting thirty-two bars instead of sixteen. Composers used the trio to change the piece's dynamics, texture, or orchestration. Many marches concentrate on the trio at the end, repeating it several times after dramatic interludes — among them Sousa's indelible classic, 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' [available on this recording]" (Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux, Jazz, pp. 64-65).

Patricia Zohn on "Hair"

"I used to say that lines were drawn for reasons of sanity and crossing over too many of them was dangerous to our health. Hair shows that our bravado carried us through some very scary times. The costumes look entirely contemporary as sixties fashion has been back in more times than I can count. But the libretto ranges much wider and deeper, trying to get at some universal truths, even if they are from the point of view of some angsty adolescents. Everybody should see Hair. Parents should take their kids even if it brings up the whole Did-you-do-drugs-mommy conversation that I ducked for years. … Twentysomethings should go on their own to see a little bit more of the 'the sixties were so great' mantra their parents have been so relentlessly invoking. A child from generation Y happened to show up on my doorstep the night before at 1:00 AM. He took one look at the album (yes, album) restored to prominence over the fireplace and gave me one of those, not-this-sixties-thing-again-looks. But he who is going to follow Phish around on their reunion tour for vacation this summer would do well to head over to Hair to see where their kind of thing began" ("Culture Zohn," Huffington Post, 4/2/09).

Richmond Fontaine: We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River

Copy at Case Memorial Library
Contents: We used to think the freeway sounded like a river — Northwest (instrumental) — You can move back here — The boyfriends — The pull — Sitting outside my dad's old house (instrumental) — Maybe we were both born blue — Watch out — 43 — Lonnie — Roby & Lou — Walking back to our place at 3 A.M. (instrumental) — Two alone — A letter to the patron saint of nurses.
"Richmond Fontaine, a Portland-based band led by the singer-songwriter Willy Vlautin, has just released 'We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River' (Arena Rock), its ninth record and one of its best. The band is one of the finest proponents of what is sometimes called alt-country but is more properly described as woozy roots music, and Vlautin, who is also an acclaimed novelist, specializes in the telling detail. … None of the songs here are throwaways, and several—the openhearted plaint 'Maybe We Were Both Born Blue,' the crepuscular boxing tale 'The Pull'—are tours de force" (Ben Greenman, "Pop Notes," New Yorker, 11/2/09, p. 10).

Sting: If on a Winter's Night ...

Copy at Case Memorial Library
Contents: Gabriel's message (trad.) — Soul cake (music and lyrics by Paul Stookey, Tracey Batteast, Elena Mezzetti) — There is no rose of such virtue (anon.) — The snow it melts the soonest (trad.) — Christmas at sea (poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, music by Sting and Mary Macmaster) — Lo, how a rose e'er blooming (music by Michael Praetorius, English translation by Theodore Baker; feat. Stile Antico, vocal ensemble) — Cold song (music by Henry Purcell, lyrics by John Dryden) — The burning babe (music by Chris Wood, lyrics by Robert Southwell; feat. Kenny Garrett, soprano saxophone; Jack DeJohnette, drums) — Now Winter comes slowly (music by Henry Purcell, lyrics by Thomas Betterton) — The hounds of winter (music and lyrics by Sting) — Balulalow (music by Peter Warlock, lyrics trad.; feat. Chris Botti, trumpet) — Cherry tree carol (trad.) — Lullaby for an anxious child (music and lyrics by Sting and Dominic Miller) — The hurdy-gurdy man (music by Franz Schubert, poem by Wilhelm Müller, English adaptation by Sting) — You only cross my mind in winter (music by J. S. Bach, lyrics by Sting).

Mike Sembos on Van Morrison

"For three years, I have been obsessed with Van Morrison’s music. While other artists have been hit-or-miss during this period, Van has consistently given me the fix I’ve needed. I can always default to him in moments of iPod uncertainty. For this, I’m grateful. Morrison is an honest-to-God soul singer, impossibly, in an auto-tuned 'American Idol' era. He speaks the truth even though it alienates others. He doesn’t play the industry game and speaks out openly against it. He just makes music — crazy, soulful, fantastic music. It was early May and my band was on tour. I’d never seen Morrison live, and I saw he was doing three nights at the Orpheum Theatre in L.A. … Morrison was set to play one of my all-time favorite albums, 1968’s Astral Weeks. In its entirety. Astral Weeks is the musical equivalent of a warm, fuzzy blanket, with comfy sounds like upright bass, acoustic guitars, vibes and flute that lull the listener into a trance. For these sporadic special shows (which began in late ’08 with a live album taping at the Hollywood Bowl), the studio band was recreated live for the first time ever (including original session guitarist Jay Berliner)" ("Music: Sweet Thing," New Haven Advocate, 10/22/09, p. 28).

Pearl Jam: Backspacer

Copy at Case Memorial Library
Contents: Gonna see my friend — Got some — The fixer — Johnny guitar — Just breathe — Amongst the waves — Unthought known — Supersonic — Speed of sound — Force of nature — The end. Recorded from Feb. 16-27, 2009 at Henson Recordind Studios, Hollywood, CA, and from April 17-30, 2009 at Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, GA. Produced by Brendan O'Brien.
Album concept: Jerome Turner and Tom Tomorrow.
Album art: Tom Tomorrow.
Artist website: http://www.pearljam.com/
"The songs on Pearl Jam's ninth and most diverse album have a beautiful grime, while Eddie Vedder's lyrics ('I gotta say it now, better loud than too late') show a mature man's appreciation for the virtues of immaturity. This is quite possibly the band's best work" ("Short List," Time, 9/25/09).

Mike Ragogna on Buffy Sainte-Marie

"You most likely know Buffy Sainte-Marie from her many Vanguard folk albums or instantly identifiable hits. … But Buffy Sainte-Marie is a part of our culture beyond music, having appeared on Sesame Street semi-regularly between 1976 and 1981, having been married to creative powerhouse Jack Nitzsche, and having promoted and campaigned for environmental and social issues as well as the collective interests of Native Americans and First Nations for at least four decades. To this day, her peace anthem and hit from the sixties, 'Universal Soldier' — also covered by the likes of Donovan, Glen Campbell, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, The Highwaymen, and even Chumbawamba — enjoys continued airplay (especially as a bumper) on NPR and Pacifica stations, it originally having been written as a reaction to the Vietnam War. This being Woodstock Week and with topics on Buffy's newly-released album Running For The Drum ranging from activist anthems to mature love songs, it seemed a perfect time to catch-up with the artist, her music having directly or indirectly influencing many of those that appeared at the culture-changing event" ("An Interview with Buffy Sainte-Marie," Huffington Post, 8/13/09).

Mike Sembos on Mumiy Troll

"Vladivostok is a city near the North Korean border. … In the ’80s and early ’90s, it was a lawless town where gangsters ruled the streets, the 'Wild West of Russia,' but it was too far from Moscow for anyone in power to notice, or to care. In this environment formed Mumiy Troll in 1983. It was an underground project in the truest sense. They played sparsely-attended shows behind the iron curtain. … They’re influential enough to affect Russian trends and to steer youth culture. They have their own social networking site, ikra.tv. A school textbook even calls the band the most important cultural emergence to influence the ’90s generation in Russia. … In an age in which bands like 'gypsy punks' Gogol Bordello can fill American clubs, it seems as good a time as any for Mumiy Troll to hit the States. The main difference, however: Mumiy Troll lyrics are in Russian. Is the U.S. ready for a foreign language band? The band has recorded some songs in English, but when it came time to release Comrade Ambassador — its debut release in the U.S. influenced by new wave, Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie — the band decided to stay true to its native language" ("Music," New Haven Advocate, 10/1/09, p. 35).

Leona Lewis: Echo

Copy at Case Memorial Library
Contents: Happy (4:02) — I got you (3:47) — Love letter (4:02) — Can't breathe (4:15) — You don't care (4:04) — Outta my head (3:41) — Brave (3:38) — My hands (4:14) — Alive (3:30) — Don't let me down (4:36) — Fly here now (3:42) — Broken (4:04) — Lost then found (feat. OneRepublic) (4:02).
"Leona Lewis clearly hasn't heard of the sophomore slump. In fact, Echo is a more resounding success than Spirit, the British singer's platinum 2007 debut. From soul-stirring ballads to pulsating techno jams, the new CD is more varied musically and more vibrant lyrically (with Lewis cowriting 10 tunes). It all gives the diva a chance to show off her formidable vocal range. She hits the right emotional notes on cuts like the hidden track 'Stone Hearts & Hand Grenades,' a poetic declaration of commitment. The haunting highlight, though, is 'Don't Let Me Down,' which comes with a bonus assist from Justin Timberlake" (Ivory Jeff Clinton, "Music: Pop," People, 11/23/09, p. 47).

Ben Greenman on Chuck Berry

"In 2007, Hip-O released a four-CD set of Berry’s complete Chess recordings from the fifties. The sequel, 'You Never Can Tell: His Complete Chess Recordings 1960-66,' is available now, and it’s at once more uneven and more fascinating than its predecessor. The reasons are as biographical as they are artistic: in the late fifties, Berry transported (by car, of course) a young woman from Texas to Missouri and was subsequently convicted of violating the Mann Act. The original sentence was five years and a five-thousand-dollar fine; upon appeal, Berry went away from February, 1962, until October, 1963. The prison sentence sidetracked one of the most successful careers in rock and roll, but it also served to cook it until it was hot. While Berry was away, new acts like the Beatles and the Beach Boys recorded his songs so often and with such enthusiasm that his audience grew, even as he sat still. And he wasn’t exactly sitting still: he was reading up on business and law and also writing songs. … Berry … tears through 'Dear Dad,' one of his shortest, finest car songs. Elsewhere on the set, there are pleasurable oddities … and buried-treasure originals ('You Two,' 'Trick or Treat')" ("Pop Notes," New Yorker, 3/16/09).

Daniel Stephen Johnson on "2001"

"In a sense, when composer/bassist Jack Vees began to write Party Talk for chamber ensemble and narrator, the words came first. Vees, a featured composer at the Yale School of Music's New Music New Haven concert this week, had stumbled years earlier on a Japanese friend's guide to American party etiquette. … As we chatted in the suite of recording studios under Sprague Hall, Vees suggested that working with an extra-musical element — text, images, drama — might also give the composer a kind of permission to experiment in sound without losing the audience's patience. For example: 'Throughout the past couple of centuries, the way audiences encountered new sounds, the way instruments got introduced into the orchestra, was often through opera.' Or in film works — 'especially in film works!' he says — like 2001, in which György Ligeti's Requiem and Atmosphères, both dense and dissonant works, become emotionally comprehensible to the novice listener thanks, in part, to its juxtaposition with Kubrick's cinematic imagery. And so it is with Party Talk" ("Music: Monologues, Monoliths," New Haven Advocate, 11/19/09, p. 42).