Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Funky rhythms
Horace Silver: Six Pieces of Silver
Blue Note/Virgin, Rs. 400 (CD)
HORACE SILVER was one of the leading pianists of the be-bop and hard bop periods in jazz, becoming particularly known for what were called "funky" rhythms. He founded the Jazz Messengers in the early 1950s with the drummer Art Blakey, but left the outfit soon after. His star never rose as high as Blakey's and the Messengers', but he was always highly regarded by the jazz fraternity and knowledgeable fans, both as a performer and a composer, especially for the catchy tunes he wrote.
This album was mostly recorded in November 1956, but the original LP is augmented here by two tracks taken from a June 1958 session. On the first eight tracks, Silver is joined by Donald Byrd (trumpet), Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone), Doug Watkins (bass) and Louis Hayes (drums), all of them leading lights of hard bop, although Byrd later went into pop/rock fusion work.
All five musicians are perfectly matched, with Mobley's and Byrd's warm sound and rousing solos being an able foil for Silver's own work imbued with technique, feeling and compelling rhythm. The ballad "Shirl" and "For Heaven's Sake", both slower-paced, are performed by just piano, bass and drums, with Silver monopolising the solos.
On the other tracks, all fast or medium-paced, Silver, Mobley, and Byrd share the solos, frequently with Watkins and occasionally with Hayes. There are three versions of the lively Latin-influenced "Senor Blues", one of Silver's best-known compositions, including an engaging vocal version from the 1958 session.
Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz with Guest Dave Brubeck
Jazz Alliance/Music Gallery, CD, Rs. 600
MARIAN MCPARTLAND, probably the most famous woman pianist in jazz, for long ran a programme called Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz with Guest... on the U.S. National Public Radio. Concord Jazz (now The Jazz Alliance) released several editions of the programme as albums, including this one published in 1993.
Following the general format of the broadcasts, the album has conversation alternating with music, track for track. Since McPartland's guest on this broadcast was the famous pianist Dave Brubeck, we have here piano duets on six tracks, along with Brubeck playing solo on two and McPartland on one.
Two distinct piano styles, Brubeck more forceful and McPartland much gentler, are heard from the two stereo speakers. Both, however, have a taste for quiet, reflective interpretation, with a noticeable leaning towards classical-influenced jazz, as they reveal in the conversation. Both play complex harmonies and melodies, their virtuosity evident as twenty fingers dance over the keys. They alternate their solo improvisations, each stepping back as accompanist as the other moves into the musical limelight. Their improvisations are radical enough to please even those jazz fans who are most sceptical of the value of bringing classical influences into jazz.
The hoary favourite "St. Louis Blues", the pick of the album and the first track, is proof positive that their approach doesn't dilute jazz in any way. So is "Take Five", the closing track and Brubeck's biggest hit. Over an hour of chat and music, of which the first is as educative as the second is an auditory delight.
JAZZEBEL
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
