Blue Note Goes to the Movies (and TV)

There are plenty of albums from the '60s and '70s that feature studio orchestras or jazz groups performing movie and TV themes. Most of these cover versions aren't very significant in terms of musical innovation, but occasionally a good performance is heard. Blue Note has made an effort to uncover the good stuff, with varying results.
Blue Movies: Scoring for the Studios collects jazz versions of both movie and TV theme music. Alongside such cinematic favorites as "The James Bond Theme," the themes from Last Tango in Paris and Midnight Cowboy are TV themes from M*A*S*H, Star Trek, Kojak and Mission: Impossible. The artists on tap include such stalwarts as Count Basie, Lou Donaldson, Lee Morgan, Grant Green, Bobby Hutcherson, Billy May and Willie Bobo. Generally speaking, Blue Movies is conceptually sound and an enjoyable diversion, but not essential listening.
In comparison, Blue TV: Blue Note Takes a Commercial Break, is more a marketing ploy than soundtrack-centric compilation. Instead of getting TV show themes or notable library recordings, you get jazz/pop recordings that have appeared in TV commercials. Examples range from Peggy Lee's "Unforgettable" to Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Oddly, a track featured on Blue Movies is also featured here -- Wilton Felder's cover of "Theme from Bullitt." Most of the music here is vocal jazz, featuring older tracks by June Christy and new work by US3. While the music itself is generally of high quality, the notion of marketing it as TV commercial music is perhaps misleading since it isn't TV commercial music by design.

Dizzy Gillespie: Why He's Important

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (trumpet; b. 1917 - d. 1993)

Diz's legacy and contribution is felt with almost every musician that performs jazz. Diz, along with Charlie Parker, single-handedly created bebop. But Diz is also responsible for his perfect integration of Latin influences upon jazz. He was the quintessential band leader - always ready to teach and pass on his knowledge to younger musicians. So much so that you can hear the influence on many of Miles Davis early recordings.

Born in South Carolina, Diz taught himself trumpet and trombone in his teens. He paid his dues performing early in bands led by Cab Calloway, Earl Hines, Woody Herman and Teddy Hill. Shortly after, he formed the legendary partnership with Charlie Parker in the 40s and recorded a string of classic albums including one of my all-time favourite jazz albums, Jazz At Massey Hall (Debut Records). During this time he would also introduce audiences to latin percussion during his live performances as heard famously on "A Night In Tunisia". Many of Diz's early recordings are now standards that even the non-jazz fans would recognize at first listen including "Salt Peanuts" "Manteca" and the aforementioned "A Night In Tunisia".

A proficient and vibrant player, Diz always had fun on stage in front his audience. Dizzy Gillespie was a technical genius when it came to his music. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he wrote and practiced every note. This, along with his showmanship, are the reasons why he is so important to the growth and explosion of bebop. Live shows were probably the best way to experience the legend.

Some of you may have seen photos of Dizzy with what looks like a upturned trumpet. Most jazz fans known the story, but I'm writing this for those who don't know. One night before a club performance, a dancer triped on it and mangled it. The trumpet still worked and Diz decided to play it anyway. This iconic image is the way most people picture Diz to this day.

There are quite a few individual albums that I could recommend but if you really just want to condense things down you should go head first into Dizzy Diamonds (Verve). Dizzy Diamonds is a three disc set that is broken into "Big Bands", "Small Groups" and "Afro-Cuban". It pretty much covers all you, the new listener, would need.

For those of you who want to seek out more, I would highly suggest digging into some individual albums such as Diz & Bird, The Modern Sextet, Diz & Stan Getz, Sonny Side Up, Birks Works, The Copenhagen Concert and Jazz At Massey Hall for more well rounded experience. Dizzy's legacy lifes on in trumpet players like Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis and Nicholas Payton but none of them will exude the excitement that he did for his craft--one that makes jazz a truly unique art form.

Friedrich Gulda: The Complete Musician

Friedrich Gulda (piano, composer; b. 1930 - d. 2000)

Friedrich Gulda is probably more well known in classical circles for his amazing and unparalleled interpretations of Beethoven and Mozart material (definitely check out his legendary performances for Decca, Phillips and Deutche Gramophone) but he was also an accomplished jazz musician as well. I'm not going to say he was in the same arena with a Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea (whom he work with in the '80s) but he did make both jazz and classical audiences stand up and take notice of how the two genres lead and challenge the musical order or things. Throughout his classical career, Friedrich Gulda would record both studio and live jazz albums.

His classical recordings are things of beauty and for those who may be afraid of classical, Gulda might the best and most wonderful way to bring you into the fold. There are a few other pianists who could do better Mozart and Bach concertos but Gulda for me is the most inviting and heartfelt. His ability to shift back and forth through both the classical and jazz realms cause a great deal of distress among both sides of the purist aisle, resulting in the nickname, "Terrorist Pianist". Funny but thoroughly unwarranted. His jazz albums are a much more intense bebop affair. He has performed with a host of musicians, including J.J. Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie and Joe Zawinul.

One personal favourite of mine is Live At Birdland (Ermitage). Live At Birdland was recorded in '56 and is roughly the start of Gulda's jazz excursions (after his brief encounter with Dizzy a few years earlier). Gulda's playing is light and playful, almost in a Bud Powell fashion but with full command of this excellent sextet as they fire through a number of standards including "A Night In Tunisia" and "Bernies Tune." It is stark contrast to the crystalline performances of Beethoven, Mozart and Bach that was known about up to this point. A man of extreme eclecticism, Friedrich Gulda was one that never wanted to be pigeonholed, as can be seen in his performance at Birdland. If you are really interested, I would definitely recommend downloading Friedrich Gulda Live At Birdland and any of his Beethoven recordings. These will give the strong overview of Friedrich Gulda as the complete musician.

The World of Library Music

What the heck is library music?

You've probably heard the term in recent years, perhaps used by that music collector friend of yours who has a taste for obscure grooves. Here's what he'd probably tell you about the genre.

Originally conceived to accompany film, TV and radio productions, library music (aka sound library, program music or music for hire) represents the missing link between soundtracks and diverse styles such as jazz, funk and rock, not to mention orchestral and electronic avant-garde.

Library music isn't new. It's been around since the dawn of the music industry, filling a need created by movies, radio and television programming. Whether you're talking about WWII newsreels and old time radio shows or TV news and car commercials, library music has been (and continues to be) used to create atmosphere and excitement when original scoring is unavailable.

Most of the library music available on CD (and LP) today comes from the '60s and '70s -- the heyday of jazzy, funky, rock-influenced grooves as well as atmospheric orchestral and electronic atmospheres. That said, there still are library labels churning out music in a variety of contemporary styles that you've probably heard in such disparate contexts as video games and porno DVDs (I know, I know, you don't watch porno ;-)

The most collectible library albums and compilations collect the work of talented session musicians such as Syd Dale, Nick Ingman, Peter Reno, Nino Nardini, Johnny Hawksworth, Eddie Warner and many others for such labels as KPM, De Wolfe, Chappell, Selected Sound, Bosworth, Bruton and on and on. Many of these labels are based in the UK, France, Germany and Italy. The originals go for big bucks, which makes the CD compilations very attractive indeed.

There are even contemporary recording artists such as Shawn Lee and Clutchy Hopkins whose records are clearly inspired by classic library music of the funky, psychedelic era.

Once you start collecting library music you may find it hard to stop, because the quality of the musicianship is outstanding and the creativity of some (but not all) recordings is astonishing (especially from the late '60s and early '70s). While some library music does have a generic quality, there is plenty that distinguishes itself. If you consider yourself musically adventurous, you owe it to yourself to explore the genre.

Read more about library music available on CD.