What are you listening to?

[Rat Luv]

 

 

Edited January 4 by Rat Luv

[Saraya Starr]

 

 

[Stephanie Misfit]

 

[Aethelwine]

 

[SpiritSparrow Skydancer]

 

[SpiritSparrow Skydancer]

I freakin LOVE this tune!

Edited January 4 by SpiritSparrow Skydancer

[SpiritSparrow Skydancer]

 

[Anna Salyx]

 

 

[Simo Vodopan]

 

[Ina Fairport]

 

[Aethelwine]

 

[Aethelwine]

 

[Aethelwine]

"Duke next decided to dust off a pair of 1937 blues tunes that appeared on both sides of a 78-rpm record: “Diminuendo in Blue” and “Crescendo in Blue” (almost antonyms) and told the audience they were now being linked together with an improvisation by one of his sidemen to form Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue – a performance that changed the jazz world … and the fortunes of Duke Ellington and his Orchestra for the rest of his life.

Interestingly, the choice of tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves (photo right, below) was not one of Ellington’s featured sidemen; the announcement of his name did not bring forth a loud response. But there was some response, and for a very appropriate reason.

Paul Gonsalves was a native New Englander (born in Brockton, Massachusetts) and, like the pianist Horace Silver: was the son of immigrants from Cape Verde – an African island nation colonized for centuries by Portugal – so he often performed at clubs in Rhode Island, New Bedford and Fall River, which had a notable ethnic Portuguese and Cape Verdean population. Thus, Gonsalves had family and friends in attendance; seated in rows just behind the box seats of Newport socialites.

But in a sign reminiscent of the first-set troubles: when it came time for Gonsalves’ tenor solo, he actually blew not into the Columbia microphone, but into the alternate Voice of America microphone – which had only recently begun to feature a nightly “Jazz Hour” for broadcast outside the United States (which I profiled in a previous Top Comments diary) – which would affect the recording of the show for the subsequent Columbia release.

But not for the show itself: because Gonsalves delivered a tour-de-force blues in-the-key-of-D that stood out for three major reasons:

One was that – instead of playing a smooth, big-band style of playing – he played in a deep Gospel, R&B honking style that was more suited for juke joints and church revival meetings … not what sedate, wealthy audiences were expecting.

The second was that the rest of the horn/reed players (on cue) “laid-out” (stopped playing) so that all Gonsalves had as back-up was bassist Jimmy Woode, drummer Sam Woodward and Duke himself on piano – lending the sound more toward a rocking small quartet. Actually, there was a fifth performer: at the foot of the stage was Jo Jones – the former drummer for Count Basie, now appearing with pianist Teddy Wilson – who was serving as another percussionist by banging a rolled-up copy of the Christian Science Monitor – whose offices are in Boston – on the stage, and shouting more encouragement.

The last reason was that – in normal big bands – a soloist on a blues tune might expect to play two, perhaps three choruses. Later musicians (such as John Coltrane)  were used to playing extended solos in small groups – just not in big bands. Gonsalves, though – egged-on by Duke Ellington, urging him to “wail” – played for twenty-seven choruses – over six minutes – until he could no longer blow. And by the sixth-or-seventh chorus, his wailing had led a 32 year-old socialite (the wife of a clothing manufacturer) in a black dress who was so moved by the music that she got up and …. started dancing. And a (partially obscured) photo of her appeared on the album cover months later.

That opened the floodgates: a couple started jitterbugging and others stood on their chairs, roaring their approval. When the rest of the band came back to finish with the “Crescendo in Blue” portion, the ovation the band received at song’s end was described as one of the loudest in jazz history and the post-midnight commotion had the Newport security police on alert. On the audio recording embedded below, you hear Duke saluting his band and calling out “Paul Gonsalves ….. PAUL GONSALVES!” to a delirious audience.

The band completed its set – including the triumphant return of alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges after a five-year hiatus – to play a spirited version of “Jeep’s Blues” to a still-animated audience. In fact, Duke needed to play a subdued version of “Mood Indigo” to bring the audience down at the set’s conclusion."

Source

 

Edited January 5 by Aethelwine

[Caitlin Tobias]

 

[Ina Fairport]

 

[Garnet Psaltery]

For Epiphany. 

 

Edited January 5 by Garnet Psaltery
Added link.

[Rat Luv]

 

[Kytteh Wytchwood]

This really works. I come to this music video when I am cramping, whether it be abdominal or the stomach.

I combine it with a sunbeam micro plush heating blanket.

It's also great to listen to as I fall asleep.

 

[Saraya Starr]

 

[Aethelwine]

For Garnet

 

 

[Ina Fairport]

Notice the solo of Harold Land at 1.25.
Harold Land, a forgotten name but a great tenorsax player.

Edited January 6 by Ina Fairport

[Sabrina Nebula]

Just found this today and it makes me tear up because this mashup is so perfect 😍

 

[Saraya Starr]

 

[Aethelwine]

RIP Les McCann

 

[Aethelwine]

RIP David Soul