The Bad Plus present Science Fiction at the Berklee Peformance Center, Jamuary 24, 2015

Here's an oversimplification of the difference between "classical music" and "jazz".¹

In classical music the performers are tasked with recreating a musical experience that has been recorded in a notated document for this purpose, whereas in jazz the performers create in the moment using some sort of predetermined framework as a jumping-off point.

In classical music, the performer transforms the prerecorded information into live sounds to the best of his understanding of the composer's intentions, bringing to life the music in the composer's mind at the time he wrote it down.² In jazz, there are various traditions to writing things down, from full fledged everything-notated-all-the-way-through, to some sort of "you play what you feel like when I point at you" approaches to all points in between.

Let's take Duke Ellington for example. It's obvious when listening to his music, there's a lot of stuff written out. But, if you've ever heard a recording of a rehearsal or recording session out-takes, you'll learn that things could change on-the-fly if a better idea came along. And there's always the spontaneity of the moment. For instance, at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Ellington determined that between the mostly written-out pieces "Diminuendo in Blue" and "Crescendo in Blue" there would be a "blues interlude" where Paul Gonsalves would improvise over the standard blues form for an indeterminate length of time. As it turned out, Gonsalves' momentum and the audience's frenzied reaction sustained this interlude for 27 choruses (or about six minutes).³

Top 6 for August 28, 2014

Don't know how long I can keep this up, but here goes...

Dvorák's Slavonic Dance Op. 46 No. 1 played by Rafael Kubelik and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

I've often referred to this very vigorous performance of these Romantic Era chestnuts as "the Slavonic Slamdances". A good way to get the blood pumping early in the morning, I tells ya.

Lula - Barney Brigard, Benny Carter and Ben Webster

From BBB, this group of 30's jazz legends recorded in the 60's, playing in the past and present tenses simultaneously, that is, playing old school without nostalgia.

Jodi by The Dodos

A rockin' little tune I downloaded off a free sampler somewhere.

Dart Night at the Willow by the Charlie Kohlhase Quintet

Commemorating the loss of their weekly gig at the Willow Jazz Club to said activity, some furious blowing by the horns in the band - Matt Langley on alto, John Carlson on trumpet and the leader on baritone.

Semi-Simple Variations by the Bad Plus

A knotty piano piece by Milton Babbitt (although far from his knottiest) arranged for jazz piano trio. From the album For All I Care. There's a video, too!

The Rock Concert: Madison WI, April 9, 2005 by the Jazz Passengers

Sponsored by  the University of Wisconsin-Madison Geology Museum to celebrate the Univeristy's possesion of one of the oldest pieces of rock known to exist, this hour long works tells a very shaggy-dog story about the rock's origins in 1950's Brooklyn. A randomly found edition of WFMU's Miniature Minotaurs program. Check it out here.

Top 5 from December 30, 2013, plus an aside

Heart of Glass by the Bad Plus from These are the Vistas

A rollicking treatment of the Blondie classic played with Lisztian left hand counterpoint from pianist Ethan Iverson (my audience-mate at the Jazz Standard in October) and a florid contribution from drummer Dave King. Points for taking the chorus in seven each time around, rather than just in the bridge as on the original.


The Real Me by the Who from Quadrophenia
Always wanted to be in a band that could play this song. It's a bit frightening how much I still feel this album at 43 as I did at 15. This is one of Moon's best performances (although the whole band if face-ripping good on this), but sadly approaching the time where his mind and body started to fall out of sync.