. All You Need Is Love (And Peace):The Beatles In Jazz ( by Lara Pellegrinelli) .

Express Newspapers/Hulton Archive

 

Ringo Starr's gold-plated snare drum will be on display at New York's Metropolitan Museum until December.

"What a drag it is getting old" might be a sentiment appropriate for Mick Jagger's birthday, but Beatles drummer Ringo Starr celebrated his 70th with boyish enthusiasm earlier this month.

Starr asked fans around the world to join him at noon by saying the words "peace and love," the only gift he wanted, and he was honored by New York's Metropolitan Museum, where his gold-plated snare drum — a present from the Ludwig Drum Company during the Beatles' famed 1964 U.S. tour — will be on display until December.

The Beatles have lived as long as many composers of the so-called American popular song (Gershwin, Porter, Loesser). 

And the band's works, now tried and true, have also found a place in the jazz repertoire, even if arrangements of Ringo's "Octopus's Garden" remain scarce (check George Benson's The Other Side of Abbey Road for the only one we know).

Last September, Take Five presented listeners with a Beatles list, using it to trace how jazz musicians have absorbed popular music that post-dates the British Invasion.

This time, for the drummer, is just for kicks. Happy Birthday, Ringo! Peace and love.

All You Need Is Love (And Peace): The Beatles In Jazz

CHARLIE HUNTER

Playing a custom Novax eight-string, Charlie Hunter manages to handle all the usual guitar duties, while grabbing bass notes and keeping time as well as any drummer with textured strumming and slapping.

So much for a little help from his friends. Hunter's car might just be a motorcycle. 
And, no, you can't drive it.

• "Drive My Car"
• Album: Come Together: Guitar Tribute to the Beatles, Vol. 2
• Artist: Various Artists
• Label: Nagel-Heyer
• Released: 1995

..............................................................................................................................................................................

BRAD MELDHAU 

On the last Take Five Beatles list, we failed to include pianist Brad Mehldau, a contemporary pioneer when it comes to bridging the gap between jazz and pop music. 


You noticed; point taken. When Mehldau hasn't been too busy playing songs by Radiohead, he's performed a number of Beatles gems, including "Blackbird," "She's Leaving Home" and a solo version of "Martha, My Dear" fantastical enough to warrant comparison to legendary pianist Art Tatum. 


Here, in honor of Ringo Starr, we opted for something more straightforward with a little backbeat.

• Album: Largo
• Song: Dear Prudence

......................................................................................................................................................................

MEDESKI / SCOFIELD / MARTIN / WOOD 

Medeski, Martin and Wood represent the happy place where jazz gets made into jam.

Guitarist John Scofield, a masterful improviser who knows how to rock out, makes for their perfect partner in crime. 

While the trio-plus-one spends most of Out Louder pushing the groove envelope, "Julia" finds them at their mellow best.

It's more pulsing texture than melody, with a haunting edge. Lovely, lovely melancholy.

• Album: Out Louder
• Song: Julia

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CHRIS POTTER

"Yesterday" is one of the most frequently covered Beatles songs, at least where jazz musicians are concerned, and this might be its most gorgeous arrangement.


Ballads - wistfully nostalgic and otherwise - don't come with the same expectations for improvisational flights as up-tempo tunes, but they depend on a soloist gracefully embellishing the melody nonetheless. 


Here, saxophonist Chris Potter keeps the tune simple and instead expands the harmony.

When he gets to the bridge ("Why she had to go..."), it just blossoms.

• Album: Underground
• Song: Yesterday

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BOBBY Mc FERRIN

At least one person is bound to write in to say something like, "Bobby McFerrin isn't a jazz musician."


It might be poor manners on my part, but I'm preemptively going to say that that's complete nonsense. 


McFerrin worked for years with Jon Hendricks, the Godfather of Vocalese, and he's held his own in duos with Chick Corea (in fact, here's a full concert). 


He can do anything.

• Album: Spontaneous Inventions
• Song: From Me to You

. Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Zakir Hussain: Tiny Desk Concert .

Wayne Huang/NPR

Individually, Fleck, Meyer and Hussain are world-class masters of the banjo, the bass fiddle and the tabla, respectively.


Playing together in the offices of NPR Music, the three demonstrate the way musical mastery can be transformed into an exercise in wordless communication.

"Beyond category."


That's what Duke Ellington used to call musicians who were simply the best at what they do.

And that's certainly the case for Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain.


Individually, they're world-class masters of the banjo, the bass fiddle and the tabla, respectively.

They conquered mere technical prowess long ago.


All three now are at a place where music truly becomes so intuitive that a simple rehearsal — as we got to see before this Tiny Desk Concert in the offices of NPR Music — is an exercise in wordless communication.

Just before we rolled tape, the trio worked on a section of one of the songs that involved some unison playing, and I was caught off guard, thinking they didn't really nail it when they tried it three times in a row.

Then, when it came time to perform for an audience, they, of course, performed it flawlessly.

Ellington had no idea that his words would eventually be applied to a banjo player, a bass fiddle player and an South Asian percussionist.


But sit back and enjoy these two pieces from The Melody of Rhythm, and you'll see how right Ellington was.

Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer have collaborated
on a new album,

The Melody of Rhythm.

Set List

"Bubbles"
"Bahar"

IN VIDEO LINK :

NPR Podcasts. Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Zakir Hussain: Tiny Desk Concert m4v

. Mose Allison: The Piano Man Returns .

Photograph © Michael Wilson

Mose Allison is an American music icon — truly one of this country's artistic treasures. 

Back in the 1950s, Allison created a style all his own by coupling his talents as a pianist and lyricist and applying them to the elements of jazz and blues. 

His piano playing featured hints of both bebop and boogie woogie.

Then, over the music, he added his one-of-a-kind, half-spoken, half-sung vocals, and a new, hip noise was born. 

It was music that was bluesy with a cool, laid-back swing, coming from a polite Southern gentleman who had a sharp, biting wit.

Allison released his first album as a leader in 1957, and has dozens more under his belt. 

Surprisingly, it had been 13 years since we last heard a studio album of new recordings, but that silence ended earlier this year when he released his latest album, The Way of the World. 

We have producer Joe Henry to thank for getting the reluctant 82-year-old legend back into the recording studio to lay down new songs.

After years of poor record sales, Allison felt that nobody cared to hear him any longer. Fortunately, he was wrong.

It was an honor to meet and chat with Allison, and to watch him play before my own eyes — and, now, your ears.

Iconic pianist Mose Allison visited WFUV in New York City for an interview and live performance.

. Mose Allison : Extraits & Liens .

3 EXTRAITS / SOURCE NPR

LIENS :

Mose Allison Site and Photo Gallery

Catalog View "The Way of the World "

. Jaco Pastorius . ( For My BirthDay . Pleasure .)

CIRCA 1970: Photo of Jaco Pastorius Photo by Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Savoir s'arrêter devant l'incompréhensible est la suprême sagesse. Tchouang-Tseu

Incompréhensible que Dieu soit, et incompréhensible qu'il ne soit pas.
		Blaise Pascal

Ce qui est incompréhensible, c'est que le monde soit compréhensible.
		Albert Einstein

Chris Hakkens

. Catalogue d' Écoute . At the Moment .

... Et bien d'autres Albums ici : radio6.nl ...

The Roots: Getting Personal In 'How I Got Over'

The Roots' members have been active together for almost 25 years.

. Hank Jones Trio On JazzSet .

Fran Kaufman

Fran kaufman Site

Hank Jones was born on July 31, 1918, in Vicksburg, Miss., and grew up north of Detroit in Pontiac, Mich.
His family was large, loving and religious.

Five years behind Hank, brother Thad Jones was born; a few years after Thad, brother Elvin.

All three Jones Brothers made magnificent contributions to jazz.


Hank lived the longest; he died on May 16, 2010.


Following his death, one of the best tributes was the May 17 re-airing of a conversation between Jones and Terry Gross on Fresh Air.

And before this May 2, 1998, performance in from the Gilmore Festival in Kalamazoo, Jones sat down and answered some questions from JazzSet.


He told us that his first tour outside the U.S. took him to Europe in 1948 or '49 with Jazz at the Philharmonic.

In 1956, he went to Thailand with Benny Goodman on a State Department tour. Goodman was "a very strict leader, an excellent musician.


" In that era, Jones was freelance, which he described like this:


"A contractor calls you up and says, 'Are you free on Thursday?' Well, I'm not free, but I'm reasonable."


Host Dee Dee Bridgewater adds, "That is so Hank Jones."

Set List

"Speak Low" (Ogden Nash, Kurt Weill)
"Lady Luck" (Thad Jones, Frank Wess)
"Favors" (Klaus Ogermann)
"Interlude" (JJ Johnson)
"Blue Monk" (Thelonious Monk)
"Round Midnight" (Bernard Hanighen, Monk, Cootie Williams)

Hank Jones Trio

Hank Jones, piano
John Clayton, bass
Dennis Mackrel, drums

Through the 1960s, he was one of the first African-Americans — if not the first — to be employed as a staff musician at a network, CBS.


In the 1970s revue Ain't Misbehavin', he played Fats Waller's piano parts onstage on Broadway.


In the 1990s, Jones worked regularly in Japan, and was featured on wonderful albums from the Verve label — hymns with bassist Charlie Haden, a blend of African music and jazz with musicians from Mali.

When he turned 90, Jones told Jazz Times that all he hoped for was to make each performance better than the previous one.
He practiced his scales and arpeggios until he died.
You can hear it in his keyboard clarity.

Take our web-only extra, "Round Midnight," for example. Each phrase of the melody launches with four pick-up notes.


Jones articulates and voices every set of pick-ups differently — off the cuff, but accurate.

It's a piano lesson.


For this night at Rose Street Market, bassist George Mraz wasn't available, so John ClaytonJazzSet,


"Hank plays a lot of bass notes in his left hand, but I don't feel like I'm getting in his way.
I can't explain that."

Dennis Mackrel, Jones' regular drummer, said,

"Even if I do something wrong, Hank has a talent; he's always looking the other way."

Rafa Rivas/AFP/Getty Images

Hank Jones recorded more than 60 albums under his own name during his career.

Round Midnight Origin

. Charles Mingus . Extraits, Photos . La Virtuosité .

Photo by Hans Kumpf

. jazzpages.com hkumpf .

"Tensions" is the perfect name for a Mingus tune. One of the few virtuoso contrabass players in the truest definition of that word, the emotionally tempestuous bassist could goad all manner of sounds from the tension and release of his fingers on strings.  

Charles Mingus music was often a hot, sweaty mess of collective improvisation, and as both leader and mad scientist, he often drove the members of his band to the limits of their own potential as improvisers. Listen to the pulse behind the stuttering horns on "Tensions." And that solo? Mercy!

Bluenote.com Charles Mingus Cornell1964

Charles Mingus, Paris 1964 Photo by Guy Le Querrec

. Magnum photos . Archives Charles Mingus .