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 8 May 2007 @ 08:58, by jazzolog. Music
In the photo Grange boards plane to meet Al. (1960)
Death Of A Bebop Wife
by Grange (Lady Haig) Rutan
Published by Cadence Jazz Books, Redwood NY 13679
[link]
The modern pianist has a very special relationship with his drummer and his bassist. As his instrument has hammers, it resembles the drums; and as it has strings, it's like the bass. His position in the rhythm section is more detached, and more ambiguous than that of his partners, the bass and the drums. If he feels like it, he can stop playing for a few bars and let the bass define the harmony and the drums ensure the rhythm. He can suggest new harmonic directions, fall into step with a soloist, then break away a moment later. On again, off again. He opens or he closes. He's present at the heart of the rhythm, then suddenly he's gone.
---Laurent De Wilde
from chapter 5, p. 21
There's a scene in Grange Rutan's long-awaited book about her first husband Al Haig in which the legendary piano player introduces his young bride to Miles Davis. The men had played together with Charlie Parker in the tumultuous beginning years of bebop, and Al was pianist on one of Miles' Birth of the Cool sessions. By the summer of 1960, Miles Davis was packing in crowds at the Blackhawk in San Francisco, but Al Haig was scuffling for work. After turning down Miles' urgent invitation to sit in with the band, Al sheepishly confesses he and Grange have no place to sleep. Without hesitation, Miles reaches into his pocket and hands Al Haig the key to his dressing room. It was there, on a stained mattress in a shabby back room of a nightclub, the couple consummated their marriage. The bride looked brave, despite 2 black eyes.
Much about jazz, its artists, its working conditions, its devoted followers, and both the generosity and freakouts, is revealed in that passage. There have been many books written about the history of the music, including the death-defying years of bebop, but here's one long overdue from the perspective of a woman who loved a man who created some of it. And Grange Rutan goes beyond her own marriage of 2 1/2 years with Al Haig, into his next marriage which that girl did not survive. Rumors of murder persist to this day, and Grange presents her view as to whether Al could have done it. More >
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 24 Jul 2006 @ 12:23, by jazzolog. Music
What you see with your eyes closed is what counts.
---Lame Deer, Lakota sage
To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest human battle ever and to never stop fighting.
---E.E. Cummings
What do you want to get enlightened for? You may not like it.
---Shunryu Suzuki
Once upon a time four guys decided to start a singing group, just for the fun of it, as any four folks have done since time began. Creation likes to sing and harmony is one of those things humans stumbled on. It's a gift from God. This story starts in Milwaukee where 2 fellows found themselves singing in the same choir and became buddies. It was the 1940s. Bob Strasen went off to Japan with the Army and led a male chorus there, but Gene Puerling got a job as a disc jockey back home and formed a couple singing groups on the side. In 1951 he moved to Los Angeles, as did lots of musicians from all over the place. There was work there: TV now, as well as movies and record companies. He needed to share an apartment with somebody, and along came Clark Burroughs, a guy with a sky-high voice, impeccable intonation, and a knack for hilarity that got him a few acting jobs too. Clark was from LA, was schooled and even had sung with the Roger Wagner Chorale. Now he was in a sort of novelty quartet called the Encores that sang on Billy May records. Billy was from Pittsburgh, had been in the bands of and arranged the jazz tunes for Glenn Miller and Charlie Barnet, but now had been doing children's records at Capitol and only lately had been convinced to start a dance band and take it on the road. In the Encores was Bob Morse from Pasadena, who came from a wildly musical family, with brothers who played and arranged for Stan Kenton and Johnny Richards. Morse sang baritone in the Bob Eberle crooner style and could solo well. In 1952 Clark and Puerling, who'd been working in a record store, got the idea to start their own group with Bob Morse. Gene would sing bass and he called Milwaukee, since Strasen was back, and talked him into coming to LA to sing tenor. Clark would handle all the notes above that, which was not yet a sound you'd hear out of a man who wasn't in the Ink Spots. Vocal quartets everywhere have a tradition of choosing catchy silly names for themselves and our guys were no different. These were The Hi-Lo's. More >
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 25 Jun 2006 @ 19:00, by swanny. Music
EARTH
I love your hills, I love your trees,
I love your birds, oh and your bees,
Chorus: I love your whales and waterfalls,
But Earth I love you, most of all.
I love your skies, both gray and blue,
I love seas and mountains too.
Chorus:
Bridge:
You are a pearl of a great price,
A living soul, of flame and ice,
You are a precious.... master piece,
From Everest and sea to sea.
I love your eagles, your fruits and spice,
I love you valleys in day and night.
Chorus....
Earth I love you most of all.
By A. G. Jonas
June 25, 2006
(c) 2006 Earth More >
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 1 May 2006 @ 00:50, by swanny. Music
April 30, 2006
Canada
Evening
The Great wall of art
plus a little tune
Link = [link]
enjoy
ed More >
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13 Feb 2006 @ 03:55, by jmarc. Music
We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
This guy just blows me away.
Some people do that to me, with their talent.
This is a face with character. A face that knows the ways of the Universe,
one of those few that looks into the light and isn't blinded
but instead is able to impart a bit of it to US, and for a brief few moments
we can fly along with him, by way of his music. More >
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27 Dec 2005 @ 01:37, by swanny. Music
December 26, 2005
Monday
Boxing Day...
Well I wrote this song last spring.
I suppose it was perhaps inspired by
the global tragedy of the tsunami.
Such a global event shakes us to the core
in some ways even so as to affect the
rotation of the planet. As to the song
I didn't much care for the rendition of
it but had another song that had a better
"feel" so I used that. But still something was
missing. It needed the soul of... the blues.
But alas Louis is gone but I give you my attempt
to recreate the sonority of humanity.
I suppose it is somewhat fitting to give a rough draft
here on the Tsunami anniversary and hope you will look beyond
the defincienies and the nusaince of me to the "heart"
of the song.
I give you "Humanity Goes On" (Revised):
Humanity Link = [link]
alfie More >
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20 Dec 2005 @ 14:30, by swanny. Music
Ho Ho Ho
Merry Christmas Everyone
Some Xmas Joy for you...
Joy mp3 link = [link]
Enjoy
swanny More >
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 17 Dec 2005 @ 23:27, by flutetime. Music
It's the repition, the beat, the words (if you can make it out) More >
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8 Sep 2005 @ 11:33, by swanny. Music
LOVE IS IN CONTROL
By A. G. Jonas
Once, when I was young, in Love, I did believe.
Then the world... it came....
And broke the heart of me.
Chorus
But Love is in control,
Despite the way it seems,
Yes Love is in Control,
Its what I still believe.
The mystery of Life, is more than we can know.
Yet here we live.... in war and peace....
And Gardens that we grow.
Chorus
Oh yea Love is in control,
Despite the way its seems,
Yes Love is in control
Its what I must believe,
Its what I still believe.
(c) 2005
Canada More >
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 30 Aug 2005 @ 15:39, by uncleremus. Music
Gracias a la vida
Violeta Parra
Gracias a la Vida que me ha dado tanto
me dio dos luceros que cuando los abro
perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco
y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado
y en las multitudes el hombre que yo amo. More >
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