The Blue Note Thread

bnut said:
I've been on a BN rage since the incident. Finally got my etc and Contours yesterday. I picked up (or pre-ordered) everything available from TP and BN80, except the Cassandra. (change my mind)

Chris Irwin had a great post over on FB that explained Modal Jazz. That helped me out tremendously to have a better understanding as I am listening to these records. Thank you for that @seeirwin
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Get the Wilson. She got a one of a kind voice. Folky Jazz arrangements. She always picks great songs.
 
bnut said:
I've been on a BN rage since the incident. Finally got my etc and Contours yesterday. I picked up (or pre-ordered) everything available from TP and BN80, except the Cassandra. (change my mind)

Chris Irwin had a great post over on FB that explained Modal Jazz. That helped me out tremendously to have a better understanding as I am listening to these records. Thank you for that @seeirwin
Click to expand...

I've just purchased / pre-ordered all the available Tone Poet stuff except for Chick Corea (overspent as it is). I'd be interested in understanding a bit about modal jazz @seeirwin if you could repost here?

How do the BN80 records sound?
 
Andy said:
I've just purchased / pre-ordered all the available Tone Poet stuff except for Chick Corea (overspent as it is). I'd be interested in understanding a bit about modal jazz @seeirwin if you could repost here?

How do the BN80 records sound?
Click to expand...
I know I'm not @seeirwin, but I'll give my explanation of modal jazz:

In most of tonal jazz (i.e. non-modal), musicians have a harmonic backdrop (a progresion of chords) to solo over. The soloist has to choose a scale that works over each one of these chords, so one moment you can be playing a set of notes, and you have to change it up a couple of seconds later, because the harmonhy has changed and you have to move on along with it.

Modal compositions, on the other side, have a much simpler harmony. They usually rest in 1 or 2 chords for a while, just playing small variations of them. This gives the soloist the chance to develop longer melodic lines, and string all of his ideas together, since he doesn't have to worry about the chords beneath him changing all of a sudden. In modal jazz, instead of changing the key or scale they play with every chord, musicians usually change modes, which are different scales used for one same chord, each one having a particular feel or mood.

There's more to it, but I think that's the basis of it all. Just listen to a Charlie Parker solo, and then listen to My Favorite Things, and I think you will get what I'm saying. Coltrane's lines are longer, he can build up the momentum of his solo, and it has a more exotic/eerie feel.
 
I received my Anthology shipping notice today. Looks like it's shipping internationally with DHL. I'll be interested in how quickly it gets up here.
I was so excited for the Blue Note Anthology, and I still am excited for the music, but some of the shine is definitely lost with the forum fiasco and that the jackets aren't gatefold with Francis Wolff photos.
 
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agutierrezb said:
I know I'm not @seeirwin, but I'll give my explanation of modal jazz:

In most of tonal jazz (i.e. non-modal), musicians have a harmonic backdrop (a progresion of chords) to solo over. The soloist has to choose a scale that works over each one of these chords, so one moment you can be playing a set of notes, and you have to change it up a couple of seconds later, because the harmonhy has changed and you have to move on along with it.

Modal compositions, on the other side, have a much simpler harmony. They usually rest in 1 or 2 chords for a while, just playing small variations of them. This gives the soloist the chance to develop longer melodic lines, and string all of his ideas together, since he doesn't have to worry about the chords beneath him changing all of a sudden. In modal jazz, instead of changing the key or scale they play with every chord, musicians usually change modes, which are different scales used for one same chord, each one having a particular feel or mood.

There's more to it, but I think that's the basis of it all. Just listen to a Charlie Parker solo, and then listen to My Favorite Things, and I think you will get what I'm saying. Coltrane's lines are longer, he can build up the momentum of his solo, and it has a more exotic/eerie feel.
Click to expand...

fascinating. thanks
 
Dtknuckles said:
Get the Wilson. She got a one of a kind voice. Folky Jazz arrangements. She always picks great songs.
Click to expand...

I would agree! I got it after getting the Evans and Henderson albums. At first, I kind of just didn’t want it to be the only one I didn’t have. But it sounds great and it has really grown on me after a few listens. Great for setting a certain relaxing mood, I’d say. One of a kind voice and what seem to me to be unique arrangements. Certainly not my favorite of the series but a welcome addition nonetheless!

So now I’m just waiting to get Contours!
 
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Andy said:
I've just purchased / pre-ordered all the available Tone Poet stuff except for Chick Corea (overspent as it is). I'd be interested in understanding a bit about modal jazz @seeirwin if you could repost here?

How do the BN80 records sound?
Click to expand...

Here's something I wrote up about modal jazz, which may help.

The phrase “modal jazz” is more explanatory, but also more intimidating than the the names of some of the other sub-genres in jazz (e.g. cool jazz, bebop, hard bop, etc.). It sounds very technical (it is), and that might make it feel hard to understand (it is not). Like the word “irony,” many of us have a vague sense of what “modal jazz” means, but might not be able to give a succinct definition. Fortunately, it’s not too large of a task, and James Brown can help us get there!

Here’s James Brown in a live performance of Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine:
It’s worth watching the whole thing, especially if you know the studio version of the song. Musically, the song is built around what musicians call a “vamp:” the band is repeating a short snippet of music while James Brown does his thing. In the case of Sex Machine, the vamp is only one chord on the guitar. Listening to this live version (and then to the studio version, if necessary:
), it seems like a safe bet that the exact number of beats before James Brown asks whether he can “take it to the bridge,” the length of the bridge, or any other part of the song differs between the two versions. In other words, the band is not running through a sequence of chords a set number of times before changing to a new section. Instead, James Brown is freely improvising (with vocal assistance from Bobby Byrd) and is not restricted by being forced to get back on any sort of script because the band is going to the bridge with or without him. While a neat feature of the song, the freedom most closely relates to modal jazz is not the undefined length of the verses. Rather, it’s the fact that the whole verse (before Brown “take it to the bridge”) only uses one chord. Because the vamp only uses one chord, there is an implied family of notes that are going to be consonant with what the rhythm section is doing. Since the chord never changes, the family of notes never changes. Brown is free to explore this family of notes in the melodies he sings. He can get in the groove and really lock into how he wants to express himself with that family of notes, using them in whatever combination and whatever rhythm he feels will best help him convey to the listener his desire to stay on the scene. Like a sex machine. This freedom exists in contrast to some other James Brown classics (e.g. I Got You) in which Brown has to change the melodies he sings in order to fit what’s happening with the chords underneath him.

Modal jazz isn’t inherently more complicated than the idea behind James Brown and his one-chord vamp. In music, the word “mode” refers to a specific collection of notes. There are lots of modes with fancy names, but none of that knowledge is necessary to listen to the music and get a sense of what’s going on. Instead of being built around sequences of chords moving from one to another until the form is complete, and then starting again, modal jazz is built around the idea that all of the musicians will restrict themselves to the agreed upon collection of notes (i.e. the mode) that is being used at that musical moment. Ready to give listening to modal jazz a try? Here’s “Milestones” (originally just called “Miles,” until everyone remembered that he already had a song with the same name), which was Miles Davis’s first modal jazz recording: . Unlike Sex Machine (and Flamenco Sketches off of Kind of Blue), Milestones shifts from one mode to a second mode after a fixed amount of time, and then switches back to the first mode. The form is 16 measures of note collection #1, 16 measures of note collection #2, and then 8 measures of note collection #1. After that, the form repeats. Rather than try to count the song, it’s probably easiest to listen for when Paul Chambers switches his bass playing from a very steady 1-2-3-4 rhythm to more of a hiccup-sounding rhythm. That occurs whenever note collection #2 is happening. As you listen, you may notice that the chords played by Red Garland on the piano (also the same figure played by the horns at the start of the song) sound an awful lot like synthesizer chords in the Michael Jackson tune Billy Jean. Those chords and their movement are incidental and not a critical part of the structure of the song. That’s another big difference between chord-based songs and modal songs: if Garland played those chords in reverse order, it would have worked just fine (don’t try that with a chord-based song!).

If you’re still not sure whether you’re feeling it, here’s a more focused tutorial on how modal jazz works using the song So What from Kind of Blue. It’s made for the non-musician, so don’t be alarmed by the piano!



Once you’ve got Milestones and So What in your ear, you can check out this instructional on Flamenco Sketches, which is a modal jazz song with a really neat twist:
 
agutierrezb said:
I know I'm not @seeirwin, but I'll give my explanation of modal jazz:

In most of tonal jazz (i.e. non-modal), musicians have a harmonic backdrop (a progresion of chords) to solo over. The soloist has to choose a scale that works over each one of these chords, so one moment you can be playing a set of notes, and you have to change it up a couple of seconds later, because the harmonhy has changed and you have to move on along with it.

Modal compositions, on the other side, have a much simpler harmony. They usually rest in 1 or 2 chords for a while, just playing small variations of them. This gives the soloist the chance to develop longer melodic lines, and string all of his ideas together, since he doesn't have to worry about the chords beneath him changing all of a sudden. In modal jazz, instead of changing the key or scale they play with every chord, musicians usually change modes, which are different scales used for one same chord, each one having a particular feel or mood.

There's more to it, but I think that's the basis of it all. Just listen to a Charlie Parker solo, and then listen to My Favorite Things, and I think you will get what I'm saying. Coltrane's lines are longer, he can build up the momentum of his solo, and it has a more exotic/eerie feel.
Click to expand...
That's a great (and succinct!) explanation!
 
seeirwin said:
Here's something I wrote up about modal jazz, which may help.

The phrase “modal jazz” is more explanatory, but also more intimidating than the the names of some of the other sub-genres in jazz (e.g. cool jazz, bebop, hard bop, etc.). It sounds very technical (it is), and that might make it feel hard to understand (it is not). Like the word “irony,” many of us have a vague sense of what “modal jazz” means, but might not be able to give a succinct definition. Fortunately, it’s not too large of a task, and James Brown can help us get there!

Here’s James Brown in a live performance of Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine:
It’s worth watching the whole thing, especially if you know the studio version of the song. Musically, the song is built around what musicians call a “vamp:” the band is repeating a short snippet of music while James Brown does his thing. In the case of Sex Machine, the vamp is only one chord on the guitar. Listening to this live version (and then to the studio version, if necessary:
), it seems like a safe bet that the exact number of beats before James Brown asks whether he can “take it to the bridge,” the length of the bridge, or any other part of the song differs between the two versions. In other words, the band is not running through a sequence of chords a set number of times before changing to a new section. Instead, James Brown is freely improvising (with vocal assistance from Bobby Byrd) and is not restricted by being forced to get back on any sort of script because the band is going to the bridge with or without him. While a neat feature of the song, the freedom most closely relates to modal jazz is not the undefined length of the verses. Rather, it’s the fact that the whole verse (before Brown “take it to the bridge”) only uses one chord. Because the vamp only uses one chord, there is an implied family of notes that are going to be consonant with what the rhythm section is doing. Since the chord never changes, the family of notes never changes. Brown is free to explore this family of notes in the melodies he sings. He can get in the groove and really lock into how he wants to express himself with that family of notes, using them in whatever combination and whatever rhythm he feels will best help him convey to the listener his desire to stay on the scene. Like a sex machine. This freedom exists in contrast to some other James Brown classics (e.g. I Got You) in which Brown has to change the melodies he sings in order to fit what’s happening with the chords underneath him.

Modal jazz isn’t inherently more complicated than the idea behind James Brown and his one-chord vamp. In music, the word “mode” refers to a specific collection of notes. There are lots of modes with fancy names, but none of that knowledge is necessary to listen to the music and get a sense of what’s going on. Instead of being built around sequences of chords moving from one to another until the form is complete, and then starting again, modal jazz is built around the idea that all of the musicians will restrict themselves to the agreed upon collection of notes (i.e. the mode) that is being used at that musical moment. Ready to give listening to modal jazz a try? Here’s “Milestones” (originally just called “Miles,” until everyone remembered that he already had a song with the same name), which was Miles Davis’s first modal jazz recording: . Unlike Sex Machine (and Flamenco Sketches off of Kind of Blue), Milestones shifts from one mode to a second mode after a fixed amount of time, and then switches back to the first mode. The form is 16 measures of note collection #1, 16 measures of note collection #2, and then 8 measures of note collection #1. After that, the form repeats. Rather than try to count the song, it’s probably easiest to listen for when Paul Chambers switches his bass playing from a very steady 1-2-3-4 rhythm to more of a hiccup-sounding rhythm. That occurs whenever note collection #2 is happening. As you listen, you may notice that the chords played by Red Garland on the piano (also the same figure played by the horns at the start of the song) sound an awful lot like synthesizer chords in the Michael Jackson tune Billy Jean. Those chords and their movement are incidental and not a critical part of the structure of the song. That’s another big difference between chord-based songs and modal songs: if Garland played those chords in reverse order, it would have worked just fine (don’t try that with a chord-based song!).

If you’re still not sure whether you’re feeling it, here’s a more focused tutorial on how modal jazz works using the song So What from Kind of Blue. It’s made for the non-musician, so don’t be alarmed by the piano!



Once you’ve got Milestones and So What in your ear, you can check out this instructional on Flamenco Sketches, which is a modal jazz song with a really neat twist:
Click to expand...

Those videos are great, thanks for sharing!
 
lbloom said:
I would agree! I got it after getting the Evans and Henderson albums. At first, I kind of just didn’t want it to be the only one I didn’t have. But it sounds great and it has really grown on me after a few listens. Great for setting a certain relaxing mood, I’d say. One of a kind voice and what seem to me to be unique arrangements. Certainly not my favorite of the series but a welcome addition nonetheless!

So now I’m just waiting to get my hands on Contours!
Click to expand...
Hmmm...you guys are making me think I should bite the bullet and get the Wilson as well. For me too it is the only one that I have skipped.
 
TCell said:
I received my Anthology shipping notice today. Looks like it's shipping internationally with DHL. I'll be interested in how quickly it gets up here.
I was so excited for the Blue Note Anthology, and I still am excited for the music, but some of the shine is definitely lost with the forum fiasco and that the jackets aren't gatefold with Francis Wolff photos.
Click to expand...

Are the jackets not gatefold at all? I thought I had heard that they were.
 
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