"DIGGIN' THE CLASSICS": YUSEF LATEEF EDITION

February 20, 2008. Posted by Stevan Smith.

Add new comment | Filed under: collections, flute, funky, gentle giant, hey jude, instrumental recordings, jazz, Jazz Alive, Jazz Community, Jazz Education, jungle plum, listener, Listening Post, lullabye, music lovers, music world, new releases, nubian, oboe, pleasure, poor fishermen, queen of the night, r&b, Revue, rhythm, satisfaction, soul, talents, tenor, tenor sax

What's going on all! Welcome to my blog series "DIGGIN' THE CLASSICS"! When new releases in the music world get slow, we all tend to dig into our collections for some vintage pleasure. Join me for my weekly (or whenever I feel like it) quest for soundtrack satisfaction. This is a blog for music lovers! "Walk With Me".

This edition celebrates: Yusef Lateef- The Gentle Giant (1972)

Tracklisting:
1. Nubian Lady
2. Lowland Lullabye
3. Hey Jude
4. Jungle Plum
5. The Poor Fishermen
6. African Song
7. Queen of the Night
8. Below Yellow Bell

Now I will admit, I am really picky when it comes to instrumental recordings. There has to be something powerful about a rhythm that speaks without words. Yusef Lateef is most definitely gifted in this area. Lateef defines his brand of music as "-insert here-", but don't call it jazz. "The Gentle Giant" is evidence of his unique talents. With Lateef playing various instruments (flute, tenor, and oboe) and a 9-minute cover of "Hey Jude" (?), there is enough variety on this album to prevent it from boring the "A.D.D." listener. One stand out track is, "Nubian Lady". The title say's it all. With it's melodic rhythms and ultra cool vibes, songs like these leave no room for words. That would just mess things up.
"I'm smiling, but don't call it jazz fool!"

Another track that stands out is "Queen of the Night" (must be something about the ladies). A funky track that has a bass line tailor made for hip-hop. It is this variety that makes this album one of his most interesting works. This Lp speaks to generations, and most likely opened the door for world music. Some refer to this album as being erratic compared to his prior works. I feel this is just a classic display of any artists' journey to evolve. This album is a honest contribution to the foundation of jaz......I mean "-insert here-". It dares to be different. ...And it is the "different" that makes it an instant classic.
"What do you mean by different?"

© 2008 WBGO

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Studio Session - Ryan Cohan Plays "Lush Life"

January 28, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: american music, congo, department of state, jazz, jordan, Live Music, music ensembles, pianist, quartet, rhythm, rwanda, ryan cohan, solo piano, Studio Sessions, two songs, uganda, urban music, us department of state, Video, www youtube, zimbabwe

Pianist Ryan Cohan brought his quartet into our studio, just before they hit the road. The band is part of The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, the US Department of State-sponsored tour of young jazz and urban music ensembles. Starting January 30th, The Ryan Cohan Quartet is spending a week in each of the following places - Rwanda, Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Jordan.

We recorded two songs with the quartet. Then we finished the session with solo piano. Check it out below:

© 2008 WBGO

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Ed Thigpen at 77

December 28, 2007. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: Birthdays, drummer, drummers, ed thigpen, education conference, educator, happy birthday, herbie hancock, humanitarian award, Jazz Education, kenny burrell, Listening Post, mouthpiece, nola, oscar peterson trio, percussion, retrospect, rhythm, ron carter, trumpeter clark terry, tympani, verve

Drummer Ed Thigpen has lived in Denmark since the early 70s, but we haven't forgotten him stateside. Especially given the recent death of Oscar Peterson. Thigpen recorded more than 50 records as a member of the Oscar Peterson Trio, but not very many as a leader.

In 1966, though, he made a record for Verve called OUT OF THE STORM. Not a lot of music here, and Thigpen doesn't solo much, but it's still worth checking out. At the time, Thigpen had recently left the Oscar Peterson trio. Trumpeter Clark Terry adds some mouthpiece-only solos for an nice effect. Thigpen plays tuned drums that sound like tympani at times. Kenny Burrell, Herbie Hancock, and Ron Carter round out the date. Give it a listen.

The last time I saw Ed Thigpen, he was teaching kids at a percussion clinic in New Orleans. As you can imagine, there were a symphony of drummers in attendance (which, in retrospect, is pretty easy for a rhythm town like NOLA). It was just around the time that he won a Humanitarian Award at the International Association for Jazz Education conference.

That seems fitting. He's a beautiful cat, and a tremendous educator. And for the record, he's a hell of a wire brush player.

Happy Birthday, Ed Thigpen.

© 2007 WBGO

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