Great piece. Ballads get right to the core of the performer's mastery (or lack thereof) of the most basic elements of jazz music; sound production, phrasing, communicating a genuine emotion, and ability to tell a story. When I used to hear Frank Wess play ballads, I would be brought to tears...so much feeling and so universal in expression. It was no surprise to discover that his mentor was Ben Webster. I feel that audiences also share some responsibility in the phenomena of the disappearing ballad. Listening to and trying to get involved with the performance of a ballad requires an attention span that many no longer have. Vulnerability is also a personal trait that is part of it, but a general sense of fear that permeates American society has no space for vulnerability. I wonder if today's younger listeners were ever serenaded by a bedtime story provided by their parents.
John Coltrane/Johhny Hartman and Coltranes Ballads album fit the bill. Bill Evans. Emmet Cohen. Very few younger, under 30 horn players attempt the genre. You have to have lived a whle to be able to play ballads.
I have a sound file of Eric Dolphy playing "Tenderly". It was such an exquisite rendition that I gave it a special place on my desktop. I know you can find it, Bret, but if you can't I'll send it to you. I LOVE the new Syncopated Justice.
I have a sound file of Eric Dolphy playing "Tenderly". It was such an exquisite rendition that I gave it a special place on my desktop. I know you can find it, Bret, but if you can't I'll send it to you. I LOVE the new Syncopated Justice.
Oh yes indeed. I make it a point to know not only the lyrics to the ballads, but to all the standards. It makes a difference in your phrasing. If your aim is to have a lyrical quality to your solo, well then, note the root of the word 'lyrical.' Remember how Dexter used to quote the lyrics to the ballad he was about to play?
Nice piece, Bret, with many good points! But there are some contemporary artists who do ballads beautifully. Melody Gardot comes to mind, and she doesn't do the standards.
Two of Canada's finest musicians, Bill Coon and Sienna Dahlen collaborated last year on Balladextrous, a sublime album. Bill is a superb guitarist, based in Vancouver, where I live, and Sienna who works in Montreal and Toronto, sings like an angel (she was the singer on Mike Rud's Juno-award winning album, Notes on Montreal, and was fantastic; it too, has some great non-standard compositions (some of which are standards; each song is based on a Canadian novel) by Mike, who is another unsung hero of the guitar in the Great White North.
Lockjaw Davis, Sweets Edison, Arnett Cobb, not to mention Prez.... people who could play 10 notes and totally floor you, rather than flood you with a thousand licks from the endless supply of textbooks out today. Well I guess it's a cycle we have to go thru, before we come out from the other side and a new era of amazing interpreters will rise again on this planet.
I have brought up the need to sing with my 'oud teacher, Eric Ederer...who gently guides me back to making my instrument sing...this video of an early lesson that I still work on.
Interestingly I’ve not heard a lot of new/younger sax players playing ballads - so your writing is spot on. The vocalists I hear are dreadful singing ballads. The only ones perhaps having some kind of “sound” are the ones singing standards. My problem with that is that it’s been done a gazillion times over. No new ground is being broken by way of approach or interpretation, in spite of the fact standards are sacred ground. I’d rather hear Nancy Wilson, (to name one) so I will listen to a record/cd. The new vocalists singing new ballads (and I mean all genres, not just jazz), from where I sit don’t have a clue. Part life experience, part lack of training.
I will also say NO ONE played ballads like John Coltrane and Michael Brecker. I will also add Larry McKenna (tenor) to that list. Was fortunate to record and play live with Larry. Saw him perform live and when he played “You’ve Changed” I was frozen to my seat; his playing went right through me. Just stunning. It was a gig with another tenor player, Bootsie Barnes. Both brilliant. Both gone now. We lost Larry in November.
Great piece. Ballads get right to the core of the performer's mastery (or lack thereof) of the most basic elements of jazz music; sound production, phrasing, communicating a genuine emotion, and ability to tell a story. When I used to hear Frank Wess play ballads, I would be brought to tears...so much feeling and so universal in expression. It was no surprise to discover that his mentor was Ben Webster. I feel that audiences also share some responsibility in the phenomena of the disappearing ballad. Listening to and trying to get involved with the performance of a ballad requires an attention span that many no longer have. Vulnerability is also a personal trait that is part of it, but a general sense of fear that permeates American society has no space for vulnerability. I wonder if today's younger listeners were ever serenaded by a bedtime story provided by their parents.
Todd, you make an excellent point about vulnerability. This whole macho thing has gotteb totally out of hand.
I love Frank's playing, and his wry sense of humor.
Wonderful words. Beautiful music. LT is spot on. Sound 'n soul...
I miss the beauty that musicians like Ben Webster brought into this world.
Frog - The Beast Lives
John Coltrane/Johhny Hartman and Coltranes Ballads album fit the bill. Bill Evans. Emmet Cohen. Very few younger, under 30 horn players attempt the genre. You have to have lived a whle to be able to play ballads.
There are others as Herr Forkenspoon mentions, but Ben Webster was one of the masters of the ballad.
I have a sound file of Eric Dolphy playing "Tenderly". It was such an exquisite rendition that I gave it a special place on my desktop. I know you can find it, Bret, but if you can't I'll send it to you. I LOVE the new Syncopated Justice.
I have a sound file of Eric Dolphy playing "Tenderly". It was such an exquisite rendition that I gave it a special place on my desktop. I know you can find it, Bret, but if you can't I'll send it to you. I LOVE the new Syncopated Justice.
Plus, the old school wisdom says you have to know the lyrics to the ballad to play it effectively as an instrumental.
Do you think that's true?
Oh yes indeed. I make it a point to know not only the lyrics to the ballads, but to all the standards. It makes a difference in your phrasing. If your aim is to have a lyrical quality to your solo, well then, note the root of the word 'lyrical.' Remember how Dexter used to quote the lyrics to the ballad he was about to play?
Nice piece, Bret, with many good points! But there are some contemporary artists who do ballads beautifully. Melody Gardot comes to mind, and she doesn't do the standards.
Two of Canada's finest musicians, Bill Coon and Sienna Dahlen collaborated last year on Balladextrous, a sublime album. Bill is a superb guitarist, based in Vancouver, where I live, and Sienna who works in Montreal and Toronto, sings like an angel (she was the singer on Mike Rud's Juno-award winning album, Notes on Montreal, and was fantastic; it too, has some great non-standard compositions (some of which are standards; each song is based on a Canadian novel) by Mike, who is another unsung hero of the guitar in the Great White North.
You can find Balladextrous here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aop-n4t_gEY&list=OLAK5uy_ndOdn9bdZSCPvDDEb24iidZt6llA8z2hM&index=2
And Notes on Montreal here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OzSef3UpMs&list=PLxYB34EAD43eUH68q9D2BDqNzsFKUQu9f
I think you will not be sorry!
Thanks, Terry. Will check out your links. Sounds like you're based in Canada.
Lockjaw Davis, Sweets Edison, Arnett Cobb, not to mention Prez.... people who could play 10 notes and totally floor you, rather than flood you with a thousand licks from the endless supply of textbooks out today. Well I guess it's a cycle we have to go thru, before we come out from the other side and a new era of amazing interpreters will rise again on this planet.
https://youtu.be/s202xFm53YE?si=fIYo7RG1Qyph3qRj
I have brought up the need to sing with my 'oud teacher, Eric Ederer...who gently guides me back to making my instrument sing...this video of an early lesson that I still work on.
Fascinating. Thanks for sharing this.
Interestingly I’ve not heard a lot of new/younger sax players playing ballads - so your writing is spot on. The vocalists I hear are dreadful singing ballads. The only ones perhaps having some kind of “sound” are the ones singing standards. My problem with that is that it’s been done a gazillion times over. No new ground is being broken by way of approach or interpretation, in spite of the fact standards are sacred ground. I’d rather hear Nancy Wilson, (to name one) so I will listen to a record/cd. The new vocalists singing new ballads (and I mean all genres, not just jazz), from where I sit don’t have a clue. Part life experience, part lack of training.
Well said. This world got very noisy. We need more beauty and compassion. Maybe that's we don't really ballads anymore. People are too busy.
I will also say NO ONE played ballads like John Coltrane and Michael Brecker. I will also add Larry McKenna (tenor) to that list. Was fortunate to record and play live with Larry. Saw him perform live and when he played “You’ve Changed” I was frozen to my seat; his playing went right through me. Just stunning. It was a gig with another tenor player, Bootsie Barnes. Both brilliant. Both gone now. We lost Larry in November.
https://youtu.be/_5l-jft8BeY?si=ZAl4BCvIFemyWKRY
Yes, Clark Terry was indeed a master of the ballad.