Jazzing it up

Let's jazz it up a little?

So, Jazz is, one of those genres that grows on you, slowly. I remember having a full album of Miles Davis, and not being able to get through the first three tracks, because, I was just not ready I guess. Eventually, thanks to my cousin down in Chandigarh, I came back in touch with it, and I think after attending the Jazz Fest in all its glory a few years ago in Delhi, I was hooked.

Noah Jones has been one of my favourite contemporary jazz artists, and from her many tracks, two that always string up an emotion inside of me are Here We Go Again (ft Ray Charles) and What am I to You, The latter being the chosen one for this post.

I look in your eyes,

I can feel butterflies.

Anyone who hasn't been to the Jazz Fest should totally do so whenever they get a chance to, They set up massive screens all over the place (reverse projectors) and you can see people lazing around, grooving and indulging, it is almost magical.

From Norah Jones, it's time to go a little back in time and hit up Nina Simone and her Feeling Good. For me, the route of discovery for this track has been a long and interesting journey, I heard it for the first time in the movie Seven Pounds (Will Smith), it was the Muse version at that time, having never heard the track before, I waited for the movie credits, to try and track the song. The search led me instead to Michael Buble's version and it was a while before I was blown away by Nina Simone singing this one. Of course, that wasn't it, a very talented singer-friend of mine, finally directed me to my current favourite cover of this stunning track, by the talented, Nikhil D'Souza.

Find the Nina Simone version here, Michael Buble's version here and Muse's version here.

Seven Pounds is one of those movies that left a dent in my universe, It was also the film after which I used to go around calling Will Smith my favourite actor, yes, those impressionable days. But it is quite the film, and the idea of guilt driving you to the edge of yourself truly left a lasting impression on me.

Anyway, coming back to Jazz, I'll never forget the quip by the legendary Louis Armstrong; “If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know.” It reminds me of this scene from a movie with Konkona Sen (I can't place the film, if someone can chime in? I think it was Wake Up Sid) where she is taken to Not Just Jazz by the Bay, and she is all awkward, unable to enjoy the music. I've been there Konkona, and I get it.

Moving on, this Vintage 1940's Jazz cover of Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" is currently on my play-on-loop list. 

Postmodern Jukebox is a concept that Scott Bradlee came up with, and you can find the channel here. It wasn't until February of last year that it actually blew up, when Robyn did her first video with the group, a cover of "Thrift Shop" which went viral over night.

Robyn Adele's insane vocals, and a delight of a camera presence is, quite something. Oh and did I mention the video/song features tap dancing as an instrument of music? Everytime I watch the video, I can't help notice how everyone in the video is genuinely enjoying being a part of the video, and the shoulder wiggle in the end is just an added bonus. I was able to catch up with Robyn and talk to her about being a part of something so brilliant,

 How long have you been performing professionally?

I had only ever sang in school choirs and at karaoke, so that first video was the first time I really got to sing for a large audience. We started going gigs in June of last year, so I've only been "professionally performing" for about a year or so! 

How has it been like creating Jazz covers of such pop music? 

 I have always loved pop music and never really listened to jazz, so it was a bit of an experiment and a great learning experience for me to interpret these contemporary songs as jazz. I really enjoy the original tracks that we cover, so it's really fun for me to put a unique twist on them. I'm also trying to learn more jazz standards and perfect my jazz technique.

And what is your favourite Jazz track to sing?

 Well, I love singing, "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" 

What was the toughest part of recording this cover?

For "Just Dance", well, the original version of that song is one of my favorite pop songs, which sometimes makes covering them in such a different style difficult because I love the original so much, but that's also part of the challenge, which I enjoy! 

I can't help notice that you are extremely emotive in the videos! Are you into theater?

I do love musical theater, and I always auditioned for the musicals in high school but never got in. In the last two years of high school I got in but was cast in the ensemble and never got the chance to have a lead role, so I think I'm making up for that now.  

You can find, Robyn and her music here.

In the same stride, is the Vintage 1930's Jazz cover of Careless Whisper. Careless Whisper goes a long way back in my family, many years ago, when I was watching the VCR Tape of my parent's wedding, I noticed that the overlaid background score on the video was that of Careless Whisper, I asked them about it, and they were quite clueless.

I was also able to catch up with Alex Macdonald, the brilliant tap dancer from the video above, his website describes him as Tap Dancer, Globe Prancer, Songwriter, Fulbrighter, Dog Lover, Kid Brother, Hat Wearer, Fun Sharer, and he sure is all of those things.

How did you and Scott begin collaboration?
I first met Scott Bradlee on a gig at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in 2011. We quickly discovered that we were neighbors in Astoria, Queens and he suggested that we collaborate on something. At the time, Scott was creating fun musical mashups of different songs and styles for his YouTube channel. He suggested we do a ragtime/tap dance version of the Super Mario World theme. I was actually unfamiliar with the song when I arrived at his apartment, so we quickly created an arrangement that suited us and did a bunch of takes. Since then, I've continued to sit in on taps with his live band at the Manderley Bar in NYC.

And Postmodern Jukebox, where did that come in?
Over the last few years, the success and growth of his YouTube channel led to the inception of Postmodern Jukebox - a project that challenges the boundaries of style and hierarchies of taste in contemporary music.

What about the "Just Dance" video? Pop music fan?
When Scott invited me to be a part of the "Just Dance" video, I was once again unfamiliar with the original song haha! (Notice a pattern here?) The band played me their arrangement once or twice and we started filming takes. 

How was it like doing a Jazz song?
It is always a blast to dance with great jazz musicians. Tap dance and jazz music of course have a long history together - Bunny Briggs danced with Duke Ellington, Jimmy Slyde danced with Count Basie, Baby Laurence danced with Charles Mingus, etc. Also, did you know that many of the great jazz drummers were also tap dancers? Philly Jo Jones, Max Roach, and Buddy Rich to name a few. 

You look absolutely in the groove of it, how does it work with such an arrangement?
My dancing in this video was different in every take because I rely a great deal on improvisation. However, there are certain moments where I chose to 'quote' a classic tap dance phrase, since it fit the mid-tempo shuffle of the song. The stop-time segment (around 1:50) begins with a few steps from the Copasetics Soft Shoe. Tap dancers are always paying tribute to the masters and pioneers whose shoulders we stand on.

You can find Alex's work here.

Finally, coming back to the present, the current Billboard Number One for Smooth Jazz, Brian Culbertson's Fullerton Ave. is another track to catch, The instrumental masterpiece, is still one of the undiscovered gems (With just 34k views on YouTube) But definitively one to sit back, shut your eyes and enjoy.

Coming back a little homeward, a few months ago, I was able to witness one of the most amazing jazz pianist's in the world, perform live, Kyle Shepherd. Staying at our campus at MICA, in Ahmedabad as a resident musician, not only did he indulge in many evenings full of musical styles mixing and colliding, as his au revoir to the campus, he delivered a soul stirring performance, and frankly, you had to have been there to be transported to the different dimension we all went away to.

To get a taste of his music, listen to this live recording of Dream State, which this photo of his next album's potential track list shows is going to be there too!

While Kyle was in India, one night an impromptu jamming session with a few old rusty guitars, thigh tapping for drums and high spirits courtesy the not-so-trained bartender (me) led us to discovering traditional South African tunes, acclaimed film maker Aryan Kaganof was there too and did record the entire escapade, and I have dropped him an e-mail for the video, so that I can share it with you all.

Till next time,
Cheers!

Been a While

Yes I have been absconding, and yes I promise to be regular now.
-


Alt-Rock fans would know of them as the phenomenon that swept all of 2012 with "Sweater Weather", but for me the discovery came in when a friend of mine recorded the chorus of the song, acapella and sent it to me on Whatsapp, hours of searching and listening later, I too was swept away by their haunting vocals, and gorgeous riffs. Not just the song, but even the music video for Sweater Weather was an insanely beautiful piece of art, unfortunately for some reason they decided to change the video. But, the original is still the one to hit back to.

Next up is the Welsh band Stereophonics' Maybe Tomorrow, I haven't wanted a metronome as bad as I did after seeing this video.

And while the whole concept of the lonely artist, misunderstood, isn't new, there is something about Kelly Jones blank face, and the detachment that draws on. If you enjoyed this, I highly recommend their 2009 Album, Keep Calm & Carry On.

PS: That poster, is a perfect example of British propaganda, though little known, it was used to boost public morale in the aftermath of widely predicted mass air attacks in Britain (Circa: 1939)

Moving forth, The little known solo music project, The Album Leaf comes up next with their single, Writings on the Wall. I discovered this gem in the third Season of Grey's Anatomy and was instantly hooked.

There is something about the lyrics that keeps me coming back to this one, and the heavy Piano score,

Over the clouds and through the sky,

to find a place that we can hide

and close our eyes this time

it's all inside.

 While I was living in Delhi, I happened to meet a wonderful woman who went on to become one of my closest friends, during one of our music-exchange sessions, she handed me over one of the most beautiful and haunting songs that I have ever heard, worse still, one that had lyrics that left me wondering if the lyricist was peeping into my life and writing.

Yes, we all have these moments, that is the true craft of writing lyrics, such that everyone can relate to them. It reminds me of the lines from the movie, Number 23 (Jim Carrey?) where Agatha proclaims that every time she reads something she feels like the author has poured into the book a part of her that only she knew existed.

The song in question here is Jackson Waters' Center of Attention, and though the band took an indefinite break in 2009, you can enjoy their stunning track here:

You want your independence,

but you won't let me let you go

You wanna test the waters

and leave it on the empty shores

Talking of Jim Carrey, one of his non stereotypical roles, and one of the most powerful movies to have hit me is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and if you haven't seen it yet, please move that boulder that you are living under and see it, now.

For all of the last year, I have woken up staring at a wall that has had this poster on it:

What was funny to me, when I saw the movie was how I had thought of this story long before. Of how a guy and girl fall in love, and then leave each other and have themselves hypnotized to forget the other, only to bump into each other again and fall in love, again. I found the thought reassuring in a way, knowing that no matter how many variables you change, somethings come back to where they should. From this movie comes the last song for this post.

I remember, once a few close friends and I were driving back from a hearty dinner, and on the way back, as the cold night closed in around us, I played this track on the car stereo. Everyone fell dead silent, thinking of someone, or something, for, everybody's gotta learn sometime.

This one is dedicated to you guys, I miss you all.