TOTM - January, 2023: Clifford Jordan's Vienna
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Oops? Where's the oops, man!? Listening on the laptop, note at 20 seconds in WAS Clifford Jordan. To my ear, you tapped into the tune and just let it guide you -- I think that's the hidden secret to this song. You can go all omnibook on it, or you can just plug in and let the wave of 3 carry you. I had to listen twice, because it went by so quickly. Constructive end of things -- be conscious of scooping. I struggle with this and I realized that I don't have to make such an affected scoop into a note -- it's going to be there, because that's what I'm hearing. I forced myself to NOT do it, then played back, and damned if they weren't right there where I would have put them. It's like salt -- just a pinch. 
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Thom, thank you very much... of course my scooping is out of a pinchOops? Where's the oops, man!? Listening on the laptop, note at 20 seconds in WAS Clifford Jordan. To my ear, you tapped into the tune and just let it guide you -- I think that's the hidden secret to this song. You can go all omnibook on it, or you can just plug in and let the wave of 3 carry you. I had to listen twice, because it went by so quickly. Constructive end of things -- be conscious of scooping. I struggle with this and I realized that I don't have to make such an affected scoop into a note -- it's going to be there, because that's what I'm hearing. I forced myself to NOT do it, then played back, and damned if they weren't right there where I would have put them. It's like salt -- just a pinch.
Truth, I did it quickly... now this tune is in my head and there are tons of orchestration things turning on. Early in the morning I wanted to add couple of things on EWI.
May be will do it. It's tune of the month... so we can do whatever we want/can
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Love it, man! I'm glad people are reacting so positively to this tune. Hopefully there'll be some new Jordan fans. He's on that list with Benny Golson -- guys who were absolutely amazing players that nobody really seems to know about. It was the late 70s before he really started learning to read music -- and he was in Captain Dyett's HS band! That's a bad man.
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Thom, I think Benny Golson is less 'unknown' compared to Clifford Jordan.
I'm happy to have seen him live here in The Netherlands at the North Sea Jazzfestival of 1988:
| NN North Sea Jazz Festival
Clifford Jordan Quartet stond op North Sea Jazz op vrijdag 8 juli 1988 in de Bon Bini zaal, 17:45 - 19:15.
www.northseajazz.com
Don't remember too much anymore of that concert, except that I like his style and that it always stuck me that he sounds like he plays a reed 10 size (and still sounds good on that)!
Glad you did put him in the spotlights for this month.
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I am picking up the EWI
... let me see if I can do something worthful -not harmful (at least )
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Likely correct about that, but my comment is rooted in the conservatory crowd in these parts. It's about about Brecker, Liebman, Lovano, et al, and then Coltrane, Parker, Dexter, and the hipper set gets to Mobley and Jackie, but you never hear mention of Lucky or Golson -- both of whom were absolute masters of the instrument. On the upside, those folks seemed to arrive at Marsh within the past two decades, so that's a start. #cynicalMe
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The real hip ones go back to the founders: Hawk, Prez, Herschel Evans, Ben Webster, Chu Berry, Cobb, Jacques, Joe Thomas, Ike Quebec!
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We should start an underappreciation thread. Tina Brooks could fit nicely on that list, as well.
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Wha' happened to the Clifford note at 0:20!?!?I removed my initial file... Thom, following your instant over pinch note
Plz take a listen if you'll have few min... In any case... I had fun of it.
I applaud your ability to be musical with EWI -- I couldn't manage it (though playing Firm Roots on Gongs was fun). I certainly hear the intent where there were scoops, but it's there incidentally -- well done. I was listening to Joe Bonner's Impressions of Copenhagen a couple of days ago and got the urge to write something with sequenced strings and percussion. That urge passed. Again, respect for you to following through and doing it musically.
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Thanks you for listening again... About scoops, during breakfast I listened J. Hodges Joe's Blues... Tons of wonderful scoops and vibrato.Wha' happened to the Clifford note at 0:20!?!?
I applaud your ability to be musical with EWI -- I couldn't manage it (though playing Firm Roots on Gongs was fun). I certainly hear the intent where there were scoops, but it's there incidentally -- well done. I was listening to Joe Bonner's Impressions of Copenhagen a couple of days ago and got the urge to write something with sequenced strings and percussion. That urge passed. Again, respect for you to following through and doing it musically.
I had them too much and it becomes nasty
. So I have to control it. During replacing them I found some not so bad. But when it's over pinch ... it's annoying.
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Trust me, man, I feel ya. It was life-changing when I realized I was over-affecting such things. If it's meant to be there, you'll put it there without thinking. Sounding really strong on the second take.Thanks you for listening again... About scoops, during breakfast I listened J. Hodges Joe's Blues... Tons of wonderful scoops and vibrato.
I had them too much and it becomes nasty
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A little add-on version I just found. Can't figure out a way to direct share, so I'm sharing the site.Erich Kleinschuster Vol.1: Clifford Jordan, Charles Tolliver (1968-9) Wallen Bink (2022)
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I haven't listened, but scoops are a pet peeve of mine. You won't hear any pro players scooping all the time. They use gracenotes in place of scoops. Such as bis-Bb to B, or A to Bb or B, quickly with fingers only. No lipping down, then up, unless it's a very purposeful, long, slow glissando or something. It sounds a lot better to use grace notes. A great effect is to couple this with dynamics. Scoops sound out of control. That's not to say never shape a note with your embouchre, tongue, etc., but usually not the start of the note. I usually think of vocalists when shaping notes.
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All things in moderation. Many modern players bore the hell out of me with their "shaping". Hodges certainly scooped, but it was a sound he was trying to achieve to make his statement. Leaving names out of it, someone was recently hot to show me videos of one of the current young hot shot players. I lasted two minutes. He can play, I just don't care. A guy like Gene Ammons broke every rule, but there was a story, man. But, I could have it all wrong -- it's just my perspective. If I check out the Down Beat list of top players, I find there are but a few who make it into my collection.
Tenor: Eastman 52nd St, Alto: P. Mauriat 67RDK, Soprano: Eastern Music Curvy
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Well, decided to go with Vienna on the german tenor. Low register is tough with the leak, so it's all up top. Had fun, needs more work but the backing is much easier to navigate
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You sound far more comfortable here, particularly on the improvisation section. What's the deal with the leak? I mean, do you know where it is? If not, a cheap rope light from your nearest big-box hardware store makes a great leak light. Dug the fluttery out-chorus.Well, decided to go with Vienna on the german tenor. Low register is tough with the leak, so it's all up top. Had fun, needs more work but the backing is much easier to navigate
I never play this tune in that register because the static nature of the head seems to magnify any waver in my intonation. It's funny, younger I wanted to play like George Adams, all up in the altissimo part of the horn. I started to realize that I derived more pleasure from the middle of the horn (particularly from guys like Pharoah), and just moved in that direction. About 5 years ago, I saw Bill McHenry in a close setting on a Monday night at a local bar. He was monstrous. I was sitting with another sax player, and at one point, we both realized McHenry has gone about high-F once in the entire first set. He was masterful, interesting, and inventive, and he did it all between low-Bb and high-F. Downside: My palm keys sound like an 11-year-old girl with braces playing a leaky clarinet on a bad, dry reed.
Tenor: Eastman 52nd St, Alto: P. Mauriat 67RDK, Soprano: Eastern Music Curvy
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Thanks! Yeah, I ran a leak light in. the leak is on the pad for the side E key up top, must have gotten slightly jarred during shipping Not major, but it makes the low end (D and below) really need some air to sound confidently. I thoroughly enjoyed the fluttery noodling when playing, I think it may need much more awareness of what's going on for it to be great!You sound far more comfortable here, particularly on the improvisation section. What's the deal with the leak? I mean, do you know where it is? If not, a cheap rope light from your nearest big-box hardware store makes a great leak light. Dug the fluttery out-chorus.
I never play this tune in that register because the static nature of the head seems to magnify any waver in my intonation. It's funny, younger I wanted to play like George Adams, all up in the altissimo part of the horn. I started to realize that I derived more pleasure from the middle of the horn (particularly from guys like Pharoah), and just moved in that direction. About 5 years ago, I saw Bill McHenry in a close setting on a Monday night at a local bar. He was monstrous. I was sitting with another sax player, and at one point, we both realized McHenry has gone about high-F once in the entire first set. He was masterful, interesting, and inventive, and he did it all between low-Bb and high-F. Downside: My palm keys sound like an 11-year-old girl with braces playing a leaky clarinet on a bad, dry reed.
Definitely a different feel played up high! Certainly not stretching into the altissimo range. But I've been practicing the upper register a bit more to dial in the tone and intonation, I think it helps with tone all across the horn! Still needs a ton of work, and normally I'm far happier to play the mids lows. But have to adapt before I go get this leak fixed up
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