King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings - King Pleasure with Annie Ross

Recently I watched Deconstructing Harry, a 1997 Woody Allen film.  On a sidenote, I love Woody Allen's acting persona and the plot line of this film was interesting and self-reflective as his tend to be.  Anyway, the film begins with Annie Ross' Twisted.  Not only is it catchy, it also set the scene perfectly during the opening credits.  It is the perfect example of what brings King Pleasure and Annie Ross together musically - vocalese. 

Grove Music Online (which may only be available to view through your library's subscription) gives the definition for vocalese as the following: "A term for the practice of jazz singing in which texts (newly invented) are set to recorded jazz improvisations." The entry names King Pleasure as one of the earliest and best-known in this practice, followed by Ross' trio, Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross.  It seems to me that this album should be uniting two of the best vocalese musicians in a defining moment for the this particular style.  While vocalese pretty much died out after these two and the height of bop with which it was most closely associated and borrowed from, other artists has used it sparingly including Joni Mitchell and the Pointer Sisters.

The format of this album includes a full length release by King Pleasure with and Annie Ross EP appended to the end - both easily classics in their own right.  The album personnel includes King Pleasure, Annie Ross, Betty Carter, Blossom Dearie, The Three Riffs, The Dave Lambert Singers, and Jon Hendricks for vocals; Lucky Thompson on tenor saxophone; Danny Bank on baritone saxophone; Eddie Lewis  ontrumpet; J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding on trombone; Charlie Ferguson, Teacho Wiltshire, John Lewis, George Wallington, Ed Swanston, and Jimmy Jones on piano; Ram Ramirez on organ; Peck Morrison, Paul Chambers, and Percy Heath on bass; Herbie Lovelle, Art Blakey, Joe Harris, and Kenny Clarke on drums.  Couple this with outstanding composition by greats including Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Stan Getz.

King Pleasure's songs have all the bounce and fun of a Louis Prima album with a good dose of Sinatra class.  His duets with Betty Carter ("Red Top") and Blossom Dearie ("I'm in the Mood for Love") are some of the best his twelve track have to offer.  "Funk Junction" offers an instrumental interlude, that stands on its own, as an interlude to Annie Ross' tracks.

Ross has a deeper voice, more serious and matter-of-fact than I picture her female jazz vocalist contemporaries.  "Twisted" will instantly catch your ear thanks to the bebop recording of Wardell Gray's, American tenor saxophonist, from which it is borrowed.  To keep up with the instrumental line Ross rolls out lyrics with impressive speed and the phrasing and timbre of a smooth saxophone.

It would be interesting to do a comparison of the original bop recording and the resulting vocalese rendition, but that is, perhaps, an entire paper, or series of papers.  This short-lived style may not be revolutionary, but it certainly produced this highly entertaining album, brings to mind questions of the voice as instrument, and secured a place for both King Pleasure, Annie Ross, and their respective musical associations, in the center of the jazz scene and its many offshoots.

It Is Finished - Nina Simone

I'm excited for Nina Simone to be my latest obsession.  After hearing a track from this album on the radio, I'm starting here, but I have at least five of her other albums I'd like to listen to soon.  Her body is work is much larger than I expected and after some reading and searching about her best work and best songs, I chose six and I'll go from there.  Most people recommend her live albums (Nina Simone at ...), but for some reason I see those as being reserved for her more experienced fans, as I tend to see all artists and their live albums.  However, after all that explanation, I'm starting with a live album because I can't get that one track out of my head.

 My ideas of Simone up to this point had always been favorable.  I'm aware of her versions of "Ooh, Child" and "Here Comes the Sun," but I was in love with "Feelin' Good" for a very long time and may possibly still be.  Her voice is striking and powerful and her musicality is obvious.  I had no idea she was pianist and initially inspired to be a classical pianist.  I grouped her with the great Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday - a powerful woman with a unique voice putting her stamp on standards, but there is much more to it, as I was to only just yesterday find out.

It Is Finished is her last album at RCA, recorded in 1974.  It begins with "The Pusher," a song popularized by Steppenwolf!  Its hard to find any evidence of this hard rock style in her music.  Her soulful performance seems to be influenced only by the severity of the lyrics.  After some applause, she launches into a hypnotic descending, single-hand, piano melody.  It then becomes chords, while the guitar, or smaller strummed instrument (I'm not sure here) takes up a similar melody.  Her vocal melody sounds like "Kumbaya" and strangely the words "come by here" are slurred together to sound like she is singing "kumbaya" as well.  Its gospel, but with only Simone's vocals, it is an unusual way to experience the genre.  The audience clearly feels the gospel vibe as they begin clapping in rhythm about 2/3 through until the end.  I still cannot get that piano hook out of my head.

When I heard "Funkier than a Mosquito's Tweeter" on Louisville's WFPK, I was surprised to find it was Nina Simone.  It sounded much newer to me, something like Róisín Murphy meets the Noisettes.  The percussion is intricate, I cannot name exactly what instruments are used, but some bongos, drum set, and tambourine for certain.  Essentially, this rhythm track carries the entire song, dropping out only at certain times to showcase Simone's voice.  It is constantly evolving and changing but still retains the essential seductive initial repetition.  Simone's voice is smooth and the lyrics are uncomplicated which blends right into the rhythm track.

"Mr. Bojangles" isn't bad, but I feel that I've heard over versions which interest me more.  Simone's version is simple, her vocals straightforward and the instrumentation typical.  The audience apparently recognized the next song.  They cheer loudly after she iterates the first line of "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl."  The song is seductive, her piano playing is reminiscent of that in a salon or bar, but in the very best of ways.  She dedicates the song to the great Bessie Smith.

"Dambala" is haunting.  Simone sings quietly, her voice slinks through each word.  I'm pretty sure I hear sitar in this one and there is a lot of Simone's classical piano training here as well.  It makes for a unique performance.  Its a shame this album is so under represented among Simon's oeuvre.  I can find hardly any sources in a cursory search that talk about it or any of the songs on here.  As a result, I don't know who sings the duet, "Let It Be Me" with her on this album.  The piano is simple, playing chords to back up the straightforward melody with few embellishments.  I imagine this song would work well on the soundtrack for a good drama film.

"Obeah Woman" begins with another repetitive percussive track and again I'm not exactly sure on the instrumentation except for the obvious tambourine and bongos.  Here she sounds almost like Miriam Makeba.  I know the two were close friends, but I'm not sure as to the timeline between their friendship and the recording of this album. The singing in this song seems very loose, she frequently invites the audience to participate.  There is an element of call and response, but also slight improvisation.

This album demonstrates the versatility of Nina Simone.  I had no idea she was so multifarious and involved in the instrumentation of her music.  I had no idea she was such a force when performing live.  I had no idea she sang more than standards.  Expect to see much more Nina Simone on this blog soon.

Only the Lonely - Frank Sinatra

In 1958, Sinatra released another album of loneliness and loss with Capitol Records, again the result of his, now finalized, divorce from Ava Gardner, compounded with the recent family deaths of his frequent collaborator, Nelson Riddle.  Arguably portraying a perfect Everyman, Sinatra invites the listener to wallow in close to an hour of despondency.  A song less and perhaps the effect would be broken, but after twelve sad songs in row, you can't help but empathize.  It seems that even the instruments and tempo have fallen into this trap.  Every so often the music presents a spark of hope.  I swore at the beginning of "Angel Eyes" that this album might not be complete gloom, but it really is only a spark.  Sinatra's voice overcomes the orchestra and almost seems to mock it, feigning cheer, but is quick to succumb to the real melancholy behind it.  "Willow Weep for Me" is a personal favorite.  The melody sounds like the willow rocking in the wind, a soothing image, despite his plea for the willow.  "Goodbye" has to be the saddest song on the album.  The solo opening reminds me of the haunting opening of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and at times Sinatra's voice fades out at the end of his "goodbye" like smoke into the air.  "One for My Baby" seems almost like a codetta to the album.  Set at a piano bar, hear the piano accompaniment, Sinatra steps outside of himself, coming to terms with heartbreak, with the universality of this all-to-common emotion.  He slides with the melody, gets kicked out of the bar as it closes and takes one more for the road.  The sadness isn't gone, but its time to move on and take it somewhere else.  The music fades out with a slow arpeggiated piano chord, at the low end of the piano, "well that's how it goes."

Only the Lonely was a favorite of the public and Sinatra alike.  It's easy to see why, even after a single listen.  One of the few great albums to really embodied those times when you need to immerse yourself in your sadness and only music understands.

Songs for Swingin' Lovers - Frank Sinatra

Once again I'm struck by the command in Sinatra's voice.  It is instantly apparent that this album is much more uplifting than In the Wee Small Hours, if not from listening, from the album cover and title alone.  Another masterpiece in collaboration with Nelson Riddle, arranger, and Capitol Records, it was his fourth studio album, released in 1956.  Many of the songs were taken from films or musicals of the 1930's, illuminating an association between film and popular music presented much differently today.  I'm no expert, but I might generalize that films back in the 1930's had more diegetic musical numbers than those of today.  The actors were not only actors, but also singers and dancers.  Today, it seems to me that popular music is produced and then subsequently selected to become part of the soundtrack of a film at least more often than the reverse.  These older movies are a different breed.  Apparently Riddle and Sinatra were looking to the past to assert the cultural virtues of the standards in a changing music industry.

Frank Sinatra appeared in quite a few films in his day from the 1940's through the 1980's.  My favorite would have to be Guys and Dolls with Marlon Brando.  I also enjoy Sinatra's 3 movie stint with Gene Kelly for what they are.  These all feature him in musical roles, but almost anything through 1959 is pretty good.

This album features some classic Sinatra recordings.  Composers such as Mercer, the Gershwins, and Cole Porter are almost always standard.  "Love Is Here to Stay" and "I've Got You Under My Skin" are sung by Sinatra like no one else.  They are typical favorites, but I could listen to them over and over.  After all, they're popular for a reason.

In the Wee Small Hours - Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra's voice enters like a dream.  It's so rich and smooth, it's almost hard to believe he's real.  I love this album - the gloom and melancholy that pervades the room while it plays.  As a whole, its a great work of art.  It would be difficult not to appreciate his treatment and interpretation of these jazz standards.

The album starts with the title track written for Sinatra. He is lying awake in the morning - the beginning of the album mirroring the beginning the day.  This song is an apt introduction to the rest of the album.  The theme is loneliness, unrequited love, lost love, etc.  Without knowing quite how to phrase this, I'll say that there is no traditional verse- chorus format which my ears are accustomed to.  I believe its still strophic form, with a phrase or two in each strophe, usually the title repeated to bring unity to the song, but a catchy hook and a chunk of music designated as chorus does not occur in most if not all of the songs on this album.  To me, this creates more of a stream of consciousness feel.  In a way, this is a more realistic way to portray dejection, creating a more authentic bleak, despondent atmosphere.  The second track, "Mood Indigo" is a jazz piece, composed by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard a clarinetist in Ellington's band from the late 1920's to the early 1940's.  Sinatra pulls off the jazz phrasing smoothly, and puts his own mark on this jazz standard recorded by many great jazz vocalists and instrumentalists both before and after this release.  "Glad to Be Unhappy" interests me lyrically.  It's another characteristic sad love song, but points to a human quality perhaps not always articulated.  As miserable as love can sometimes be, do we not sometimes revel in that emotion?  It does allow us, or in this case Rodgers and Hart to write a great standard with universal appeal.  Again, it's one of the many tracks on this album to be recorded by a long list artists.  The rest of the album follows suite.  Sinatra sings about his broken heart backed by the orchestra.  His voice is overpowering and follows his own tempo that in turn follows the emotion of each song, but still never abandons or pulls his accompaniment.  There are two more Rodgers and Hart songs, a Cole Porter and a Harold Arlen - all names I recognize from Ella's Songbooks.  "Can't We Be Friends" is one of my instant favorites, composed by Kay Swift and important female composer of Tin Pan Alley with ties to Gershwin.

Frank Sinatra is famed to have perfected the concept album with this release in 1955 under Capitol Records.  It is his second collaboration with Nelson Riddle, featuring darker material than that in his days of bobby soxers appeal.  The album is full of contradictions, mostly of the lyrical variety and a careful listen pulled my emotion and understanding of each song back and forth only to be left unfulfilled at the end of each song.  It puts you in the head space of Sinatra and if you can relate to the events his sings about it works even better.  Althougth Sinatra's separation from Ava Gardner clearly made him less than happy, as we can hear, it sure is appreciated by music lovers and the lonely alike.

I've got a few more Sinatra albums on deck to listen to coming up.  I could get sidetracked awhile on Sinatra.  If you get a chance to read Reuben Jackson's poem "Frank" it's a good one and mentions the album.