Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Jazz 101 Editor, Andrew Bartlett With Jazz 101, Amazon.com's expert editors introduce music fans to key performers, important stylistic movements, and milestone recordings in the history of jazz. In this mailing, Amazon.com Jazz editor Andrew Bartlett offers an introduction to early swing music as seen by young jazz players of the 1990s. ****** Swinging in Fashion To have considered swing a newly viable commercial music in the early 1990s might've seemed laughable. But that's precisely when clarinetist Don Byron and a host of other jazz performers were duly reconsidering the energetic music of the pre-World War II era. When Byron's "Bug Music" was released in 1996, it was fully formed, a deliriously energetic nod to music that exuberantly captured a moment in American popular culture when jazz ruled the concert halls and dance clubs. Byron's homage specified three composers, a couple of them nearly forgotten--John Kirby and Raymond Scott--and one of them, Duke Ellington, justly celebrated for his post-1930s works while his earlier material has gone underappreciated. "Bug Music" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002I2Z/entertainmentsit John Kirby http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001NPZ/entertainmentsit Raymond Scott http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000028TL/entertainmentsit Early Ellington http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000274L/entertainmentsit When Swing Was a Verb 1: The New Generation In the 1960s writer Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka) noted that sometime in the 1930s swing went "from a verb to a noun" and reflected a stiffening in the music. But lots of artists playing jazz discovered early on that swing was indeed a powerful verb, a revved engine, especially in the 1920s. The music garnered its energy from a mix of influences, not the least of which were ragtime and boogie-woogie. Coupled with these forms, though, was the emergence of popular arrangements of classical compositions. And in addition, jazz composers were frequently scripting works for stage presentations that involved choreographed dancers and dramatic skits. The music had to therefore be versatile and dramatic without losing energy. Since the 1980s, musicians have returned in droves to pay homage to early swing pioneers. Trumpeter Randy Sandke has played up the irascible 1920s star Bix Beiderbecke, and saxophonist Scott Hamilton got a lift from Swing Era vocalist Maxine Sullivan in 1988 for an inspired, loose-swinging session. Then there's the even younger Harry Allen, who has rekindled small-group swing in collaboration with guitarist John Pizzarelli (son of the great Bucky) and his trio. Randy Sandke and the New York All Stars http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JPNZ/entertainmentsit Scott Hamilton and Maxine Sullivan http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000006H2/entertainmentsit Harry Allen and John Pizzarelli http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000GV5W/entertainmentsit When Swing Was a Verb 2: Hot Jazz In the 1930s American swing inspired lots of musical movements abroad, not the least of which was France's hot-jazz phenomenon, anchored by Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli. The duo played rhythmically hyper music that built on hopping bass tempos and featured the array of strings in flashing bursts of virtuosity. The hot-jazz vibe, like early swing, has found new homes in several corners of the younger jazz set. Austin, Texas's Hot Club of Cowtown venture into a spritely, convincing mix of guitar and fiddle jazz crosshatched with traditional Western swing. Fellow Texans 8 1/2 Souvenirs serve their own brand of hot jazz on "Happy Feet." Then there's Hot Club USA and their homage, "Django Lives," which smolders with Grappelli and Reinhardt's deep passions and kicks up dust with sprints like "I Found a New Baby." The charm of these recordings is instantly recognizable, and they seem to rebut the superstar trend in contemporary jazz with collective playing that's hard to beat. Hot Club of Cowtown http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JNIQ/entertainmentsit 8 1/2 Souvenirs http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000007SN6/entertainmentsit Hot Club USA http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JWDG/entertainmentsit Neo-Hot Blockbusters The new swing phenomenon would've gone to far fewer points had it not been for some key blockbuster recordings. Probably the best known, and likely the most interesting combo is Squirrel Nut Zippers, who bring their experience playing rock & roll to the music. Their CD "Hot" took the Zippers to unlikely places, from the Regis and Kathy Lee morning television show to countless dingy rock clubs, where they entertained with glee and astute musical chops. An early member who left the Zippers, Andrew Bird, has done his own bit to further hot jazz and early swing with his own Bowl of Fire band. This ensemble's sophomore CD, "Oh! The Grandeur" ripples with a more stripped-down, Django-like feel that relies on Bird's singing and rich fiddle playing. All three Bowl of Fire members reappear as part of drummer Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six on "Heretic Blues," which stings with alto sax and trombone atop the fiddle, guitar, and bass. Squirrel Nut Zippers http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000004ATE/entertainmentsit Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JZ24/entertainmentsit Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000IQMW/entertainmentsit The Originals Don Byron's "Bug Music" elected three key composers from a field of at least dozens. So there are myriad composer- performers from the Swing Era who deserve tribute. At the least, they deserve to be widely heard. A frequently cited negative about these early recordings is their audio quality. Sound recordings from the 1930s (and before) are notorious for the pops and hisses that mark them, even on CD. But there are some great documents no one should ignore. The small Buddah Records has just reissued the only live recording ever authorized by Fats Waller, and it's a gem. Vanguard Records, too, is issuing some classic swing sessions, from the Basie Bunch to the three-CD anthology "From Spirituals to Swing," recorded in concert in 1938 and 1939. And be sure to check out our Swing Jazz Essentials. Fats Waller http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000IM66/entertainmentsit The Basie Bunch http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000IWPL/entertainmentsit "From Spirituals to Swing" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JT6C/entertainmentsit ****** Digital Downloads and Diana Krall Want to hear a full-length track from piano sensation Brad Mehldau's new "Elegiac Cycle" or his forthcoming "Art of the Trio 4"? Download a song from each for free from Amazon.com. Want a chance to win a free trip to the Monterey Jazz Festival to see Diana Krall? Enter to win a pair of plane tickets, festival passes, spending money, and more. Brad Mehldau Free Downloads ****** You'll find more great music, articles, and interviews in Amazon.com's Jazz Music section at Jazz ******
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