REAL ART VIDEO WEEK!
COLTRANE'S "MY FAVORITE THINGS"
AND BRUBECK'S "TAKE FIVE"

From Wikipedia:

The title track is a modal rendition of the Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein's seminal song My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music. The melody is heard numerous times throughout the almost 14-minute version, and instead of soloing over the written chord changes, both Tyner and Coltrane taking extended solos over vamps of the two tonic chords, E minor and E major. Tyner's solo is famous for being extremely chordal and rhythmic, as opposed to developing melodies. In the documentary The World According to John Coltrane, narrator Ed Wheeler remarks:

"In 1960, Coltrane left Miles [Davis] and formed his own quartet to further explore modal playing, freer directions, and a growing Indian influence. They transformed "My Favorite Things", the cheerful populist song from 'The Sound of Music,' into a hypnotic eastern dervish dance. The recording was a hit and became Coltrane's most requested tune—an abridged broad public acceptance."

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The one and only time I've seen this John Coltrane video before today was back in 1987 when I was taking my jazz appreciation class at the University of Texas. It blew me away. In addition to turning a song from one of the few musicals I like into a groovy jazz odyssey, its haunting weirdness transported me to a weird and cool music-dimension. That is, like lots of Pink Floyd, it took me out of this world and into another. Of course, the famous and well known studio recording of the song does the same thing, but this 1961 German television version is something else, most notably due to the addition of dissonant flute player Eric Dolphy, who well understood what Coltrane was trying to do with the song. But hell, the whole band is great, with McCoy Tyner on piano and the greatest drummer of all time, Elvin Jones, on drums.

Check it out:

My Favorite Things


via videosift.com

Again from Wikipedia:

"Take Five" is a classic jazz piece first recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet and released on its 1959 album Time Out. However, it would not become a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts until 1961. Composed by Paul Desmond, the group's saxophonist, it became famous for its distinctive, catchy saxophone melody and use of quintuple time, from which its name is derived. It is also known for the solo by drummer Joe Morello.

More here.

While not nearly as complex or chops-oriented as Coltrane's work above, "Take Five" is just as haunting, and almost as cool. This is the first jazz tune I ever loved, and it has been one of my favorites since I was nine or ten years old.

Dig it:

Take Five


via videosift.com

Very hip, very groovy, very cool.

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