Personnel Issues

Chet Baker

I was driving around Portland listening to the jazz station(KMHD, 89.1), and a version of Miles Davis' "Milestones" came on. I was unfamiliar with this version. I didn't recognize any of the musicians by what they were playing. A few times during the piano solo, I was convinced it was Ahmad Jamal, then Bill Evans, then Oscar Peterson. Then the trumpet player soloed; I thought maybe a young Tom Harrell, then I gave up. I waited in the car, even after I had to get out to run my errand, just to hear the DJ list the personnel. When the song finally ended, the DJ said "That was Chet Baker on the trumpet with "Milestones'...." and nothing else! I was so disappointed! Why didn't he list the musicians in the band? Would naming the pianist, bassist, and drummer taken THAT much longer to say? I was furious!

Who's the bass player on that Beyonce song?

Maybe nobody cares who the bass player is on the latest Beyonce tune (largely because it's all programmed anyway), but serious jazz listeners care about ALL the musicians on the tracks we listen to. We need to know, and the jazz DJs, the few left in the country, need to be aware of that. When I was growing up listening to jazz radio in Baltimore and Washington, they ALWAYS announced everyone in the band.I don't profess to be un-stumpable by any means, however, I got to be a pretty good guesser of who was playing what while listening to the radio. (I remember an incident in college when a fellow student was listening to some jazz in his dorm room. I poked my head in and said, "that sounds like Jeff Watts on drums." He marveled," How can you TELL?" I said, " I listen to jazz a lot!" )

Kenny Washington, a human jazz encyclopedia

I believe that the curiosity about "who is in the band" on a recording beyond the leader is really important, and it's a concept that is really in trouble more than ever. Now with downloading and Itunes, the liner notes are by and large nowhere to be found. So this means even less of a possibility to know "who's in the band". A student or jazz novice could download "Milestones" and have no idea that John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones were a pivotal part of this album. They might listen to Bill Evans and not be able to tell whether it's Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian or Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette. Again, I'm not claiming to be as knowledgeable as somebody like Kenny Washington(who's a human jazz encyclopedia) but I do think that the information should be available more easily than the way the trend is moving. (While I'm on the subject, Kenny Washington and I were once colleagues at Juilliard. We were both on jury panels for students. Every student that had brought in a transcribed solo to perform, Washington could sing along with every single one. Scary.)

It's really important for jazz students to be able to have cognitive associations with the individual stylistic characteristics of different historical players. If a developing jazz pianist can't tell the difference between Wynton Kelly and Jackie Terrasson, then that's an issue. I think the non-performing audience should be informed on this as well. I know a lot of jazz fans who DO know the difference. But if young listeners aren't getting the information, they'll never develop this skill.

"I don't know who the bass player is on this CD....."

We need to educate students and listeners. When it comes to jazz music, who's playing, even the leader or the song, isn't that important anymore. Oftentimes, you'll go to a restaurant, and jazz will be playing on the sound system. This is a good thing. However, on many occasions, I will want to know what is playing if I don't recognize the recording(which is often, contrary to what you might infer from this diatribe). I ask the waitress, who tries desperately to hide the fact that she is annoyed by my question. Usually she says, "we can't look at what CD it is, it's one of them multi-CD players...." or something like that. So I'm disappointed and she's annoyed. And yet, here's jazz infiltrating people's consciousness and folks are still uneducated. Here in Portland, I'm noticing jazz in most of the restaurants we've eaten in. Does anyone else except ME care about what they are listening to? Are they curious at all? Do they even notice it?(It's better than the New York trend of a House music DJ at a restaurant. I personally think Disco Dancing and Eating should not take place at the same time. Let us digest a little, then we'll be in more of a position to "get down". Call me old fashioned....)

Now, some Starbucks restaurants have the little TV screens where they list what music is playing and the artist and the album. I think this would be great in restaurants that have jazz. I wouldn't need to bother the waitress anymore! And then people would start to learn more about what they are listening to. I think the whole concept of "background music" is weird. How can John Coltrane be "background music"? All the stuff he is playing? Doesn't you ear want to pay attention to it? Why is music created by geniuses relegated to the "background"?

We are exposed to a lot of culture and entertainment in our society, and we're almost set up to take it for granted. I used to go into Tower Records in New York years ago , and there would be 5 TV screens, all playing different videos, and the music playing over the system wouldn't be related to anything on the TV screens. It just seemed like Tower Records was trying to confuse me! And this is common as well, restaurants where 5 TV screens are on and the sound is off, so no one can really enjoy any of the programs. It's sensory overload.

So Jazz DJs, if you read this, PLEASE tell me who the other musicians are! Otherwise, I'll be tempted to google the album on my phone, and I'll most likely get a ticket for erratic driving......