Swingin' and Compin'

 One of my former students in Winnipeg recently wrote to me with a few questions:

Hi there George,

Could you remind me of what you told me when we talked about where the 'swing' feel came from
when phrasing 8th-note lines? Am I correct in thinking it comes from phrasing relatively straight while playing slightly behind the beat?
 
Also, how did you practice comping, say rubato sections with a singer or for bass players? I am curious because this is something that comes up often; I find transcribing very helpful in this area (I have begun transcribing Herbie Hancock from the "Four and More" concerts like you had mentioned before) and was wondering if there is anything else you found helpful or useful.

To answer your first question: yes, you are correct in a sense. The "swing" rhythm in the general "jazz in 2013" sense is straighter than the swing of 1935. My theory is that as tempos became faster in the 1940's, the somewhat "jerky" swing rhythm had no choice but to straighten out a bit. And so, when the players who would play these fast tempos played slower tempos, their rhythm became a little less jerky overall.When you compare the swing of Lester Young to the swing of , say, John Coltrane, or even Kenny Garrett, there's a noticeable difference.

I hesitate to use the phrase "behind the beat" because this kind of thing can lead to dragging. In the same way, "playing on top" can lead to rushing. It's very subtle. My advice is to play along with recordings. Even if you don't know the solo, if you at least know the tune, or even if you sort of know it, just try to tap into the rhythmic feel of whoever you like. I used to play trumpet along with Coltrane's "My Favorite Things", even though I had no idea what the chords or the melodic concept was supposed to be.

In regards to rubato comping, I guess transcribing would be helpful for voicings and orchestration. However, the most important thing with rubato comping is your ability to follow the vocalist. And it might not just be following; you might have to lead at times. Whatever it is, it can be a give and take. It's hard because, although playing in time is a challenge, playing without time can even be more of a challenge.

My advice would be to find a vocalist with whom you can develop a rapport. Get together and work on some ballads, or any tune which can work in a rubato setting. Maybe you can discuss how it feels to either follow her phrasing, or how it feels to follow each other. The pianist/vocalist relationship, or really any duo setting, is more intimate than other settings. So it might take a little time to see what works and what doesn't. When I worked with vocalist Vanessa Rubin, it took years to truly refine our duo playing. We had been playing Michel LeGrand's "The Summer Knows" for quite awhile, and when we finally got around to recording it, our rendition was light years from when we first started trying to play it. I mostly followed Vanessa, but there were times when she was waiting for me, and all of that subtlety had to be negotiated.

I was looking for a good example of vocal and piano rubato. All I could find in this moment was "Poor Butterfly" with Sarah Vaughn. The verse of the tune is rubato, and regardless of whether or not it's the best example of what I'm talking about, it's an excuse to listen to the magnificent Sarah Vaughn. I'll look for some better youtube examples in the meantime.

I hope this answered your question. Keep them coming!

My "Tour" of Canada, Part 1

Winnipeg: Nowhere near Toronto or Vancouver

Many of you know that I've been living and teaching in Winnipeg for the past two years. ( Winnipeg is in the province of Manitoba. It's nowhere near Toronto or Vancouver. It's literally the "center" of the country. It's the coldest city in the world of cities of 500,000 or more. Look it up if you don't believe me.) And I've posted about my exploits and so forth in Winnipeg a bunch of times. I figured since I am a resident of Canada and I don't need a work permit, I should try to make it to some of the other fine cities in this northerly nation.

 Earlier in the year, I made a weekend getaway to Montreal, where I played in a quartet featuring saxophonist/composer Christine Jensen. Jensen just won a Juno for her big band album Treelines. (What's a Juno, you ask? It's like a Grammy in the states. Except that in the jazz category, the selcetions are made by a panel of jazz experts, as opposed to, in the case of the Grammies, members of NARAS randomly picking jazz names that sound familiar to them. But I digress.....)

Cory Weeds

Next stop on my "tour" of Canada was Vancouver for a weekend stint at Vancouver's best jazz club, The Cellar. This venue is owned by Cory Weeds, who is a great musician himself. It's rare for musicians to be successful in opening and maintaining jazz clubs. Weeds is a rare breed in that he is able to balance respect for the musicians and also respect the bottom line as well. He's kept it going for 11 years, which is no easy feat.

Jodi Proznick

I played two great nights with bassist Jodi Proznick and drummer Jesse Cahill. I had played with the same trio a few times in previous years. It seemed as though we easily picked up where we left off. Proznick and Cahill navigated through my challenging tunes as easily as one reads the morning paper. (When I give music to musicians and they tackle it so effortlessly, I always think that "Hmmm, maybe I should write harder music."...)

Proznick even gave me a great impromtu bass lesson, in which she talked about developing the muscle memory for intonation in the left hand. "Lead with the first finger", she advised, "and your scales will always be in tune." Ha ha, easy for her to say. Cahill invited me out to his home in New Westminster, where he and his wife cooked me seafood pasta, while I marveled at his vintage vinyl record collection. (He had a copy of Trumpets All Out, a rare recording with Art Farmer and Donald Byrd which I loved as a kid.)

I wanted jazztruth readers to get a sense of the Vancouver scene, so I asked a few questions of Weeds and Cahill.

GC: Cory, why did you open The Cellar?

Cory Weeds: Why did I open The Cellar.... I have been asking myself that question every day for the past 11 years! Seriously though, I opened it in 2000 because at the time there was a bit of a lull in Vancouver jazz wise and I was having trouble finding a place I could go to hear the people that I grew up listening to like Cam Ryga, Ross Taggart, Oliver Gannon ...  that was my prime motivation.


GC: Why do you think The Cellar is important?


I think The Cellar is important to the Vancouver scene because its really the only place that musicians can come and play their own music and not be told to turn down, play standards. We are essentially a theatre that happens to have a restaurant in it.  We ask that people listen to the music.  There aren't any other clubs in this city that do that.


GC: What's it like being a club owner?


There are have been so many great experiences being a club owner. The playing opportunities that have come my way because I own The Cellar are to numerous to count and the great music that I have had the pleasure of hearing on a nightly basis whether it be someone from New York or one of the many great bands from right here in Vancouver has been inspiring.

GC: Have you had any bad experiences?

Bad experiences? Well, it's a jazz club and the financial strains of being involved in such a venture have definitely taken their toll on me and dealing with that stress continues to be an ongoing learning process.
I wouldn't trade the last 11 years of my life for anything though....

GC:What's the jazz scene like in Vancouver?

Jesse Cah

Jesse Cahill: Vancouver has  a very diverse Jazz scene that spans many sub genres of the music.  We have everything from world class contemporary improvisers to tremendous straight ahead bebop players and everything in between.

GC:Why is The Cellar important to you and the the scene in Vancouver?

JC: The Cellar is an outstanding venue that provides a stage for musicians to perform their music to a listening audience.  The crowd at the Cellar has become accustomed to seeing the top local, national and international artists in various configurations. As an artist it's refreshing to present your music and have it be the centre of attention as opposed to simply background furnishings.


Thanks for reading. Next time I'll talk about my trip to Toronto, and maybe my trip to Edmonton as well....