Parties . . .

The stars lay
In a blanket above
The gentle breeze
Blowing in from the sea
The last light flickers
From one lonely candle
Never before
Was a night half as perfect
For you and me

But there was a party last night
Yeah there was a party next door
Cause there's a boy sleeping on the back porch

You would have
Noticed a pin drop that evening
The peace and calm
When romance fills the air
Ambience flowing
From Coltrane and Hartman
But barely twenty feet away
We'd no clue what was
Happening there

But there was a party last night
Yeah there was a party next door
Cause there's a boy sleeping on the back porch

No blaring rockn' roll
No bottles on the walk
No screaming shouting
And no fights
Nobody called the law
No sirens in the night
Just one young man
Stretched out on a chaise
Sleeping it off

Occasions
Such as this should be savored
The combination of circumstance rare
You may just be
The true love that I've searched for
I think though
That the folks in the house that's next door
Just don't care

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Everybody . . .

. . . should hear Andrew.  One of the most spontaneous, humorous, entertaining and gifted musicians around . . .


(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-01/21/104r-012100-idx.html)
". . . Still, White is at his best when he's paying homage to his spiritual mentor John Coltrane with an expansive, exultant multi-theme performance featuring pianist Allyn Johnson, bassist Steve Novosel and drummer T. Howard Curtis. Curtis is particularly effective on "E.J.'s Blues," prodding, pushing and ultimately propelling White's far-reaching harmonic flights. The album concludes with two renditions of "Andrew's Theme," providing further evidence of the saxophonist's seemingly inexhaustible spirit and stamina. . . "

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My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

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Striving . . .

. . . for something . . . but not always being able to explain exactly what . . .



(from http://www.furious.com/perfect/ericdolphy2.html)
 . . . "Eric was a very, very gifted musician and a very nice guy on top of it," McCoy Tyner told me in a recent interview. "He had a very personal approach to playing and enjoyed expanding the limits of imagination. Eric played so many instruments, his pockets were bulging with all these mouthpieces," McCoy said chuckling at the memory. "He was the first guy to come on as a guest with the band. At the time he came along he was doing his own thing and made a tremendous impression. We felt that the quartet was self-contained. Jimmy, Elvin and I felt that we had built something and were still on that journey. We didn't exactly understand where John was going in terms of adding Eric. We were like little kids in a sense like this is our band and we want to keep it that way. But then again it wasn't like we didn't want to share our experience. John was the leader and he was the one that made the final decisions. He decided that maybe if I do this, this will cause something else to happen. And it did! They played so differently. Eric added another dimension to the sound. John never rested on his laurels. He was like a scientist in the laboratory always searching for something new or different. By adding Eric he was expanding the music. John and Eric had a very different type of life experience. Eric had a very academic approach. He studied a lot. John coming from the South had that real gutsy approach. His father was a minister and his grandfather was a minister. He spent a lot of time in church and you could hear that in the music. At the same time there were points where the two met and could make something very interesting happen."

"Eric added a very interesting component to the music," McCoy continued. "John believed in what Eric was doing. He wanted to help him. At the same time he wanted to open the music up. It was a very good experience for Eric as well, being surrounded by the quartet. Ole was one of the highlights of Eric's presence. He had his own approach to the bass clarinet. He had personal things he would do on the instrument and got sounds out of it that you normally didn't hear on a bass clarinet. He was very animated and very enthusiastic.". . . (Note:  Be patient. Eric's solo starts at about 4:07)

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(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

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Legend. . .

(from http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/102321329_Hidden_sound_of_Charm_City.html?page=all)

The Left Bank Jazz Society, launched in 1964 by jazz aficionado Benny Kearse, arrived at a time when Baltimore's jazz scene was in decline and its racial tensions were worsening. Against that background it was a progressive, integrationist group that, over the course of more than 30 years, brought most of the great names of jazz to its Sunday soirees: Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Maynard Ferguson and many others. - See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/102321329_Hidden_sound_of_Charm_City.html?page=all#sthash.clUxO6rD.dpuf

The Left Bank Jazz Society, launched in 1964 by jazz aficionado Benny Kearse, arrived at a time when Baltimore's jazz scene was in decline and its racial tensions were worsening. Against that background it was a progressive, integrationist group that, over the course of more than 30 years, brought most of the great names of jazz to its Sunday soirees: Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Maynard Ferguson and many others.

On May 17, 1967, concert-goers were unaware that they were listening to world-renowned saxophonist John Coltrane's last live performance, writes Cathleen Carris, in a profile of the Left Bank Jazz Society included in "Music At The Crossroads: Lives & Legacies of Baltimore Jazz."

Coltrane died two months later of liver cancer at 40.

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ahh. . .

. . . those were the days. . .

". . . My Farfisa Fast Four and Leslie 145 were setup in a prominent location in the den of our apartment for quick and easy access.  Truth is, I'm not sure if I even played once a week at that time. But I was building my vinyl record album collection of my favorite jazz cats during the period and joyfully and effortlessly soaking in their music as often as I could.  My Coltrane, Dolphy, Adderley and McLean collections grew with much less reliance on the old Tull, Gentle Giant and Yes for musical satisfaction.  This too combined with sounds exemplifying the musical tastes of my significant other, sometimes not so willingly or graciously. 

My technique and creativity suffered during this period.  Whenever I played, generally on Sunday afternoons, I ran through the same several bebop arrangements of standards that I had learned from or through my elementary-school friend Bob. I was grateful for Bob's influence which led me into the direction of jazz, that combined with my exposure to a superb collection of jazz, vinyl LPs at the college radio station where I worked during my undergraduate years.

It wasn't until our eldest son, Spencer, was born that I began to crave more music-related activity. . ."

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Fast. . .

 . . . four. . . and it ain't a CAR. . .

 My Farfisa Fast Four and Leslie 145 were setup in a prominent location in the den of our apartment for quick and easy access.  Truth is, I'm not sure if I even played once a week at that time. But I was building my vinyl record album collection of my favorite jazz cats during the period and joyfully and effortlessly soaking in their music as often as I could.  My Coltrane, Dolphy, Adderly and McLean collections grew with much less reliance on the old Tull, Gentle Giant and Yes for musical satisfaction.  The library incorporated the musical tastes of my significant other as well, sometimes not so willingly or graciously on my part though.   

My technique and creativity suffered during this period.  Whenever I played, generally on Sunday afternoons (I now can't believe it was that seldom), I ran through the same several bebop arrangements of standards that I had learned from or through my elementary-school friend Bob. I was grateful for Bob's influence which led me into the direction of jazz, that combined with my exposure to a superb collection of jazz, vinyl LPs at the college radio station where I worked during my undergraduate years.

But much like a car, this instrument (probably now a collector's item) was worth very little upon trade-in.

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Not popular, definitely better. . .

. . . than most.

Artist Profile: Jazz Singer Johnny Hartman
By Jacob Teichroew, About.com Guide

Johnny Hartman
Born: July 23rd, 1923 in Chicago, Illinois as John Maurice Hartman
Died: September 15th, 1983

The Struggling Balladeer:
Despite his talents, jazz singer Johnny Hartman struggled to maintain a thriving career. Hartman caught a couple of big breaks during his life that seemed to show promise, but the racial and cultural milieu during his active years were such that he never earned the recognition he deserved while he was still alive.

Hartman’s first big opportunity came after he won a singing competition at age 17 in a Chicago supper club. The prize was a brief engagement with Earl Hines’ big band. Hines, whose band cultivated the talents of bebop stars such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, invited Hartman to join the group for a longer period.

Bebop: Not the Right Fit:
Hartman, whose strengths were his dulcet vocal timbre, emotional nuances, and meticulous phrasing, did not entirely fit into the bebop scene. He left Hines’ band to sing in Gillespie’s big band, but abandoned it in 1949 for a solo career.

Hartman distinguished himself from the majority of jazz singers in the 1950s by rejecting conventions such as scat singing and modifying standard songs. He prided himself on staying close to original melodies, allowing the lyrics to guide his musical interpretation. Some argue that for this reason, Hartman’s potential was squelched by promoters who weren’t interested in supporting a black musician who sounded thoughtful, intelligent, and romantic.

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman:
Hartman barely got through the 1950s as a solo artist, but got another big break in 1963. That year he recorded John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (Impulse!), an album of ballads including Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life.” On the record, Hartman employs his rich baritone voice to convey the melancholia of various love songs. Hardly straying from the melodies, Hartman’s approach evidently inspired John Coltrane to do the same. The two complement each other perfectly, and the album is one of the best jazz vocal albums ever made.

While Hartman’s reputation got a boost after his work with Coltrane, he could not sustain it. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, when rock music pushed romantic jazz out of the mainstream, Hartman refused to compromise, recording jazz with bands led by Oliver Nelson and Gerald Wilson. His 1980 album Once in Every Life (Bee Hive), was nominated for a Grammy in 1981, but that was the last hint of promise in his career. He died in 1983 of lung cancer.

In part thanks to Clint Eastwood’s 1996 movie, The Bridges of Madison County, which uses recordings of Hartman in the romantic scenes, Johnny Hartman started to achieve posthumously the acclaim that he deserved while still active.




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