RainyDay Posted September 25, 2004 Report Share Posted September 25, 2004 ...after listening to "Jazz in Film." The work is simply beautiful. I heard “Streetcar Named Desire” this morning on the radio while sitting at the car repair and all I could do was count the minutes before heading out to find a copy of the CD. Don’t ask me how this work has managed to escape my attention for so many years. A friend recommended this to me years ago and I will never ignore his advice again. Seriously, how could you listen to this and then want to go out and hurt another living soul? How could you want to do anything more than punch the repeat button and listen to it for a few hours nonstop? Do you have to know the films for the music to work? I guess not since I haven’t seen a couple of the films and yet the music just sings to me. "Chinatown" is one of my favorite films and I very nearly cried when Blanchard blows his first few notes in the song. Do you have to know that the film will break your heart in order for the music to do the same? I don't think so. I saw this movie many, many years ago and that trumpet solo hooked me in right away. I’ve heard other versions and none could touch the original until now. Blanchard creates a whole new song and takes you to a few different places, but the song still evokes the same old feelings. Listening to this work is like falling in love. It’s like discovering something precious and brand new. Kenny Kirkland, Joe Henderson, what lovely work they both leave on this recording. Maybe that’s part of the heartbreak. Both gone too soon. Having seen Blanchard once live and having been completely underwhelmed with his playing and with HIM, I have to say this is one artist whose recordings I can really dive into and get carried away by the current. “Bounce” is another solid piece of work that I find quite moving. But “Jazz in Film” is something else altogether. Have mercy. I need a drink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainyDay Posted September 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 Kenny Kirkland's work in "Chinatown" is gorgeous. Simply beautiful. I was sitting here remembering where I was when I heard it announced that he had been found dead of an overdose. I stopped dead in my tracks during my morning walk in complete shock. Hard not to be deeply melancholy about his death when I hear him playing a song that is itself so haunted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kh1958 Posted September 26, 2004 Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 You must have seen him on a bad day. Every time I've seen him live (7 or 8 times, going back to with Art Blakey), he's been very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainyDay Posted September 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 You must have seen him on a bad day. Every time I've seen him live (7 or 8 times, going back to with Art Blakey), he's been very good. I will assume it was a bad night. The person who talked me into going to see him agreed that he was "tired" that night. In addition to not being terribly inspiring in his playing that night, he had this odd "I'm too cool for the room" attitude that was very off putting. In fact, when he came back to Yoshi's a year or so later to promote "Bounce," I wouldn't go see him because I was so turned off by him previously. I was told that he smoked during that run at Yoshi's so I'm the one that blew it that time. Everybody has a bad day but someone has to be very off for me to not give them another shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kh1958 Posted September 26, 2004 Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 Perhaps not the equal to the Morgan/Shorter, Hubbard/Shorter, or Mobley/Byrd/Silver edition of the Jazz Messengers, but that edition of Blakey's group with Terence Blanchard as musical director was sure good. They sure took me to musical heights two nights when they played at the Caravan of Dreams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Goren. Posted September 26, 2004 Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 Another Blanchard recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainyDay Posted September 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 Another Blanchard recommendation. Thanks for the tip. I'll look for this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted September 26, 2004 Report Share Posted September 26, 2004 BTW, how has his work managed to excape your attention for so many years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Goren. Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 Another Blanchard recommendation. Thanks for the tip. I'll look for this one. RD, Don't forget to tell us your ipmpressions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 (edited) I've become a big, big Blanchard fan recently. Of all the guys who came to prominence during the "young lions" era he really seems apart from the pack. Well-rounded in his musical pursuits (seems to have really big ears despite playing in a pretty firmly within the boundaries manner), fantastic and very distinctive tone, and impeccable execution of his ideas (both as a player and in the larger sense of putting together bands, recordings). JAZZ IN FILM continues to amaze me and to be one of my favorite recent recordings. More recently I've been enjoying ROMANTIC DEFIANCE quite a bit too, which has the bonus of an on-form Kenny Garrett. Edited September 28, 2004 by DrJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainyDay Posted September 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 DrJ: What a beautiful child! I love the baby pictures. I've known about Blanchard in the nonspecific way you know an artist from the radio but don't really pay attention and I know his filmwork, which I thought was good but I never was motivated to go and check him out. When I saw him at Yoshi's, a friend really urged me to go because he is such a huge fan. He was in a very strange mood, maybe a bad flight, maybe ill, who knows? Anyway, later when Bounce came out, KCSM played it to death and that's when I first started really listening to his music. He has a wonderful tone and he writes and arranges very nicely. I'm a huge Kenny Garrett fan so Romantic Defiance sounds like a good investment. I don't buy records that much, see, and you guys are going to get me in trouble! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Goren. Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 I'm a huge Kenny Garrett fan so Romantic Defiance sounds like a good investment. RD, IMHO, Jazz in Film & Malcolm X are much better than Romantic Defiance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Photo of Terence I made a couple years ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainyDay Posted September 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Okay, so Malcolm X will be the priority for now. Great photo! How did you get so close with the camera? Did you smuggle the camera in? I would kill to take pix at Yoshi's. I brought a camera into Pete Escovedo's last club in the East Bay and the pix came out horrible! Not sure why because I've shot in a club before but this time it just didn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alon Marcus Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Seriously, how could you listen to this and then want to go out and hurt another living soul? Talkin' about good music and bad personality: Have you watched/read "The clockwork orange? :rsmile: :rsmile: :rsmile: But seriously I wish everybody would listen to music instead of fighting and the only battles would be "Tenor battles" (or any other instrument!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alon Marcus Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Now being serious about Blanchard: the influence of the Miles' second great quintet is felt strongly in "Wandering moon". He actually quotes from "Agitation" on the second track. This one being even better than many other Miles influenced works from Winton Marsalis (like black codes) or Wallace Rooney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainyDay Posted September 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Seriously, how could you listen to this and then want to go out and hurt another living soul? Talkin' about good music and bad personality: Have you watched/read "The clockwork orange? :rsmile: :rsmile: :rsmile: But seriously I wish everybody would listen to music instead of fighting and the only battles would be "Tenor battles" (or any other instrument!). I have seen it. Fortunately, it didn't ruin Singing in the Rain for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.