joyful jazz

[Milestones]

I'm sure most would agree that one of the great achievements in music is pure joy. It is also perhaps relatively rare, at least at the highest level. Jazz can be snappy, bouncy, and exciting--but how often is it totally exhilarating? What I mean is that it can instantly lift your spirits, when you are in an utterly crappy mood, within seconds.

The argument has been made that jazz was a happier music in its earlier days. To get that sense of elation, put on Louis Armstrong or Basie (especially with Jimmy Rushing) or Woody Herman's "Caldonia." In the bebop era, naturally you have to go with Dizzy; few musicians have ever been so joyful, though of course it is just one of his moods (and all the greats have several moods).

Sonny Rollins...the calpyso music...I would especially say "Duke of Iron."

In our own days, it's not so obvious. Yes, it's there in a subtle way in a lot of musicians. But what's there that makes you jump out of your seat? Two I can think of "Mister Pitiful" by Dave Douglas and "Cameroon" by Mike Stern and Richard Bona.

Your comments please.

Edited February 28, 2013 by Milestones

[Dan Gould]

Anything by Al Grey or Gene Harris is guaranteed to put a smile on my face.

[John Tapscott]

Clark Terry, for sure. And you know what, Benny Goodman, too. I find that his clarinet playing overflows with jazz joy. You can tell that he just loved playing.

[Chuck Nessa]

Sing/Song by Roscoe Mitchell and the Sound Ensemble.

[Big Beat Steve]

Uh oh ... this is going to be a long, long list if you really want to get into details.

Starting with Satch (of course), and even before .. carrying on through the Harlem Hamfats and their ilk, plus danceable big bands such as Chick Webb, Andy Kirk, Erskine Hawkins, Lucky Millinder, Buddy Johnson, etc. etc., Louis Jordan of course, Louis Prima (he had done much more before his Capitol/Vegas days), small groups such as Leo Watson's groups, The Cats & The Fiddle, Slim Gaillard (Slim & Slam and well beyond),

yes, and bebop can be fun and uplifting too, starting with Dizzy (and I for one find a lot of early Gene Ammons quite exuberant too), and a lot of R&B too (examples to numerous to mention), and so on. As for more recent acts, I might mention certain less-punkish and jazzier neo-swing acts of the 90s but that might only get me into the line of fire with purists (who insist on jazz as serious sit-down concert hall music) so I'll pass for now ...

Honestly, the premise of such a query about jazz might be a bit out of focus if you approach jazz from the angle of a listener who's been weaned on hard bop of the "Angry Young Men" faction (and onwards into more recent decades) and understands this to be what jazz is ALL about. True, hard bo and post bop are part of the many-faceted aspects of jazz. in fact the core of jazz joyful as it was (and is again these days in certain subcultures) is intended above all as DANCING music (which doesn't usually take place in the form of slow fox steps so is bound to be rather joyful).

[robertoart]

Was Milestones not asking about 'contemporary' performances that might have the 'spirit' of the old 'joyful' jazz?

[Larry Kart]

Clifford Brown's solo on "Pent-Up House" from "Sonny Rollins Plus 4." There's one of Clifford's patented burbling grace-note passages there

that I used to play over and over it was so damn joyful, even ecstatic.

Here it is, beginning at 1:38 (actually the whole solo is like honey

from the comb):

Added: BTW, IIRC I suggested to Martin Williams (I think he asked for

some advice on a few things when he was assembling the original

Smithsonian set) that he use this track.

[medjuck]

Latter day Benny Carter.

[king ubu]

i guess i prefer my joy coupled with sorrow ... first thing i thought of seeing this topic was Harry Miller, Dudu Pukwana, Chris McGregor, The Blue Notes, Brotherhood of Breath, The Jazz Epistles, Hugh Masekela, and first and foremost Kippie Moeketsi

[robertoart]

If we're allowed to be old farts, I suggest David Murray's Flowers For Albert from this one,

[BillF]

This is joyful:

There's joy, and a lot else besides, in Bird's "Warming Up a Riff".

[jeffcrom]

i guess i prefer my joy coupled with sorrow ... first thing i thought of seeing this topic was Harry Miller, Dudu Pukwana, Chris McGregor, The Blue Notes, Brotherhood of Breath, The Jazz Epistles, Hugh Masekela, and first and foremost Kippie Moeketsi

Yep - first thing I thought of was Dudu's In the Townships.

[JohnS]

This is joyful:

There's joy, and a lot else besides, in Bird's "Warming Up a Riff".

Does it for me too.

Johnny Lytle has it too.on the Village Caller and the Tuba albums.

I agree with Freelancer, there are some joyful versions of Murray's Flowers For Albert.

Edited February 28, 2013 by JohnS

[king ubu]

in the post-modern-pastiche way, some might enjoy Mostly Other People Do the Killing (me, I might enjoy hearing Irabagon and/or Evans in a less-pastich-ey setting, actually I've got some Evans and he's fine...)

good call, Jeff! my first association was Masekela's "Home Is Where the Music Is" - but I thought of Dudu's amazing playing more than of the entire (wonderful album).

[webbcity]

This

and this

And as far as more modern-day stuff, I would say check out almost anything by Ernest Dawkins.

[jeffcrom]

Oh, and practically anything (except funeral dirges and angry raps) by practically any New Orleans brass band. In full cry, the Eureka, Young Tuxedo back in the day or the Society, Rebirth or New Birth Brass Bands today are just irresistibly joyous.

[king ubu]

Django Reinhardt, too!

[BillF]

Django Reinhardt, too!

Yes, Django was joyful.

[king ubu]

And thinking of France, that crazy guy on the piano:

A darn brilliant madman!

[paul secor]

Ornette Coleman Trio: "Dee Dee"

[sgcim]

If this shit don't make you happy, I don't know what to say:

Edited March 1, 2013 by sgcim

[Milestones]

You're right...if you aren't hearing the joy in Roland Kirk, you just aren't alive.

[JSngry]

[JSngry]

A lot of people have played the instrument a lot of ways, but nobody has played the instrument like Lockjaw Davis. That's all-permeating joy for me, and this is more all-permeating than most.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I don't think joy is a rare ingredient in any kind of music. But I suspect fun is what we hear most in the music of Louis Jordan and many others. To (probably mis)quote Cannonball, 'Fun is something that you do', whereas joy is something that fills your soul.

Joy in music doesn't have to be exuberant. There's a calm joy to be found in Larry Young's 'Into something' and Grant Green's 'Remembering' (on CD as 'Standards') that I find wholly uplifting.

But on the exhuberant side Joy at the Philharmonic tended to have it in spades. In particular, Illionois Jacquet at the 1944 JATP gig, but also Sonny Criss and Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis on 'Intermission riff' (Pablo reissued by LOnehill Jazz), which was done at an early 50s JATP.

Here's Big Joe - always joyful, with Sonny Criss, Hamp Hawes, Sweets Edison, Leroy Vinnegar and Bobby Thompson. (Joe comes in at 2:34).

There's joy in all types of music. Try Etoile 2000's 'Boubou ngary' for exhuberant joy.

MG