tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513549976067405883.post8567209760248658944..comments2014-06-05T12:31:58.094-04:00Comments on A History of Recorded Popular Music: Volume Three: Jumpin' with Symphony Sid - Swing to BopHistory of Pophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04872385257946833447noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513549976067405883.post-37357477579519946502010-02-26T13:00:31.317-05:002010-02-26T13:00:31.317-05:00I can see your point about "Strange Fruit&quo...I can see your point about "Strange Fruit"; it is culturally iconic, but, for me, "God Bless the Child" gets the essence of Billie Holiday's personality and vocal style, so that's what I went with. As for Bird, I think the live "Perdido" is pretty representative . . . and Diz's "Caravan" is great and I wanted the song to appear somewhere in the history, though it does result in back-to-back Juan Tizol compositions. I can't think of him without thinking of the Mingus-Tizol altercation when they were both with Ellington.<br /><br />Your point about the post-Ornette free people is intriguing; I'm not sure what could have made pop people more interested there - I think the danceability issue shouldn't be overlooked as a factor separating jazz and pop. Look at what prog did to set the stage for disco, for example.<br /><br />If you haven't heard Mickey Katz, you should check him out; I'm on an 'evangelizing for Yiddish jazz" kick right now - the parodies are silly, but the playing is really really hot. Nearly every track I've heard features a couple jawdropping klezmer jazz breaks . . . good stuff.History of Pophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04872385257946833447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513549976067405883.post-38815550986899703152010-02-25T10:55:46.639-05:002010-02-25T10:55:46.639-05:00Ok, ok. Your Spike Jones inclusion takes me back t...Ok, ok. Your Spike Jones inclusion takes me back to hearing his 78s at Grandma's house as a kid. <br /><br />Pretty good representative selections here, but I'd have to go for another Holiday tune. "Strange Fruit" seems indispensible, and I'm also partial to the Lady in Satin recordings and her own untouchable (rather than Parker's) "Autumn in NY." "God Bless the Child" is great, but there is better and more important material. <br /><br />Same take on Parker. The Parker with Strings LP may have been a fav for him, but is hardly at the heart of some things he did that have lasted. Seems the 1945 small-group Diz/Bird (I think with Miles in the combo, too!) stuff is more representative of Parker's achievement--"Koko" perhaps, or a live "Night in Tunisia"? And for pure kicks, I'll dig on Dizzy's "Swing Low Sweet Cadillac" anyday.<br /><br />Your framing of bebop's development in relation to wartime recording restrictions is interesting. Too bad that happened -- it forces one to wonder if more 'out' playing wouldn't have eventually found a bit of a foothold in the mainstream and therefore helped pop & the artists. Of course & on the other hand, it may have killed any good music for years to come if that recording limitation hadn't been imposed. We'd all be listening to what Woody Guthrie disdainfully called the "orgasm girls." Still, the wedge that gets driven in here between pazz & jop is perhaps the best explanation for the unfortunate impossiblity of getting most listeners to hear what's good in what the post-Coleman/Ayler/Taylor free improv people (Anthony Braxton, Peter Brotzmann, etc.) are doing.<br /><br />If any other readers are going to see Club D'Elf play tomorrow night, I'll see you there.<br /><br />Bird lives!Christophernoreply@blogger.com