Jazz Music Special Forces

You've almost lost the house; one of your kids has joined a gang; you just learned that your 16 yr old daughter is on drugs and pregnant; and you haven't been sleeping because you're worried stiff about being laid off from your job...and you're thinking about dying! Well before you do anything rash. Dig this!

Fate can really play the fool sometimes, there's no exception to this rule. So forget about giving up or crying and don't waste time calling Oprah, Ghost Busters or Dr. Phil. I'll tell you who to call. Call the tried and true Jazz Music Special Forces.

I can just hear you now...jazz music special what? How can jazz music help me with this nightmare I can't seem to wake up from?

Trust me, this jazz music is special because of the players in the band. That's why they're called Jazz music Special Forces. They have the talent and tools to vanquish 'the blues'. Please allow me introduce you to some of the top soldiers:

There's "Duke", he has excellent organizational skills, he's very keen with finances and is a born leader. Everybody respects him.

"Satch", with his great personality and magical voice he will make you forget whatever is bothering you. He'll tell you fantastic stories about his life that will make you feel that you can overcome anything.


Then there's "Bird". Just like his name, he's flown high, far and wide. He's seen a lot of the good life and the bad. He'll be perfect to have around to talk to your children, to let them know from his experiences how to deal effectively with the problems that young people face today.

A very special player is "The Prince of Darkness", or as he's known to the others, "Miles", the fighter. He's uncompromising, hardly talks and is very serious about his role. His motto is 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going'. There hasn't been a shell hard enough that he couldn't crack.


And finally, "Trane", his work ethic has never been matched by anyone on the planet. He's very quiet, but he moves mountains. He's not a person that has to be cajoled into performing work, rather, he has to be cajoled not to work so intensely.

We are in the new age of virtual reality, and this is where the Jazz Music Special Forces reside. All you have to do to locate them, is use your imagination.

Make them a part of your day, everyday!

Jazz Music performers Of The Past Attired Themselves So Elegantly...

Whenever I happen to run across photos or videos of past jazz artists, especially those of the 1940's and 1950's, I am struck by the stunning sartorial elegance of these men and women.

As an example; take Duke Ellington, this man definitely had a knack for putting together very effective wardrobes, and the outfits he donned may be summed up with one word, "killer". That is how he came to be called "Duke"...by the style of his dress.

Another jazz musician of note who would have had no problem making the cover of GQ Magazine back then, was Miles Davis. Here is an excerpt from an article about Mr. Davis by Esquire Magazine Jazz and Style writer, the late George Frazier, under the title: "The Warlord of the Weejuns". The article appeared in the liner notes of "Miles Davis' Greatest Hits" record album of 1965:

" I don't mean to be a bastard about this, but, at the same time, I have no intention of being agreeable just for the sake of being agreeable. So, I'll admit at the outset that, damn right, I  don't much care for men who dress badly...but the kind of man I do despise is the stupid  son of a bitch who, in the arrogance of his ignorance, thinks he is well-dressed...All I'm trying to say, really, is that most boutique customers should be lined up before a firing squad at dawn  and that there should be a minute of silence to thank God for people like Miles Davis. Except, of course, that there are no people like Miles Davis. He is an original. He is a truly well-dressed man. He is The Warlord of the Weejuns...When not selecting additions to his wardrobe, Miles Davis is a professional trumpet player. People who know about such things tell me he shows a lot of promise."

These are my sentiments exactly. But let's not overlook the ladies. They too were fashionably attired, perfectly groomed and sumptuously beautiful in the bargain, as early photos of the likes of  Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald attest, to highlight just a few. These jazz music icons wore exquisite frocks, gowns, tailored outfits, and in their wake, lingered the bewitching scents of their exotic perfumes and fine fragrances.

What an era that must have been!                    

JAZZ MUSIC IN THE WHITE HOUSE

It seems that music has returned to the White House in a big way. Last summer there was a country music celebration featuring singer and fiddler Alison Krauss, songwriter guitarist Brad Paisley and country singing legend Charlie Pride. This was part of a White House summer series of music that will continue with a classical music program this fall.

But it was jazz music that enjoyed an especially honored role in the series. The series began when the Wynton Marsalis Quintet played for a private inaugural celebration party of 100 at the White House.

Michelle Obama has been very instrumental in the movement to open the White House to all music genres. On June 15 of this year, she sponsored and hosted a Jazz Music Studio for 150 middle and high school students and she has let it be known she wants her daughters Malia and Sasha to be “aware of all kinds of music-other than hip-hop”. This woman is hip, cool and with it!

These developments are not only good for jazz music, but all music and musicians.

"WHAT 'HOP'"?....I GASPED...

Recently I was driving back from Northern California's Monterey Jazz Festival to San Francisco with my son, Solomon . It was hot, the freeway was crammed with vehicles and we were diggin' some serious hard bop jazz music on a CD called, The Definitive Clifford Brown. "Brownie," as he's known in jazz music circles, had a stellar cast of jazz musicians backing him on the date: There was Max Roach on drums, Harold Land on tenor Sax, Richie Powell on piano and rounding out the quintet was George Morrow on bass.

They had just finished playing Duke Jordan's classic composition "Jordu", followed by Cole Porter's "I Get a Kick Out of You," and Clifford's own tasty composition, "Joy Spring" was beginning to weave its way through the car's sound system just as  the traffic snarled to a stop. Slowly it began to worm forward and from somewhere behind us, we heard a muffled, thumping sound, so I lowered the speaker volume to check out the noise. It was getting closer and causing our Toyota Camry to shake.

Soon, a relentless, vibrating, boom! boom!boom! was right on top of us drowning out all sound...then an old 1960's model Ford Mustang sidled up on my left with its speakers throwing sonic booms left and right . It's lone occupant was hunkered down in the driver's seat like a scared GI in a fox hole trying to evade an enemy.

I felt the Ford inch by.

After Mustang GI Joe was gone, and my hearing had returned, I turned to Solomon, "What was that noise coming from the Ford's speakers?"

"Hip Hop." He answered nonchalantly.

"What 'Hop'"? I gasped. "There's nothing hip about that noise".

Regaining my cool, I turned "Joy Spring" back up on the sound system, and made a mental note to give anything called hip hop, a very wide berth in the future. I am not knocking any one's musical preference; people can listen to or play what they want, but personally, I'll stick to jazz music. It doesn't put cracks in the pavement, dislodge bricks from buildings, loosen lug nuts or destroy your hearing when it is played.

"WATER FOUND ON THE MOON"...JAZZ MUSIC CAN'T BE FAR BEHIND.

It's official: Three different Spacecraft have detected "unambiguous evidence of significant water across the surface of the moon.

This revelation probably means future moon exploration and the eventual setting up of lunar bases. All of which point to human involvement; and in time, the arts, especially music, will have a role in bringing a little pleasure to this unknown, looming world. Jazz, as an American original art form, must have a part to play as man expands his territorial boundaries in space.

Here's a thought, suppose NASA commissioned you to select your top ten best jazz music songs to be placed in a lunar time capsule, so that future moon travelers will enjoy some great jazz music.

Which jazz music songs would make your list? Which artists would make the cut?

My list would include the following artists: William Kennedy Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Nat Cole, Frank Sinatra, William "Count" Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

Now comes the tough part; selecting my preferred jazz music song from each artist.

1. William Kennedy Ellington (Pianist/Composer)--"Duke". "Take The 'A" Train". Personally, the version I prefer is the 1959 recording with vocalist Betty Roche (Ro-shay), (sorry, she is not in this video). However, this jazz music classic, written by Billy Strayhorn, is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable jazz music songs of the past century. 
2. Louis Armstrong (Trumpeter/Vocalist)--"Satchmo", the quintessential Ambassador of Jazz: It's a toss-up between "Hello Dolly" by Louis and his All Star Band and "What A Wonderful World". I have settled for "What A Wonderful World". It was Armstrong's final recording, it became a world-wide hit, and it seems to fit the occasion well.
3. Charlie Parker (Alto Saxophone)--"Bird". Anything by Parker would satisfy. He was in a class by himself, so, I'll nominate one of his own classic compositions called, "Confirmation".
4. Miles Davis (Trumpeter/Bandleader)--"The Prince of Darkness". It's tempting to select one of the tunes from his famous 1959 masterpiece CD "Kind of Blue", but I am going to risk inciting the ire of the entire jazz music community and instead take a number from his '58 Sessions CD called, "On Green Dolphin Street". It is that good!
5. John Coltrane (Tenor, Soprano Saxophones)--"Trane". There is a mountain of choices to consider, but his rendition of "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music" is a musical tour de force and has great universal appeal.
6. Nat Cole (Pianist/Vocalist)--"King". There's the immensely popular "Unforgettable", plus "Mona Lisa", "Nature Boy", "The Christmas Song", and hundreds other chart toppers, but I like "Dance Ballerina Dance". Why this particular song? It's sort of bitter-sweet and it swings.
7. Frank Sinatra (Vocalist)--"Chairman of The Board". You can't keep 'ol blue eyes out of the mix. He's arguably the best interpreter of a lyric of the 20th Century. I thought his handling of Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin" with Nelson Riddle's arrangement was musical magic, and Sinatra's voice was at its best.
8. William "Count" Basie (Pianist/Bandleader)-- "The Kid From Red Bank". There's got to be some 'swing' and something to dance to on the lunar surface, water, or no water, and this is the band to serve up the music. The number I selected is "Jumpin' At The Woodside"(This video will floor you). Warning: Do not try this stuff. You'll kill somebody!
9. Ella Fitzgerald (Vocalist)-- "The First Lady of Song". During a Berlin, Germany concert appearance, she forgot momentarily some of the words to "Mack The Knife, ad libbed her way out, and effortlessly turned the performance into a classic. Priceless!
10. Sarah Vaughan (Vocalist)--"Sassy", "The Divine One". One of the most amazing voices in the world of jazz; she possessed astounding vocal range, and her voice seemed to get better with age. She had so many memorable hits: "Broken Hearted Melody", "Autumn In New York", "Moonlight In Vermont", Lullaby of Birdland", "Tenderly", and many more, but I have selected Errol Garner's "Misty"...after all, there's got to be time for a little romance whether you are on the moon's landscape, or terra firma.  

Well, those are my lunar top ten jazz music songs. I hope that NASA comes through, and that, one day, "Fly Me To The Moon" won't be just a name to a song. In other words, I wish that, it becomes a popular request for a flight to a new, exciting musical destination.

What's yours?!