Good God! If you’re looking for “easy listening” music, you’d better stay away from most of the bands listed above.
I’ve got a recording of a 1955 Kansas City dance date by Basie’s band that’s pretty much rock and roll. His rhythm section didn’t fuck around.
The Glenn Miller Orchestra was mayo on white bread, but the other nine ran SERIOUSLY swinging organizations. Like, when your grandma danced to 'em, you saw her stocking tops.
I want to thank you for your tip about Count Basie. I listened to quite a few of his later recordings and they were quite wonderful. I’m thinking of adding them to my “Favorite Tunes” folder.
Unfortunately, I can’t seem to locate the recording you mentioned - “1955 Kansas City dance date”.
I don’t understand what you meant when you said, “His rhythm section didn’t fuck around”. I have found that very often, it’s difficult to put explanations of musical opinions into words. It’s usually something that people feel and not something they can easily explain. But if you can explain a little, I would def appreciate.
Thanks again.
Also, I’d like to ask if anyone might be able to explain something to me about Charlie Parker.
I recently saw the film Whiplash about a prestigious music school and a talented drummer who studied there under some very sadistic instructor.
This instructor (played by J.K. Simmons?) told stories about how wonderful Charlie Parker was. He made it sound like Parker was the most gifted jazz musician ever. I’ve listened to some of Parker’s recordings. But I just don’t get it. Can anyone possibly explain what it is that makes him so wonderful?
I understand that it’s extremely difficult to put explanations about music into words. But if anyone can explain what it is about Charlie Parker that makes him so gifted, I sure would like to know.
The movie was rated very high and most people who have written opinions about it seem to think it was a wonderful film. But I just don’t get it. It didn’t seem anywhere close to wonderful to me. I’m guessing that I just don’t understand music well enough to put these things into words.
Does anyone think they may be able to explain it to me?
Charlie Wayne, I can relate to your problem in “getting” Charlie Parker. I have had similar issues with his music and I call myself a jazz fan. Perhaps watching the Eastwood movie Bird (1988), which is as loving and respectful a treatment of his life and music as you’re apt to find, may give you some clues as to why “Bird” is revered as much as he is to this day by those in the know.
It’s one of those tastes you have to work at acquiring, I suspect.
Wow! Thank you so very much. I never expected that anyone would answer me - especially an answer that was as informative and showed such insight as yours did.
Thanks again. I will try to check out that film and if I do, I will let you know.
A used record store in Seattle used to specialize in this music. The owner called the genre “Sweet music” and “Sweet bands”, a term I’ve never seen anywhere else.
Your question seems to be missing a lot:
Have you listened to jazz before and after Parker?
What do you like in jazz music?
Do you know the context of what he was doing?
Do you like any of his contemporaries?
He was a technical master of high speed inventive improvisation, and was the main inventor in a cohort that created a whole new language that brought on the future in jazz.
Oh my. After reading your post, I feel most embarrassed. I have hardly ever listened to jazz music. I much prefer blues. But that seems to be quite irrelevant in the context of this thread.
I’m afraid that I have no knowledge of Charlie Parker or what he was doing and I only know of some of his contemporaries - such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and Dizzie Gillespie. The work that I am most familiar with is Louis Armstrong, “When the Saints go Marching In.” I heard that played many times on the radio when I was still in grade school.
I once bought an album by George Benson. But although I listened to it several times, I could never find anything enjoyable about it.
I think I should probablly withdraw from this thread because I know so little about jazz and I have never even enjoyed it. After seeing that movie (“Whirlpool”) and hearing them talk about the genius of Charlie Parker, I was intrigued and I listened to some of his work. But as I said earlier, I just didn’t appreciate it.
I feel like I’ve wasted your time and I feel bad about that.
Coming back to the OP again, I’m wondering if David Rose & His Orchestra - Holiday For Strings (1955 Version) might be that elusive sound you’re trying to identify. If so, there’s quite a bit of that treatment in what’s called PRODUCTION MUSIC and some fun samples can be found in the vicinity of Ren and Stimpy Soundtrack: Hollywood Holiday
And, as icing, there’s always the nostalgia of Leroy Anderson whose 1950s sounds were everywhere in my young life!
If you like the blues, you understand that the rhythm section (typically some combo of piano, guitar, bass, drums) provides the beat, the movement, the excitement, right?
Basie’s rhythm sections, particularly the guys on the above recording, ROCK OUT. The band is like a big roaring steam locomotive comin right ATCHA, and you wanna DANCE, you SOB, so it don’t RUN YA OVER.
Y’all made me think of some Basie that is as lowdown as I have heard yet:
Wanted to highlight this again and thank you for posting it. Quite a rabbit hole to fall down there!
Hey no worry.
It gives me the opportunity to suggest some pop artist who were gateways to jazz for me: Tom Waits, Marvin Gaye, and Steely Dan.
Also the kid character in Louis Malle’s “Murmur of the Heart” was a big Charlie Parker fan, but it didn’t end up well so to speak.
Try searching for Mantovani. Also easy listening orchestra.
I think what you are looking for, OP, is Muzak.
I just noticed an older thread (fairly recent in fact) on this same topic:
Production Music
#1 10-23-2015, 02:30 PM
Zeldar
It was known as “easy listening” music (sometimes known as “orchestral pop”), was popular in the 1950s and 1960s, which is really later than, and separate from, “Big Band” music. They were instrumental versions, or covers, of pop hits, sometimes with vocalists, bit often not. There was a style of easy listening that added some world-rhythm type influences that was known as “exotica” that band leaders like Les Baxter, Martin Denny, and Arthur Lyman did.
As the audience for “easy listening” stations grew older (and passed away!), Easy Listening stations on the AM dial began to play more 1960s and 1970s pop, light rock, and folk-rock for aging baby boomers. In ten years or so, they’ll be playing the Ramones and the Sex Pistols on the “Easy Listening” channels. Sic transit gloria mundi.
Some of the more well-known straight-up easy listening performers and bands included Ferrante and Teicher, the Jackie Gleason Orchestra, Percy Faith, André Kostelanetz, The 101 Strings, and Herb Alpert. Reader’s Digest released a seemingly endless series of “mood” albums in this genre that can be found in most any thrift store.