Now Hear This: Larry Bethune
Larry Bethune is Berklee’s Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students
I am listening to Chamber Music Society by BCM alumna/teacher and Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding (also has Terri Lynne Carrington on there another alum/teacher and former music director for the Arsenio hall Show).
I am listening simply because her winning the Grammy this week piqued my interest. I already knew her playing/singing/composing, but had not heard the new CD Yet. I think others should give it a listen because she combines her compositions and improvisation with her voice so well. I love the mix of jazz, Latin, pop sounds… all in one tune. Her music flows so well. When I listen to her music, I can hear she stays true to the music she has absorbed and synthesizes it all into a new sound yet with homage to the music that precedes her. Of course, I am always impressed when such musical maturity comes from one so young. That, alone, is inspiring.
Looking for a good listen? Wondering what your jazz peers are listening to? Well, rest easy, we’ve got you covered. We regularly ask Berklee faculty, visiting artists, and other members of the Berklee community, “What are you listening to?” We want your recommendations too!
Now Hear This: Jason Camelio
Jason Camelio is Berklee’s Director of International Programs, Trombonist, composer, arranger and leader of the Big Bang Evolutionary Big Bang and Bending Dogma (octet).
Our access to media (including audio and video) is continually reaching new levels of sophistication and ease. In some ways this is a huge blessing — tons of ear candy. In other ways it can be sensory overload. It is rare for me to have time to enjoy a recording. For me this means either vinyl or a compact disc with a decent sound system or good pair of headphones (no earbuds). At the moment, my ears are taking me to a few places. They are:
Hal Crook - Creatures of Habit
This recording is at the pinnacle of small group, improvised music. It feature pianist Takeshi Ohbayashi, bassist Thomson Kneeland, drummer Take Toriyama and Mr. Crook.
Duke Ellington - Such Sweet Thunder
I was introduced to compositional depth of Ellington and Strayhorn by Greg Hopkins. I highly recommend this recording as a starting point for anyone seeking to begin an Ellington voyage.
Frank Zappa - The Yellow Shark
Frank strived through his musical career to reach a point when his “serious” music would be performed by exceptionally skilled musicians. This recording represents a life’s work for Frank with an exquisite live performance by the Ensemble Modern. Yes…it’s for jazzer’s too.
Rick Peckham - Left End
Featuring drummer Jim Black and drummer Tony Scherr, this is a excellent recording for musicians to hear the potential of the open space afforded in trio playing. Rick’s sound and performance is masterful. It is a brilliant example of musician’s personality coming across in a performance.
Count Basie - Count Basie Swings and Joe Williams Sings
Instrumental soloist take note. Listen to vocalist. Listen to Joe Williams performance on this recording. Power, subtlety, conviction, tone…storytelling in music.
Looking for a good listen? Wondering what your jazz peers are listening to? Well, rest easy, we’ve got you covered. We regularly ask Berklee faculty, visiting artists, and other members of the Berklee community, “What are you listening to?” We want your recommendations too!
Q&A: Where is my Groove
Question - Ive got all these holes in my pocket, I lose the beat like loose change. I play to a metronome pretty often but that gets tiring and pretty monotonous, it’s harder for me to get into it and place my “grooves” with a sense of context. What are some ways to expand my groove vocabulary?
Answer - Groove, Pocket, Time-Feel, Bottom; they are all abstractions and concepts that refer to a seemingly singular ideal, make that music flow and feels good!
You have to be able to push and pull the time in various ways and drive the underlying musical form. The “feel” resonates through internal senses so you have to allow yourself to soak in all the musical happenings around you; it’s as trite as saying, “listen, and open your ears.”
The best groove ear training you can get is by playing to records, listen to how the pros do it. If you’re really listening and feeling the music pulsing, then your playing will be infected by the spirits of funky old. Learn the parts, copy them, add your own ideas, and then come up with a completely new part — you’ll have a well of ideas to draw from to keep it interesting.
Nothing can substitute for live playing with different bands, though. Take any decent gig you can get (time and sanity permitting) just to keep your hands, mind and inner soul stirring. You can jam as a duo. Bass and drum jams are incredibly beneficial while guitar and piano players can work out harmonic and rhythmic ideas. Getting into the details and you’ll hear that it opens up a whole new world. Just make sure the palette is full.
Embrace the the zen phrase “Know one thing, know one thousand”.
The metronome is incredibly important but not the last word. Records too can develop some bad habits (not even Pistol Allen or Jamerson were perfect all the time). So the most important question you need to ask yourself is, “did that line contribute to the beauty of the overall form?” Consciously focus on that question during your practice session. During a live show when the gig brings a whole new energy to your playing, just step back and listen.
You’ll suddenly find your latin rhythms cross-over into some of your jazz, and that your bebop transcriptions show you how to connect from root to root in some of your Motown style bass lines.
Now Hear This: Greg Hopkins
Greg Hopkins is a Berklee Professor, Jazz Composition & Brass; Director, Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra
Elliot Carter - 8 Etudes
Paul Hindemith - Opera “Cardillac” a live performance at the Emerson Theater
John Hollenbeck - Claudia Quintet
John Hollenbeck - The Large Ensemble
Coltrane - Like Sonny
Carl Saunders - The Lost Bill Holman Charts
Blue Mitchell - The Thing ToDo
John Adams - The Chairman Dances
Louis Andresen - De Staat
Quincy Porter - String Quartets
Guinga - (Various CDs)
Looking for a good listen? Wondering what your jazz peers are listening to? Well, rest easy, we’ve got you covered. We regularly ask Berklee faculty, visiting artists, and other members of the Berklee community, “What are you listening to?” We want your recommendations too!
Now Hear This: John McGann
John McGann is a Berklee Professor of Strings
Charlie Parker, Newly Discovered Early Recordings
We’ve read about how he shed all the classic recordings, but it’s a revelation to hear Lester Young so directly in Bird’s playing on these early recordings, some of which are duos with guitar!
Wes Montgomery, Jazz 625 (1965 UK DVD)
Wes transcends ‘guitar playing’ and plays ‘complete music’- lines that would be at home on any instrument. Unparalleled melodic invention; a round, warm but never wooly tone; and he smiles when he plays, making it look as easy as having a snack.
Django Reinhardt (Audio Archives - 20 double CD sets)
Forget the fact he only could use two fingers on his left hand for lines- he plays more music than the average player could play with 8 hands. His varied approach to phrasing and dynamics, let alone his knack for true spontaneous composition, sets him apart from the hundreds of chops-driven imitators across the globe. True elegance.
Looking for a good listen? Wondering what your jazz peers are listening to? Well, rest easy, we’ve got you covered. We regularly ask Berklee faculty, visiting artists, and other members of the Berklee community, “What are you listening to?” We want your recommendations too!
Q&A: Tri-tone Subs in a 2-5-1
Question from K.C. in New Jersey:
My question is about using subs, specifically tri-tone substitutions, in a 2-5-1 turn-around. I play guitar and am talking about creating harmonically interesting ideas during comping.
Answered by Ken Zambello
Thanks for your question! Ah yes, tri-tone subs and the 2-5-1.
First a bit of theory. When a dominant 7th chord is “functioning”, that is, moving to its 1 chord in a progression, it can be substituted with a dominant chord a tri-tone away from its root.
In the key of C a typical standard 2-5-1 would be:
D-7 / G7 / Cmaj 7
The tri-tone substitution in our example would replace G7 with the dominant chord a tri-tone away from its root resulting in Db7.
The notes that make up the Db7 chord are actually available as chord tones on G7 or as tensions on an altered G7 which is why the Db7 works as a substitution for the original 5 chord — they share the same notes:
So, let’s look at the chord tone relationships between our original 5 chord, G7, and our tri-tone substitution, Db7. Working downwards:
The b7th of Db7 = Cb (B) which is the 3rd of the G7 chord
The 5th of Db7 = Ab which is the b9th of the G7alt chord
The 3rd of Db7 = F which is the b7 of G7 chord
The Root of Db7 = Db which is the #11 of G7alt chord
The result is that you are creating a nice harmonic contrast or movement, mixing things up harmonically a little bit, but the melody remains the same. Try it out!
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