You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - 7 Standards to Start

Episode Date: April 21, 2020

Today, Peter and Adam answer one of the most frequently asked questions: what standard(s) do I NEED to know? You can hear them all with our Spotify playlist right here.7 Standards to Start"Blue Monk" - Thelonious Monk"Autumn Leaves" - Cannonball Adderley"Blue Bossa" - Joe Henderson"All the Things You Are" - Charlie Parker"Body and Soul" - Coleman Hawkins"On Green Dolphin Street" - Miles Davis"Song for My Father" - Horace SilverBONUSIn light of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, we understand that money is tight for a lot of people right now. That's why we've decided that for the duration of this crisis, we'll be running a Choose What You Pay campaign at Open Studio. Choose whichever course you want and then let us know how much you're willing to pay - that's it. For more info, click this link.Interested in more music advice? Go here to browse our catalog of jazz lessons and courses available for purchase. And be sure to check out our All Access Pass - every course from Open Studio on every instrument.Let us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hey, Peter. Hey, Adam. Hey, picture it. It's 915 on a Monday night. Yeah. The house band just finished their set that no one really cared about. Yeah. And the gym session is starting.

Let's do it. I'm Adam Manus. And I'm Peter Martin. And you're listening to the You'll Hear Podcast. Daily music advice coming at you. Coming at you today. We're sponsored by Open Studio. Go to Open Studio Jazz for all your jazz course needs.

We're still doing our Choose What You Pay option during this weird time where we're all at home and we need some things to work on. Wait, I thought this podcast was free. What's that? I thought the podcast was free. Oh, the podcast is free. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, this is totally free. You don't have to choose anything. You choose free for this. No, I'm talking about for open studio courses. We have elements of solo piano by Jeffrey Kieser. I just came out with jazz chords for beginners that's proving to be pretty popular. Of course, we have Peter Martin's jazz piano for beginners,

elements of jazz piano, jazz piano method. We are rolling along. here. And we don't want price to be a barrier for any of you right now during these crazy economic and weird global times. So please go to Open StudioJazz.com and choose what you pay. Yeah, but this ain't going to go on forever, though. Once y'all start getting those big fat stimulus checks and everything, we're back to full price. You know what I'm saying? Our sympathies have limits. No, we're just kidding. So today we're talking about seven standards to start. And we're talking about this because, Peter, we've been doing so much live streaming as part of Open Studio.

You know, we do our daily podcast, but since a lot of people aren't in their cars on their commutes anymore, we wanted to reach the people. A lot of people are on their computers, on their Facebooks, on their Instagrams, on their YouTube. So we've been doing a lot of live streams. Open Studio have been live streaming pretty much every day. And you and I did two live streams this weekend,

one on Instagram on Saturday, which we're going to do every Saturday. So check it out at, I think it's at 1 p.m. Central, 2 p.m. Eastern time. And actually, folks, you can go to, open studio jazz.com slash live to see what the weekly schedule and just in case we adjust the times but we'll try to stick to those general ones but and if you're an open studio member we have our Sunday green room zoom hang that was pretty special that was awesome the inaugural one was yesterday yesterday we had our zoom hang with about 50 of our closest open studio members and uh we had diane reeves in there we had jeffre keiser we had uh rubin rogers i mean it was a real hang romero lobombo

is awesome. Yeah. And we're going to have some, you know how we're going to do that? We're going to have some, it's going to be a surprise each week who's in there. Yeah, we can't announce.

But just if you're an open studio member, look for those Zoom hangs every Sunday. But we, I mean, I can't, I can neither confirm nor deny that John Legend is going to be there on this coming Sunday.

I'm just saying, I'm just saying. And Beyonce, I mean, these are just artists. Wait, if John Legend is there, is Chrissy Teagan going to be there? Because that's all I really care about. I can neither confirm nor deny that.

Oh my gosh. Anyway, but in both of these live stream events, we had the same question come up. Can you name some standards that you should start with if I'm a beginner?

So we've actually done our 17 favorite standards and all that, but we've not done, Peter, a listing episode of our like Spotify playlist. So we put together Spotify playlist of seven sort of jam session standards

and we actually have a bonus too, so there's eight, but seven jam session standards and some recommended recordings. And these are really kind of basic Bob recordings of a lot of these standards. But these are where most jazz musicians

start. with this, right? Like, if you don't know, if you haven't checked out at least a little bit, these versions, then you might be left behind, especially at a jam session where most likely a lot of people are coming at these from these versions. Right. And then our hope is too that if you maybe some of these tunes, you know, maybe you don't. But if you kind of know when you want to brush up during this downtime, brush up on some of these tunes, maybe you're not familiar with these versions because we really think these are very good reference versions as well. And they, yeah, They're basic Bob, but they're also some of our favorite recordings.

Although there's one, we're not going to mention it, that we turn out we both of us are not crazy about, but it's great. It's a great recording too, right? Yeah, but you have to know it. Yeah, you do. You got it. All right, so let's get going. So we started with our entry.

This is Blue Monk from Thelonius Alone in San Francisco. Peter, why this version for Blue Monk? You know what? This is the version that I kind of accurately learn this tune from. So I'm always partial to it, but I think, I just love the sound of this whole record. There's two, well, there's many great solo monk recordings, but on Riverside. But the Stonis alone in San Francisco and Solo Monk, those two records.

I love the sound. I love just the way he plays solo piano. I did a bunch of transcribing off of this back in the day when I could barely hear it. I love the cover of this. I hopefully, yeah, they'll be able to see it on the Spotify playlist, link below. But its graphic design is just amazing. But in terms of accuracy of learning this tune, easy tune to learn from like the fake book or whatever or from somebody else playing it.

But if you check out the variations that he plays of the melody like rhythmically. I mean, he's pretty locked in on like what the melody is, but there's a couple of variations like do-boo-do-d-de-d-st-bo-bo-be. And the different times he chooses. And you can listen to a bunch of monk recordings and he does it differently. But it gives you an idea about what your choices and what's kind of built into the tune and what's not. And you can get those harmonies, you know, the thirds and that kind of stuff. It's a very monk version. I think it's a great version to start with. As it would be, as it's by monk.

Number two is jam session standard, of course, autumn leaves. And I think the definitive version is this one by Cannonball Adderly from something else features. It's basically the Miles Davis quintet. But let's check it out. I love it. I love it. If you're a piano player, I would also recommend Keith Jarrett's live from the Blue Note standards. That's my second favorite version. But this one is classic. Learn that intro.

It's so handy to have and it just creates such a great vibe. Yeah, man, Paul Chamber, I mean, there's a lot of great things happening all over the place. But the authority and confidence that he comes in with right after Miles plays that break and the intonation and the sound. Very good. Very good. All right, number three. This is one, this is a tune I don't play much anymore since I've been off the jam session circuit. but and it gets a bad rap this tune.

It's a fun tune to play. It gets a bad rap amongst professionals, but the original version here by Joe Henderson, Blue Bossa, is pretty brilliant. Yeah. And I love McCoy's comping on that as well. It's so great. It's so active and appropriate.

That's what comes to mind, you know? So killing. Yeah, I actually love that recording. That's such a great, the whole album, page one is so good. Check it out. really learn that, see if you can learn that tune. If you don't know it already, see if you can learn it from that recording

and not from a lead sheet. Yeah, and even if you know it, go back, listen to this recording and just play it. Like, this is a good one to sort of blast and play along with, and you might not have learned the phrasing the first time. Oh my gosh.

And like try to comp with McCoy or learn his phrasing how he comps there. That's a real art form, the way he's doing that right now. Yeah. Number four, all the things you are, just a beautiful tune. Our buddy Romero Lubombo yesterday mentioned

that he, when he sits down and sometimes he doesn't know what to play or practice, he just plays this. I thought that was very telling of how I love, I still love playing this tune. I think it's just a timeless, beautiful tune. I never get tired of it for some reason. I get tired of most things, but not this tune. Right. I think it just has a wealth of information and possibilities.

This is all the things you are. And we're going to do a bird's version, Charlie Parker's version. Learn the intro. You know, with all of these that we're listening to today, Peter, it strikes me at how much more beautifully they're played than we often hear at Jam Sessions. Yes. That's, well, and that's part of, you know, hopefully the kind of rediscovery thing, especially of some of the ones that give you the, you know, when they're mentioned,

give you the kind of, you know, I mean, there's ones like we put it like take the A train, sat and doll that when you go back and check out some OG and great recordings of Innocent. Well, that's always beautiful. But, I mean, it's like, you know, it's up to us to be reinvigorated. and what versions we're going to connect with, you know. Then you can go on wherever you want, but if you're not feeling inspired about it, it's like, you know. And again, check out the Spotify playlist.

We have a link in the description so that you can check this out and listen to all these versions. And then check out the rest of the records while you're there, you know? I mean like all of Spotify? All of Spotify. Check out the rest of the rest of the record. While you're at the record store, just go ahead and browse around. It is Spotify, man.

It's hard not to check out everything. Okay. So this next one, this is. kind of controversial because this is classic. Everybody recognizes that this is the definitive version of body and soul, Coleman Hawkins, but you and I are both a little like, you know. Yeah. Okay, we talked about... What? Sorry, sorry. I like this intro, though.

It is really vibey, though. It is. the crisp two feel of this version. You know what? I'm loving this now. This is exactly what we're talking about. See, now we're taking our own medicine. Yeah, that's right. Reengaging, I wasn't mature enough when I was... This is incredible.

It's pretty much blowing over this whole... I know. I know. Yeah, so not as much of a reference recording as I've remembered, but... The feel is incredible. If you learn the melody from this and then went to a jam session, you might be in trouble. They'd be like, wow, you're really good, but you don't know the tune. Maybe that's the problem with this tune is the melody is just not as good as what Coleman Hawkins just blows over. Exactly.

But that's, I think, the vibe. And I think why saxophone is really, this is such a pivotal kind of seminal recording. I get it now. I really do. I mean, it's just beautiful and musical. But I mean, for saxophone, it's a lot of the techniques. and I'm thinking about like all even Bramford Marsalis and Joshua Redman and Chris Potter and all of our kind of contemporary great saxophone players that are around now you really hear

Joe Henderson like I'm here influence on approach you know so that was some this some some some OG foundational saxophone right there for sure okay next is Miles Davis's version of Green Dolphin Street now this wasn't the the our first choice version we couldn't find it on Spotify and it's from live at the plaza and that is a great version with that interesting Oh, you know what? I just remember it. I think I was screwing up that intro. That's actually love for sale.

I was going to say, yeah. I was confusing that. Because Bill Evans played the same intro pretty much every time. Yes, yeah. Well, it was a damn good intro, so that's not wrong with that. So let's check it out. This is from 58 miles. This is on Green Dolphin Street.

Can we just take a second and just listen to those first few bars again. Listen to that first phrase. Listen to the, listen to the, also to the tuning of the piano or lack thereof. Not great. Not great. No, but that's just the first chord in, okay, that's when you know you got a good voicing and good touch when the piano's out of tune and before he even goes on to the next chord, it's already happening. Yep. That little contrary motion. Yeah.

And talk about independence of the hands and voicing and stuff. Like he's playing that. Okay, we're not going to go total geek piano here because he's about standards. But that left-hand baseline, he's like really sublimating, playing with a totally different kind of touch than what he's playing at the top. Let's hear that again. fun. Let's just listen this over and over again. All the lines, all the counter melodies. Just the slightest bass thing.

With there been to Keith Jared, there was no Bill Evans. Just learn that. Just learn that intro. Learn that. Take two pills and call me in the morning. This is a dope recording, though. Fours too. So you know something about this that's, and we should do a thing of like just intros and like how you like everybody's entrance on there i mean we talked about bill evans when he first starts with that first chord but then the next kind of structural thing that he does i mean all

that amazing counterlines and stuff but then when he sets up the time that's so brilliant the way he does it and then the way pc comes in and is this probably jimmy cobb right yeah jimmy cobb so yeah and then my like everybody's coming and not only at the right time but in the right way let's hear that again yeah yeah i mean just so seamless and just And I love how Miles hangs out a little bit here. Oh, man. He comes in late. He comes in wrong, but it's right.

You're late, Miles. If coming in late is wrong, then I don't want to be right. But it's swinging like crazy. But it sets it up so well, him coming in late, like so that when he gets to that moment a pedal, like it's almost like then it's set. It adds to the drama of the structure. So the pedal harmonically, right, naturally. is sort of spacey. Yeah, and a little nebulous.

Yeah. So it makes sense that Miles is kind of floating over that, and then he just turns on the swing. And the phrase there is incredible. Yeah. Triple tag every time. And then Miles, on that break, sets up the pedal. You know, he kind of, he's swinging hard,

and then he kind of falls a little bit nebulous on the time, phrasing-wise, so that brings in that next. Oh, man, it's a lot of structural stuff. Is it possible for the most, famous and renowned band of its time to still be underrated? I feel so. All right, let's go to our number seven. This is a jam session classic.

I don't pull this one as much either, but this is so good. Song for my father, Horace Silver. Yeah. Realizing, man, I don't think, for whatever reason, Horace Silver in St. Louis jam sessions, where we are. Yes. He's never a big presence. You know what I mean?

Not in our scene. There are other people who are, but, you know, I don't hear a lot of Horace Silver in a lot of the jam sessions around here. I love that tune, though. Yeah, it's a great tune. And this one's a good one to go back. Oh, I know it. I know it.

I'm sick of it. Whatever. No, no, no. Go back to this OG version and learn the harmonies. If you know the melody, learn that, learn the harmonies. For you know, pianist or whatever, because that kind of gives you a new insight until, you know, how it's laid over the harmony. The harmonies of the melody is what I'm talking about and how that interacts with the

structural harmony. The other voices that are playing with the melody. Yeah. Yeah. It's so good. Yeah, it's true. All right. Well, this is great. We have one more bonus. But before we do, just want to mention, again, go to, well, go to a couple places. You go to openstudiojazz.com. Check out our choose what you pay offer. And then go to slash live from there. And check out all of our live stream events that we have. We have something happening almost every day. If you remember, we have something happening every day. We have somebody alive in the company every day. For sure. And also, we should mention, we're always adding to this. Like, this is just where we've started. And so we want to be doing. more of these live things for our members and for just the general public too because you know got to connect with the people Pete we can't be isolated here yeah that's right like we say we you know socially distanced but we're staying spiritually connected okay and that we're doing that through the music

through the podcast through the recordings do everything actually I have a way that we could just be live all the time I think we're going to come over a gentleman in a white hazmat suit is going to show up at your house in about an hour to install some security cameras on the interior of the room that you're in if you don't mind it's going to be like big brother stream. It's my whole life. He is big and he's a brother, but don't let that make you be scared or any connection to the book. No, but he's going to install some surveillance cameras and people can just see you live all the time and your family because you're in your dining room as it were.

Sounds great. Well, until tomorrow, you'll hear it.