You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - Our 7 Favorite Jazz Influencers - #173

Episode Date: August 7, 2018

Today, Peter and Adam discuss their 7 favorite influencers of the music. People who changed jazz forever. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I'm Adam Manus. And I'm Peter Martin. And you're listening to the You'll Hear at Podcasts. Daily Jazz Advice coming at you. Sponsored by Open Studio. That's right. So today we're going to talk about something that I didn't even totally know existed in the jazz world. Yeah, this was kind of a hairbrain idea.

I was trying to think of a nice list of seven of people that we might not hit upon a lot. I mean, looking at our list here, we actually do hit upon these musicians quite a bit. but it was seven of our favorite jazz influencers. I almost named the seven of our favorite jazz, quote, artists. The idea was this is a list of musicians who maybe aren't, you know, a virtuoso on their instrument, Art Tatum or someone like that, but have influenced the genre of jazz with either their arrangements or their vision or their band leading, something like that that that really change sort of. of the flow of the music, maybe their cultural influence.

So, you know, I have some suggestions here. Maybe their Instagram follower count. Well, we're not going to. This is pre that, right? No, definitely. I'm a little confused because I'm looking at the list for the first time, to be honest with you, because we like keep things spontaneous here. That's right.

That's right. That's right. But you're saying that these aren't, I'm looking at a list of pretty much seven virtuoso. I know. I know. Well, that's the thing. Yeah. So it's like a hybrid.

These are people who are beyond the playing. Beyond the band stand. Beyond the band stand. That's a great thing. They really push. Influencers beyond the bandstand. Yeah, I'm actually going to change one of these here. Oh, okay, I like it. Well, no, this is good. I think I think I got it out. So these are our seven favorite jazz influencers. Yep. Beyond the bandstand. Beyond the bandstand. Okay, sounds good. You want me to kick it off? You kick it off. Okay, number one. Duke Ellington. Who came up with this list? No, but this is exactly what I'm talking about. So, dude, I mean, he was a really great pianist. There's not out about it, but he wasn't Art Tatum. Right. You know what I mean? He wasn't a high. But his vision for the music, I mean, jazz would not have become the sophisticated art form as fast. Yep. For sure.

Absolutely. If it wasn't for Duke Ellington. Yeah, I mean, pianist, arranger, composer. Well, let's just real quick, just talk about his influence. I mean, he was almost like, you know, the CEO of the Duke Ellington Orchestra in that he had brought in Billy Strayhorn. Right. You know, not as a competitor, but as a collaborator. Think of the vision for that.

Oh, man. And I mean, to be able to get his music out there, you know, and then all the great musicians in his band, his writings about music, his interviews, you know, his eloquence speaking about the art form and then the whole ambassador side. So for sure, a number one influencer. I like it. Yeah, and that takes us to number two. This is a kind of a slouch name, Thelonius Monk. Hello. You know, again, and actually, I do consider Monca Piano Virtuoso, because the way he played is technically super hard.

And if you don't believe me, go ahead and give it a shot. Exactly. To imitate that, his groove and his sound, you know, to get that sound, the whole technique. A very personalized technique. I mean, he really created a piano technique, which is one of the most difficult things to do when there's so many great techniques already floating around out there. Exactly. But then again, his vision for, you know, composition for a style that has influenced so many generations after him,

Probably three, the next three or four generations after him, you know, can't get around his style and what he brought to that. Yeah, and I mean, I'm just seeing here too now, you know, just in terms of compositions. I think all these folks, I mean, what a great way to influence jazz, but with the compositions, you know. Yeah. And I think Monk, because he wrote things that kind of became instant jazz standards and then were either from his performances, but even often from other people performing them around midnight. Miles Davis, that recording, you know, all these great, you know, really situations where the compositions, you know, inform the influence. That's right. Yep.

So we got for number three. Number three, we have Art Blakey. Ah, that's pretty good. Yeah. So now Art Blake, this one, I love this one, this choice, because now I think we can get into, although Blakey was not necessarily known for his compositions, but he was known for. for the makeup of the band, bringing in people, having them do arrangements, him doing arrangements too, and then having a constant, steady stream of great bands led by him. Of course, he had the early career playing big band and then playing on all those great

beep-bop recordings and as a side man, but then once the Art Blakey and the jazz messengers, now you're talking about an influence that can go beyond just him. But it was always based around kind of his sound and his vibe. His book? His book. Yeah. I mean, it's like an institution. But yeah, it was like the first jazz university, really.

I mean, he really, talk about influencing generations. I mean, he influenced generations of master musicians that were in his band and then flew away and did their own thing. You know, like a baby bird leaving the nest. That's right, right. So many great musicians. I don't know if he did the whole thing with the mother bird feeding them into, that's gross, feeding into the mouth. He did it musically. He did it musically.

He did. So number four, we have the great Nina Simone. So this is a pianist and a vocalist who really transcends the genre of jazz. I mean, even though she was, I think, a phenomenal jazz musician, became somewhat of a pop star in her own right and really influenced the, you know, the political side of jazz in a time where a lot of things were going on. And, you know... I think she spoke up more than a lot of...

I mean, Duke Ellington did, too. Lewis Armstrong. But, I mean, Nina Simone really was ahead of her time in terms of political activism from a musician, especially from a female African-American artist, you know, and really put herself on the world stage with her thoughts and her eloquence in speaking out, I would say. And really influenced the way, you know, I mean, with the influence of gospel in her playing, with classical in her playing, you know, this sort of melding of all these genres, and then had pop hits on top of that. It's pretty incredible. Did you know a little factoid about Nina Simone? She lived next door for several years, for quite a few years with her family, their husband and I think two children or one child in, I guess it was Westchester County next door to Malcolm X and his family.

Oh, wow. I think that was some of her political education and discourse came from the film. So number five. Number five, Betty Carter. Nice. Yeah. So Betty Carter, I think of as, you know, maybe in terms of her influence, part of it being. along the same lines as Art Blakey

in that she was a fantastic band leader and then of course the other part a fantastic singer musician very influential in so it's like kind of two streams like she influenced all these singers and you talk to Cassandra Wilson, Diane Reeves

that you know all of our generation of singers her name always comes up really quickly along with like Sarah Vaugh but almost in a more direct way because I know for like Diane Reeves You know, she had some interaction with Ella Fitzgerald. She actually subbed a gig for her when she was like a teenager in Denver when she couldn't sing

and had a little bit, you know, with Sarah Von Too, but like with Betty Carter, it was a little bit closer influence, you know, and passing of the baton, if you will. And Betty Carter was very, you know, like all great influencers, was very individualistic. Yeah. You know, she had a very clear vision that was really her vision on how to sing, how to have a band, how to perform this music. and really in a way that almost nobody else did. I mean, she's compared a lot with Art Blakey because she hired a lot, especially when she was older, hired a lot of really young musicians

and kind of university of the Betty Carter band. I mean, that's what I think of. I think of the generations of, especially pianists. And you think about you and Benny Green and Robert Glassberg. I mean, it runs the gamut of, I mean, and so many others. Yeah, you know, the Kiser that played with her and were kind of trained up by her. Yeah.

And then she started this program that actually I just found out is still, why I knew it was still going on, but it just kind of came back in my consciousness at the Kennedy Center. I believe it originally started in Brooklyn at like the Brooklyn Academy of Music or something, but it's been at the Kennedy Center for quite a few years called Jazz Ahead. And that was like her brainchild. I mean, she talked about this from years ago about putting together a program, kind of an incubator program for young musicians and young singers. And she was always very adamant, but it was not just for young singers. It was for musicians, singers, for all together. And I'm actually going to do some, some, some, teaching and playing with that next year at Kennedy Center. It's a great two-week program, jazz ahead. And even after Betty has passed, they've kept it going and it's gotten even stronger. That's super cool. Yeah.

All right, so number six, we have Charles Mingus. I mean, again, a virtuoso basis, really an incredible basis. But I think more importantly was his influence on jazz composition on, you know, the artistic progression of jazz at a time where it was artistically popping, this was someone who stood out for his vision on making these sort of statement albums, having these bands that really performed, you know, not just head charts or whatever, but really had amazing influence on arranging and composition, incredible musician. Have you read his book, I guess it's his biography. I'm trying to remember if it's collaborative,

beneath the underdog. No, I never have. Incredible. Great, great stories, crazy stuff. interesting book. Side note. I'm going to check it out. So I think we're at number seven. Number seven. Okay. So I'm going to call an audible here. Here we go.

Here we go. And, well, because we have Wintmarsalis now, which I think is great, but I want to add one more, too. So I don't know if we're going to call these both seven or seven and eight. We'll call it seven and a bonus. But I think that I, so first of all, Winter Marcellus, I think is the most influential jazz musician of our generation. Of course. By our generation, I mean from the age of, I don't know, 18 to 72 or something. I don't know what our generation is.

But I mean, kind of now, and when we were coming up, I think, for me, when I was coming, very personally influential, but because I was around him from a young age, I saw how much he influenced a whole generation of players, you know? And then certainly, you know, can be debated his influence on the music in terms of his vision for the music. But I would say his influence on inspiring and training up, if not indirect, and in many cases directly, a whole bunch of great musicians, I think is not only admirable, but I don't know that it's ever been done. I mean, Art Blakey, Betty Carter, certainly from the bandstand,

and Wynton has done that from the bandstand. But he had a vision when he was very young, like early 20s, to go and to take the time to meet young musicians, you know, be it after a gig or at a workshop, jazz musicians, but also classical musicians back when he was doing a lot of that, playing with symphonies and stuff, but to meet with them, to inspire them, to give them great, information and to do it in a way that you thought it was like just for you yeah you know when i met him when i was 13 14 years old and he was like man check out the loniest monk and i was like you know that's a cool name okay why not this guy seems cool i'll go check it out and then i fell in love with monk's music yeah maybe i would have heard about it but he was like then always giving me the right

information at the right time yeah and but he was doing that for like 400 kids around the world It's true. And like remembering their names and like, man, how's your mom doing? I mean, he's just an amazing person, amazing musician, which we've covered before. Then, you know, with jazz at Lincoln Center, the connection to Juilliard, you know, and it just grows and grows and grows. Not to mention on top of that, all the while being, you know, definitely the most high-profile cultural ambassador that jazz has.

Absolutely. And spokesperson for the music. Yeah. one of the best interviews and, you know, articulators of his vision of the music that we've ever had. It's not maybe the best, you know. Whether you agree with his vision or not, he can articulate it in a way that's amazing. And so the bonus one I wanted to put in, and I hate to shove them both together. But that's cool because I know both of them, and they're only being compared to like Duke Ellington and Nina Simone.

So that's okay. If they share position seven. But that's Christian McBride. Who? Christian McBride. And I'm putting him to hear it because, like, I see him. in terms of not necessarily musically but influential, his

potential for influence and already his influence as being similar to Winton. I think that truly of our generation and Christian is like maybe two years younger. He's about your age. I think a couple years younger than me, but similar. No, he's between us, I guess. Right in there. But he, of our generation, I think

he has the potential and is already realizing it, but to have that same kind of outsized influence like Winton does in terms of being able to articulate a vision for the music, connect with people, you know, go beyond just the jazz world with the media. Like what he's done on NPR, I think is just incredible. I think what D.D. Bridgewater did on NPR was, it was amazing too.

We could have included her. Totally. But like people that go outside of just this kind of walled garden of jazz and can represent, like, if something were to go down where they were like, you know, jazz has been accused of terrorism. We got to interview one person to defend it. I want Christian going in for that interview. Absolutely. Yeah.

I mean, just the jazz brain that that guy has and his ability to talk about the music and to be an ambassador for the music. I agree that it's kind of similar in Winton, the charisma and the knowledge of music in general, and where jazz stands in that is on such a high level. Yeah, and I can tell everyone, like, he is real. Like when you see the interview, when you hear him doing the NPR, you know, jazz night, when you see him performing, when you hear his music, it's all the same thing as all Christian. And it's, you know, McBride is just, he's just a special person, a special talent. And we are very lucky to have him as an influencer of our music. So I like this list of a lot. And the director of the Newport artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival.

Yeah. And a member of the Open Studio roster as well. Indeed. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Okay, so I'm going to do something here that was suggested a few weeks ago that we had. And a Philadelphia Eagles fan. I'm sorry.

I just make sure to get that in there. The biggest. Biggest. No, so I'm going to do something that was suggested by a listener, Glenn, that we haven't really done. But I'm going to just recap our list. Do a little recap. Okay. Time for the recap.

So this would be the time when you could pull over and write down. Isn't that when someone was saying like, I want to recap at the end? So don't write this down. Don't text and drive. Don't write this as you. So here are seven favorite jazz influencers. Number one, Duke Ellington. Bam.

Number two, Thelonious Monk. Bam. Number three, Art Blakey. Hello. Number four, Nina Simone. What? Number five, Betty Carter. Yep, yep.

Number six, Charles Mingus. What? Number seven, Winton Marsalis. Hello. And our bonus, Mr. Christian McBride. That's pretty good what you got, Christian McBride. It's your bonus. That's right.

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