You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - This Week in Jazz - #85

Episode Date: December 21, 2018

Peter and Adam recap the latest jazz news and discuss the passing of a jazz great. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week in jazz. Yeah. I'm Adam Annes. And I'm Peter Martin. You're listening to the You'll Hear It podcast. Daily jazz advice coming at you. Coming at you this week for a new edition of our monthly series. That's right.

This week in jazz. I thought you were saying new edition. I was thinking about the great band from the 80s, new edition. I was like, come on. So this week's news was unfortunately dominated. This week in jazz news was unfortunately. unfortunately dominated by the great Nancy Wilson's passing at the age of 81, one of the Titans and icons of our music and, you know, just a beautiful artist, a beautiful woman, beautiful

spirit, beautiful soul. So we, you know, we celebrate her music, and I know a lot of people have been listening again, and she's one of those artists that no one really ever stops listening to it because she's, I love the thing that I was trying to remember what it was, and I found that she liked to be referred to as a, or at least for one period of her career, as a song stylist. And I think she kind of came up with that as opposed to jazz singer, although she never shied away from being a jazz singer, even as she did some other kinds of things.

I think she loved that term too. But song stylist is such a, you know, acute and adept way of her describing, I think, what she does, what she did. Amazing, one-of-a-kind kind of vocalist, kind of musician. You know, the outpouring that has been, you know, on social media for Nancy Wilson after a passing has been really inspiring to see, especially to see to see vocalists, you know, communicate how much that she meant to them. I mean, literally, my whole, like, social media is clogged with vocalists, like, outpouring this, you know, amazing respect for her artistry. Like one vocalist, really, really good prominent vocalist was saying, like, you know, I've studied every eyebrow movement, every smile, you know, every how she did this and how she, because that song stylist, right, that says so much about how she thought of herself and how important it is for the vocalist to convey the story of the song. And I don't know who would be better at that than her. Yeah.

You know what I mean? Yeah. And she was very stylized in what she did. But, you know, kind of. dovetelling with our theme this week, what's becoming our theme of authenticity. It was a style that was so authentically her. I got a little chance to be around her a couple of times, and

I can just say that personally she was so genuine and warm with me, and I actually got to play with her just one time. How cool is that? Yeah, and so grateful for that, but she was very, you know, she was just, you could tell was one of these people that when she sang and then you saw her just a little bit

sort of behind the scenes, It was the same person. And that's always so fun and exciting because you're, you know, she did some acting as well. So, I mean, she, you know, yeah, she knew how to do that. But in terms of, like, how she would stylize on these songs and stuff, it was very much in talking with her. I remember the same kind of thing. And she was such a beautiful woman, you know, beautiful voice, beautiful woman. And just stunning.

Stunning. Yeah. And so stylish as well. So, you know, really a huge loss. She'd been retired, you know, for quite a few years. She kind of made a decision, well, not quite a few. I guess it was seven, eight years ago or so. And, you know, I played on, I think she had several, but there was like a, a, a,

they didn't officially call it a retirement thing, but everybody knew that's what it. It was like a tribute to her at Carnegie Hall seven, eight years ago or something. And they had several focus. And she actually sang, but not, she sang only like a couple of tunes that night. And, and I did a duo performance with Diane Reeves where, you know, she sort of sang for Nancy. and she was kind of there and it was a very emotional thing. That's very cool.

But it was so great because she, like during the rehearsals and stuff, she was hanging out and she was very engaged in the whole thing. And like it was almost like a great memorial to her, but while she's still around, which I think we need to do more of that and a celebration of these great artists.

It's great to do it after their past, but it's great to do it when they're around as well. Well, that says a lot about her too that she went out, you know, while still on top of her game. Right. You know, she obviously maybe thought maybe she wasn't into it as much

or she didn't think she could do it the way she wanted to do it. That often happens. Right. I respect that a lot. Let's listen to some Nancy Wilson. Let's pick a couple of our favorites. Well, I love the, you know, I'll jump in there first because I want to grab my, you know, the Cannonball Adderly, featuring Nancy Wilson record. Actually, oh, yeah, it was Nancy Wilson, like slash Cannonball Adderly on Capitol.

It's one of my favorite all the time. Yeah, 1961, 62 right around then. Such amazing stuff. And I love all these tunes, but I was thinking about Happy Talk. Do you got that one there? See, okay. There is. Happy talk, keep talking happy talk.

Talk about things you'd like to do. You gotta have a dream if you don't have a dream or a dream come true. About a moon floating in the sky, looking like a lily on a lake. Talk about a bird, Learning how to fly Making all the music he can make

You know every Every pronunciation Every inflection Just helps propel that story Forward you know It helps you feel the music even more Really really amazing track And she was so great at like

Jumping into the groove Like the way that she She held onto the lyrics of it But really swung it in a way That was you know Definitely some Sarah Vaughan Influence but it was like very much like Nancy Wilson's like I actually as I was

listen to the way she's saying that I think that she really influenced Betty Carter as well and it's something I'm trying to remember I never heard Betty Carter necessarily talk about about but I'm sure it was and I mean what a swinging band you got a very young and Austrian Joe Zavinal on there and then of course Nat and cannonball Sam Jones on base Lewis Hayes but Nancy Wilson you know she wasn't always thought of as like a you know hardcore jazz singer like an Ele Fitzgerald or a Sarah But when you hear her in these situations, she, you know, in every way had those skills. Swing in. Swing it. Exactly. So my pick is from the George Shearing quintet featuring Nancy Wilson.

The Swingin' is mutual. Or the swingin's mutual. Sorry. This is all night long. All night long. Oh, buddy. Sorry. Never felt the softness. All of his tender kiss. Don't know if he's weak or strong. he amazing I'm just getting chills yeah and and kudos to the george shoring quintet in that arrangement that sets the I mean we're talking about

colors and textures a couple days ago yeah textures of that arrangement are great fit with her really really and the space of it and like her patience a very young nancy wilson there I was trying to remember this I remember seeing the LP that the original album cover is so great and I was trying to remember what it was I just pulled it up where they're holding each other's um records

and kind of looking back it's such a cool thing capital as well Thank you, Nancy Wilson. Yes. All the great music. Amazing. Thank you, Nancy. Be missed.

R-I-P. All right, man. I mean, I feel like we should call it. That's the biggest news in jazz right now. Yeah, that's the biggest news. I mean, the only other thing we were thinking about talking, maybe we can kind of put this off more towards coming weeks in jazz because it was like top jazz albums of the year and stuff.

Let's do that closer to New Year's. Exactly. Plus, that's when a lot of the big ones are coming out. So that'll be a good thing to look at. Awesome. Well, you can always go to you'll hear it.com to leave us a message. find a way to give us a huge starred review. Leave us a voicemail.

Get your, you'll hear it T-shirt. You can go to YouTube and leave us a comment. That's kind of where we've been directing for like direct comments. That's right. By we're checking them, I mean you're checking them. Right, but you're going to be checking them, buddy. You know what I'm saying? We've got goals for the new year.

But if you'd like to go to today's episode, we'd love, if maybe you have a favorite Nancy Wilson memory or track or video or something to share, feel free to do that because this one's really for her today. And until next time, you'll hear it.