You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - What Makes This Album Great: Double Rainbow

Episode Date: April 11, 2024

In this installment of our "What Makes This Album Great" series we take a look at Double Rainbow: The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Unlock your FREE Open Studio trial to become a better player today.GALA1. Subscribe NOW (mandatory) https://link.youllhearit.com/subscribe2. Like this video (semi-mandatory)3. Leave us a comment that you've Adhered to the Agreement (optional, but appreciated)Have a question for us? Leave us a SpeakPipeCheckout courses from Adam, Peter and more at Open Studio🎹 Head over to our YouTube channel for a better look 👀.Follow us on Instagram

Hey, Peter. Yes. Well, this is nice. This is nice? Yeah. Hey, buddy. I see you got a big thick sweater on there. Yeah, but it feels too heavy for this music.

Where we're going today, you're not going to need that. It's sunny, right? And there's probably at least one rainbow. Maybe a double? Absolutely. Triple. I'm Adamanna. And I'm Peter Martin.

And you're listening to the You'll Hear It podcast. Music explained. Music explained is back. And that what we do? It is what we do. We celebrate music. And if you want to celebrate music with us, go to openstudiojazz.com and start your free trial today and check out Open Studio. If you want to learn about the engineering, the underpinnings, the way we do it, the way they do it, the way we can all do it.

I got a shout out just now from producer Caleb. He said elegant and for the transition between the soothing tones of the Joe Beam tune into the theme song. But what he didn't say was tre elegant. That would be very elegant. That would be extreme. in a European language from a far, far away land. Yeah. An ascot.

We are coming, by popular request, we are going to revisit our award-winning new feature. Oh, yes, it's won many awards already. Well, I'm looking to the future. Doesn't Downbeat have a poll for best podcast features? They should. They should. This is our recurring weekly, what makes this album great. It's our third, I believe.

Is that correct? This is our third. I know we did Herbie Hancock last time. Emprian. Emprian. Empirian. Empirian. Imperial Isles.

And of course, we started out with the great. Bologna's Monk. Right, alone in San Francisco. Yeah. Delonious Alonis. We've had some crazy titles so far, because even just now you said, Imperial Isles. And it's Imperian Isles.

Well, not this week. It's Double Rainbow, the music of Antonio Carly. Actually, it's Double Rainbow, colon. This is like a Chad GPC title before its time, like 40, 30 years before. Double Rainbow, colon, the music. of Antonio Carlos Jobing. And that's one of our title is one of our

criteria. It'd be like, Chat, DBT, I want to title from my new album. It features all compositions by Antonio Carlos Jobbeam, and I wanted to have a sunny flavor

to it. And it would say, double rainbow. That's right. Yeah. That's right. But this is, I love this record.

I've loved it since it came out. Who's my? Joe Henderson. There we are you. The great Joe Henderson. Therve Records, mid-90s, I think,

came out in 95, was recorded in 94. Yeah. I was very close by when this was So I have a little bit of... And what do you by close by? I was physically in the city of New York

when they were recording it. I almost went by the studio. I should have. Christian McBride's on this record, a bunch of great people. I chickened out or had something else to do, which would have been fun. But it's a classic record.

So Joe Henderson did three... Well, he did a bunch of records for Verve. But in the mid-90s, he did three kind of pinnacle tribute records. One for Miles. One for Joe Beam. and one for Billy Strayhorn. I think Strayhorn was the first one,

which was a really cool record. He really had a dream mid-career, Joe Henderson. He did, because he had a strong, early part of his career. But that 90s period, this is some of his best music. It was fantastic. And I heard this record, of course,

I've heard this a lot, but I heard him touring with a slight adjustment to the band that's at the beginning. There's two different bands on this record. There's actually kind of three in a way. Hence double rainbow. Maybe.

I don't know. But I heard this them tour with, actually with Elio Alves, on piano who's not on the record but is an open studio artist. Open studio artists and friend of the pod. Anyway, just to say that like a lot of my memories of Joe Henderson

were from this period playing this repertoire so beautifully and anyway, we'll get into the story about it when we get to eight lore. So we refresh them on our 10-part criteria. So we have our criteria that we're rating this record on. We have playing, vibe, compositions,

sound, sequence, cover art, title, lore, snobometer, and Which is our proprietary one. It is. And is it better than kind of blue? Yes. So shall we jump right in?

Let's get into playing here. Okay. Okay. So like I said, there's two different bands. The two different rhythm sections, of course, with Joe Henderson. The first four or five, four tracks feature Elaine Elias, Elian Elias, the fantastic Brazilian pianist, who I just saw recently on the jazz crews, killing it as always, along with Paulo Braga, who was a fantastic drummer who toured with him a bunch of Brazilian,

and Nico Assumseo. So let's listen to a little bit of this dreamer. Well, let me turn up the volume a little bit. So a bunch of like lesser-known Joe beam compositions on this record, which I think is fun. He's already writing. Full eye contact, as I wrote that. Okay, let me play just excerpts from three.

There's basically three different instrumentations. There's the rhythm section, this sort of Brazilian rhythm section, we'll call it, with Joe, which is of course quartet. Then there's one track, I believe it's just one. I love this. I remember hearing them do it. Oster Castro Nevis. Shout out

Oscar Castro Nevis. Fantastic guitarist, and I knew a little bit from this period. He's no longer with us, but one of the great Brazilian jazz guitars. He co-produced this record, really put a lot of the music together along with Joe and the whole approach. Because, well, we'll get into that with lore. But he does one, they do one duo. And they used to do this live a bunch. And I believe Joe Henderson had been playing.

I know he's been playing back in the 70s. even back to the 60s, once I love, which of, of course, one of Joe Beans' most famous songs, unlike a lot of these that are lesser notes. With a beautiful intro. I love this too. Oh, so good. Okay, so that's, I just wanted to hit for the playing, the three different things. And then we've got, um, Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Jack D. Janette on photograph with Joe Henderson.

Is Jack D.J. You're not here? A young Christian McBride, maybe 21, 22 years old. This is some of my favorite Herbie. I always forget about this right here when we're talking about Herbie, but I think it's some of his best, I think it's some of his best playing on record. So what are we going to give the playing, Peter? Okay, I'm going 10. I'm also going 10.

I noticed you jumped ahead a little bit. I have already finished my score right here. So playing is 10. I just wanted to show the three different configurations in case there was some crappy playing when we got to Joe Henderson, I mean to Jack Dijanette and Christian McBride. Yeah, like that was going to happen. Turns out that didn't happen. Okay, vibe.

I'm going, I'm also going 10. The vibe of this album is unbelievable. It's so good already, right? We've got to pick some worse albums. We've done three so far and they've all been. We're lovers, not haters. They've all been iconic albums and this is one of them. The vibe here is a 10 out of 10.

It truly is. Let me just play just a little bit of what I actually think is the, I already have 10 as well. but this I think will push it above 10 because to me the vibe on this We can't go above 10, Peter it's a scale to 1 at 10 Okay, let's just listen to that core Just listeners, if I let him

Peter would start pushing up to 11 and then he'd have to go 12 You know the 7 stars, go ahead Okay, check out this, this was chord This tells you the vibe And this will inform our sound as well Okay Just crazy

So good Throw the pen away Are they in time or the out of time? We don't care Okay Vive is a 10 Compositions. Are we on La Blonde Beach right now?

Am I chilling with a Kuiperinian in my hand in January? I wish we were. I wish we were. Come on, man. All right. So, vibe 10. Compositions. Now, we didn't listen to every composition, but they're all, and these are not the most known,

a couple of them are, like the ones I love we listen to, but these are not, Tresti. This is my first 10 for compositions. I'm going 10, too. They're all really good. They're all really good. I mean, you know, Joe Beam is a master. He's one of the great composers of all time of the 20th century, certainly. Transcends jazz, but has a lot of connection with jazz.

And these are 10s. And they're, I think also, like, Joe Henderson treats them in a way that you can't ignore how good the compositions are. Right. Sound, Peter, this is the first time for me, too. I'm going 10 out of 10. Wow. This sounds incredible. That saxophone sound is amazing.

And it's a 90s sound for sure. Yeah. But it's, I think this is one of the, and I think Verve in the 9. was crushing sound, by the way. Shout about Richard Seidel, who produced, co-produced along with Oscar Castro Nevis, but also Joe Moss, who was a great, great engineer on this.

To me, for this era, this is a 10-10. I'm going nine on sound, only because this, I agree, it's very indicative, evocative of that era. To me, this is a very actively mixed record, which for me, it's not like a huge deal, but I'm not as big of a fan of that. where I mean it's fun sometimes

like when it brings different things out but to me it gives it just the I mean this is a teeny detail that's why I'm only going to nine but it gets it a little bit like out of balance the way it would actually sound when you're hearing them in a way that's just slightly unnatural to me but I mean the sound of each instrument I mean there's not there's

10 out of 10 for that piano chord is unbelievable yeah so that's more about the mix really so for me so far I've got playing 10 vibe 10 composition 10 sound 10 I'm all tens next we come to the sequence the track sequence okay sequence I'm going 10 on this I've listened to this record from beginning to end. Actually, I never listened to this on record.

It's always been like CD or streaming. Yeah, so I don't know if it was even released. Oh, yeah, I guess it wouldn't have been released on record. So I was the only thing I was going to say, like, I don't know what it's like in terms of turning the record over. But the sequence, I think, is fantastic. And it's so hard when you have, like, two different bands. And I think the way that they placed the duo, guitar, saxophone duo right in the middle at five. I always love what's in the middle of a record, like kind of what's the centerpiece, if you will.

That's such a great transition. between the two different rhythm, something that could have been awkward because they approach, it's like the unifying thing, obviously, is Joe Henderson and Antonio Carlos Schopen, the music, right?

The compositions and the lead artist. They're the only things that are on everything on this record. So making that transition as the rhythm section goes from incredible, but different to the other one, I think they pulled it off great.

I have eight for the sequence. I think it's really, really good, but I think it could be, not perfect. A low B. B minus. Next up is cover art. Peter,

controversial here for me. me, but I put a five. Can we take a look at it? I put a five for the cover art, and you can, if you're listening to it, you can Google the cover art, double rainbow. Well, you can just look at it right there, my friend. Yeah, I mean, to me, it's two, there's just two, there's a hat on a hat, first of all. This is the 90s, though. This is the 90s. It's, um, I think it's a great picture of Joe, uh, Joe Henderson. It's about it. Oh, it's a couple of pictures of them. Yeah, there are some hats on a hat. It's a hat on a hat. But it's very, I like the, I'm going six. I like it. I can tell I like it a little more.

No, five. actually you know what going inside title I'm going eight it's good not great it would be for me it would be a nine or ten

is the chat GPT pulling it down yeah it is actually it would be a nine or ten if it was just double rainbow I agree yeah and there's nothing wrong

with saying the music of it feels like the music of Antonio Carlos Jobbe might have been put on by a verve A&R you know and it was part of the series

or whatever okay lore so let me tell you a little story about this this record was supposed to be now this is a little bit like as I'm remembering it and stuff but I know that this is this is based on some truth with a grain of salt please

it was going to be a collaboration between Joe Beam and Joe Henderson they had been planning this they had played together and that was going to be what the I remember Richard Seidel talking about that it was going to be like playing the music of each others maybe but mostly Joe Beam stuff and this was right around the time that Joe Beam died. Now if

I were to Google that and find out that Joe Beam died 10 years later, that's going to kind of screw me up. But I don't think that's the case. 1994, exactly. Okay, so I was correct. Anyway, I remember this. Like, they had been talking for a couple of years because I was involved with some other, I played on some Verve records right during this time.

Some of my first records, like with Johnny Griffin, Roy Hargrove and stuff. So, and I, you know, I was kind of adjacent to some of these records and when they were making them. So I was actually shortlisted a couple of, one of these, Joe. I don't know if I'm not sure. Are you serious? Oh, man. Got beaten out by another great young pianist. But anyway, so the idea was that it was going to be them together.

So when he passed, like they pivoted it. I don't know exactly how that happened. But I love this idea of who they brought in, the different rhythm sections, bringing some younger music. Well, Christian McGrath was really the only really younger musician. But that's sort of like the real story behind it. And I think that idea, even if it's not widely known, to me, pushes it to like a nine on the lore.

Also, just remembering how important this record was for Joe Henderson for the night for Verve. And like even though these mega hits like with Shirley Horn that went in Miles played on and stuff right before this, like this was a real kind of breakthrough of a little bit of an insider up to that point. Like a master getting his due. That's right. I'm putting a nine for lore because of that master getting his due element to this because it's a Joe Henderson. It's not a comeback by any means.

But it's like, holy cow, this guy has been into his career for a couple decades now. he is making the best music of his life and it's really, really high quality. Yeah. To me, and then this added story, which I didn't know about until just now, yeah, of the Joe Beam connection there is. Yeah, and also, I think it's kind of a little bit of a bookends with Joe Beam pass and then obviously his music continuing on even bigger than ever now and beloved,

but his connection with jazz, which has always been a two-way thing. He's influenced jazz, jazz, influenced him, blues, just American music. Joe Beam talked about that a lot when he was younger, that whole generation of Brazilian musicians. But the idea that, like, another set, saxophone player back in the 60, I guess early 60s, mid-60, you know, the Stan Gets Yeah.

Record that really popularized... Getskebetto. Yeah, Getskebelto, that popularized jazz and the Boston Ova thing in a big way. Not just that. There was other records, too, and there was stuff, and there was the movie and stuff. But then, like, this is kind of a nice marker, some 40 years later, 30 years later, whatever it was, of another saxophone player coming at it from a different place, like really pulling it even further into jazz, bringing Herbie Hancock as the sideman.

I know. Hello. I know. And then a young Christian McBride who would become kind of the master of our generation. Jack Dejan, I mean, Elaine Elias, one of the best Brazilian jazz pianos. Yeah, totally. So that's, it's a lot of different things.

Actually, I would almost go 10 with lore. It's close. It's close. Yeah. I'm going to stay with nine. Okay. The snobometer. I have it as a seven.

I have it as a seven on the snobometer. I think jazz snazs would like it. Refreshment of the snobo meter. I get very confused. But I think jazz snobs would not admit that it's one of their favorite records because of the Boston Nova element to it. Do you know what I mean? Oh, but I think I'm going to go eight.

And the reason is because you're right. But I think a lot more, a lot of others would say, oh, but this is the most authentic jazz reading of this music that could be less snobby. Like it's almost a snobby approach to, it could be, I don't think this. I don't know what I'm saying. But it could be like a snobby approach to Joe Beam's music, like really, because it's not his biggest hits. It's got a couple of them. That's true.

You know what I'm saying. I could see where the, okay, I could see where you're right. Does that make it lower or higher? It makes it higher. It makes it. If the snobs like it, it's high. Right, right. But Aunt Linda would love this.

I think we're taking Aunt Linda out of the equation. It's not about if the masses love it. It's about if the snobs love it. Because the snobs will love something that's good, even if the mass is loved it. Is it the snobomber meter or the aunt Linda? No, it's the snobo meter. Okay.

Finally, is it better or worse? Oh, okay. Is it better or worse than kind of blue? Wait, wait, let me think about it. If you put down your answer to this? Yes. Don't say it. Don't say it.

Okay. I'm going to put. Come on, buddy. What does your gut tell you? I'm going yes. Whoa. I'm going, it's better. For me, for me.

It's a great record. It is not better than kind of blue. What? No. It is not. Okay. But for you, it is. But it's not for me.

This is an A level record. I'm not saying that it's not an A level record. I'm just saying to me, it is I don't enjoy it more than I enjoy Kind of Blue. I'm sorry. It's number 10. Do you enjoy it more than K? Or is it? Is it better than it?

It is not. In my opinion, it's not. Okay. Is this subjective? Okay. Shall we add up our scores? Let's do it. Okay.

We got it. All right. I'll go first. Ready? My total score? Yep. 77 favorite track, Triste. Okay.

That's very good. Again, a solid C. It's not a C. But I have noted now that all three of my scores have been in the upper 70s. That's right. Right. My total score is in 89. Whoa, that's a good score.

Which is might as well be. Enough. Peter Martin. For those of you who don't know, Peter Martin once, no, Kelly Martin said that. I got that from Kelly Martin. She told one of our children.

They brought home a B plus. A B plus, it might as well be enough. Yeah, they're like, it might as well be an F. Okay, anyway, 89. My favorite track, happy madness, that duo with her. It's a great track. But I mean, I could have, could have been any of them.

Really. All right. Well, I think next time, yeah. That's a great record, man. It's a great record. Next time we might do, we might do something in the 70s, maybe pick something in the 70s.

From the 70s? Well, all yours are in the 70s. Well, that's my score. It's my score. Until then, happy practicing. You'll hear it. Oh, right.