From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2014 #410 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Website:http://www.jonimitchell.com Unsubscribe:mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe onlyJMDL Digest Friday, December 5 2014 Volume 2014 : Number 410 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Peter Erskine on drums throughout MINGUS [simon@icu.com] RE: Kurt Elling recorded "River" ["Susan E. McNamara" ] Re: Kurt Elling recorded "River" ["Mark" ] Re: Kurt Elling recorded "River" [Bob.Muller@Fluor.com] Re: Liner notes... [Dave Blackburn ] Re: Liner notes... ["Mark" ] Re: Kurt Elling recorded "River" [Bob Muller ] Kurt Elling recorded "River" [Laurie Antonioli ] Re: onlyJMDL Digest V2014 #406 [Paul Ivice ] Re: Mingus, LHMF, etc [Dave Blackburn ] RE: Mingus, LHMF, etc ["Susan E. McNamara" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 11:16:45 -0500 From: simon@icu.com Subject: Peter Erskine on drums throughout MINGUS Dave Blackburn wrote > It's Peter Erskine on drums throughout Mingus, Sue. > The Tony Williams takes are still in the vault somewhere. Dave, I'm sure you know, but other JMDL members might want to read a chapter from Peter Erskine's recent book. NO BEETHOVEN An Autobiography & Chronicle of WEATHER REPORT B) 2013 Here's (below) is the text. AndSoItGoes, - - - - - - - - - simonM ABOUT THE AUTHOR Peter Erskine has played the drums since age four and is known for his versatility and love of working in different musical contexts. He appears on 600 albums and film scores, and has won two Grammy Awards, plus an Honorary Doctorate from the Berk.lee School of Music. Thirty albums have been released under his own name or as co-leader. He has played with the Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson Big Bands, Weather Report, Steps Ahead, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Diana Krall, Kenny Wheeler, The Brecker Brothers, The Yelloajackets, Pat Metheny and Gary Burton, John Scofield, et al, and has appeared as a soloist with the London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Frankfurt Radio, Scottish Chamber, Royal Opera House, BBC Symphony and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. Peter has been named 'Best Jazz Drummer of the Year' ten times by Modern Drummer magazine. Peter graduated from the Interlachen Arts Academy and studied at Indiana University under George Gaber. He is currently Professor of Practice and Director of Drumset Studies at USC. Peter is married with two children and lives in Santa Monica, California. LIVING IN CALIFORNIA Weather Report was definitely a door opener. Shortly after joining the band, I moved to Los Angeles from my temporary digs in Wewoka, Oklahoma (where my just-divorced Mom had moved in order to live close to her sister and niece. My parents wound up remarrying each other again a few years later!). By that time, I had already appeared on three recordings, thanks to Jaco and/or Wayne. When Joni Mitchell called Jaco to collaborate on the Charles Mingus project she had been working on and wrestling with, having recorded and re-recorded the same tunes with a number of different bands, Jaco insisted that I be the drummer. His insistence was good enough to get me on the album. I also played on Michel Colombier's eponymous album as well as on a Jon Lucien recording (my drum tracks did not make it to album release). With my relocating to L.A., renting a small house in Encino, I was all set to begin life as both a member of Weather Report and life apart from the band as a free-lance musician. Joni Mitchell's MINGUS album is memorable for many reasons, first and foremost because of Joni. She recounts our first meeting in a book, describing how Joe and Jaco were athletically tossing a Frisbee inside the confines of an S.I.R. rehearsal studio and that, when the high-velocity Frisbee would be directed at me, I would shrink away in fear so as not to possibly jam a finger (much like my basketball/gym class in high school) - mea culpa for being a wuss, but now might be a good opportunity to explain that during my Little League tryout I got hit in the forehead by a line drive and have forever since been ball-shy. But Frisbee-shy though I was, Joni took a chance on me drumming-wise. And I was, of course, a huge fan not only of HEJIRA but also of her earliest works, notably BLUE, and feeling grateful for all of the lonely nights that music got me through. Longtime producer and engineer Henry Lewy was at the helm in A&M Studio D. Add Jaco to this and I was in heaven. Wayne came in on the second day to play with us and to overdub on what we did on day one. We recorded everything in two afternoons. The pianist at the first day's session was British arranger Jeremy Lubbock. After we cut the first tune, "Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat,b Jaco came over to me and said, "Who is this guy? I'm going to call Herbie and see if he's in town.b So Jaco ran off to the telephone and called Herbie Hancock and essentially invited him to the session to take over. I seem to recall that Jaco got Joni's blessings before or during this whole process; it all happened very quickly. The take with Jeremy was good, and of course it was awkward when he found out that Herbie was on his way, but by then it was too late. So he left and Herbie entered and promptly replaced the piano on "Pork Pie" with Jaco smiling like crazy in the control room. We were all smiling and now all in on the conspiracy - no regrets and full steam ahead. We cut the rest of the album in fairly short order, a considerable achievement if not hasty, as the Mingus compositions are not the easiest songs to wrap one's head around - these were the longest song forms I'd ever encountered, and I'm still not sure that I was up to the task. My contribution, if any, was to be a good anchor for Jaco. I also came up, unwittingly, with the rhythmic solution for the blues tune "Dry Cleaner From Des Moines,b which was not enjoying much success in its previously recorded bebop form. Sitting at the drums between takes of another song, I started playing around with a beat that I first heard on a Gabor Szabo album that Bernard "Pretty" Purdie played drums on (an oddity titled Jazz Raga; the tune was "Walking On Nailsb), but I was using brushes instead of sticks, as Purdie had done. So I was just sitting there, amusing myself by playing and experimenting with this, when Henry Lewy came running out of the control room and yelled, "Keep playing that same beat!" Then he ran to get Jaco and we cut the basic track to "Dry Cleaner" in fairly short order - first take, as Jaco preferred - and the thorny question of how to record that blues was solved. Jaco wrote the horn chart and recorded it later at Tom Scott's Crimson Sound studio in Santa Monica (former home to the Beach Boys' studio, with lots of "hippie wiring" still extant by the time we were in there, according to engineer Hank Cicala). That triplet ending? Jaco played it, as he had done for the intro, and just gave me a wink to cue me for the end. However the album is judged artistically, I feel that it showed remarkable bravery on Joni's part to put her imprimatur on this music in the midst or arc of her pop album career. Joni has great artistic integrity. The album also marked an interesting point in the use of electric instruments to play jazz, the Mingus collaboration putting a spotlight on the musical sensibility and aesthetic choices made with electric bass and piano - and the success or failure of that - and put a spotlight on the whole jazz-meets-pop thing that still resonates today. It's not the easiest album to listen to, but I give Joni high marks for it. As far as I know, it began her musical relationship with Herbie Hancock and was also the starting point for the tour the following summer that would result in the "SHADOWS And Light" video. By the way, that was supposed to be Weather Report on that tour. Jaco had helped to set everything up, and Joni and her management agreed to have Weather Report open the concerts with a set, to be followed by our backing her on the Mingus and other material. Well, as I begin planning for this great news I get a telephone call from Joe Zawinul. "The Joni Mitchell tour thing is not happening. I told Jaco that he can do it because of his long association with her, but I don't want Wayne or you to do it." "What happened?" I asked. "I just told her we ain't no fucking L.A. Express." [click] Thanks, Joe. - - - - - - - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2014 22:57:32 +0000 From: "Susan E. McNamara" Subject: RE: Kurt Elling recorded "River" Kurt Elling was great at Joni's Jazz in LA, 2010 right? As I recall he did Edith and the Kingpin. That was a great show (with some great friends in attendance!). Susan Tierney McNamara email: sem8@cornell.edu - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Bob.Muller@Fluor.com Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2014 5:22 PM To: Laurie Antonioli Cc: JMDL Subject: Re: Kurt Elling recorded "River" Indeed - Elling is one of Kakki's favorites. This was on Hobgood's 2013 release and is coming up on Volume #205. That's how far behind I am with these things, just getting LAST YEAR'S River's out there NOW. Plus there was truly a glut of them last year, this year has not been as many. Just stumbled on one this afternoon from Canadian vocalist Maureen Washington. Bob NP: Stevie Wonder, "Same Old Story" (Been playing Stevie all day today due to Victor's Facebook posts...what a career he has had. I have gone all the way back to the "Little Stevie Wonder" stuff, through those incredible 70's releases and his latest work as well, and barely scanned the surface of his 50+ years of recording. A Wonder to be sure) From: Laurie Antonioli To: JMDL , "Bob.Muller@Fluor.com" , Date: 12/04/2014 05:09 PM Subject: Kurt Elling recorded "River" Sent by: owner-joni@smoe.org with his former musical director, Laurence Hobgood, on Laurence's new recording "Christmas." Just listened - it's really nice. Just one more jazz singer digging Joni! : ) Laurie - ------------------------------------------------------------ The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain proprietary, business-confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that any use, review, retransmission, dissemination, distribution, reproduction or any action taken in reliance upon this message is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any and all computers and other devices. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the company. - ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2014 21:39:21 -0800 From: "Mark" Subject: Re: Kurt Elling recorded "River" I was in Starbucks earlier this week and noticed that Idina Menzel of 'Wicked' fame has a Christmas CD out with 'River' on it. But then I'm sure Bob already knows that! Bob, are you familiar with the a cappella group 'Pentatonix'? Travis bought their Christmas CD. It's pretty good although I wish they would not have relied on the drum machines so much. Anyway, they do a cover of Fleet Foxes 'White Winter Hymnal' on it. Don't know how Christmasy that is but it actually sounds pretty nice. Mark in Seattle - -----Original Message----- From: Laurie Antonioli Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2014 2:08 PM To: JMDL ; Bob.Muller@Fluor.com Subject: Kurt Elling recorded "River" with his former musical director, Laurence Hobgood, on Laurence's new recording "Christmas." Just listened - it's really nice. Just one more jazz singer digging Joni! : ) Laurie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2014 17:22:13 -0500 From: Bob.Muller@Fluor.com Subject: Re: Kurt Elling recorded "River" Indeed - Elling is one of Kakki's favorites. This was on Hobgood's 2013 release and is coming up on Volume #205. That's how far behind I am with these things, just getting LAST YEAR'S River's out there NOW. Plus there was truly a glut of them last year, this year has not been as many. Just stumbled on one this afternoon from Canadian vocalist Maureen Washington. Bob NP: Stevie Wonder, "Same Old Story" (Been playing Stevie all day today due to Victor's Facebook posts...what a career he has had. I have gone all the way back to the "Little Stevie Wonder" stuff, through those incredible 70's releases and his latest work as well, and barely scanned the surface of his 50+ years of recording. A Wonder to be sure) From: Laurie Antonioli To: JMDL , "Bob.Muller@Fluor.com" , Date: 12/04/2014 05:09 PM Subject: Kurt Elling recorded "River" Sent by: owner-joni@smoe.org with his former musical director, Laurence Hobgood, on Laurence's new recording "Christmas." Just listened - it's really nice. Just one more jazz singer digging Joni! : ) Laurie - ------------------------------------------------------------ The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain proprietary, business-confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that any use, review, retransmission, dissemination, distribution, reproduction or any action taken in reliance upon this message is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any and all computers and other devices. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the company. - ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2014 07:04:01 -0800 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Re: Liner notes... Thanks for posting these liner notes Les, and thanks to whomever transcribed them. Lindsay, perhaps? I thought there were some fascinating revelations about Jonibs process, how she sees her music in relation to music by others, and about specific songs. To learn that Sweet Sucker Dance was a single take was pretty mind-blowing, considering it is a perfect vocal performance and a harmonic minefield. I loved the bit about the rental guitar having a fret poking out which made The Wolf that lives in Lindsay buzz so much! Why, I wonder, would she go into the studio without her guitar? But to see that she heard that bbuzzb as the perfect representation of the wolfpack and kept the take because of that, shows how, for her, everything is in service of the lyric; as she says, a producer would probably have nixed the idea and brought in a better guitar. Dave > > From: Les Irvin > To: Joni List , > Date: 12/03/2014 11:44 AM > Subject: Liner notes... > Sent by: owner-joni@smoe.org > > > > For those who may be interested, the liner notes from the new set are up > online now: > http://jonimitchell.com/music/album.cfm?id=33 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2014 08:23:13 -0800 From: "Mark" Subject: Re: Liner notes... My box set arrived on Tuesday and the first thing I did after looking over the presentation as a whole was to read the liner notes. A couple of things struck me. One was Joni's inventiveness and creativity in the recording process. The other was how she is so generous and complimentary of other musicians she has worked with. The same thing struck me in the Tavis Smiley interview. Joni says one of the main things that impressed her when going over her catalog to put these CDs together was how fortunate she has been to have worked with such great musicians with the same commitment t0 excellence that she has. I confess, I haven't had time to listen to the music yet. I think the way she describes the concept is fascinating. It's almost like musical collage. She's piecing her short stories together to make mini novels or essays. I'm eager to find out how everything flows and fits together. Mark in Seattle - -----Original Message----- From: Dave Blackburn Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2014 7:04 AM To: Bob.Muller@Fluor.com Cc: Les Irvin ; JMDL JMDL Subject: Re: Liner notes... Thanks for posting these liner notes Les, and thanks to whomever transcribed them. Lindsay, perhaps? I thought there were some fascinating revelations about Jonibs process, how she sees her music in relation to music by others, and about specific songs. To learn that Sweet Sucker Dance was a single take was pretty mind-blowing, considering it is a perfect vocal performance and a harmonic minefield. I loved the bit about the rental guitar having a fret poking out which made The Wolf that lives in Lindsay buzz so much! Why, I wonder, would she go into the studio without her guitar? But to see that she heard that bbuzzb as the perfect representation of the wolfpack and kept the take because of that, shows how, for her, everything is in service of the lyric; as she says, a producer would probably have nixed the idea and brought in a better guitar. Dave > > From: Les Irvin > To: Joni List , > Date: 12/03/2014 11:44 AM > Subject: Liner notes... > Sent by: owner-joni@smoe.org > > > > For those who may be interested, the liner notes from the new set are up > online now: > http://jonimitchell.com/music/album.cfm?id=33 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2014 00:08:09 +0000 (UTC) From: Bob Muller Subject: Re: Kurt Elling recorded "River" He was Sue - good memory - and yes, great company too. Bob NP: Molly Venter, "A Case Of You" B From: Susan E. McNamara To: "Bob.Muller@Fluor.com" ; Laurie Antonioli Cc: JMDL Sent: Thursday, December 4, 2014 5:57 PM Subject: RE: Kurt Elling recorded "River" Kurt Elling was great at Joni's Jazz in LA, 2010 right?B As I recall he did Edith and the Kingpin.B That was a great show (with some great friends in attendance!).B Susan Tierney McNamara email:B sem8@cornell.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2014 14:08:27 -0800 From: Laurie Antonioli Subject: Kurt Elling recorded "River" with his former musical director, Laurence Hobgood, on Laurence's new recording "Christmas." Just listened - it's really nice. Just one more jazz singer digging Joni! : ) Laurie ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2014 17:10:31 +0000 From: "Susan E. McNamara" Subject: Mingus, LHMF, etc I am loving the new box set ... Act IV was amazing. I was completely struck by Sweet Sucker Dance. What an amazing, moving song. It reminded me that, unlike a lot of others, I loved the album Mingus as soon as I heard it. Every song thrilled me, and I remember hawking it to anyone who would listen to me at the time. I was no stranger to jazz at the ripe age of 21 when Mingus came out. I have my brother to thank because, as a gifted trumpet player in high school, he introduced me to Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bix Beiderbecke. We actually called Jimmy Bix during that time because he was always playing his trumpet. We also listened to a lot of fusion including Return to Forever, so Mingus and the band Joni played with were not unfamiliar to me. After listening to Sweet Sucker Dance again in this format, I am once again awed by Joni's depth, the lyrics, the arrangement, everything, the drummer was even freaking me out ... I guess it was Tony Williams on that cut. Wow. Susan Tierney McNamara email: sem8@cornell.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2014 12:47:21 -0500 From: Paul Ivice Subject: Re: onlyJMDL Digest V2014 #406 Simon wrote: Bob, re: STAS, CLOUDS, LOTC, BLUE & FTR I wouldnbt describe Joni's first five Albums as "stripped down", I understand YOU first discovered Joni with the COURT And SPARK album and it's your initial frame of reference, but b& I think the first five Albums are as fully realized, in their own way, as anything that followed. As someone who first encountered Joni in the folk clubs in 1967, I know that something was lost, as well as something gained, when she started performing with a band in 1974. There are others here who will tell you that those early Acoustic concerts were truly special. There was 'Magic' in the air, there were other aromas as well. Simon, I don't think Bob was making a judgment in describing those early albums as "stripped-down," merely stating a fact. Paul Ivice ;>) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2014 11:09:27 -0800 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Re: Mingus, LHMF, etc Sue, the baritone I mentioned was this one: http://alvarezguitars.com/guitar/abt60/ Bear in mind a pickup and case are extra, but it fits in any jumbo case. It comes setup for B to B tuning but you can custom gauge the strings to get Joni tunings, such as the CGDEGC one I leave mine in. D > On Dec 3, 2014, at 10:30 AM, Susan E. McNamara wrote: > > I'm not great with remembering session people, thanks!! Right now, I feel my guitar playing is improving to the point that I want to upgrade my "guitar arsenal!" My interest was piqued, Dave, when you mentioned the Albanez baritone guitar (did I get that right?). On my wish list is a performance grade Martin or Taylor acoustic of excellent caliber (meaning pricey), and an electric guitar (which I could probably get on craigslist). These thoughts are competing with my need to also do some needed home maintenance (oh so boring). That said, to perform Sweet Sucker Dance, I would probably get my brother Jim (great jazz guitarist) to read your charts, and I would do my best to sing/garble Sweet Sucker Dance ... I really really hope we can hear you and Robin recreate some Mingus magic at Bobfest. :-) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2014 21:47:48 +0000 From: "Susan E. McNamara" Subject: RE: Mingus, LHMF, etc Thanks Laurent. We have a pretty good shop, Ithaca Guitar Works, with a nice selection, and they would not have a problem with me tuning down the guitars to play around. Your advice is well taken (black crow! I love playing that song! Would love to try it on electric). Susan Tierney McNamara email: sem8@cornell.edu - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Laurent Olszer Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2014 3:37 PM To: joni@smoe.org; joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: Mingus, LHMF, etc Yeah baritone would work. If you get a regular acoustic make sure you try it before buying with a low tuning (e g Black Crow) to make sure it does not buzz with less tension on the strings. Electrics too but to a lesser extent as it's easier to adjust Laurent ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2014 #410 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here:mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe