GOOD VIBES
They’ve used jazz xylophones as an aid in diagnosing depressives: If a subject is listening to more than a few minutes of jazz xylophone a day, there’s a better than fifty percent chance that he’s about to step in front of a train. –from THOUGHTS ON JAZZ, a tongue-in-cheek post on the surfeit-of-potatoes blog of our friend MASERCOT: https://morepotatoes.com/2019/07/19/thoughts-on-jazz/
- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Well, I suppose every potato is entitled to its own opinion, but (though I dig potatoes as much as the next yam) I can’t let this riposte pass without defending the jazz xylophone, regret though I may that this puts non-diggers of ‘jazz x’ on track for a depressing end. But why step in front of a train when you can Take the “A Plane” and go Flying Home….
If you recognized that “A Plane” was a play on words on Duke Ellington’s “Take The A Train,” give yourself an A+. Here’s vibraphonist Milt Jackson’s take (the main dif between xylophone and vibraphone: the former has wooden bars, the latter has aluminum bars):
And, so you’ll have something beautiful to remember when you get home, here is (to quote jazz critic George Simon) “a magnificent xylophonist of exquisite taste,” Red Norvo and His Orchestra with their “smoldering version” of Irving Berlin’s REMEMBER (Red’s solo begins at the 1:16 mark):
So there you have it: three jazz xylophone/vibraphone masters at their best, bar none.
masercot 2:04 pm on July 21, 2019 Permalink |
Oh, it’s on, now!
Wait a minute… no it isn’t…
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 3:02 pm on July 21, 2019 Permalink |
LikeLiked by 1 person
masercot 4:58 am on July 22, 2019 Permalink
Being a Cab Calloway fan, I LOVE that big band sound in the back… How many great vocalists started with vocalist for a big band? I can only think of several…
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 9:05 am on July 22, 2019 Permalink
The big band in the back is Benny Goodman’s, and the date of the recording is actually 11/22/39, not 1940 as stated on the clip. Bailey’s first gig as a “big band” vocalist was in 1929 with, of all people, Paul Whiteman! Other great “girl” vocalists who started with big bands include Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney and many more. And you probably know that Ol’ Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, was a big band singer with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey before he went out on his own.
LikeLiked by 2 people
masercot 9:17 am on July 22, 2019 Permalink
Plus, one of my favorite actresses: Doris Day…
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 12:18 pm on July 22, 2019 Permalink
My favorite Doris Day film was her first, the all-but-forgotten ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS (1948). If you’ve never seen it, you might want to check TCM’s movie schedule — I last saw it on TCM a few months ago, and it reappears periodically.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rivergirl 5:27 pm on July 21, 2019 Permalink |
LikeLiked by 2 people
calmkate 6:41 pm on July 21, 2019 Permalink |
what absolutely divine music, loved every clip, thanks heaps Mr M 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 11:57 pm on July 21, 2019 Permalink |
Thank you, Kate. I ‘ll reward your comment with a bit of trivia: The “Peace, Brother!” vocalist in the above clip is Mildred Bailey, who was the wife of Red Norvo of the “Remember” clip (the last clip in my post). Both can be seen in that clip’s photos.
LikeLiked by 3 people
calmkate 2:05 am on July 22, 2019 Permalink
ah two talented people married to each other, great 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 6:41 pm on July 21, 2019 Permalink |
It’s a close call for me, R.g.,
but I think I’d just as soon be….
….watching all the girls go by
& giving them the evil – I mean eagle – eye.
LikeLiked by 4 people
blindzanygirl 6:53 pm on July 21, 2019 Permalink |
Thanks for all these mistermuse.
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 7:09 pm on July 21, 2019 Permalink |
My pleasure, Lorraine. Glad you enjoyed them.
LikeLike
arekhill1 11:28 am on July 22, 2019 Permalink |
Really enjoyed the MJQ back in the 70’s. If I had stepped in front of a train back then, it was because I was generally baked out of my mind in those days, not depressed.
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 12:35 pm on July 22, 2019 Permalink |
Hope this brings back some of those good MJQ vibes, Ricardo:
That’s Milt Hinton, of course, on vibes.
LikeLike
Eliza 4:33 pm on July 22, 2019 Permalink |
How can people be so pretentious??
Enjoy your music 🙂
Love, light and glitter
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 5:55 pm on July 22, 2019 Permalink |
Thank you, Eliza. Love, light and glitter right back at-cha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Elizabeth 5:18 pm on July 22, 2019 Permalink |
Now I am singing “Good Vibrations” even though that was not what you had written. My mind is a jukebox as I said.
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 6:00 pm on July 22, 2019 Permalink |
“Good Vibrations” to go with “good vibe-brations” — perfect!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Christie 1:46 pm on July 23, 2019 Permalink |
Thank you for the good vibes!! Right back to you, too🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 5:48 pm on July 23, 2019 Permalink |
Thanks for commenting, Christie. Love, light, glitter, and vibes, coming and going — it’s all good!
LikeLiked by 1 person
mlrover 3:53 pm on July 28, 2019 Permalink |
Love the Paris gig. It’s always a treat to hear Lionel! After reading through the comments, here’s one of my BB singer favorites, M. Whiting. They all had that amazing, smooth vocal line.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=margaret+whiting+time+after+time&qs=RI&pq=time+after+time+whiting&sk=AS1&sc=3-23&cvid=B3729409374B474397EB328C2BD88184&FORM=QBLH&sp=2
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 5:22 pm on July 28, 2019 Permalink |
Thanks for the Margaret Whiting clip. She was another of those big band “girl singers” I spoke of in a previous comment — her first hit record was THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC with the Freddie Slack Orchestra in the early 1940s. As you may know, she was one of two daughters of Richard Whiting, one of the best composers of the 1920s-30s, whose song MY IDEAL was Margaret’s second big hit
There’s another reason I’m glad you commented, as it gives me a chance to refer you to a very funny clip of Randy Rainbow, who you’ve said you like a lot. You will find it among the comments to my next post THINK NOTHING OF IT. Enjoy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
mlrover 8:31 am on July 29, 2019 Permalink
My favorite rendition of Old Black Magic is Keely Smith with her husband dancing around her to get a reaction. They were a pair.
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 9:30 am on July 29, 2019 Permalink
I remember that. What a great (and one-of-a-kind) pair!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ashley 5:37 am on August 1, 2019 Permalink |
Just brilliant! ALL of this! Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 7:23 am on August 1, 2019 Permalink |
Thank YOU! Now, if I could only get my wife to agree with you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ashley 11:23 am on August 1, 2019 Permalink
Thankfully I don’t have that problem! The Proms are currently on in London and since we can’t be there we’ll watch on catch-up TV. Coming up soon the John Wilson Orchestra playing Warner Bros movie music! Another concert I’m looking forward to is a Duke Ellington evening. Check this out:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1WlmXYLGsch49MpyfHDFwBp/tv-schedule-2019
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 11:56 am on August 1, 2019 Permalink |
Never heard of the Proms in London, but the Warner Bros movie music and Duke Ellington evening are ‘right down my alley.’
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ashley 12:25 pm on August 1, 2019 Permalink |
It’s mostly “Classical” but they do mix in some others. The Duke Ellington is “sacred” music? That will be something new for me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
barkinginthedark 10:24 pm on August 4, 2019 Permalink |
love Norvo’s phrasing. thanks. continue…
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 10:53 pm on August 4, 2019 Permalink |
I agree. Norvo was unsurpassed on xylophone/vibes.
LikeLike
America On Coffee 5:16 am on August 20, 2019 Permalink |
Lionel is awesome and a Quincy admiration!
LikeLiked by 1 person