Video Lesson

Ando

That video is hilarious.

Who's going to do the inevitable gypsy jazz version?

Good to hear Aguilera is doing the retro album. If it's near jazz, instrumental values will be out in front. Kids need to hear everything. Maybe some will even pick up an acoustic instrument and play.

Cheers.

Bachelorno2

in response to Cuimean's plug of Christina Aguilera's new throwback album. You can hear one of the songs on her website

http://christinaaguilera.com/





Funky

klaatu

Ando wrote:

Good to hear Aguilera is doing the retro album. If it's near jazz, instrumental values will be out in front. Kids need to hear everything. Maybe some will even pick up an acoustic instrument and play.

One can only hope. I may get some arguments on this, but so far, I have been quite UNDERwhelmed by the recordings of standards by various pop artists. I echo Ando's sentiment - at least they get their fans listening to some classic music for a change (in the case of some kids, listening to some actual music).

For the most part, they really don't know how to sing this material, and the arrangements, while competently done, are often boring and repetitive. I know a lot of people bought Rod Stewart's CDs, but I thought every cut sounded just like every other. Same for Linda Ronstadt's CDs of standards some years back.

The one exception is Bryan Ferry's "As Time Goes By." His voice sounds kind of weird and takes some getting used to. But every arrangement is different and imaginitive. He does a great swinging "The Way You Look Tonight" (with a nice guitar solo). His take on "I'm in the Mood for Love" I can only describe as Jungle Cha-Cha, sort of Martin Denny on Quaaludes. Lovely melancholy rendition of "Falling in Love Again," the old Marlene Dietrich warhorse. And so on.

If Aguilera's CD does indeed have at least good instrumental values, then great. I can't imagine the singing will be much better than tolerable. Maybe she'll prove me wrong - I hope so. She actually does have a great voice (and was rather pretty before she tarted up). I just can't stand listening to all that melisma all the friggin' time (chronic among female pop singers nowadays, including Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston).

Ando, one has to hope that, as you say, at least a few kids might use this as a jumping-off point to explore music that has some lasting value. If some of Aguilera's fans move on to discover Billie or Ella or Sarah, or they decide to see what an acoustic instrument is like, then there's some hope for the world.

klaatu

Seriously, though, back (sort of) to the topic - I got a little off there.

Guys like Yngwie and Petrucci and Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai and all that - they are monstrous, yes, incredible speed. Set the metronome at 4 million per minute, like Petrucci says in one of those hysterical videos, and go for it.

But does anyone else fail to hear any musicality in all that cascade of notes? That sheer speed for speed's sake just leaves me cold. On the other hand, listen to Paulus Schafer on this video that someone posted in another entry:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4u4zxGlEDc8&search=gypsy%20duo

He's playing just about as fast as the shredders in places, but it always sounds musical. Plus he's actually picking most of the notes, as opposed to all the hammering-on and pulling-off. You can still sense the original tune and harmonies amidst all of Paulus' breathtaking soloing.

Yeah, maybe those shredder guys can play 4 million notes per minute. But you know what? BB King can wring more out of one single note than they can out of their millions. I'll take good taste and musicality any day.

Just my opinion.

Ando

Ben, you're largely preaching to the choir here. Gypsy jazz is full of speedsters, some more "musical" than others. There's a real muscle-car angle to a lot of this music, and I enjoy it. Not all the time, because it's not where I "live," but I appreciate it. Plus, it's good for youngsters to build muscle and be as athletic as they want. If I'm in the mood, I'll listen to them. If I want thoughtful poetry and great ballad playing, I can always look elsewhere. It takes all kinds to make a musical world.

As for jazz and pop, I don't think anyone right now is doing a better blend of Django and pop forms better than Paris Combo. Maybe Sanseverino, but I don't know his work that well. There are some Americans doing interesting blends. Matt Munisteri comes to mind, but he's perhaps more Eddie Lang than Django.

Wouldn't it be cool if someone with real market share, like Aguilera, hired Ben Charest and a bunch of other writers/arrangers, and did some splashy, really cool Triplets of Belleville type stuff? I see Charest's soundtrack in those terms. It could be a genre, with high instrumental values, but updated in all sorts of areas: lyrically, harmonically, rhythmically, etc.

There may be people doing this already.

klaatu

Ando -

If you find that there are indeed people doing what you suggest, please do us the favor of posting some information on them. It wold be very cool if a pop star could do either a recording in an authentic style or in an interesting and well-executed crossover. I'm not familiar with the groups you mention, so I obviously need to do some research.

I suspect I have a greater appreciation of the speedsters in GJ (or bluegrass or jazz in general) than the shredders, 'cause I at least have some understanding of what they're doing (plus I just can't stand all that distorted shrieking racket). At least when some disgustingly prodigious kid takes off on a bluegrass or GJ break with blinding speed, I comprehend what he's doing, and it doesn't cause me aural pain. I may want to smash his rotten little fingers, but that's more due to my own LOFT (golf term which means Lack Of F#&*?*@ Talent).