Blues in Jazz: I'm not hearing it.
Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 6:43 pm
Over the years as my interest in some Jazz music grows I have seen on several recordings from Miles Davis to Duke Ellington (an entire album titled "Blues in Orbit" and his live recording "Live at Newport has several "blues" tracks) to Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and most recently a group called the Kora Jazz Band's "All Blues" album and title song. I've also heard in recorded interviews how some artists say that this track or that track is a blues number. Now, I am not a musician, even by a long shot. To me, the recordings are all out jazz to my untrained ears.
When I'm thinking blues I'm thinking: Pinetop Perkins, Son House, Leadbelly, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, etc.
Are there any jazz aficionados who can give me the 101 on how this little deception occurs? Or could it just be a case of " This is a blues song because I am Duke Ellington and I say it's a blues song."
By the way, you should check out the Kora Jazz Band. Their music is a hybrid of African and Latin styles with some wonderful Kora playing along with piano and xylophone (Manu Djibango, no less) with a beautifully presented yet tastefully restrained percussion section but if you listen to it on headphones or a good sound system you can definitely feel the magic!
When I'm thinking blues I'm thinking: Pinetop Perkins, Son House, Leadbelly, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, etc.
Are there any jazz aficionados who can give me the 101 on how this little deception occurs? Or could it just be a case of " This is a blues song because I am Duke Ellington and I say it's a blues song."
By the way, you should check out the Kora Jazz Band. Their music is a hybrid of African and Latin styles with some wonderful Kora playing along with piano and xylophone (Manu Djibango, no less) with a beautifully presented yet tastefully restrained percussion section but if you listen to it on headphones or a good sound system you can definitely feel the magic!