Word: ballads
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Jazz musicians are also beginning to grapple with the wealth of potential standards written after 1960, an off-and-on trend renewed in earnest a few years ago when vocalist Cassandra Wilson turned the Monkees' Last Train to Clarksville into a torchy, caramelized ballad nearly worthy of Billie Holiday. Herbie Hancock followed with The New Standard, an entire album of rock-era tunes in which he improvised on changes derived from the Beatles, Sade and Kurt Cobain, among others. Joshua Redman's forthcoming Timeless Tales (for Changing Times) (Warner Bros.) covers similar ground, with songs by Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder...
...reflective artist anxiety, the music becomes a gigantic toybasket of styles. "Monkey-doll" is a Beatles-esque, upbeat true story of Fuck's tours with a stuffed monkey (rumour has it that Fuck never performs without a pile of stuffed animals covering the stage). "Italy" is a beautiful love ballad evoking images of the Coliseum and sky as Prodhumme--with a surprisingly sexy voice that moves effortlessly between innocence, vulnerability and purposeful passion--pushes the music to one of the few full climaxes of the album. "My melting snowman" is a short and eerie instrumental piece featuring slow, distorted carousel...
...soft ballad "A Search for Peace" hushed the room in the first set, allowing the sax to whisper melodies in the silence. Next came "Giant Steps," one of the most difficult compositions in all of jazz. "Giant Steps" began slowly--as a tribute to the original 'Trane. The audience could not believe the rapid chords that blazed through the air. As the song ended, bodies that sat at the edges of their seats languidly slouched back, fatigued and in awe. A buzz of recuperation and conversation filled intermission, as a humble figure in black began mixing with the crowd...
McGwire responded first by grimly ignoring the pressure: he wouldn't discuss the record, threatened to end the batting- practice show and, for a short stint, denied some interview requests. Then--and here's the part of the film where we cue the Aerosmith ballad--he internalized the pressure and turned it into motivation. He held press conferences before every road series. He started to smile at reporters. By the end, when the fans' flashbulbs made the park seem like it was being pelted by a summer lightning storm, he stood in the on-deck circle with his eyes closed...
...become a key incubator of young talent. His playing is plenty soulful on his second CD--so you'd think, given the title--but with a dry, sometimes acerbic tone that gives the album a haunting edge; listeners may be reminded of John Coltrane's way with a ballad or the blues. As a composer, Irby has a gift for melody, and there are so many fine touches on this disc that it's hard to believe nearly all of it was recorded in a single session...