Published on Sep 24, 1998
Let’s put it as plainly as possible: You either like jazz or you
don’t.
While so many other forms of music can have grey areas, jazz, to
me, is pretty much clear cut. Sure, there are some artists whose
catalog I’ve never been really able to get into on a higher level
(I’ve tried Thelonious Monk on a few occasions, but have not been
overwhelmed), but all in all, I like jazz for its constant breaking
of musical boundaries and the controlled freestyle musings of its
musicians. (If you need any proof as to how good jazz is, go rent
the wonderul film
That Thing You Do!, and watch the scenes in the club or the
recording studio a few times.)
Listening to pianist Bill Anschell, I’m quickly reminded why I
like jazz so much. His latest album,
A Different Note All Together, captures some of the finest
moments I’ve heard in this genre of music in a long time.
Anschell and his band – guitarist Scott Sawyer, bassist Neal
Starkey, drummer Woody Williams, and (on two tracks) saxophonist
Rick Bell – whip through a wonderful selection of originals and
cover tunes that demonstrate just how powerful jazz can be. From
the complex rhythm pattern of “E.B.’s New System” to the all-out
boogie style of “Solar” (listen to this and tell me you don’t want
to get up and dance!), this band demonstrates not only their skill
with their instruments but also how much fun they were having with
this music.
In fact, if
A Different Note All Together doesn’t put a smile on your
face, then you’re probably dead. The true wittiness of music like
“Crabbin'” and “Beignet Boogie” permeates the song, and is a
guaranteed mood lifter. Other pieces like “Lullaby For Sam” remind
me of groups like the Vince Guiraldi Trio with the use of brushed
snare drum and acoustic bass – simply wonderful! Even the “weakest”
track, a jazz rendition of The Beatles’ “Nowhere Man,” takes on a
life all its own, to the point where I didn’t recognize the song
until it was about halfway through the piece.
The best piece on
A Different Note All Together is easily Anschell’s cover of
Miles Davis’s “Solar”. Now, I’ve never listened much to Davis or
his work, but if Anschell’s rendition of this piece (including
tasty solos by all four musicians) is any indication of the kind of
music that Davis wrote and played, then you can bet I’ll be at the
store this weekend buying some of his works.
To those people that say they don’t like jazz, my guess is at
least half of them have never really heard good jazz being played.
My challenge: Listen to two cuts off this album, then tell me you
don’t like jazz!
A Different Note All Together is an album I wish I had
listened to months ago, so I could have been enjoying it all this
time; it’s a definite candidate for my best-of-1998 list.