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From: dijk~orldaccess.nl
Date: Thu, 05 Sep 96 22:36:19 GMT
Subject: RE: Wim and Jazz Chromatic

Winslow Yerxa writes a detailed reply to some of my points about
chromatic tuning systems and jazz, and makes several of his own.

His return volley:

>1- He points out that Toots and other chromatic players take a
> large proportion of their licks from the tuning, instead of
> making up melodic sequences that aren't "found" by playing
> with the tuning.
>
> His assumption seems to be that it is better NOT to do this,
> or to do it as little as possible.
- ----
Concerning this subject, I wrote: Ofcourse Toots is not interested in another
tuning system. His way of improvising is for 40% based on harmonica specific
playing. I don't say that his playing is not interesting, but his note choice
is very much influenced by the tuning system of the chromatic harmonica.
and: A couple of weeks ago, I played with Jens Bunge at a session in Munich,
and he also is a harmonica player coming from the 'Toots school of jazz sound'.
We played a medium fast Rhythm Changes based song, and all of his fast runs
were based on the tuning system of the chromatic harmonica..

I think one of the problems in our discussion about the sound of jazz in
respect with the use of the harmonica as an instrument, is the fact that I dont
know recordings of your playing, so I dont know what kind of jazz style you our
writing and thinking of. It seems to me you like Toots playing very much and
maybe your taste concerning jazz is different than mine. Thats why I would like
to write some background information, so my writing and what we are discussing
can be interpreted in context.

I am 25 years old. Very interested in contemporary classical music and in jazz
music from the period starting at the end of the bebop era up till now-a-days.
Toots Thielemans is the only jazz harmonica player who is admired by both non
harmonica playing jazz listeners&musicians and harmonica players. The problem I
discover by listening to other jazz harmonica players, is that it seems like
they create a jazz harmonica SCHOOL which is not based on the historical
development of jazz and its different styles but is based on the playing of
Toots Thielemans.

Lets have a little look at the starting point of the history of the tenor
saxophone. The trumpet or cornet has been the dominant instrument from the
beginnings of jazz: the jazz kings in the early days were Bolden, Oliver,
Armstrong and Beiderbecke. But in the early 1930s the saxophone arose as an
important challenger, and especially the tenor saxophone gained high popularity
in the coarse of the twentieth century. Whites were ahead of blacks in adopting
the saxophone, and this had long-term affects on jazz: white saxophonists aimed
for a smooth, flexible, legato line and hewed closer to the ground beat than
the authentic New Orleans players.
Therefore the two blacks who came to dominate the instrument, Coleman Hawkins
and Lester Young, built the saxophone tradition on a white concept of jazz
playing.
Most legendary saxophone players in the jazz field can be divided ito the two
different shcolls of Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins. Lester Young was the
undisputed headmaster of one school and Coleman Hawkins founded the other, but
naturally both were influenced by their predecessors.
Nevertheless they were unmistakable individualists, making such an impression
on the post-war jazz generation, that one came to speak of two different
lineages. On one hand there was the powerful playing of Coleman Hawkins, whose
coarse tones and sweeping lines, built on the fullest possible exploration of
the chord changes, was a direct influence on legendary Charlie Parker. Hawkins
therefore was the godfather of Sonny Rollins, who in his turn inspired the
great John Coltrane. On the other hand there was the light, simplified, but
highly sophisticated playing of Lester Young that generated a style in which
players like Wardell Gray, Stan Getz, Lee Konitz, Zoot Sims and Warne Marsh
found their ideal means of expression. It is sad to discover that only a small
portion of the public knows the name of Lester Young. (I did not invent this.
This is written in books about the history of jazz).

These are the musicians, the jazz sound and the history of jazz music, Toots
Thielemans grew up with.

I am born in 1970. Although I did not grow up surounded by jazz music, I
started listening to jazz at the age of 9. When I started playing the hamonica
I was already 19 and primarily interested in contemporary jazz. Two years later
I discovered that the basis of contemporary jazz is BEBOP. I decided to take
the BEBOP style as a starting point for the study of the harmonica.

I still dont think Toots Thielemans has ever been a real bebop player. Although
his playing is influenced by the bebop style and he did make some recordings on
which one can hear this influence very easy (Man Bites Harmonica or a song like
Scotch On The Rocks) his development went in a different direction than the
bebop musicians of his generation. In my opinion he 'touched' the bebop sound.

When one listens to recent recordings like EAST COAST WEST COAST including the
songs :In Walked Bud, Groovin High, Con Alma, Giant Steps, Ornithology
the difference between Toots his playing and the other horn players is striking.

Those other players are players of my generation or they are a little bit
older. Toots playing is sounding less up to date. I hear a generation gap.

Back to the point:
> His assumption seems to be that it is better NOT to do this,
> or to do it as little as possible.

Concerning legato playing, it seems that the modern jazz sound became less much
legato then the two tenor sax schools which were based on the white players of
that time.
But, you have to hear me play to be able to completely understand what I am
writing about!


>2- He points out that a large numbers of jazz players play in a
> non-legato fashion.

Yes.

> His assumption seems to be that this argument negates the need
> to find ways to create legato on the harmonica through the
> tuning system.

I would like to play a tuning system that helps me to minimalize articulation
and phrasing deferences between keys. I think these differences are maximalized
by the normal tuning system and can be minimalized by a symmetrical tuning
system although some keys will be more difficult to play in than on the regular
system.

>3- He decries the tendency of aspiring jazz harmonica players to
> look no further for inspiration than other harmonica players,
> none of whom is on a par with the true greats of the music.

Well, I am sorry if what I wrote sounds like that. I dont know every jazz
harmonica player, I don't know their thinking about and their attitude towards
the music and instrument they play. What I heard from recordings is the
tendency to try to belong to the Toots school of harmonica jazz playing and not
the tendency to try to sound like a certain jazz style (contemporary or an
older style, so a non-harmonica related style).


> While I agree with this, I also think there are valid reasons
> to look to other players of one's own instrument.

Yes.

>4- He proudly and unapologetically declares pucker embouchure to
> be superior for articulation.

> No argument in particular from this corner, Wim.

Why not?

> But be prepared to defend yourself from the likes of Bonfiglio and
> many others that tongue blocking can produce all the articulations
> that pucker can, and with better tone, etc. You've painted
> conectric red circles on your back, so get ready to dodge the
> arrows!

I am sorry, but I don't think I have to defend myself at all. If
they are happy with their sound, no problem. My ideal sound is
different and I think that pucker helps me to produce the music the
way I like it.

Before I get in more detail about your opinion concerning points 1-4, I am
going to check if what I wrote this time already replies some of these 4
points.

I am very happy with your detailed reply because now I need to formulate my
thoughts on paper. Its a great learning process.

I also realise you are much more experienced in playing the harmonica and in
writing and reading articles. Thats why I am happy to discover similarities in
thinking about changing the harmonica. The fact you (and other people) did the
same thinking and found similar solutions without knowing each other can be
interpreted as 'there must be something wrong about the instrument the way it
is, in connection with how we want to sound'.

Thanks,

Wim Dijkgraaf
The Netherlands

P.S. Were can I get some of your recordings? I am very interested.