470 4193
ATOOFZ
Jazz
JAMES MORRISON
HETTY KATE | MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | BENJAMIN NORTHEY
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Jazz is a genre that contains perhaps more styles than any other. From Dixieland to Bebop, Swing
to Fusion, Latin to Cool, these styles reflect the times in which they were created, expressing the
feelings of many, through the voice of a few. And that’s really what makes it jazz, the personal,
spontaneous self-expression of improvisation and a disregard for the rules as they were at the time.
CD1
[70’35]
1
Orchestra Tune-Up
0’37
2
Basin Street Blues Music by Spencer Williams.
4’57
3
‘Welcome to a journey through jazz...’
3’13
4
The Birth of the Blues 5’09
5
‘Next came Swing...’
2’20
For me, my jazz quartet and the MSO, it was such a joy to take this journey. Whether revelling in
the complex intervals of Dizzy Gillespie, or the lush harmonies of Duke Ellington, it was always a
sublime experience, and with the addition of Hetty Kate to sing those seminal songs, we were
able to touch on so many milestones in the history of this music we love.
6
Seven Come Eleven 4’58
7
‘Of course, jazz isn’t just played, it’s sung...’
0’51
You may have your favourite kind of jazz, your favourite song may even be on this disc…and as you
take this journey with us, perhaps you’ll discover a few new gems that may lead you to explore
parts of the music you’ve not yet visited. After all, isn’t that the purpose of any grand journey?
8
Stardust*
6’56
9
‘Of course these jazz pieces weren’t originally written for orchestra...’
1’34
0
Honeysuckle Rose* Music by Fats Waller. Lyrics by Andy Razaf.
3’21
!
‘From the Swing era, things got bigger: the Big Band arrived...’
2’31
@
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore*
7’23
‘One of the most popular songs that Duke Ellington ever wrote...’
1’10
I’ve had the good fortune to play many types of jazz, with all manner of groups from duos to big
bands. My introduction to the joys of making this music with a symphony orchestra was through
working with the great Lalo Schifrin on his ‘Jazz Meets the Symphony’ series, starting twenty
years ago. When the opportunity arose to create a new program with the Melbourne Symphony
Orchestra, I initially couldn’t decide which ‘direction’ to take, what style of jazz would we explore
with the incredible sound pallet on offer? I was tossing up whether to re-imagine Bebop with strings
or a funky groove played by the horns when it dawned on me that I’d never attempted to take a
journey through jazz in the one concert.
James Morrison
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2
Music by Ray Henderson.
Music by Benny Goodman.
Music by Hoagy Carmichael arr. Graeme Lyall. Lyrics by Mitchell Parish.
Music by Duke Ellington. Lyrics by Bob Russell.
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3
Mood Indigo
Music by Duke Ellington.
6’27
‘No discussion about big bands could go by without mentioning the great
Count Basie...’
0’53
^
Li’l Darlin’
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Manteca
4’51
‘Meanwhile Stan Getz had gone to Brazil and met Astrud Gilberto...’
0’53
Music by Dizzy Gillespie.
Desafinado*
Music by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Original Portugese lyrics by Newton Mendonça.
English lyrics by Gene Lees.
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10’07
5’47
Music by William James ‘Count’ Basie.
&
‘One of the great trumpeters was William ‘Cat’ Anderson...’
2’15
@
‘Then of course came the 1970s – things got out of hand...’
2’32
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El Gato
5’45
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Chameleon
Music by Herbie Hancock arr. Graham Jesse
6’51
[66’05]
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‘Another contributor to that original Bitches Brew album was Joe Zawinul...’
1’29
4’44
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Birdland
7’36
Music by William ‘Cat’ Anderson.
CD2
1
A Night in Tunisia
Music by Dizzy Gillespie.
Music by Joe Zawinul.
2
‘With the advent of the Second World War and all the men going off to war...’
3’06
^
‘Duke Ellington was asked once in an interview, “What is Jazz?”’
0’14
3
Cherokee*
Music and lyrics by Ray Noble.
4’14
&
It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)*
4’38
4
‘Bebop got quite frantic...’
0’55
5
9’25
All Blues
Music by Miles Dewey Davis arr. Judy Bailey.
6
‘We’re going to do another piece that was really made famous by Miles...’
0’30
7
‘Round Midnight
5’57
8
Music by Thelonious Monk.
Music by Duke Ellington. Lyrics by Irving Mills.
James Morrison
trumpet, soprano, alto & tenor saxophone, trombone and piano
Hetty Kate vocals*
Doug De Vries guitar • David Jones drums • Ben Robertson double bass
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Benjamin Northey conductor
With introductions by James Morrison
‘Jazz musicians for many years had been interested in Latin music...’
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2’14
Recorded live in concert in Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne in March 2014
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This album is a ‘snapshot’ of some of jazz’s most important history, people and moments.
Since its early years in the 1920s, the concept of jazz has developed and broadened, its journey shaped
by people and situations, whether they be geographical (New Orleans, New York), political and economic
hardship (racial inequality in America, the Great Depression), other countries (Cuba and South America)
or creative (the first experiments with electronic music).
For jazz aficionados, this is a chance to re-experience some of the most famous works, players and
composers who have shaped the genre. For first timers, it’s a chance to discover some of the most
influential songs in the history of jazz.
We hope you enjoy the ride.
1920s – Dixieland jazz
The 1920s was considered the early heyday of jazz, a time when the reputation of New Orleans as the
centre for jazz and blues was first forged.
Basin Street Blues, written by American composer and pianist Spencer Williams, is an homage to
1920s New Orleans, specifically the main street of Storyville, the city’s notorious red-light district. The
song was popularised by Louis Armstrong, who recorded what is considered by many to be the most
enduring version in 1928.
Another musician who was instrumental in the success of Basin Street Blues was Jack Teagarden,
widely considered the most innovative jazz trombone stylist of the pre-Bebop era. It was Teagarden –
who later became famous as a sideman in Louis Armstrong’s All-Stars – who worked with Glenn Miller
to develop lyrics for the song, making it a staple of his repertoire, which helped to ensure its longevity in
the world of jazz standards.
Another song famously associated with Teagarden is The Birth of the Blues. Written by Ray Henderson
and published in 1926, it later appeared in the 1941 film Birth of the Blues where it was performed by
Bing Crosby with Teagarden himself.
With jazz still an emerging music form, some songs written in the ’20s did not achieve success until
decades later. One was Honeysuckle Rose, written by stride piano player Fats Waller, which was
recorded several times before it finally became a hit in 1933 for Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra.
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Another was Stardust, written in 1927 by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics added in 1929 by Mitchell
Parish. This whimsical ‘song about a song’ is frequently named as one of the most recorded songs of the
20th century. One popular version was by Ella Fitzgerald who recorded it in 1954 for her album Songs in
a Mellow Mood.
The final Ellington song featured here, El Gato, has been selected by Morrison because it is ‘an
absolutely wild Latin big band number. It’s Spanish for “the cat” and it was written by one of Ellington’s
famous trumpeters, William “The Cat” Anderson. He played the trumpet higher than anyone,’ says
Morrison, ‘and was such a crazy player, everyone thought he was possessed.’
1930s – Swing and Big Band era
Another one of the most prominent jazz groups of the Swing era, the Count Basie Orchestra, remained
successful well past the golden age of big bands, with Basie performing in the 1930s until his death in
1984. Li’l Darlin’ was first recorded in the late 1950s, the result of a long partnership with arranger Neal
Hefti. It’s been described by jazzstandards.com as ‘another of those songs that, without ever charting,
moved right into the jazz lexicon and became a favourite of instrumentalists.’
Musically, Dixieland jazz faced stiff competition with the rise of Swing in the 1930s. At a time when the
American population was suffering from the impacts of the Great Depression, dancing to Swing came
to symbolise joy and ease, perhaps best reflected by Duke Ellington’s piece It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It
Ain’t Got That Swing).
Swing bands were often much larger than a Dixieland ensemble. While the latter averaged around six
players, a Swing ‘Big Band’ would often feature an expanded brass section of 12 or more players. With
the greater level of coordination required, the increasing band size also ushered in the now standard jazz
format of solo improvisation.
Although the Big Band sound dominated in Swing, some smaller groups exhibited tremendous influence,
such as that of clarinetist Benny Goodman, who recorded the memorable Seven Come Eleven with
his sextet, notable for featuring a young Charlie Christian, one of the pioneers of electric guitar, and
vibraphone player Lionel Hampton in starring roles.
The 1930s was also the start of the Big Band era, and according to James Morrison, ‘it doesn’t get
much bigger than Duke Ellington and Count Basie.’ Pianist and band leader Duke Ellington’s output
had a profound influence not just on jazz but on songwriting in general. One of his most famous songs,
Mood Indigo, was written during Ellington’s residency at the Cotton Club, the legendary New York
hotspot, known for introducing an all-white clientele to the latest, greatest (usually black) jazz musicians
of the day. The gig came with a weekly national radio broadcast which turned Ellington into a major star.
Originally released as an instrumental, Mood Indigo proved so popular with listeners, it was given lyrics
and eventually recorded by Ellington in 1930.
Ellington wrote another of his best-known pieces, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, initially as an
instrumental in 1940, then later reworked with lyrics by Bob Russell in 1942. Within a year, it made it
to the top of the R&B charts through two separate recordings – one by The Ink Spots and the other by
Ellington’s own band.
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Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and the birth of Bebop
Commentators have speculated that it was World War II that brought an end to the heyday of Swing.
With many able-bodied young men sent overseas to fight, big bands began to shrivel, resulting in a new
surge of smaller ensembles.
Out of this new world emerged Bebop. It was hotter and faster than its predecessors, with increasing
focus on improvisations, rhythmic unpredictability and harmonic complexity.
Two musicians most commonly associated with the movement are trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and
saxophonist Charlie Parker. ‘These guys invented an entirely new form of jazz,’ Morrison says. ‘At the
time, there was Swing, which was different to traditional jazz, and Big Band, which was different to
Swing, but in the end they both still had a harmonic resonance. Suddenly Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie
Parker changed all that with Bebop.’
Gillespie’s A Night in Tunisia, first recorded in 1944 both as an instrumental and with Sarah Vaughan
on vocals, is a seminal work from this period. It was also an example of early experimentation with
music incorporating Latin and African elements. ‘A Night in Tunisia showed that jazz had moved to other
places in the world,’ Morrison says. ‘Essentially before this, jazz was quite an “isolated” art form – it was
influenced solely by what was going on in America.’
The other representation of Bebop in the program, Ray Noble’s Cherokee, became famous as a jazz
standard thanks to Charlie Parker. ‘Cherokee was originally a ballroom dancing favourite, but Charlie
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Parker completely reinvented it and turned it into Bebop. It became almost unrecognisable. We got Hetty
Kate to scat on it, because Bebop also introduced scatting – the idea of singing without words came
from Bebop,’ says Morrison.
Cool Jazz of the 1950s
The 1950s introduced a new chapter into the jazz story – Cool Jazz, which developed as a response to
the increased freneticism of Bebop. One artist who was most associated with this new development
was Miles Davis, through his album Birth of Cool (1949) as well as five recordings with his quintet for the
Prestige label (Miles, Cookin’, Relaxin’, Workin’ and Steamin’). ‘The quintet that Miles played with in the
1950s is what I would describe as ‘quintessential Miles’ with the sound of the Harmon mute (at the end
of the trumpet) and the flugelhorn,’ says Morrison. ‘Anyone who knows jazz will listen to that sound and
it is immediately identifiable as Miles. It buzzes, and has a certain delicacy to it – you can almost hear
him breathing into it.’
After the Prestige albums, Davis signed to Columbia, with his first release being the album ’Round About
Midnight (1957); its liner notes introduced Davis’ quintet as ‘one of the best post-bop jazz groups in the
country today’. The record included the track ’Round Midnight, described in the notes as ‘a perfect
vehicle for Miles’ bluest mood’. It was written by pianist Thelonious Monk, and had previously caused a
stir at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival where Monk and Davis had introduced it to great acclaim.
In 1959 Miles recorded Kind of Blue, which went on to become one of the biggest selling and most
celebrated albums of all time. ‘There is not an unnecessary note in any of those pieces,’ commented
jazz critic and academic Dan Morgenstern. ‘And you keep coming back to it. It doesn’t wear out its
welcome.’ For All Blues, Davis took the standard 4/4-time blues and gave it a waltz feel in 6/8, which
allowed alto saxophonist ‘Cannonball’ Adderley to shine.
The birth of Latin Jazz
Jazz musicians had for years been interested in Latin music, thanks to a steady stream of South
American musicians moving to the US (such as Cuban singer and big band leader Machito), but Dizzy
Gillespie’s Manteca elevated this from casual interest to a major shift in musicality. ‘Manteca showed
that Dizzy had other influences,’ says Morrison. ‘He was constantly travelling the world, meeting
musicians and soaking up the culture. When he travelled through South America he picked up Lalo
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Schifrin, who left Argentina to play in his band and also hired famous Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo
on congas.’
It was Pozo who came to Gillespie in 1947 suggesting a new song featuring three layers of Cuban-style
rhythms. Gillespie added to this a 16-bar bridge to add harmonic complexity and create a base for
improvisation, while his arranger Gil Fuller added horn parts to the mix. A much-lauded performance of
Manteca at Carnegie Hall was recorded in 1947 – and created an instant impact. On the record, Gillespie
can be heard singing, ‘I’ll never go back to Georgia,’ a reference to increasing racial tensions in America.
‘Manteca has a lot of drama in it, and with an orchestra you can heighten that sound so much more,’
says Morrison.
The 1960s will be remembered as the decade when the greater world discovered Brazilian music, thanks
to collaborations of first lady of song Astrud Gilberto, saxophonist Stan Getz and the composer Antônio
Carlos Jobim. Jobim’s light breezy style, incorporating elements of the Brazilian dances bossa nova and
samba, proved a big hit on both the jazz and pop charts. While his iconic Girl from Ipanema achieved
mainstream pop chart success and turned Astrud Gilberto into an international sensation, the album
Getz/Gilberto which followed in 1964 – which was the first jazz album to win a Grammy Award for Album
of the Year – remains a milestone in the development of Latin jazz.
Jazz Samba, the precursor to Getz / Gilberto, spawned Desafinado – a Portuguese word meaning
‘Out of Tune’ – which became a major hit in 1962, reaching the top 20 in Billboard’s pop singles chart.
‘An orchestra playing bossa nova is heavenly,’ Morrison says.
1970s and jazz fusion
An incredibly rich time for music making, the 1970s was a decade which saw jazz innovators
experimenting with influences from rock, funk and electronic music.
the boundaries of the style, achieving cross-over success in the process. Pianist Herbie Hancock, who had
collaborated with Davis on A Silent Way and was previously known for his seminal post-bop recordings on
Blue Note records, did an about-face under the influence of Davis, producing experimental fusion albums
such as Crossings (1972) which was followed by jazz-funk explorations in the records Head Hunters
(1973) and Thrust (1974). Head Hunters is celebrated for introducing Chameleon, which remains one of
Hancock’s best-known songs, famous for its introduction and its keyboard solo played on an early analog
synthesizer, the ARP Odyssey.
Another influential fusion group, Weather Report, was co-founded by Austrian pianist and composer
Joe Zawinul, one of the contributors to Bitches Brew who during the course of his career was voted
best keyboardist 30 times in prestigious music magazine Down Beat’s critics poll. Starting out as an
experimental jazz group, Weather Report developed a more commercial sound which incorporated
African and Middle Eastern influences.
Birdland, which was released in 1977 as part of the album Heavy Weather, crossed over to achieve
mainstream success on the rock charts. ‘Fusion actually works wonderfully with the MSO because
its dramatic elements suit the orchestra better,’ says Morrison. ‘With a style like Dixieland jazz, it’s
normally played with a small group of about six people, so our arrangements are more of a ‘construction’
– rewriting the song so it fits an orchestra. While these arrangements are great, it’s also interesting to
provide a contrast with songs like Chameleon where you can take it further with an orchestra – you can
take it the way it is going and heighten it.’
‘Birdland, too, has similarities to an orchestral piece, in that there’s no one single line you can identify – it
requires more parts. Several different bits have to come together for it to be Birdland.’
© Danielle Poulos with additional comments by James Morrison
Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew (1970) was to set this new direction – called jazz-fusion or simply ‘fusion’.
Bitches Brew abandoned jazz’s usual swing beat in favour of a rock-style backbeat anchored by electric
bass grooves, and drawing on other electronic instruments such as keyboards, guitar and electronic
effects and pedals. The record polarised critics at the time, with one remarking, ‘Davis drew a line in the
sand that some jazz fans have never crossed, or even forgiven Davis for drawing.’ Further into the 70s it
was two bands, established by alumni from Davis’ early fusion recordings, who would continue to push
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James Morrison
Hetty Kate
James Morrison is, by anybody’s standard, a virtuoso in the true sense of the word.
Hetty Kate is a jazz vocalist whose performing style is distinguished by her pure tone, phrasing and
thoughtful delivery of the music within the Great American Songbook. Since her performing debut in
2006, Hetty has been invited to sing in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, both with
her own ensembles and also as a guest vocalist for local jazz groups and big bands.
Besides the trumpet, this multi-instrumentalist also plays trombone, euphonium, flugel horn, tuba,
saxophones, double bass and piano.
At the age of seven, he was given his first instrument, at nine he formed his first band and at 13 he was
playing professionally in nightclubs. His international career developed just as quickly. At only 16 years of
age James debuted in the USA with a breathtaking concert at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
Following this were performances at the big festivals in Europe including Montreaux, Pori, North Sea,
Nice and Bern, playing with many of the legends of jazz – Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway, Woody Shaw,
Red Rodney, George Benson, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Ray Brown and Wynton Marsalis, to name a few.
There were also gigs in the world’s most famous jazz clubs: The Blue Note and Village Vanguard in New
York, the New Morning in Paris and Ronnie Scott’s in London.
Now 51, James Morrison’s career thus far has been diverse and perhaps not typical of most jazz
musicians. He recorded ‘Jazz Meets the Symphony’ with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Lalo Schifrin, performed concerts at the Royal Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and
at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for Princess Anne, has given royal command performances
on two occasions for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and played for US Presidents Bush and Clinton at
Parliament House in Australia. In 1997, James was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
in recognition of his service to the arts in Australia.
James was also the artistic advisor to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Kaleidoscope series, which has
included performances by Chick Corea, Dianne Reeves, Gary Burton and Kristjan Järvi. He spends much
time in education, giving master classes and workshops in many countries and presenting the James
Morrison Jazz Scholarship at Generations in Jazz. An avid user of the latest technologies, James is very
involved in furthering the presence of jazz and music education on the internet. He uses computers
extensively in his writing, recording and performances.
The latest chapter in his diverse career has seen James appointed as Artistic Director of the
Queensland Music Festival, a music initiative whose vision is to ‘transform lives through
unforgettable musical experiences’.
www.jamesmorrison.com.au
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Surrounded as a young girl by the music and romance of Broadway theatre and films from the Golden
Age of Hollywood, Hetty still finds inspiration through the enduring songs of the 1920s to the 1950s.
In 2014 Hetty has performed at clubs and festivals nationally, including appearances at the Melbourne
International Jazz Festival, Stonnington Jazz Festival and the Wangaratta Jazz and Blues Festival.
Hetty Kate has released six albums including Dim All the Lights (2014), her debut on the ABC Jazz label.
www.hettykate.com
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
With a reputation for excellence, versatility and innovation, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is
Australia’s oldest orchestra, established in 1906. The Orchestra currently performs live to more than
200,000 people annually, in concerts ranging from subscription performances at its home, Hamer Hall
at Arts Centre Melbourne, to its annual free concerts at Melbourne’s largest outdoor venue, the Sidney
Myer Music Bowl.
Sir Andrew Davis gave his inaugural concerts as Chief Conductor of the MSO in April 2013, having made
his debut with the Orchestra in 2009. Highlights of his tenure have already included collaborations with
artists including Bryn Terfel, Emanuel Ax and Truls Mørk, the release of recordings of music by Percy
Grainger and Eugene Goossens, and the Orchestra’s 2014 European Festivals tour.
The MSO also works each season with Principal Guest Conductor Diego Matheuz, Associate Conductor
Benjamin Northey and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Recent guest conductors to the
MSO include Thomas Adès, John Adams, Tan Dun, Charles Dutoit, Jakub Hrůša, Mark Wigglesworth,
Markus Stenz and Simone Young. The Orchestra has also collaborated with non-classical musicians
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including Burt Bacharach, Nick Cave, Sting and Tim Minchin. The MSO reaches an even larger audience
through its regular concert broadcasts on ABC Classic FM, also streamed online, and through recordings
on Chandos and ABC Classics. The MSO’s Education and Community Engagement initiatives deliver
innovative programs to audiences of all ages, including MSO Learn, an educational iPhone and iPad app
designed to teach children about the inner workings of an orchestra.
www.mso.com.au
Benjamin Northey
Executive Producers Robert Patterson, Toby Chadd
Recording Producer Haig Burnell
Recording Engineer Nic Mierisch and Tim Symonds
Editing and Mastering Tod Deeley, Kathy Naunton (dB Mastering)
Publications Editor Natalie Shea
Booklet Design Imagecorp Pty Ltd
Cover Photo Oliver Kendl
Concert Photos Lucas Dawson
Recorded live in concert by ABC Classic FM in Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne on 9 March 2014.
Since returning to Australia following studies at Finland’s Sibelius Academy in 2006, Benjamin Northey
has rapidly emerged as a leading figure in Australian music. He is a regular guest conductor with all
major Australian symphony orchestras and Opera Australia. His international appearances include
concerts with the London, Tokyo, Malaysian and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras, Mozarteum
Orchestra Salzburg, National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, and the New Zealand, Auckland and
Christchurch Symphony Orchestras.
After studies with John Hopkins and Jorma Panula, Benjamin Northey was awarded First Prize in
the 2001 Symphony Australia Young Conductor of the Year Competition. From 2002 to 2006 he was
Resident Guest Conductor of the Australia Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and from 2007 to 2010,
Principal Guest Conductor of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. He is currently Associate Conductor
of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2011, and he has recently been
appointed Chief Conductor of New Zealand’s Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, commencing in 2015.
Master Drummer David Jones endorses Ludwig Drums and Vic Firth signature sticks.
www.davidjonesdrums.com
ABC Classics thanks Alexie Jell (James Morrison Enterprises), Andrew Pogson, Ali Webb, Kate Eichler and
Danielle Poulos (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra), Kathy Naunton (dB Mastering), Tod Deeley, Virginia Read,
Hamish Lane, Sophie Fraser, James Limon and Natalie Waller.
www.abcmusic.com.au
P 2014 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. C 2014 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by
Universal Music Group, under exclusive licence. Made in Australia. All rights of the owner of copyright reserved. Any copying, renting,
lending, diffusion, public performance or broadcast of this record without the authority of the copyright owner is prohibited.
Benjamin Northey is highly active in the performance of Australian orchestral music. He is a director
of the Australian Music Centre, Co-Artistic Director of the Hush Foundation and Head of Conducting
Studies at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
www.benjaminnorthey.com
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