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Back In The Groove: Material Matters

Courtesy Tarik Townsend
Musical material can lead players into some fascinating places normally not tread by anyone else—including themselves.

One of jazz's best qualities is its ability to make almost anything sound good. When pianist

Red Garland
piano1923 - 1984

Paul Chambers
bass, acoustic1935 - 1969

Art Taylor
drums1929 - 1995


Dave Brubeck
piano1920 - 2012
This album holds within its grooves everything Brubeck and his quartet stood for. The unorthodox time signatures, foreign (for jazz) musical material, classical undertones, radical reharmonizations... it's all here. Inspired by a family trip to Disneyland, Brubeck's album was in many ways more scandalous and groundbreaking than Time Out ever was. "Someday My Prince Will Come" finds drummer

Joe Morello
drums1928 - 2011

Paul Desmond
saxophone, alto1924 - 1977
Norman Bates
bass, acousticb.1927


Lee Morgan
trumpet1938 - 1972
Recorded in 1966 for the legendary Blue Note label, the music is rather atypical for both Lee Morgan and Blue Note. At this point in the 1960s, Blue Note Records had a very identifiable sound. Gritty, brooding, funky, groovy, and dark, the record label and its recording artists almost never deviated from this blueprint. Trumpeter Lee Morgan was known for his sassy, brassy, extroverted sound as well as his gift for writing finger-popping tunes to match, all of which served Blue Note particularly well. And yet, in the midst of his successful The Sidewinder and the firmly Blue Note-esque DelightfuLee, Morgan stepped into the studio with a powerful group and taped a handful of tunes that resulted in a very unique session for all involved.
A glance at the first track on the album is enough to tip off the listener that something unusual is afoot. "A Pilgrim's Funny Farm," written by a cat named Cal Massey, may have an unusual title but its melody and harmonic underpinnings are lovely. With its sunny disposition and modal-adjacent chord changes, the song spurs Morgan, along with tenor saxophonist

Hank Mobley
saxophone, tenor1930 - 1986

Cedar Walton
piano1934 - 2013

Paul Chambers
bass, acoustic1935 - 1969

Billy Higgins
drums1936 - 2001
All three records are great examples of how artists can potentially react and interact with unorthodox material. The results may be amusing but solidly standard (Garland), revolutionary and thrilling (Brubeck), or transformative and stimulating (Morgan). One thing it will never be? Boring.
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What is Jazz?
lee morgan
Tarik Townsend
Red Garland
Paul Chamber's
Art Taylor's
Dave Brubeck
Joe Morello
Paul Desmond's
Norman Bates
Lee Morgan's
Hank Mobley
Cedar Walton
Paul Chambers
Billy Higgins
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