A weblog in English and Dutch about jazz and related music, record collecting and other music projects originally created by Hans Koert.|Een webblog in het Engels en het Nederlands over jazz, jazz-verwante muziek, platen verzamelen en verrassende projecten, oorspronkelijk opgezet door Hans Koert.
This year Brazil celebrates the Centennial of Jacob do Bandolim, the great master of choro mandolin. Some official events have already been settled and more will follow during 2018 paying homage to the musical legacy of Jacob do Bandolim. Among other musicians, who lead the legacy of Jacob further, is Hamilton de Holanda . Hamilton de Holanda has just released a set of 12 recordings celebrating the music of Jacob do Bandolim, issued by the Brazilian Deckdisc label as digital download and in the vinil LP format
Hamilton de Holanda Trio - Jacob 10ZZ (Deckdisc, 2018)
Hamilton is accompanied by Guto Wirtti (acoustic bass) and Thiago da Serrinha (percussion), and the title of the disc refers to the 10 string bandolim used by Hamilton as well as the word jazz. Hamilton explains further in the notes published at his blog, quote "I looked for a title with few letters and a direct sound that could give meaning to the conception of this work. It's Jacob's choro with a hint of jazz. Not necessarily all tracks are of this genre, but they have this way of playing, which uses a lot of improvisation and solos created at the time of recording. The name summed up the spirit of the album well" - The disc has 12 tracks, ten of them featuring compositions by Jacob do Bandolim and the remaining two are a composition by Jacob's son, Sérgio Bittencourt, who wrote the tune titled Naquela Mesa following Jacob's death in 1969, and Hamilton's own Serenata Jacarepaguá composed in studio during recording of the disc, a homage to the location in Rio da Janeiro where Jacob lived and opened his house for the famous choro meetings which helped this music to evolve and survive during a difficult time in Brazil. The twelve recordings have all been uploaded by Deckdisc at YouTube in the audiovideo format, below I'll insert some examples to give you an impression of this great project production, which will be followed by more later this year according the info at Hamilton's blog. Hamilton uses Jacob's unique 10 stringed bandolim in all tracks, it's the first time this instrument has been recorded.
Hamilton de Holanda with Jacob's 10 string bandolim (photo by revistadachoro.com)
The recorded repertoire of tunes by Jaob do Bandolim comprises both well known compositions like Remelexo, Alvorada, Assanhado and Mágoas, a.o. and lesser known tunes, even some of which Jacob did not record himself (Saracoteando). Here is first Hamilton de Holanda trio performing Alvorada
Next is a rendition of Jacob's Assanhado, a tune attributed the term choro-jazz by many critics, Hamilton convincingly demonstrates inspiration from modern jazz improvisation in this recording of the tune
Another up-tempo composition by Jacob do Bandolim is Bole-Bole, a samba-choro first recorded on a 78 rpm by Jacob in 1951. Here is the version recorded by Hamilton de Holanda trio
As mentioned above the twelve recordings by the Hamilton de Holanda trio are the first in a series of recordings featuring the music of Jacob do Bandolim in a contemporary interpretation by one of Brazil's greatest bandolim players. You have the opportunity to listen to all tracks at YouTube, here or at streaming audio services like Spotify a.o. - the vinil version has not yet been released outside Brazil, I think. - To end this small presentation of the project, here is Hamilton's Serenata Jacarepaguá
Update March 2022:
The original blog message posted April 2018 contained a collector's request of a special edition of Goodson Records (see picture). This message has now been deleted by the admin. of the blog as a consequence of the present situation in Ukraine. Thanks for your understanding.
Dominic Nicholas Anthony Lucanese (August 22, 1897 – July 28, 1982), known professionally as Nick Lucas, was the first jazz guitarist to record as a soloist. Lucas played banjo with various dance bands in the early 1920s, and in July of 1922, he made his debut recordings for Pathé with Picking the Guitarand Teasin’ the Frets, both guitar solos. He re-recorded both sides for Brunswick the next year (and again in 1932, electrically). Before long, he was making vocal records for Brunswick as the Crooning Troubadour accompanied by his own guitar, sometimes with a piano or orchestra. In 1929, Lucas appeared in the talking picture Gold Diggers of Broadway, introducing Tip-Toe Thru The Tulips with Me, which he also made a hit on record. In 1930 and ’31, he recorded with his own band, the Crooning Troubadours, and the following year he made some recordings for Hit of the Week. Lucas’ fame faded in the 1930s, but he continued to perform. In the 1940s he made a few Soundies, followed by some Snader Telescriptions in 1951. Lucas experienced a resurgence in popularity late 1960s after he had appeared on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1969, and in 1974 he performed several songs for the soundtrack of The Great Gatsby movie. After enjoying a career that spanned more than half a century, Nick Lucas died of pneumonia in 1982. (excerpted info from this source)
Nick Lucas picking the guitar (YouTube still)
Here I'll set focus on Nick Lucas' guitar playing and leave the singing troubadour to others (- learn more about Lucas' career at the official website, here). As mentioned above, Lucas had his recording debut featuring two guitar solos in July, 1922. I'll insert both solos below, as they are considered the first ever recorded jazz guitar solos. Eddie Lang may be the Father of Jazz Guitar, but Nick Lucasthen may be the Grandfather of Jazz Guitar, as he preceded Lang as a recording guitar player with at least three years (- if you count Lang's 1925 guitar work with McKenzie's Candy Kids in Best Black (Vocalion, A 14978) as his registered first jazz guitar solo). - Here is first Nick Lucas' Picking The Guitar as recorded for Pathé Actuelle in July 1922
The flip-side of the 1922 Pathe Actuelle Record 020794 had Lucas' recording of Teasing The Frets
Today it's hard to recognize Nick Lucas' two initial guitar solos as jazz guitar playing, nevertheless Lucas was an influental figure in the development of the plectrum guitar picking technique which helped early jazz guitar pioneers like Eddie Lang to switch from tenor banjo to the guitar. Besides recording as the singing troubadour Nick Lucas also wrote several guitar method folios that inspired other musicians to take up the plectrum guitar
Nick Lucas Guitar Method Vol. 1
A contemporary guitarist, Jake Sanders, has arranged some of Nick Lucas' guitar pieces which were not recorded by Lucas himself, but are included in one or more of his published guitar method folios. There are four Nick Lucas arrangements included in Jake Sanders' recently issued CD album, shown below
Jake Sanders, Estrellas de Radio (Jalopy Records, JRCD003, 2018)
Learn more about Jake Sanders and the shown CD here. - To end this small review of Nick Lucas the guitar player, here is Jake Sanders' version of Lucas' Picking The Guitar (- not included at the shown CD) from a live gig performance featuring Jake Sanders in a trio setting
In popular music genres such as blues, jazz or rock music, a lick is a stock pattern or phrase consisting of a short series of notes used in solos and melodic lines and accompaniment. In a jazz band, a lick may be performed during an improvised solo, either during an accompanied solo chorus or during an unaccompanied solo break. Jazz licks are usually original short phrases which can be altered so they can be used over a song's changing harmonic progressions. A lick is different from the related concept of a riff, as riffs can include repeated chord progressions. Licks are more often associated with single-note melodic lines than with chord progressions. Riffs can be as simple as a tenor saxophone honking a simple, catchy rhythmic figure, or as complex as the riff-based variations in the head arrangements played by the Count Basie Orchestra. However, like riffs, licks can be the basis of an entire song. For musicians, learning a lick is usually a form of imitation. Imitating style is as important as learning the appropriate scale over a given chord. By imitating, musicians understand and analyze what others have done, allowing them to build a vocabulary of their own. (info excerpted from Wikipedia, here)
Ton Van Bergeijk
So many words to announce a new course by Dutch master guitarist, Ton Van Bergeijk, who has just released a DVD based guidebook entitled Licks to Riffswith focus on the blues style and how to adapt any lick to any chord changes at the guitar. Ton explains the project more precisely in the video below
In the video Ton stated, quote: ”I've always found that licks played on other instruments are a great source of inspiration for guitarists. Pianists like Jimmy Yancey or James Booker are at the top of my personal list. For stronger riffs, I look at the great riff orchestras: Count Basie, Al Cooper, and then there's T-Bone Walker, Louis Jordan, Allen Toussaint…musical sources for “riff-spiration” is virtually endless. (-) Of course, we can translate the lick to guitar, and then play the lick exactly as it was played, over the same chord or chord changes. But if we change just one or more notes, we can create new licks that can be used over other chords and chord changes. I’ll show you how to do that in this Licks To Riffs Guidebook.”
DVD course (TrueFire, 2018)
According to the inserted video and further info at the website offering the course for purchase, Ton has organized the course into two sections. In the first section, you’ll learn how to make a lick fit over the three chords in a standard blues progression. Ton will show you how to "barbershop" a lick and turn it into a riff. Then, he'll demonstrate how easy it is to make changes to that lick for a jazzier blues. In the second section, Ton will teach a selection of his own favorite licks that he has transformed into versatile riffs. Learning how to get the most of any lick is the key objective of this course to generate “riff-spiration” for other guitarists. - More info about the DVD course and how to purchase a copy, here
Lammy Bruyns is an acknowledged accordionist in Holland known for her virtuosity in the Parisian Musette music as well as for her singing. About five years ago Lammy met Georg Lankester, guitarist in the gypsy-swing style, who had published a book about Django Reinhardt’s influence on the Musette-rhythm. During their first meeting Lammy, Georg and some friends spontaneously played a bit together and then Lammy suggested to form a combo. The Lammy Bruyns Combo is a quartet consisting of Lammy Bruyns (accordion and vocal), Georg Lankester ((solo) guitar), Arthur Siero (guitar) and Jan Miedendorp de Bie (double bass). The repertoire of this quartet includes original Musette waltzes, (music in which Lammy is an expert) - and all these backed up in a highly swinging rhythm like it was played in the 1930s and 1940s' Paris. Moreover some American popular songs are added as well as famous French chansons and own compositions.
Lammy Bruyns Combo in performance
In October 2017 the combo gave a concert in the Northern part of Holland which was recorded for an enthousiastic audience. From this concert a selection of the recordings was chosen in order to present a variety of the repertoire by the Lammy Bruyns Combo in a just released CD, shown above. The CD includes original French Musette waltzes, some ballads as well as examples of Django swing from the 1930s and 1940s. Tracklist: Style Musette / September Song / Indifférence / It had to be you / Vous et Moi / Lady be Good / Ma première Guitare / Mr. Sandman / Pour Jo / Chez Jacquet / You made me love you / Les yeux noirs. - A couple of audio clippings from the CD are inserted in the video below
Next to live performances in Holland – starting from 2017 – the Combo also gives concerts in Germany.
Lammy Bruyns Combo in Germany
The music of the Lammy Bruyns Combo with a French touch will bring listeners back to the Parisian cabarets of the 1930s and 1940s and certainly invites to dancing as well as a cozy atmosphere in good company.
For any information, send an e-mail to: georglankester@gmail.com
Hans Koert, who passed away in September 2014, was a passionated jazz collector and the author of the Hit of the Week and Durium Discography.
This entry is to inform you that Hans Koert's collection and archives of the HoW/Flexible Records now have been handed over to the files of the Doctor Jazz Foundation in The Netherlands.
For interested researchers/collectors it is possible to contact the Doctor Jazz Foundation for further information using the following link.
Jelly Roll Morton emphazised the importance of the 'Spanish tinge' as an inevitable ingredient in jazz referring to the influence of the habanera and the Caribbean tango in the rhythm pattern of compositions worthy of the term jazz. Morton's solo piano renditions of compositions of his own like i.e. 'New Orleans Joys', 'Mamanita', 'Creepy Feeling' and not least the perhaps best know example: 'The Crave' are all elaborated pieces of music which demonstrate his conception of the Spanish tinge. The legendary 1938 Library of Congress recordings contain some examples which Morton did not record commercially, among them 'Spanish Swat' in focus here to announce a great contemporary project initiated by pianist Andrew Oliver and reed player David Horniblow. The duo has started a project to play all of Morton's compositions in a duo setting and record the performance in a video format to be uploaded at You Tube; here's the duo's rendition of Morton's 'Spanish Swat' - from the latest update of the project uploaded earlier today
As mentioned, the duo intends to play and record all of Morton's compositions in this setting - the project estimates to have two new compositions uploaded every week this year. You can read more about the project at Andrew Oliver's website, and subscribe to the videos at the You Tube channel devoted to the project, here. Up till now 12 videos have already been uploaded - and what a thrill to have free access to these contemporary renditions of Morton's music, revitalized by two great musicians. Do not hesitate to subscribe to the video channel and learn more about the duo at Andrew Oliver's website.
I'll insert another example of the duo's fine video performance to end this, here's Andrew Oliver and David Horniblow's rendition of Morton's 'Mamanita'
Retrospect
Keep Swinging (old)
Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Friends of the Keep Swinging blog Keep Swinging Contributions
