Straightahead Jazz Set. . . Plus A

Vocalist – A Real Mood Swing

(NOT A Good Mix!!!)

Off the bat, as a HUGE straightahead/bebop Jazz fan i.e. “Jazz Super Fan”, let me just say that I love various instrumental formations (e.g., trio, quartet, quintet, sextet), AND I love certain “the real deal” Jazz vocalists (e.g., Mary Stallings, Carmen Lundy, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nnenna Freelon, René Marie, Vanessa Rubin, Carmen Bradford, Sharón Clark, Charenee Wade, Jazzmeia Horn, etc.).

Since 1998, when I began keeping track, I’ve seen over 3,100 Jazz sets (performances), mostly in night clubs, my venue of choice, and approximately 95 percent of those sets have been instrumental groups (vs. vocalists).

So, it should come as no surprise, since, after all, what initially turned me on (“blew me away!”) to straightehead/bebop Jazz in the late 1970s (after being a huge Jazz Fusion fan) were tunes by instrumentalists such as Clifford Brown (trumpet), Lee Morgan (trumpet), Dexter Gordon (tenor saxophone), Horace Silver (piano), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone) and Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), and the respective ‘blowing’ tunes that captured my attention, thinking “What was that???”

For you Jazz aficionados and experts, I’ll let you guess the specific 1950s tunes of which I speak… :v)

For that matter, what drew me even further into straightahead/bebop Jazz were those amazing and historic 1950s/60s Blue Note, Prestige, Impulse, and Emarcy “blowing sessions” recordings.  Man, I was hooked, and have been ever since!  To this day, I still prefer the upbeat, hard-swinging, toe-tapping tunes, and fully expect to hear a few “blowing” tunes each set, no matter the artist or group. :v)

Similarly, when it comes to Jazz vocalists, when I first heard the dynamic and unique voices of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, and other “sophisticated ladies” on recordings from that same 1950s period, I was taken aback.  Wow!!!  These days, I truly look forward to hearing a rising star or a seasoned veteran who knows the Jazz repertoire, interprets Jazz classics, or writes her (his) own original compositions.

So, when I’m on my way to a gig (as if I’m playing), with high anticipation and excitement, to catch the “XYZ Quintet” or the vocalist “ABC”, I’m mentally and musically prepared to hear a swingin’ instrumental set, OR a sultry, crooning, scatting vocalist displaying her/his vocal chops, as well as putting her/his own bluesy or soulful spin on Jazz standards, ballads, or originals.

Unfortunately, these days, perhaps due to economics, popularity, commercialism, Smooth Jazz fans, and a shrinking straightahead Jazz fan base, what you get, instead, is a straightahead Jazz instrumentalist “featuring” a vocalist.  And, very few times, if any, the vocalist is a headliner, at the same talent level, or of the same caliber as one of the aforementioned straightahead Jazz vocalists.

Hence, what usually transpires is that the straightahead Jazz group will open the set, swingin’ hard, groovin’ high, and hittin’ on all cylinders.  Yeah, Boooey!!!

And then it happens… the unexpected and the unforeseen.  After two or three tunes, a vocalist is introduced, enters the stage, and starts singing.  All of a sudden, for me, at least, the dynamics, flow, energy, feeling, feng shui, etc. change in the room… A real mood swing, if you will!

This would be akin to chewing a delicious, juicy filet mignon steak at a 5-star restaurant, then, all of a sudden, biting down on a tiny bone fragment.  Oh well… As B.B. King would say, “The thrill is gone!!!”  Whatever goodwill was accrued has dissipated.  That initial mood can never be recaptured!

Often times, the vocalist will remain on the stage for the entirety of the set.  That is, no more instrumental tunes being played by the outstanding group.

Yep, another one bites the dust!  Unfortunately, a very common occurrence and an increasing trend at Jazz clubs these days more often than not… :v(

Kenneth Cobb