Cab Calloway IS shit.
When you mix Cab Calloway and shit you just get a shit cocktail.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:10, 1 reply, 15 years ago)

Cab Calloway is not shit
I don't even really like jazz and I like him
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:12, Reply)

He is the Iron Maiden of jazz.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:37, Reply)

That's actually a surprisingly good analogy

(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:43, Reply)

Except I quite like Iron Maiden
so not really putting me off him. I love his version of Minnie the Moocher
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:45, Reply)

Minnie is a good song
and he does turn in a good performance on Blues Brothers. I just think - at least from the songs I've heard - he has a habit of overdoing the scat and ruining the piece. A bit like Coltrane or Parker just going off on one and completely detaching their solos from the rest of the band.
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:48, Reply)

That's fair enough
since admittedly I know little about jazz and haven't heard enough to judge I shall take your word for it
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:50, Reply)

listen to the song Jazz Guy by the Presidents of the USA
it sums it up nicely

particularly the bit that goes:
I wanna learn all the chords
solo till everyone in the room
is bored
beyond belief
I can't wait for the end of my solo
sweet sweet relief
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:53, Reply)

The song makes a good point
Arguably the best thing to do if you're trying to play jazz is not to try to be an expert, just to learn enough that you can improvise interesting but enjoyable melodies. If you learn too much your playing becomes too thought-out; too much head and too little heart. And for those reasons, even though he is a far better piano player than I will ever be, Brad Mehldau can fuck right off.
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 16:05, Reply)

that's my view
sort of how my band works too. We know enough to play interesting stuff, but the loose structure of things means we can write songs very fast, and it stays fresh and enjoyable.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 16:14, Reply)

I think the most important thing is to keep the 'feel' in the music
Our guitarist has studiously learnt umpteen million different techniques, and could probably shred over our stuff if he wanted to, but has thankfully recognised that more mellow, melodic blues playing fits a hell of a lot better.
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 16:21, Reply)

I do like jazz
And his grossly overscatted version of St James' Infirmary has turned my opinion against him somewhat.
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:39, Reply)

apparantly I fail at jazz
since I don't like Louis Armstrong's vocal style when he sings that
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:55, Reply)

Really? I adore his version.
Certainly has much more soul that Calloway's version. (And infinitely more than the version recorded by Tom Jones and Jools Holland)
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:58, Reply)

Tom Jones doesn't even come close
I love the sound of the Louis Armstrong version, but something about the vocals feels wrong
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 16:11, Reply)

The mood of his version is perfect.
But I can see why the vocal might not be to everyone's taste. I guess it's a similar issue to Tom Waits' ballads - the vocal style is quite jarring, but works really well if you can get into it.
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 16:15, Reply)