Look up Charles Mingus- So Long Eric on You tube. Mingus live with Eric Dolphy, Clifford Jordan, Jacki Byard, Dannie Richmond, Johnny Coles in Oslo Norway. Mingus was a jazz gangster for sure but his music was otherworldly.
None of the guys in the band went to school to learn their craft, they just figured it out by hanging out and listening and learning.
An American art form without compare.
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Don't worry about "getting it" - just stand back and let it all be.
It will come to you and you will come to it.
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I have found that it truly is the listener's brain that has to connect to the music.The brain is mainly hard-wired already by the time jazz is first heard by the listener. Then if the listener doesn't like it, they just never will., you can play all the youtube videos you want. Face it, a musical cretin is a musical cretin. The neural pathways just aren't there for most people. They just don't possess the musical ability. This is the music of the Gods, but is not the music of the masses.
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I’m guessing that the author has never seen the 1957 CBS TV program “The Sound of Jazz”.
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Regarding the lack of US-based TV coverage of live jazz, it’s worth mentioning that Ellis Haizlip’s all-around excellent Soul! program, which aired on WNET Channel 13 from 1968-73, devoted a number of shows in part or whole to jazz artists of exceptional talent & vision. Unfortunately, most original broadcast tapes appear to have been lost, but a few have been recovered in the past decade. A special nod goes to an uncompromising Rahsaan Roland Kirk performance which runs for a full hour. Hopefully more Soul! footage will appear in the future on YouTube or elsewhere (official link below). A complete list follows (* = video available):
https://www.thirteen.org/program-content/soul-about-the-series/
May 01, 1969: Pharoah Sanders Quintet with Leon Thomas
March 12, 1970: Amiri Baraka and The Pharoah Sanders Ensemble
June 18, 1970: Herbie Hancock Sextet
February 11, 1971: Andrew Hill
May 13, 1971: Roy Haynes & the Hip Ensemble
May 20, 1971: Mtume Umoja Ensemble
October 13, 1971: Herbie Hancock Mwandishi Sextet
*November 17, 1971: Max Roach’s M’Boom
*December 29, 1971: McCoy Tyner Quartet
January 26, 1972: Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, & Bobbi Humphrey
*October 04, 1972: Rahsaan Roland Kirk & the Vibration Society
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This is another gem, Bill Evans at a private home in Helsinki.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0AcvMBPuZI
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Oughta mention that Kennedy Center Honor award winner Wayne Shorter plays on both the Blakey and Miles clips ...
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Today, December 4 is Jim Hall's birthday. He had an amazing effect on many guitarists and his "Life in Progress," along with many other videos can be found on YouTube. He considered jazz musicians as family - all colors, all nationalities and I hope you celebrate with me. His Smithsonian Interview is also on YouTube.
My favorite video is with Michel Petrucianni and Wayne Shorter:
https://youtu.be/le9zmcuoT38
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This piece is a fine tribute to these legends lost to the mist of time.
I love Jazz, freedom for musicians, free to go where they want. Your ears will tell you, don't study, just listen. I don't need to be a mechanic to love a fast car.
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The musical talent in these videos is overwhelming. I would also encourage people to watch performances of classical music standards. Just when you thought something like Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos were coffee shop muzak clichés, you watch them performed on period instruments and they sound brand new again.
Not to get too political, but the fact that most of the best film documents of these jazz (and blues) musicians are from European TV shows says a lot about the difference between public and private TV back in the 60s and 70s (and now, of course). In Europe, jazz and blues were recognized as art; in the US as non-profitable.
... whatever … YouTube is chock full of performances of jazz AND blues greats that were recorded in television studios before live audiences. You can overdose on pure joy watching and listening to these musicians.
Please tell me that there is video footage of Hank Mobley somewhere in these DVDs. Though he led around 60 album recording sessions, played with Miles, Horace Silver, Art Blakey and many others, not a scintilla of live film of this great saxophonist and composer exists. How can this be?
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Check out YouTube Meditations on Integration with Charles Mingus and his Sextet with Eric Dolphy on a dark sound stage just absolutely turning it all inside out.
Eric Dolphy had just announced he was leaving the US and heading to Europe, where he died onstage shortly after arriving.
Mingus was shattered that he was leaving the band. Listen to Mingus "How Long Eric? A month, a year?". Maybe Mingus just found out he was leaving.
Not only the artistic content of the performers and the stage; but the audience and enhanced culture blossoming inside the venue as well. During the mid to late 1950s, I spent many evenings in San Francisco's famed Black-hawk listening to the Brubeck Quartet. The atmosphere, a dozen or so little round tables, each sitting up to six avid head-nodding listeners, in an almost totally darkened smoky room, completely unaware of anyone or anything but the music, itself was mesmerizing .
The Jazz Icon video series referenced in this article is truly exceptional and most likely available from your local public library via DVD or streaming media. It’s absolutely worth viewing (and owning).
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A few weeks ago I read a review of a previously unavailable 1973 Charles Mingus performance only now being released. (Thank you Nat Chinen-previously of the NYT) Having recently sold a very large jazz lp collection, I found myself missing the wondrous pianist Don Pullen who'd only recently joined the bassist's ensemble at the time of that '73 private recording. I went to YouTube and discovered a Pullen performance at The Subway in Cologne from 1986 with his working quartet from the 80's. Amazing. A good European jazz performance of 50+ minutes reminds us how American television missed the boat on America's own music over and over again. Thank you Mr. Lingan for this piece.
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Here, here! When YouTube came on my radar, I very quickly discovered the wealth of live performance video available there -- both classic stuff from departed masters as well as contemporary artists -- and would spend way too much time searching and watching and jumping from artist to artist. It is one of a handful of applications of the technology that make me grateful for the internet. By the way, there's also endless performance video of your favorite rockers and even the greatest classical musicians of the past 100-plus years. I recently saw a short film of Saint-Saens conducting, with a recording of him performing one of his piano sonatas as the soundtrack. Also, search for Yo-Yo-Ma's 1961 (?) performance for John and Jacky Kennedy, a program hosted by Leonard Bernstein to raise funds for a National Arts Center, what would soon be renamed the Kennedy Center. I think Ma is 6 years old, performing with his sister on piano. Adorable and poignantly historic.
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The beating heart of Jazz is conversation; people speak and listen with their instruments, rather than reading a script, as it were.
Thanks for the great tip, and to readers for all the helpful comments. Jazz would go a long way to solving what's wrong with America- a little speaking, and a lot of listening.
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The author (rightly) points to the amount of Jazz video available from European sources, while also lamenting the lack of focus from US TV and Film producers.
The author may have forgotten about the "Sound Of Jazz", a 1hr documentary produced by CBS and shown in 1957. Among the 32 artists shown (Count Basie, Jo Jones and Coleman Hawkins, Gerry Mulligan, Thelonious Monk, and Jimmy Giuffre are just a few), were Billie Holliday and Lester Young. Their performance of Fine and Mellow is among the best jazz performances captured on film, becoming more poignant when realizing both artists died within 2 years of the broadcast. The complete footage is available on You Tube.
If that doesn't interest you, maybe you would prefer Miles Davis performing "So What" and other tunes from Kind of Blue in 1959 ? CBS Again- on "Studio 61" Also on You Tube.
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The videos are stellar but it's the music that 'plays.' I'm all for people experiencing this anyway they can, but if uninitiated feel like it's homework, then they definitely are not getting it. Just listen. Watch. Listen. You'll learn. Or maybe it's just not your music. Let's face it, there are some who will hear Monk's odd, chunky chords and think, 'nah i just don't get it.' What can ya say?
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@Lee Still trying to like Monk, after 40 years of listening!
Americans of color gave the world this most glorious art form, jazz. Sadly, "white" Americans are the last to know.
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As someone who has been listening too and studying & also playing these art forms (at various levels of proficiency ) since a very young age *- I say "Speak for yourself".
And if you bothered to look at the sad state of popular music & culture nowadays you would see that the garbage is embraced in huge volumes by folks of every shade out there. The greats have always had to seek their fortunes elsewhere.
* My Guitar teacher sent me home at the tender age of 16 1/2 with a large list of players to listen to and learn from. Yes, Monk was on the list & I immediately dug his quirky playing.
Thank goodness for You tube ...
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@Bebopper
So all white Americans are the last to know .all of us?
I worked on many Riverside -Jazzland record covers in the late 1950's and early 60's ,went to Birdland every night since I had received my military draft card, knew and took care of one of Coltrane's bassist kids when that famous bassist died,made verbal history comments to one history book of Charles Mingus ,I could tell you some true stories about the great musicians so do count me out of the sad white people comment.
Thank you John Lingan.
Somebody please tell how to find these videos!
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@Joann There's a load of "Jazz 625" videos and "Jazz Casual" videos on youtube. There's also an amazing Duke Ellington live solo piano concert you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa6uaE2oYj4&t=500s
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@Joann
All you have to do is google the name of the musician you want to hear and a treasure trove of sounds and/or images is at your fingertips!
I was born in Denmark and heard so many of the great musicians when they played at The Montmartre in Copenhagen in the 60s. Europe was the place to be if you were a jazz lover. But thanks to YouTube you can still catch up.
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@Merete von Eyben The problem is that most of the videos on YouTube are simply the albums with a still image of the album cover. Perhaps adding "live" to the search would help?
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I think to really understand jazz is a very complex task that requires a degree of education and study, probably similar to understanding abstract art and other modern artistic disciplines. As an example watch the Barry Harris videos on You Tube for an in depth look at jazz, improvisation, theory, etc.
@Joseph Ballerini
As one who worked on a Barry Harris record cover just when he was discovered and greeted him` almost with a kiss when he came into our photo studio ,I can say all you need for Jazz (or any other music) are your ears.
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The amount of incredible musical content on YouTube is mind-blowing. I can.... and have.... spent hours on it, following one artist to another and another.
Search your favorite monster Jazz artist, and prepare to be amazed at what pops up!
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Thanks for sharing, John. Lee Morgan is my favorite performer and I often search the YouTube archives for live video recordings. Also enjoy Monk w/ Rouse and company from that era, and Miles' second classic quintet.
One video that really impacted me was Trane's and his quartet's live performance of "Alabama." Now knowing the tensions in the country at that time and the vile racism (and hope) that inspired the track, it just sticks with me.
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Worth noting that the references are primarily to concert performances. Wish there was more footage from clubs and other more intimate settings of the era.
Many great records were made in live takes at room volume in recording studios such as Van Gelder's. No headphones, no isolation booths, and a modest number of microphones. Wish we had more footage of those sessions as well.
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Thank you for this fine article. I too have discovered the joys of archival jazz footage from European TV. Some high points: a young Bill Evans in a living room in Helsinki, playing "Emily;" Mingus at Antibes with Bud Powell; the greatness of Monk playing "Epistrophy;" Michel Petrucciani with Jim Hall and Wayne Shorter.
. . . a vast trove of history, enriching my life in jazz immeasurably.
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The Charles Mingus Sextet's '64 tour, Mingus' last with Eric Dolphy is documented pretty much in its entirety on YouTube and is absolutely spectacular.
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@Ian, you might enjoy Arild Andersen and his sextet and their homage to Mingus ... just marvelous!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kd--A9mAOU
You are so right that seeing musicians perform is wildly different from listening to recordings. And euro audiences seem t be more receptive or more demanding.
And I would say -- get out there to see people performing if you can. In the greater NY area you CAN. It's great to see videos of the masters -- and it is also a tremendous learning experience to see old pros and new, ones you may not even know, on the stage,making those quick decisions and adjustments, interacting with one other AND the audience. Support the artists. It is after all, a living art.
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Unfortunately, the situation remains the same today. When I find fabulous full concerts of modern jazz musicians on YouTube they are invariably from sources like Mezzo,
WDR, Artarea TV2.0, and TVP Kultura, all European based television. It is sad that the music we gave the world is unavailable here. The last American television show that featured jazz regularly was David Sanborn's legendary Night Music series.
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@Michael Ross Totally- the so-called greatest country is so untuned into it's own and the world's arts, praise and support of artists, forsaken for worship of the god Profit. The arts in Europe are a lot more government supported. We have been "gaslighted" ( to use the ubiquitous term, currently fashionable and broadened) into the notion that government and taxation is bad.
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