Paul Desmond had political convictions. He occasionally indicated but
rarely went on at length about them. Iola Brubeck knows that and called our attention to an opinion piece by Chan Lowe, and his accompanying editorial cartoon, in today’s Florida Sun Sentinel. Here’s one line:
If the note wasn’t needed, he didn’t play it. He played silence. I say “played,” because his silences could be as eloquent and pregnant with meaning as his bare-bones riffs.
To see how that relates to the Sun Sentinel’s take on one of the day’s major news stories, follow this link.
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
Political cartoons often say a lot without using many words. Chan Lowe’s work is a good example. What I didn’t know about Lowe is that he has an appreciation for jazz. That automatically raises his status in my eyes. To Lowe’s comment on the Romney ruckus, I add my “Damn right!”
Amen, amen – now if the 24-hours “news and commentary” networks would pay attention, “what a wonderful world it would be.”
I suspect that Paul leaned left but I wish that this columnist had not tied him to the delusional and naive mismanagement of foreign policy that has the Middle East burning brighter than normal.