My favorite era of Jazz dates between 1955 and 1965. I would have loved to have been a fly-on-the-wall at Rudy's studio(among others). I too, cannot write and listen to lyrics. I prefer classical music for pottery, but just about everything else I do that's creative, has Jazz in the background. I think that Mr. Rollins is as good as anyone to be an ambassador for Jazz.
I actually can’t listen to music when I’m reading or writing, I need silence. Since music is my career field of work, I just end up zoning in on all of what’s going on sonically and get completely distracted from what I was trying to read or think about. Ironically while I’m playing or practicing myself, I find it quite easy to listen to other people talk to me, but I can’t multitask worth a damn while actually talking to other people!
Rollins and Coleman are some top choice picks. If I may make some suggestions, I’ll touch on 20 albums I think might go well in your playlist, with a broad swatch of my current listening rotation favorites and all-time favorites mixed in (I’ll refrain from “heavier” music styles or ensembles larger than Big Band):
Thank you so much, Niles. Very kind of you to curate a list. I will definitely start checking these out asap.
I hadn’t considered listening while reading, which I also don’t really do now that I think about it.
And I bet it’s very difficult as a musician to let music recede enough to be a lubricant rather than a distraction. I find there’s a sweet spot between background and foreground where most of my favorite writing music lives.
It is. I know plenty of other musicians who can turn their analysis ears off while listening, but for me it takes more effort to just chill back with any music now than it is to just listen deep like I’ve trained myself to do by default. And I don’t find it to be a problem either, I think it comes from how I learned to perform Jazz music. I never quite felt as strongly connected to my ears with just my Classical training. Learning to improvise made me listen deeper to whatever component I was trying to pick up on, and it feels like I can sift finer details in real time as a result.
As much as I love John Prine, I can see your struggle here. There are definitely songs and artists connected with each stage of my career and sometimes short-lived to a specific project. One project in particular comes to mind when I inexplicably got stuck in an endless loop of Burt Bacharach’s “Something Big” . Not proud of this, but I just go with what grabs me at the time. I have found that it’s usually not intentional or in my control what pulls me in during creative projects. You are however taking me back to my days in the darkroom, listening to Azure Ray’s “November” and carrying around my Damien Rice O tote bag, filled with sheets of light sensitive paper. I can still smell my favorite cozy sweater when I got home absorbed with all the magic of that place. It’s amazing how a song can bring a memory to life like nothing else.
Yes! I love it. And I lol'd. No Burt Bacharach shame here. He did a collab with Elvis Costello called Painted From Memory that is one of my favorites. (It is for me permanently associated with overnight flights. The perfect mood.) I will add Damien Rice to my to-do list. And I'll listen to anything from Saddle Creek any day, so I'll have to revisit Azure Ray. Thank you for this comment!
Scandinavian jazz is my go-to music when I work on photos or write. The other options include, but are not limited to classical jazz (a few of my favorites are on your list), and modern jazz - Marsalis, McBride, Redman, and of course, Philip Glass and a few other minimalist musicians. Great article, thanks.
It's funny, I have dabbled in modern jazz and found things I enjoy, but nothing has really stayed with me the way that mid-century hard bop does. Modern music in general tends to be a bit more distracting for me. One rare exception is Brian Eno's 'Music for Airports" which recedes just enough without disappearing to be conducive to my flow state. Philip Glass is a pretty big gap in my knowledge, so I should give him a spin. Thank you for reading, and for your thoughtful comment!
Great post, Bill! Music is and has been an important part of my life for decades. I don't think I knew you were a jazz fan — same here. I'm following your Spotify playlist and see some of my favorites in the mix. Lee Morgan's trumpet solo on "Moanin'" is one of the best. Thanks for this walk down memory lane!
My favorite era of Jazz dates between 1955 and 1965. I would have loved to have been a fly-on-the-wall at Rudy's studio(among others). I too, cannot write and listen to lyrics. I prefer classical music for pottery, but just about everything else I do that's creative, has Jazz in the background. I think that Mr. Rollins is as good as anyone to be an ambassador for Jazz.
Thanks, Darin. I like the classical/pottery connection. One is very highbrow, the other is playing with mud. A perfect juxtaposition!
True, but I find that I cannot hold my hands with the touch needed when throwing a pot and listening to Jazz.
This is really interesting! It reinforces, for me at least, the idea that the music really does matter.
The Sidewinder is a favorite. And Cornbread! Have you seen the Lee Morgan documentary?
I haven’t but I will look for it now!
Keeping in mind, Lee was shot by his wife.
There is also a great documentary about Lee Morgan's wife. Can't remember the name off the top of my head, but it's really worth looking for.
I actually can’t listen to music when I’m reading or writing, I need silence. Since music is my career field of work, I just end up zoning in on all of what’s going on sonically and get completely distracted from what I was trying to read or think about. Ironically while I’m playing or practicing myself, I find it quite easy to listen to other people talk to me, but I can’t multitask worth a damn while actually talking to other people!
Rollins and Coleman are some top choice picks. If I may make some suggestions, I’ll touch on 20 albums I think might go well in your playlist, with a broad swatch of my current listening rotation favorites and all-time favorites mixed in (I’ll refrain from “heavier” music styles or ensembles larger than Big Band):
Charlie Parker - With Strings
Baptiste Herbin - On Air
Jon De Lucia - And The Stars Were Shining
Joshua Redman - Joshua Redman
Lakecia Benjamin - Pursuance
David Murray - Ballads for Bass Clarinet
Gerry Mulligan - Paraíso (Spanish lyrics)
Thelonius Monk - Solo Monk
Marshall Gilkes - Always Forward
Piglet - Lava Land
Tom’s Story - Tom’s Story
The Midnight - Endless Sumer (lyrics)
Arcing Wires - Prime
Taksim Trio - Ahi
Todd Marcus - In the Valley
Renaud Garcia-Fons - Entremundo
Dumitru Fărcaş - Taragot, Vol. 1
Margot Leverett - The Art of Klezmer
Erwan Menguy - Spring Days
Talisk - Dawn
Thank you so much, Niles. Very kind of you to curate a list. I will definitely start checking these out asap.
I hadn’t considered listening while reading, which I also don’t really do now that I think about it.
And I bet it’s very difficult as a musician to let music recede enough to be a lubricant rather than a distraction. I find there’s a sweet spot between background and foreground where most of my favorite writing music lives.
It is. I know plenty of other musicians who can turn their analysis ears off while listening, but for me it takes more effort to just chill back with any music now than it is to just listen deep like I’ve trained myself to do by default. And I don’t find it to be a problem either, I think it comes from how I learned to perform Jazz music. I never quite felt as strongly connected to my ears with just my Classical training. Learning to improvise made me listen deeper to whatever component I was trying to pick up on, and it feels like I can sift finer details in real time as a result.
As much as I love John Prine, I can see your struggle here. There are definitely songs and artists connected with each stage of my career and sometimes short-lived to a specific project. One project in particular comes to mind when I inexplicably got stuck in an endless loop of Burt Bacharach’s “Something Big” . Not proud of this, but I just go with what grabs me at the time. I have found that it’s usually not intentional or in my control what pulls me in during creative projects. You are however taking me back to my days in the darkroom, listening to Azure Ray’s “November” and carrying around my Damien Rice O tote bag, filled with sheets of light sensitive paper. I can still smell my favorite cozy sweater when I got home absorbed with all the magic of that place. It’s amazing how a song can bring a memory to life like nothing else.
Yes! I love it. And I lol'd. No Burt Bacharach shame here. He did a collab with Elvis Costello called Painted From Memory that is one of my favorites. (It is for me permanently associated with overnight flights. The perfect mood.) I will add Damien Rice to my to-do list. And I'll listen to anything from Saddle Creek any day, so I'll have to revisit Azure Ray. Thank you for this comment!
Scandinavian jazz is my go-to music when I work on photos or write. The other options include, but are not limited to classical jazz (a few of my favorites are on your list), and modern jazz - Marsalis, McBride, Redman, and of course, Philip Glass and a few other minimalist musicians. Great article, thanks.
It's funny, I have dabbled in modern jazz and found things I enjoy, but nothing has really stayed with me the way that mid-century hard bop does. Modern music in general tends to be a bit more distracting for me. One rare exception is Brian Eno's 'Music for Airports" which recedes just enough without disappearing to be conducive to my flow state. Philip Glass is a pretty big gap in my knowledge, so I should give him a spin. Thank you for reading, and for your thoughtful comment!
Yes, Eno for sure! I'll throw Ryuichi Sakamoto and Laurie Anderson in the mix, and I think we're covered for a while 😆
Great post, Bill! Music is and has been an important part of my life for decades. I don't think I knew you were a jazz fan — same here. I'm following your Spotify playlist and see some of my favorites in the mix. Lee Morgan's trumpet solo on "Moanin'" is one of the best. Thanks for this walk down memory lane!
Thanks, Andy. And d’oh! I should’ve included a Lee Morgan track on there too. Cornbread. One of the greats.
I’m a jazz fan but my world is small. It’s like someone new to rock ‘n roll saying “Have you heard of Led Zeppelin? They’re great!”