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Sound Ideas #7 - Musical Tootsie Pop
Thanks for dropping in. This hour is a musical Tootsie Pop. Hard, crunchy, and swinging on the outside, but chewy, soulful, and contemplative on the inside.
Artist Track Album
Buddy Rich Basically Blues Swingin' New Band
Branford Marsalis The Ballad of Chet Kinkaid Crazy People Music
Australian Jazz Quintet +1 Jazz in D Minor: Part II - Slow Australian Jazz Quintet +1
Wynton Kelly Trio and Wes Montgomery Unit 7 Smokin' at the Half Note
Horace Silver Jungle Juice Serenade to a Soul Sister
Stevie Wonder As Songs in the Key of Life
Fats Navarro and Tad Dameron Sid's Delight Complete Blue Note Sessions
New Guitar Summit Time's a Wastin' Retrospective
Buddy Rich Party Time Buddy Rich Plays and Plays and Plays

Once the needle is dropped, it doesn't take long to recognize the Buddy Rich Big Band, regardless of the style. His bands were always a vehicle for his drumming. This is not to say that there weren't any other musicians of note as there were many who worked through Buddy's finishing school and went on to achieve artistic excellence. But in Buddy's band, it was always clear who was the star. In the 1960s and 1970s, many a high school and college student would play the charts from Buddy Rich, Count Basic, Stan Kenton, and Maynard Ferguson. While always a brash and rollicking time, mastering one of his charts was always a proud moment in the student's life.

In contrast, The Ballad of Chet Kincaid, a mellow interpretation of Hikky Burr, is a study in restraint, where the implicit is louder than the explicit. Bill Holman's Jazz in D Minor is a three part suite and we hear the contemplative, introspective mind at work. Two masters of cool, even when burning hot, are Wynton Kelly and Wes Montgomery. Their classic recording is a playful, yet mindful, consideration; full of spunk, but with control and incredible delivery.

Three piano/keyboard players that have had tremendous impact on music, both jazz, and popular music are Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, and Stevie Wonder. Jungle Juice examines the energy within and As reflects on life and the never ending passing of time. Horace's ability to build texture and driving force from voicings and rhythmic combinations is truly unique. The interplay of Herbie's and Stevie's keyboards build a different texture, yet their interplay define so much of As, beyond the lyrics, which are a masterful statement of the myriad ways to express love from beginning until we are at our life's end.  

We close out with classic sounds from those who charted the musical path from which so many developed along with a retrospective look at another swing classic. In finality we are reminded of a celebration of what this hour has lead us through. Musical creativity can seem very serious, but in reality, it is one giant party.

Life is the summation of experiences. The creative arts express those experiences at an intellectual, and emotional level. Support the arts, and you support life.