Thought about what I should read next. I have so many things to choose from at this point. But I kept feeling pulled to Jazz: Its Evolution and Essence by André Hodeir...so that's what I did.
It's xiv (the preliminaries) + 263 (text) + 13 (discography and index) pages, for a total of 290 pages.
Interesting quirk in my copy: after the last page of the Index there are six pages of Selected Grove Press Paperbacks, then four blank pages, and then a repeat of pages i through 2. It's clearly a printing error--in fact, the last word on page 2 is "danc-" and it faces the inside of the back cover. So this errant copy ought to be worth a couple of thousand dollars, right? 🤙
Day 1 (DDRD 1,579) February 26, 2022
Well first off...ahhhhh, no more World War II. I needed that.
This book was first published in 1956. And Hodeir is a White guy. A Parisian. And according to Wikipedia, "...trained as a classical violinist and composer. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he was taught by Olivier Messiaen and won first prizes in fugue, harmony, and music history. While pursuing these studies he discovered jazz and various music forms besides jazz and classical. He recorded on violin under the pseudonym 'Claude Laurence.' As a critic he expressed disgust with nearly all early jazz (Jazz: Its Evolution and Essence; 1957)." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Hodeir)
Well. THAT doesn't sound promising, does it? Nevertheless, I persisted.
The first interesting thing of note was in the Translator's Note, wherein David Noakes says, among other things, that this version omits the final chapter of the original book, "On the State of Jazz at the Death of Charlie Parker in 1955...." Which, of course, made me think, "Why did they leave that out?" & "I want to read that chapter!" I did a little unsuccessful Googling and then thought, "What about the Internet Archive?" Went there (https://archive.org), typed "André Hodeir" into the search box, and amongst the hits I saw this thing of beauty:
This was one of those You Can Borrow It For An Hour And Then Renew It books, so I did what I had to do and screenshot all of the pages of the chapter. I'm going to tuck them away and read them when I finish the penultimate chapter, and then maybe I can figure out why Grove Press tried to deny me this part of the experience. (Deny me, Grove Press? Ha! This is the 21st century, and I may not have a flying car, but I WILL find what I want to read...preferably for free.)
It's alright, ma, the Matrix is only glitching.
Day 2 (DDRD 1,580) February 27, 2022
Read to page 40. Took about 30 minutes, btw, which surprised me a little bit. Since this book is small-ish, I thought it would be a much faster read than, say, The Pacific Trilogy. On the other hand, I had to battle a white kitten who wanted to sit on my shoulder while I read & a daughter who was determined to tell me (for the umpteenth time) about the details of a future trip to New York City. So maybe 30 minutes for 20 pages is pretty good.
I also had to pull up short a couple of times. Once when the name Don Redman was mentioned, and I wondered if he was related to modern jazzman Joshua Redman. Well, you know what to do! 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁Wikipedia?
"[Don] Redman was born in Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. His father was a music teacher, his mother was a singer. Beginning by playing the trumpet at the age of three, Redman joined his first band at the age of six and by the age of 12 was proficient on all wind instruments ranging from trumpet to oboe as well as piano. He studied at Storer College in Harper's Ferry and at the Boston Conservatory, then joined Billy Page's Broadway Syncopaters in New York City. He was the uncle of saxophonist Dewey Redman, and thus great-uncle of saxophonist Joshua Redman and trumpeter Carlos Redman."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Redman
So there you have it, and yes, it IS a small world after all. Joshua Redman is one of the few...come to think of it, maybe the ONly... modern jazz artists I know anything about. In fact, somewhere in the ruins of this house I have several of his albums on cd.
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| Don Redman--Public Domain |
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| https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dewey_redman.jpg |
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| https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joshua_Redman_Kongsberg_Jazzfestival_2017_(234336).jpg |
Another thing which brought me up short was this comment:
"Negro-American music, from which jazz issued, resulted from a rupture in the African musical tradition brought about by the brutal change in environment experienced by the natives who were seized by slavetraders...." (40)
Interestingly, Hodeir postulates that jazz had many divergences from African music, and was greatly influenced by music from Anglo-Saxon and French sources, such as hymns, popular dances, and military marches. I didn't get the impression that he was attempting to downplay the idea that jazz was Black in origin at all. In fact, earlier on in the second chapter he spent time talking about how no act of genius stands on its own, apart from the historical and cultural context in which the artist of genius lives. I think he's saying the same thing about jazz as a whole, that it was the creation of Black artists who drew from the historical and cultural context in which they were embedded. Which suggests that jazz would not exist without the brutality of slavery. That's a disturbing thought, but it also suggests that there is no brutality which cannot be surmounted and eclipsed by the creative spirit of the human being.
Day 3 (DDRD 1,581) February 28, 2022
Read to page 60. Had some reservations about this book before, but I'm starting to get into its groove as of today. On the one hand, Hodeir certainly is snooty and condescending and supercilious at times...and some of his critical comments seem unnecessarily barbed...but it's also clear that he dearly loves Jazz music, and that love covers quite a few sins. I think the line which really flipped me to his side was his comment that Louis Armstrong "smacked the world in the face with his introduction to WEST END BLUES...." (55 - 56) The funny thing about that is the introduction he's referring to was 12 seconds long. You can hear it here...
...if you've got 12 seconds to spare.
Hodeir clearly has great respect and love for Louis Armstrong. In fact, I get the distinct impression that for him, everything that came before Armstrong was pretty much just fucking around in the mud. He refers to Armstrong as a genius, then goes out of his way to point out that geniuses are very rare, and that he doesn't use this word lightly. He comes close to crediting Armstrong with the invention of swing, and does credit him as the inventor of the solo in Jazz music...which would have some pretty huge implications for all music, wouldn't it? He also says this--
"In a sense, the improvised ensembles are cornet solos accompanied by impromptu counter melodies, rather than true collective improvisation." (50)
--which caused me to ask, "What the hell are counter melodies?" Wikipedia answers thusly (assuming you need an answer as much as I do): "In music, a counter-melody (often countermelody) is a sequence of notes, perceived as a melody, written to be played simultaneously with a more prominent lead melody. In other words, it is a secondary melody played in counterpoint with the primary melody. A counter-melody performs a subordinate role, and it is typically heard in a texture consisting of a melody plus accompaniment." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-melody)
So there's that. Perhaps more useful than words is THIS very short video.
Hodeir also gave a list of songs he then discussed to show why Louis Armstrong was a genius...and why the only members of the band were not in his league. I'm pretty sure that this list contained the songs I went looking for earlier on, so here it is:
All are available on YouTube:
I'm sorry to admit that had it not been for André Hodeir, I probably wouldn't have noticed anything special about these songs. They seem pretty much like all early Jazz songs that I've heard...very New Orleansy, thin sound with lots of distortion.
Of course, now I'm thinking that I REALLY need a boxed set of Louis Armstrong...one that includes his earliest recordings. Also, Hodeir made another mention of Really the Blues, so I went to the Louisville Free Public Library to see if, perchance, they had a copy on hand. The good news is that they did. The bad news is that it's a non-circulating book. (What?) The Internet Archive had 4 pages of it. (What??) So if I want to read it, I guess I have to buy it...something which I am trying to avoid these days. It's not the money, it's the stuff. I have too much stuff, and try to avoid adding to it. That said, I did find a used copy on eBay for $9.21, so I might go for that. Or maybe it's time to put in for an interlibrary loan and see what comes of that? I've had success in getting some hard to find books that way in the past...including E. L. Doctorrow's Big as Life, which I've seen listed at between $100 and $875 (What???). Or I could just go camp out at the Western Branch library and get down to it...but I really don't have enough consecutive hours of free time to make that worth the trip.
Oh, also, today I found this tucked into the pages of Hodeir's books:
So there you have it. 32 years ago somebody in Louisville (because this was on the back of the clipping:
) loved Jazz so much that they considered, and perhaps even planned, to travel to New Orleans for a festival. Wow. I don't think ANYthing could persuade me to travel to New Orleans.Day 4 (DDRD 1,582) March 1, 2022
Read to page 80, and now that André Hodeir has revealed his Old Man Level crotchetiness, I officially love him. Check this out:
"Of the former there is little to say except that they are among the ugliest and most grotesque things that the vigilance of man has allowed to be preserved on wax." (61)
Now that's my kind of crotchety.
Also, reference the seemingly inevitable decline of musicians (after the age of 40!), he noted, "...there is something pathetic in a destiny that corresponds to the development of the human body rather than to that of the mind and spirit." (64)
Well...what can you say other than Sad But True?
Hodeir also extolled the virtues of some of the performances of a fellow by the name of Dickie Wells. (When he was younger, of course.) I'd never heard of Mr. Wells before, so I pulled up one of the songs Hodeir had referred to and tried to listen to the things that Hodeir had pointed out. My tin ear and feeble brain weren't capable of hearing that, but it was quite a rousing piece of music.
This eventually led me to an album entitled Bones For the King, which seems to be pretty much completely unavailable for purchase, but can be heard in its entirety on YouTube. There's some fun and interesting interplay between an organ and the horns on the first (and titular) cut of this album. Worth doing, I think.
Hodeir also speaks very highly of Count Basie's Concerto For Cootie...again a thing of which I'd never heard previously. I was expecting a 30 minute (+ or -) piece, but all I could find was a 3:19 song, so I guess the title is figurative. I was surprised that I had so much difficulty finding any information on this song, actually. In fact, when I searched on Amazon for Concerto for Cootie by Count Basie...under the category CDs and Vinyl...none of the hits were at all relevant. (Most of them were toys...and none of them had anything to do with music, much less Count Basie or "Concerto For Cootie."
I'm already (with an estimated 11 more days to go on this book) thinking that I might need some more André Hodeir before I skip over to another hill. So...hello, Thrift Books.
Y'know, when I die I'll bet a lot of (most of? all of??) my books are going to end up in a landfill or at Goodwill. Anybody with a spare, watertight building want to be the home for the Brother K Memorial Library? It includes quite a few issues of Playboy magazine if that's a selling point. Not to mention about ten thousand comic books, several hundred vinyl albums, and I Have No Idea how many cds.
Day 5 (DDRD 1,583) March 2, 2022
Read to page 100.
Here are some wise words from the FrenchGuy...ostensibly about music:
Hodeir was still discussing "Concerto For Cootie"...going into some intricate depths that I was not capable of following, but did appreciate. He clearly knows his shizz when it comes to music. At one point he says, "Duke Ellington here makes one think of Mozart." That's a pretty big stick to wave around, ennit? So I gave "CFC" another turn. And this time I connected my Bose speaker so I could appreciate some of the subtleties that Hodeir had talked about--knowing that I still didn't have the brains to appreciate Hodeir's precision, but thinking that I'd still be able to hear something of what he was focusing on. And indeed I did. Cootie's trumpet is an amazing thing, and the way it is juxtaposed with the orchestra, especially the bass, is very satisfying. In almost sounds like two different kinds of music: a jazz trumpet with a big band orchestra. I think (keep in mind that I barely know what I'm talking about here, and am just grasping at Hodeir's comments and trying to apply them to what I hear) that that's because the orchestra is playing a very set score, while Cootie is kind of improvising (a la Jazz) on his trumpet. "Kind of" improvising because Hodeir thinks that this recording is actually something that has been rehearsed to the point that improvisation is in its rear view mirror...but not rehearsed to the point that it's devoid of the spark and fire of an improvisation.
I didn't stop the automatic Play Next Video thing (because I was writing the words above), and the next track that started playing was "Cootie Williams in Duke Ellington Sacred Concert 2 1969," and it was an amazing thing, for sure. It was really beautiful and moving to watch Cootie play, too. In fact, it was so powerful that when it was over I hit replay and did it again. And when that ended, I hit it again. I love watching Cootie as he plays on this. He has definitely left this world and is on walkabout on a higher plane of existence. It's just breathtaking.
Man. If I ever teach anything again, I'm going to figure out a way to work Jazz into the lesson plans.
Started the next chapter of the book, VII, "Charlie Parker and the Bop Movement." Hmm. I know I've got some Charlie Parker cds around here someplace. In fact, a nice little set in a metal box. Going to have to see if that's where I'm hoping it is. Also need to see where my Joshua Redman cds got to. They weren't where they should have been, but I've got an idea or two.
In other news, I found Ken Burns' 2001 Jazz series on hoopla , and am watching Episode 1 ("Gumbo," which covers up to 1917).
ADDENDUM: Watched Episode 1...and sorry to say that I had to struggle not to nod off on it. I think it was more me (The Giving Tree, Chapter 10) than the documentary, and I'll try to go back for another look, but meanwhile I decided to go ahead to watch Episode 2: "The Gift," which covers the years 1917–1924, and gets to Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, who I at least know a little bit about.
Day 6 (DDRD 1,584) March 3, 2022
I was so excited about the entrance of Charlie Parker into the narrative that I read on to page 105 and was going to keep going when I realized that I might not have my next Hodeir Jazz book in hand if I finished this one too early and forced myself to stop.
I also watched Episode 2 of Jazz and enjoyed it quite a bit. And this morning I watched as much of Episode 3 ("Our Language," covering the years 1924–1928, with more Louis Armstrong, more Duke Ellington, and some Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Bessie Smith to boot) as I could until it was time to hit the road.
Meanwhile...read to page 120.
When writing about Charlie Parker, Hodeir makes this puzzling statement: "...his phrase frequently includes notes that are not played but merely suggested. His phrase is so logical and his power of persuasion so great that the ear hears them anyway." (108) He gives an example of this, but not with enough context for a novice like me to be able to understand it.
I've been unable to locate my Charlie Bird box, and have started wondering if I sold it back to Half Price Books. I don't remember, but it's possible. For awhile there I was kind of desperate to clear out some of the "detritus" from my house, and I just remember filling a huge suitcase with lots of stuff. Mostly books, but I'm sure there were some dvds and cds in there, too.
Well...at least there's the LFPL.
Got back home in time to finish up the 3rd episode of Jazz. Some moving stories about Artie Shaw and especially Bix Beiderbecke. Very sad anecdote about Bix holing up in a place after hours and playing with Louis Armstrong...because they weren't allowed to play together on stage or even record together.
Day 7 (DDRD 1,585) March 4, 2022
Read to page 140.
So I was thinking. Hodeir praises lots of musicians along the way, but it's clear that the standouts for him (up to this point) are Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. (He spends less time on Duke Ellington than the other three, and I was tempted to leave Ellington off of the list.) And though he is unstinting in his praise for these musicians...well, that's not quite true, since he stints for just about everybody...he seems to see Armstrong as the greatest genius, Parker as the second, and Davis as the bronze. I don't get the impression that he sees Jazz as diminishing in quality and / or power, though, so maybe it's more a matter of once genius has made the big breakthrough, there's not as much territory left to explore. Or maybe the next chapter will change this paradigm completely. We'll see how it goes.
Meanwhile...Toward Jazz is in Glendale Heights, Illinois, and The Worlds of Jazz is in Austell, Georgia.
So maybe it won't take another week for them to get to me after all.
Day 8 (DDRD 1,586) March 5, 2022
Read to page 160. Strange...most of today's words were aimed at exposing the weaknesses of jazz music. Some of it in a general way: "...jazz musicians spoil their gifts by systematic harmonic sugar-coating that, precisely because it makes possible some pretty effects from time to time, shows how far they are from realizing that prettiness is the enemy of beauty. (142)
Some of it was very specific: after transcribing a Milton Mezzrow solo, Hodeir then compared it to a Charlie Parker solo, then concluded "it is a far cry from the monotonous, unrelieved procedure followed in [the Milton Mezzrow solo]."
What makes this even stranger is that Hodeir had earlier quoted from Mezzrow's book (Really the Blues) several times. So attacking MM like this seems particularly cold-blooded.
I've got to say...I'll be glad when we get back to talking about what we love about jazz music.
Meanwhile, here's a thought that I found particularly interesting:
"The jazz improviser creates only in terms of the instrument he plays." (153)
Of course, the jazz musician has some choice when it comes to his or her instrument. The rest of us are born into ours.
In other Hodeir News: Both of the books I ordered are now sitting in the LOUISVILLE KY DISTRIBUTION CENTER. So surely they're not going to sit there for a week, right? (Right??)
Day 9 (DDRD 1,587) March 6, 2022
Read to page 180. Back to Louis Armstrong, and some close examination of musical elements. I tried to follow along, and, since I just checked out a 4 cd set of Armstrong's music (Hot Fives and Sevens) from the library, I listened to "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" on the Big Speakers...but I still couldn't follow what Hodeir was saying. (Although I did enjoy the song.)
Here's some life advice courtesy of Hodeir:
"...the literal statement of a theme is rarely satisfying on a musical level. But obviously the richest melodic developments are to be expected from the paraphrase-chorus and the free variation." (167)
So let's go out there and improvise!
Day 10 (DDRD 1,588) March 7, 2022
Read to page 201. Also read Discography and Index, which means that I only have 62 more pages to read...plus the 14 pages in the "On the State of Jazz at the Death of Charlie Parker in 1955" chapter...so it's looking like 3 more days. And then the plan is to continue with Hodeir through Toward Jazz (1962) and then The Worlds of Jazz (1970)--assuming they arrive on time, which would be today. News as it happens.
We're back to comments on the form and substance of JAZZ in a musical / philosophical way, is I got a little lost in the pages today. Probably didn't help that I woke up at 3 am and after some abortive attempts to get back to sleep gave up and read today's twenty. This was not my favorite part of the book, though, for sure. There were also many references to "The Negro" which seemed just short of racist stereotypicality. So yeah...I would rather have been reading more about the musicians themselves.
Another thing: Hodeir made reference to the "fact" that Béla Bartók "died in poverty" (183) That surprised me, since Bartók is one of the few classical musicians famous enough for me to recognize the name of, and I'm always interested in people who lived in obscurity and whose work was later discovered and applauded. (Gee, I wonder why?) So I went to Wikipedia for more details. Wherein I found this:
Day 11 (DDRD 1,589) March 8, 2022
Read to page 223.
At one point, Hodeir talks about how "Negroes who created jazz" are capable of "complete neuroscience-muscular relaxation," which allows them to swing better than White musicians. He also talks about how this is true in track and field athletes. Which sounds pretty fuckin' racist. He adds, however, that some White athletes and musicians have, through hard work, been able to acquire this ability, and how that has allowed them to "equal" the "Negroes." Which sounds slightly less racist. And THEN he talks about how Black musicians have had to work really hard to become the great musicians that they are, which seems to complete undo the racism in his previous statements. Very confusing.
At one point Hodeir was discussing a song I'd never heard of before: "When Lights are Low," a performed by Clyde Hart, Charlie Christian, Milton Hinton, and Cozy Cole. It took a fair amount of searching to find that version (finally found it on Spotify). And it was a cool little tune, for sure, but (big surprise) I didn't find it to be anything extraordinary. So I listened to a few more times. Then I noticed that there was another version by Miles Davis, so I have that a listen. And I said oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...what a feeling. The Miles Davis version just sounds sooo much better to me...it's barely the same song. Where the first version sounded a bit corny and playful to me, the Miles Davis version sounds heartfelt and tinged with sadness. In a good way. It's all about that Miles, 'bout that Miles, 'bout that Miles.
And then there's this line, which explains everything from marriage to Your Job:
"After the joy of discovery comes the boredom of repetition." (218)
No further elaboration is necessary.
Finally, when discussing how really excellent and progressive musicians sometimes had trouble "fitting in" with a band...and how it might sometimes be better for the band to have a less talented member, so as to make the group more cohesive, Hodeir had this to say:
"If Johann Sebastian Bach had been a jazzman, he undoubtedly would have had a hard time getting along with Schoenberg at the piano and Bartok on drums!"
Which I think is pretty funny. And which may explain why some very prominent popular bands had members who were, shall we say, less prominent than others.
Just sayin', sir.
Day 12 (DDRD 1,590) March 9, 2022
Read to page 244. Still in the "let's define Jazz" woods in which I easily get lost. To be honest, I don't really care a lot about definitions and categorizations. Is it all Jazz, or is it really Jazz➡Swing➡BeBop?
Let me see...mmm.... Nope, don't care. Hodeir also takes about a page to make fun of people who love Jazz but don't hear it "properly" or who fail to appreciate the "right" aspects of a piece of music or who appreciate "bad" Jazz. Sheesh.
Along the way to his defining Jazz music, Hodeir made mention of the saxophone sounds produced by one Illinois Jacquet. I'd never heard of IJ, but what Hodeir had to say was pretty interesting, so I went online to see what I could find. Listened to his version of "Flying Home" on The Ed Sullivan Show from July 10, 1949. It was okay...but just seemed like very show-offy playing. The high note focus that Hodeir had emphasized wasn't present at all in this piece. So I had another look-see. Found a recording--Illinois Jacquet Sextet "Harlem Nocturne" which was sonorous and tinged with sadness...definitely not a high note orgy. Went for another look. This time I found "Illinois Jacquet: King Of The Screeching Tenor," an NPR program. It was a 53 minute program, though, and I didn't have 53 minutes to spare, so I went into the pool for one more try. Found "Illinois Jacquet - 'Texas Tenor' 1991, music-excerpt part-1 w. Arnett Cobb," which was 17:23. I didn't have 17:23 to spare, but I listened to the first few minutes, which featured Illinois Jacquet on his saxophone, and at least it gave me some idea of what Hodeir was talking about.
Looks like just one day left in this book. It's been an interesting read. An easy read. At times a disagreeable read at times. But I'm definitely interested in reading more on Jazz from Hodeir. Good thing, since I just bought those other two books.
Day 13 (DDRD 1,591) March 10, 2022
Read to page 263, then "SITUATION OF MODERN JAZZ AT THE DEATH OF PARKER," pages 267 to 280 (which do not exist in the version of the book I have). I decided to accompany my reading of this "final" chapter by playing Best of the Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings by Parker, Charlie, 1920-1955, which I acquired from the library.
I can see why Hodeir--or Ho Ever--decided to leave this chapter out of the book. On the one hand, it makes the book end very much up in the air, since the new "final" chapter just meanders around on the influence of European music on Jazz and vice versa. It is definitely not a satisfying conclusion. On the other hand, this "Death" chapter seems to spell the end of Jazz for Hodeir. I'd sum the chapter up like this:
Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and pretty much everybody else--maybe even no "pretty much" about it--are on the decline. Jazz is at a crisis point, one which Charlie Parker could have led it out of, but since his death...the dishes are done, man. Now Jazz had been left in the hands of people like Dave Brubeck...who is essentially an elevator music guy.
Despite that, the book ends on a hopeful note, as Hodeir suggests that "someone...will discover a new method of improvisation...." (280)
Hmpf. It will be interesting to see how he addresses this in the next book, Toward Jazz, which appeared in 1962. Which is where I'll be going next.
☮📤
DDR Day 1 to 1,000: 13,449 pages read
(1) Leviathan 63 days, 729 pages
(2) Stalingrad 27 days, 982 pages
(3) Life and Fate 26 days, 880 pages
(4) The Second World War 34 + 32 + 40 + 43 + 31 + 32 days = 212 days, 4,379 pages
(5) Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming 10 days, 572 pages
(6) The Great Bridge 25 days, 636 pages
(8) Blake: Prophet Against Empire, 23 days, 523 pages
(9) Jerusalem 61 days, 1,266 pages
(10) Voice of the Fire 9 days, 320 pages
(11) The Fountainhead 15 days, 720 pages
(12) The Pacific Trilogy: Pacific Crucible 23 days, 640 pages
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