Skip to main content

Koko Taylor - Blow Top Blues

Jazz music is essentially a conversation. In classical music, by contrast, the musicians are expected to learn their parts perfectly and deliver consistently, according to a high standard of perfection. Jazz and blues, while also committed to high standards of performance, use a language that is more conversational, employing song structure, but with infinite ways to deliver a song. The song gives a context and excuse for conversation.

Is it possible that the way jazz musicians learn to speak with one another could offer new approaches for the way we speak to one another in organizations?

Every conversation you’ve ever had was improvised. You were unscripted. Someone said something and you responded in the best way that you were able, even if that response was silence. Herein is of course the joy and the risk. Because they are unscripted, conversations can go pear shaped. We can say the wrong thing at the wrong time, or we can listen with half a heart and suddenly we are in deep water. Yet jazz and blues artists take these risks all the time. And they do so in front of an audience that pays to listen to them.

Why would musicians take such a risk? There’s plenty of unimprovised music that is wonderful. And we can find analogies in business, certain keynote addresses work best when they’re delivered word for considered word.


Koko Taylor - Blow Top Blues
  • Produced by: Koko Taylor and Bruce Iglauer
  • Composed by: Leonard Feather
  • Genre: Blues, Chicago blues

"Koko Taylor's big, raw vocal style, led fans to crown her The Queen of Chicago Blues. Hit records and spectacular shows at the Montreux and Ann Arbor Festivals, constant touring and recording with her band, won her a string of Awards."

See previous Song of the Day


Labels:
Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jackson Browne - Kisses Sweeter than Wine

Europe has a rich history of embracing blues and jazz music. In the early 20th century, American jazz musicians began touring Europe, introducing the continent to a new sound that was unlike anything they had ever heard before. Jazz became an instant hit among European audiences, and many European musicians began incorporating jazz elements into their music. Today, jazz festivals are held all over Europe, attracting thousands of fans from all over the world. In addition, many European cities have thriving blues scenes, with local bands and musicians performing regularly. Blues and jazz have also made their way to Asia, where they have found a devoted fan base. Japan, in particular, has a thriving jazz scene, with many Japanese musicians achieving international recognition. In addition, China has also seen a rise in the popularity of jazz music in recent years. Jazz festivals are now held in major Asian cities such as Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, attracting jazz lovers from all over ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cannonball Adderley - Willow Weep for Me

The positivity and uplifting effect of the musical product is more likely to mean the musician is cheering themselves and everybody up rather than that the musician is telling us they are happy. This can largely be applied to attitudes to the performance of jazz and other Black cultures in the Western world. Whilst some of the aforementioned jazz pioneers, like Ella Fitzgerald, stayed clean, several had a history of drug abuse... which often resulted in premature deaths. Louis Armstrong, who used the infinitely safer drug marijuana throughout his 69 years... Whilst drug use was not uncommon among musicians in general, this pattern that many of the greats of jazz died young due to addictions speaks of a consistent level of turmoil, and alludes to their common experience of racism as a depressive factor in 20th Century America. Source: A Soft Reminder of Where Jazz Came From by Tom Platts Cannonball Adderley - Willow Weep for Me Released in: September 1955 Genre: Jazz Label: Savoy "...
Post a Comment
Read more

Roy Haynes - Satan's Mysterious Feeling

Sun Studio, located at 706 Union Avenue, was started by one of the fathers of rock ‘n roll, Sam Phillips, in 1950. It was the commingling of the Memphis Recording Service and Sun Records that formed Sun Studio, and until 1969... The studio’s claim to fame is that it is where the first rock ‘n roll record was produced, Rocket 88, in April 1951. Stax Records was born in 1957. The original Stax was named Satellite Records until it changed its name to Stax in 1961. The company brought to the forefront American and Memphis soul, as well as gospel, funk and the Delta blues. Its most famous act was Otis Redding, and after his death in 1967, the studio struggled to stay in competition with Detroit’s Motown. The music of Memphis has evolved from its long, rich history. The legends of the past have created a legacy that newer artists can only hope to imitate but never really duplicate. A walk along Beale Street should invoke the memory of the great musicians who have come to and played in Memphi...
Post a Comment
Read more