Skip to main content

Thin Lizzy - My Sarah

Jazz uses a more theoretical approach. You’ll find Bebop Scales, Chord Tone soloing, Pentatonics, but on a different level, Triadic/Intervallic playing, and more. Melodic Minor is a scale used often in jazz that you probably won’t hear in bluegrass music much at all. Overall, the choices and approach are more exotic and deeper. 

The length of jazz solos tends to be longer. Hence, why they need more tools in their toolbox. They might take one solo with chord tones, the next with the bebop scale, or one with it all mixed up. Overall, I’d say the variations on a theme approach is less prevalent in jazz.

The topic and theme of bluegrass songs is much different than jazz. They focus on songs about the old home, cabins, rural living, etc. There are songs about mom & dad, trains, and gospel songs. Of course, there are the usual songs about losing a woman, or fights between a woman and a man. 

With jazz, a lot of the songs are about city living. A lot of jazz’s repertoire are Tin Pan Alley songs. However, it too has songs about relationships, love, etc. While there are certainly famous jazz vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and Mel Torme, I’d say that jazz is usually focused on instrumental music. Whereas, with bluegrass, I think a greater percentage of the music is vocal based.


Thin Lizzy - My Sarah
  • Written by: Phil Lynott
  • Released on: April 13, 1979
  • Released on: Jailbreak album

"Thin Lizzy spans from their beginnings in 1969, in Dublin when childhood friends Phil Lynott and Brian Downey were approached by two former members of Van Morrison's band, Eric Wrixon and Eric Bell. Their first album Thin Lizzy was released in 1971."

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

Ian Brown - Home Is Where The Heart Is

Talking to artists about how they had adjusted to the pandemic yielded information that normally doesn’t come up during artist interviews. While some musicians lost their main source of income, others were able to continue with their regular day jobs that, given the generally low pay for gigs, often allowed them to be active in the blues. Others were forced to turn to webcasting. In Clarksdale, Lucious Spiller was one of the first to do these shows and was likely the most active, for a year he played every Wednesday night, on Thursday afternoons, a time amenable to Europeans, and on most Saturdays, about as often as he normally performed. Aside from a fall off after the first weeks, support for the gigs, which was almost enough to pay the bills, remained steady until things began to open up in May of 2021. About five years ago, Clarksdale reached the milestone of live music seven days a week, 365 days a year, but that ended abruptly... The contemporary Southern soul market is largely s...
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