Life is full of rhythm. Don’t think so, stop for a moment and just listen to your surroundings. It’s not always organized into nice little bits of music that we’re used to hearing on the radio, but it’s there. One of the grand masters of pulling natural life rhythms and putting it to music was Frank Zappa. I think that’s what made him so amazingly fun to listen to. Especially when he had complex timings moving across more simplistic time structures.
Jazz isn’t always about super complex rhythms but rather the swing. It’s beauty lies in the complex nature of the harmony. When you get the whole band soloing though, then it can be a different story. The different accents going on will create a sense of really complex rhythm. It’s certainly an art form. I did a short stint of hangin’ at some open mics in LA earlier this year. They were geared towards Cabaret, but people would end up doing a lot of Jazz standards. I was the strange juxtapostition getting up there an playing solo acoustic, singing more rock/pop style stuff. The nice thing about that environment is that they appreciated it more than a usual crowd of open mic’rs would because it was a change of pace.
I don’t do much Jazz here on the Single of the Day, mostly because I don’t search it out. Today’s song was brought to my attention by Suzan herself. Actually she asked about a different song but for some reason I liked this one more. This song has elements that make me hear that rhythm of life in it. Not at the complexity of say Frank Zappa, but just with how some parts are approached.
The smart thing here is that Suzan is out there performing and making a living with music. Even smarter, she’s got herself on iTunes! Looking to expand your horizons – then I suggest to take a step to the side with the song of a different singer and explore her album. It’ll be worth a little rhythm to you.