About Standards

Eric Dolphy said, “When you hear music, after it’s over, it’s gone in the air, you can never capture it again”. No two performances are ever the same. The following is a common saying about jazz.

There are no masterpieces in jazz, only great performances.

One of the famous Japanese jazz critic ever said like this, but it is a quote that certainly hits the nail on the head. In jazz performance, which is based on improvisation, the ingredients is not important, but how to “cook” the ingredients is what is important.

It is a well-crafted phrase. However, I still think there are “masterpieces”. It is a “standard song” that many musicians have taken up. If the original song is good, it should be able to inspire the player. The one that immediately comes to mind is “Kareha” (Autumn Leaves). There are countless standards, but the one that stands out in my mind is “Round Midnight”. This song was written by Thelonious Monk for solo piano and later lyrics were added. I don’t think there is a standard with such a jazzy melody. I would recommend it as the number one jazz standard of all time. It has been performed by countless performers, including Miles Davis, not to mention the original Monk.

I had the movie “Round Midnight” on VHS at the time. I wonder how many times I have seen it, maybe a hundred. The film opens with Bobby McFerrin’s mysterious scat, like a muted trumpet, and tells the “friendship story” between saxophonist Dale Turner (Dexter Gordon), who moved to France in the 1950s, and French illustrator Francis. According to one theory, the main character is modeled on Bud Powell. All in all, this was a great movie, “filled” with jazz.  #jazz #片山俊幸