Frasiering

Little Stevie is pop. Who knew? A blind keyboard player that is "Uptight?" I hear that jing-a-jangin' guitar in the background. What is it that is so important about phrasing? Phrasing is one tool that helps a musician actually move a listeners feelings. Dynamics are another important tool. I think it was Miles again who compared playing a good solo to talking like a pimp. All in one sentence the pimp may be talking sweet with a soft tone and at a low dynamic level, only to catch you by surprise with a loud exclamatory phrase. It's that ability to be "on fire" emotionally that lets you move people. You have to be feeling something when you play, or else you won't have much to say. Dexter Gordon was the king of making one note say a lot. You put your whole life in that one note. With that you don't need much else. In terms of groove this is all important, because accents in a phrase of music are what make it groove. There are many grooves in the world. Knowing the pattern is the key. Motown music is unique in that there is a little "clave" that exists between the rhythm instruments. Each instrument has a specific role, an individual part to play that fit together like a glove. That is what creates the magic. Everyone in the rhythm section has to know their role. So many cruise ship musicians don't. They have never taken the time to study and understand their role as rhythm players in a band. There is nothing more satisfying that getting a good groove going in a band where everyone knows what they are playing is right. The audience can feel it! It is dynamic. Most production shows use watered-down versions of grooves in the pop style. There are no accents, and as a result the shows never have the same impact as the original tunes or artists. This is a shame, when it can be so easy to fix this problem. Of course the arranger is responsible for this, and I have not encountered one production show or fly on entertainer that had a chart that actually notated how the tune should be played. Is it because they really don't know? Do they not understand the magic? Why are these young players so resistant to accurate playing? For me Bebop is the kind of music that most easily defines phrasing. The "swing era" used inflection, but it was not until the genres of Reggae, Afro-Cuban, and Bebop put the traditional accents on the OFF beats that the true possibilities of rhythm were evident. This music swung! It swung because it was different than everything that had come before it. It didn't use cliched rhythms that had been around for decades. You have to learn to feel music a different way to appreciate these styles of music. Once you get a taste of them, you will never go back. "Once you go black," as the phrase goes.