Monday, June 29, 2020

The Discipline of the Rhythm Section

I played a gig this past weekend, and what transpired was what I expected.  It was not upsetting, because I expected it.  I knew ahead of time what was going to happen, so I prepared for it.  What was this scenario?  It was one I have known about for a long time, and that is because to be a skilled and competent musician one must know something about musical styles.  When I was working on a masters degree at USC Columbia there was a course offered titled "Jazz Styles."  Styles of music are passe today, because the newer generation of Americans are lucky to understand or recognize one.  That style is "pop," and I have railed about it before.  Okay.  I know what it is and how limited it is.  That is why I refuse to recognize it in my own playing.  I will not play pop, ever.  The physicality of pop for the piano is as inane as Mike Pence.  It is not worthy of a speck of dust.  That is its value.  Pop aside, what actually happened on my gig that I expected and entailed controversy?  It was simple.  The styles of music we attempted to pull off failed for the most part, and it was obvious.  They styles or instrumental songs we chose to play did not relate, because the rhythm structure beneath them was not accurate.  I'm sorry to say but music is specific.  If you want music to communicate effectively it must be accurate.  It must portray something accurately that you have picked.  What did we try?  We tried Bossa Nova.  We tried Swing, and we tried Funk.  That is three styles of music which all are different from each other.  They have different rhythmic structures, patterns, which must be actualized for the music to translate its intent or mood.  They failed.  Why did they fail?  They answer is because the bottom of the band was incorrect.  What do I mean by the bottom?  The bottom of the band, in the words of Miles Davis, are the bass and drums.  I am not saying we did not have competent musicians.  We did, but they failed at defining the styles of music we attempted to play.  They were Bossa Nova, Swing, and Funk.  What could be so different about these styles of music.  It is relatively simple.  The bass line of each style must be correct.  Where the beat falls has to be correct, and there must be accurate time.  It cannot rush or drag, and it must strive to be consistent.  It did not swing, because the "feel" of the bass's quarter notes was incorrect.  That is the spacing and length of these notes was wrong, the emphasis was off, and time was not consistent.  How is swing achieved?  The easiest way is by feeling.  If you know and understand the "feeling" of swing music, the way it makes you feel, then you can create that feeling emotionally with your heart, soul, and mind and it dictates your technical performance.  Your playing is driven by a feeling that shows and tells you how to play the notes.  It is that simple.  If you don't possess the feeling, that thing, that swing, you won't and can't swing.  You can fake it.  In swing there is happiness and joy, there is freedom and opportunity, and there is emancipation.  Not everyone can conquer this requirement.  What was the other style that failed?  It was Bossa Nova.  Bossa Nova also has a feeling, and it is different than what most Americans are capable of understanding.  Bossa Nova's origins are in Brazil, a South American country which prides itself with sensuality.  It is intimate, romantic, and expressive.  It is not aggressive, it is passive.  It has a clave, a rhythic pattern that must be accurate.  Because Bossa Nova's origins are on the nylon stringed guitar, its style must be realized by the other instruments with a canny understanding of how to create this feeling.  The bass again is important, specific, and simplistic.  It must adhere to a simple pattern of good time which provides a foundation for the music resting above it.  It takes maturity to play such music, and not bullshit suffices.  The beat in Bossa Nova is wide and relaxed.  That two failures to launch.  How difficult can they be?  The third style of music which faltered was Funk.  Bootsy Collins says it easily.  "You play the "one."  One.  You play on "one."  Play on beat one, and that is it.  Everything else is just filler.  The bass player must be disciplined enough to put beat one in the right place at the right time so the rest of the music and circulate around it.  Beat one.  That's it.  We failed on all three fronts, and it is frustrating.  Is it because the bass player is not capable of playing these requirements, or is it because he doesn't want to?