Jazz / Cool, Post-Bop
Dan Jaffe Producer, Poetry, Liner Notes
Dan Morgenstern Liner Notes
David Basse Producer
Jeff Schiller Mastering
Mike Melvoin Liner Notes
Ron Ubel Engineer
Sandra H. Stollman Photography
William Claxton Photography
Renowned jazz poet Dan Jaffe and highly acclaimed keyboardist Mike Melvoin join forces to celebrate a collection of Jaffe's vivid poetry in a unique collaboration titled, Playing The Word. As noted writer Dan Morgenstern, Director of the Jazz Institute at Rutgers University, says in his liner notes, "The words and the music don't just co-exist; they come together, they swing and sing. Like a great musician when he or she takes a solo, he (Jaffe) tells a story, and tells it straight, without artifice or conceit--and that Melvoin hears those stories and joins in, telling them with his own clear and strong voice; not embellishing or echoing, but enhancing and embracing." The poetry Melvoin embraces on Playing The Word, is from Jaffe's book of the same name, which deals with a number of intriguing jazz experiences. Over fifty musicians are referenced in Jaffe's book of jazz poetry, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk. The book also memorializes lesser-known artists like the reclusive Kansas City pianist, George Salisbury. Jaffe's poems evoke the essence of the jazz world. James Tate, Pulitzer Prize winning poet called them, "so vivid and passionate I could hear the tunes and see the smoke. The book is a great work of love." Jaffe brings his poetry to life with a dynamic spoken word interpretation, delivered with impeccable timing and rhythm. The music provided by the masterful work of Grammy nominated pianist Mike Melvoin completes the jazz dialogue. Together they create a unique experience. From bouncing Kansas City blues, to after-hours sultry piano jazz, and the dangerous daring of Charlie Parker, the imagery is vibrant and transporting. Together, Jaffe and Melvoin educate, enlighten and entertain with a true passion and reverence for this great American music, the players who immortalized it, and lived it.
spoken word can be incredibly self-indulgent, and some of it is simply verbal masturbation. But when it is done well, spoken word can be a pleasure -- and Playing the Word is a prime example. This 70-minute CD, which finds pianist Mike Melvoin collaborating with poet Dan Jaffe, favors spoken word of the jazz variety; while Melvoin plays his piano, Jaffe thoughtfully reflects on jazz's rich history and looks back on the contributions of Charlie "Bird" Parker, Charles Mingus, Count Basie, and others. Jaffe does not go out of his way to be abstract, and he avoids being overly academic. One can learn a lot about Bird's personality listening to this disc, but thankfully, Playing the Word doesn't get into any of the dorky "jazzucation" nonsense that some jazz singers have inflicted on their audiences. What is "jazzucation?" If a singer writes lyrics for, say, Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy" and all his/her lyrics talk about is Monk's methods of playing chord changes, that is "jazzucation" at its most annoying -- and sadly, that type of thing has been done much too often in vocal jazz. Although jazz poetry is not the same as jazz singing, the "jazzucation" concept can, unfortunately, be carried over to the spoken word realm. But that never happens on Playing the Word. Melvoin and Jaffe have the good taste to stay away from boring, ultra-technical discussions of jazz on this 2006 release -- and when Jaffe is talking about Bird or Basie, his words are warm and inviting rather than corny. Playing the Word is well worth obtaining if one is looking for an album of spoken word jazz poetry that is insightful and relatively accessible. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Mike Melvoin
Active Decades: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: May 10, 1937 in Oshkosh, WI
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Big Band, Cool, Swing, Post-Bop, Hard Bop, Jazz Instrument, Piano Jazz
Because he is based in Los Angeles and has worked extensively in the studios, pianist Mike Melvoin has not yet gained the fame that he deserves for his impressive technique and strong jazz improvising talents. He began playing piano when he was three but graduated from Dartmouth in 1959 with a degree in English. However, Melvoin soon chose to become a professional musician. He moved to Los Angeles in 1961 and worked with many top West Coast players and performers including Frank Rosolino, Leroy Vinnegar, Gerald Wilson, Paul Horn, Terry Gibbs, Joe Williams, Peggy Lee and many others. Although busy in the studios, Melvoin recorded for Concord in the mid-'70s (with Herb Ellis and Plas Johnson), has worked occasionally in L.A. area clubs and often teams up with singer Bill Henderson. Melvoin led two albums for Liberty in 1966 and one for Discwasher in 1979.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
