Antonio Carlos Jobim: Samba de Uma Nota Só (Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass)

I don't watch American Idol, unless I happen to be in the room when my wife has it on.  To avoid being needlessly antagonistic, I will keep my personal opinion of the show succinct: 

I feel they do a good job at recognizing and developing disposable art.  Performers are praised for things like stage presence and obviously on their ability to sing on pitch, but I feel too much emphasis is placed on appearance and presentation and not nearly enough on substance.

Apparently, I'm not alone.

Mr. Harry Connick, Jr. was apparently a "mentor" judge, and had the opportunity to offer advice on some jazz standards that were pulled from the Great American Songbook, something of which I have heard he is well-read.  As of writing, I have not seen the particular episode in question.  I've found various online dissertations on the matter, many of which are conflicting.  Some people criticize that Mr. Connick, Jr. was arrogant and rude to the other judges in pushing his opinion.  Others claim that he was right in presenting educationally sound musical ideas in a medium that has been long void of such thought.  I have my bias, I'll leave that to Facebook flame wars and (other) arm-chair pundits to decide.  

Here's the first article I read.

The big takeaway from this (and it's true regardless of whether you feel Connick was out of line), is that the people on the American Idol stage usually possess little or no true musical education.

The point he continually made was that the vocalists on stage were singing songs that they didn't understand.  Songs are designed to communicate a message.  Some tell a story about burning down Georgia.  Others talk about falling in love, or worse, love lost.  Some are sympathetic, others tend to be bellicose.  Mr. Connick's qualm was when the disposable art interacted with the indispensable art of which he is bred.  The runs and the trills and other vocal gymnastics fit with modern music.  It's germane with pop.  It's just like watching a firework show, bigger is better.  But it doesn't have staying power.  If you've seen one firework show, you've seen them all.  You can take it or leave it.

Or remove your face with it.
Now, these "idols" do work hard, they do try hard and they put forth a great deal of effort into what they apparently love to do.  However, the system is flawed.  I've met too many people who claim that they can't sing or they can't play an instrument.  No one can...initially.  Harry Connick, Jr. had to have been (at one point in his life) an annoying child who when introduced to a piano would invariably begin pounding on random keys to make noise.

The first difference is he didn't stop.  The second is someone handed him music.  

Someone probably molded his banging into cogent order.  It took time.  He's 45, so there's potentially decades of effort right there.  Therefore he is unique, because for some reason many people have decided that they can't sing or play unless someone of musical authority grants them the privilege.  I'm here today to tell you that it's not true!

Will a few people become multinational pop stars?  Yes.  Will the vast majority of mankind fail to become a household name beyond their circle of friends?  Yes.  Should you sing or play anyway?  Yes.

Will you ever be this cool?  No.

I think for Mr. Connick, Jr., the biggest problem came when the vocal gymnastics didn't align with the somber message of the tune.  When you're sad, when your world is crashing in on you, most people don't feel like doing gymnastics.  A huge part of post-Classical music is connecting with those inner human emotions.  When you sacrifice the art in sake of a fireworks show, you prove your ignorance.  And deep down I feel it was that pervasive ignorance that Mr. Connick was hoping to right.  Just like any good teacher.

So it is in that same vein I bring you something of that era gone by and hope to share some musical education with you as well.  The chosen piece today is the "One Note Samba" by Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994).  Jobim was a Brazilian composer who with saxophonist Stan Getz (1927-1991) became a driving force in introducing the Bossa Nova style to the world with their hit "The Girl from Ipanema".  If you've been on hold with the bank before, chances are you've heard it.

No Ma'am, we're musicians.

Now, Jobim is not the only centerpiece of today's lesson, we are looking at a specific rendition of the "One Note Samba".  We now turn to Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) and Joe Pass (1929-1994).  There exists 6 albums featuring collaboration between these two titans of the 20th century.  Interestingly enough, the recordings were released from 1973 through 1986, close to the autumn years of both musicians.  Pass had become famous for reinventing improvisation on the guitar by incorporating his apparent wealth of music theory knowledge and using creative harmonic patterns by fingering picking instead of using the more prevalent guitar pick.  To me it sounds like he can emulate an entire rhythm section with his Gibson ES-175.  Ella Fitzgerald had such a command of the voice, with a range exceeding 3 octaves and the ability to improvise freely with a vocal quality that was almost horn-like.  She earned the moniker, the "First Lady of Soul" and defended the title readily through 60 years of professional performance.  

There is some music that no matter how many times we've heard it, you can always want more.  For me, listening to Pass and Fitzgerald play the One Note Samba can never be enough.  There are lyrics to this piece (originally in Portuguese):

This is just a little samba
Built upon a single note
Other notes are bound to follow
But the root is still that note
Now this new one is the consequence
Of the one we've just been through
As I'm bound to be the unavoidable 
consequence of you

There's so many people who can 
talk and talk and talk
And just say nothing
Or nearly nothing
I have used up all the scale I know
And at the end I've come to nothing
Or nearly nothing

So I came back to my first note
As I must come back to you
I will pour into that one note
All the love I feel for you
Anyone who wants the whole show
Re mi fa sol la si do
He will find himself with no show  
Better play the note you know

For some reason, the majority of recordings I've found of this duo performing has Ella abandoning the words in lieu of singing the melody in scat.  For those who may not know, scat vocals are nonsense syllables that emulate improvisation by instrument with the voice.  Different syllables are used to mimic horns and create a wide array of articulation and tone.  Ella was one of the best.  

In the end, I don't really know why I love hearing these two perform this song.  I guess I find it amazing for someone to say so much without really saying anything at all.

Homework: Write about a time you communicated with someone without talking.

See you next Friday.