Charlie “Bird” Parker was born in Kansas City, in 1920. He was among the jazz greats to usher in bebop, a faster form of jazz that focused on soloists and improvising over the chord changes. He inspired many musicians in their own craft.
An excerpt from a song wrote for his step-daughter, it perfectly encapsulates bebop.
John Coltrane was born September 23, 1926, in Hamlet, NC. Honing his skills through high school and the Navy, Coltrane plunged into a world of music and secured a legendary status. He strengthened the sound of hard bop and pioneered the transition into free jazz. I’ve linked a song I hold very near to me, try to hear what Trane’s saying through his horn.
An alternate take of Naima, my favorite version. This song was written for his first wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs.
A master of the flute, bass clarinet, and alto sax, Dolphy hailed from Los Angeles in 1928. Dolphy is one of history’s greatest contributors to avant-garde jazz, and produced an incredible range of music, each more unique than the last. Dolphy wrongfully passed away in 1964. While performing in Berlin, he began to suffer a diabetic coma. A stigma of the time was that black jazz musicians were all addicted to heroin. It was no better in Europe, and the doctors present at the performance chalked it up as such. Despite the negligence that took his life, Dolphy left only good impressions on this world.
Here is Eric Dolphy and Booker Little on Far Cry. Dolphy on flute, Little on trumpet. It never fails to glaze my eyes. This is before Dolphy embraced free jazz in its whole. Below is a bass clarinet solo where he “broke the law”.
Mingus in Norway, 1965. Jaki Byard on piano, Mingus on bass, Johnny Coles on trumpet, Dolphy on bass clarinet, Dannie Richmond on drums. Another saxophone legend, Clifford Jordan, takes his solo after Dolphy’s. I urge you to stay for it!
A ferocious drummer from Pittsburgh, Art Blakey was more than a part of the rhythm section. There are rumors that he began learning to lead a band in the 7th grade, while making money playing piano. I am especially a fan of his Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers period. He is known for an aggressive, deadly accurate drumming technique. When he solos, he uses the drums to mimic the aural envelope of an entire band. It is a spectacle to listen to.
This is a historic rendition of Dizzy Gillespie’s A Night In Tunisia. It features Art and The Messengers in their prime. Lee Morgan on trumpet, Benny Golson on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano, Jymie Merritt on bass.
In 1938, Indianapolis, the sky opened up and a beam of light shot down to the ground. There lied an infant Freddie Hubbard, who would go on to transition jazz into hot and funky idioms. Red Clay, released in 1970, is a historical fusion of two sounds morphing into one, the evolution of music captured on vinyl. I have probably listened to Red Clay thousands of times over, and the title track is one of my favorites.
Seen here holding a cornet.
This is the title song in its 12 minute entirety. I would deem it worth the listen.
Here is a track from Hubbard’s 1966 album, Backlash. It captures him before he would go on to blaze trails, so to speak.
Everyone knows Marvin Gaye, and for a good reason. In 1960, Gaye signed to a Motown subsidiary, Tamla. From then on, he would explode into one of the most famous vocalists of all time. His position as such began with What’s Going On. After a heated debate over its political lyrics and possible reaction, it was #1 on the charts for five weeks.
No words are needed here. Just listening.
Here is a deeper dig into Gaye’s discography. This track comes from a compilation of unreleased songs recorded in 1965, under Motown.
Switching to a focus on the development of hip-hop, you must start with DJ Kool Herc. Defining the modern DJ, he would customize songs to his liking, often repeating a drum break for ease of dancing. His sound and equipment technique took inspiration from his Jamaican roots, where reggae was approaching a similar sound. Sooner or later he starting rapping (or, emceeing/MC’ing) and hip-hop was created. His block parties in the Bronx during 1970-1974 are directly responsible.
Old footage of Herc is extremely hard to come by, but here is a short excerpt from a documentary explaining one of his famous techniques, The Merry-Go-Round.
Here is a live version of Herc’s 1996 hit, Let me Clear My Throat. It is a classic beat and instantly recognizable if you’re a fan of hip-hop. Pay attention to how it contrasts Marvin Gaye’s work on the last page. It is much more rhythm driven, and maintains a high energy throughout.
Scott La Rock took DJ Kool Herc’s foundation and flipped it on its head. Along with KRS-One in the early 80s, he founded Boogie Down Productions. Alongside the thriving hip-hop culture in the Bronx, they would go on to establish hip-hop as a living, breathing art of its own right. He employed a unique sound and technique in his production, and would go on to influence many producers in the future. Scott Monroe Sterling was unfortunately murdered in 1987.
Love’s Gonna Get’cha tells the story of a man tempted to sell drugs in the face of poverty. Sooner or later, the material gains are outweighed by the danger. KRS-One raps about a story of temptation and betrayal. Boogie Down Productions historically made songs with progressive themes, “real hip-hop”, as KRS describes it.
Here is an instrumental version of “Poetry” on Criminal Minded from Boogie Down Productions. Listen to the various elements added to the original break. Listen to how the beat takes a backseat as KRS-One would be beginning a verse, and how it grows with the hooks. Notice as well how the drum breaks have been enhanced. There is now a lower, synthesized kick (“808”), and a hi-hat that has been looped digitally.
DJ Premier was born in Houston but relocated to Brooklyn as a teenager. Here he met Guru and formed Gang Starr. They would go on to represent New York with a never-before-seen approach to hip-hop. Premier’s sampling techniques and production style were and still are legendary. He has influenced Madlib, J-Dilla, Kanye, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., 9th Wonder, Hi-Tek, and a large collection of other artists.
This track not only shows the lyrical strength of Guru and Nice & Smooth, another duo from New York City consisting of Greg Nice and Smooth B, but also the production strength of DJ Premier. I want you to compare this beat, released in 1994, to Criminal Minded, released in 1987. The “chops” (when a sample is cut into 8, 16, 32, etc. parts and played on a drum pad) are smoother, there is a transient flow that makes it sound like a continuous rhythm. The bassline is also not as it seems. The original is from “Hey Jude” by Clarence Wheeler and The Enforcers. It has been pitched down and stretched to a slower BPM. A deeper “808” has also been added to add force when the kick and bass come in on the same beat. These techniques came with not only technology, but also innovation.
Here is the original sample for the bass line. It is one of nine records sampled to produce the final song. Notice how it sounds almost nothing like Gang Starr’s song?
Here is the original drum break, from Melvin Bliss, 1973. A beautiful song on its own.
Madlib was born in Oxnard, California in 1973. He was surrounded by music at birth, and would use this to form a completely unique sound in the music industry. It is not enough to call him a hip-hop producer or DJ as he has grown through many genres. He is one of two of my greatest influences, the other is J-Dilla. With a combination of technology and generational skill, Madlib completely refreshed what it means to be a producer. He likened the Akai Music Production Center to the paintbrush with his creativity.
Madvillainy, the famed collaboration between MF Doom and Madlib, is the epitome of hip-hop, in my opinion. Unrivaled production over unrivaled lyricism leads to a classic. Madlib sampled four songs to put this piece together. The drums have an airy sort of quality to them, thanks to the BOSS SP-303’s vinyl simulation. A similar effect can be achieved with EQ and a phaser. The snare is still snappy, and the drums have just enough compression to shine through the mid/high frequencies. Another “808” (hopefully you know the term by now) is used for the bass line. It is also sidechained, meaning various effects can be activated when a sound passes a certain threshold, meaning the drums can “morph” through the melody and bass. This adds to the sonic quality of the track.
This is an instrumental beat that remains unreleased. I believe the only originals are on tape, and have never reached the internet. This is a recreation based on the original, reportedly highly accurate. The sampling is fairly simple, but to have the ear for it and be able to create the song in your head is where Madlib shines.
James Dewitt Yancey was born in 1974, in Detroit. More specifically, he grew up in the Conant Gardens neighborhood. His mother, an opera singer, and father, a jazz bassist, helped to build his musical mind from a young age. Dilla learned how to use an MPC to make beats in high school. It is rumored that once he began, he would spend hours a day in his basement, perfecting his craft. Dilla developed his own nuances and style and would eventually rise to the very top of hip-hop’s production arsenal. Stricken with lupus and blood disease, Dilla would spend his final days bedridden, composing his final tape: Donuts. He was so comfortable when creating, so sure that this was his meaning in life, that he saw no other way to go out. Maureen Yancey “Ma Dukes” would bandage his fingers so he could keep hitting the drum pads. Donuts, if played continually, is a perfect loop. Dilla knew that, while he was leaving Earth, his music was here to stay.
Slum Village was a Detroit trio formed by Baatin, T3, and J-Dilla in high school. “Players” is one of their better known songs, and you can hear a voice throughout saying “players”. But wait, no it isn’t! It is actually an excerpt from The Singers Unlimited 1974 song, “Clair”. Do you see the genius? J-Dilla relentlessly picked through the vinyl and would combine sounds in ways that no one else had thought of. The other production on this song is equally as impressive. Perfectly bouncy drums, purposefully programmed off beat for a natural sound. The looping singing in the background has been pitched down and replayed at different notes. It is complexity so perfected that it sounds simple. The bass is from the iconic Mini Moog Voyager, a synthesizer Dilla cherished and used very frequently.
A track off of Donuts, Don’t Cry is a letter to his mother. He is telling her not to weep, not to hurt. His physical body was leaving, but Don’t Cry was a reminder that he was doing exactly what he wanted to on the way out, preparing his soul for the journey of a lifetime.