by Jerry Greenberg on February 19, 2017

Harvey Black offers up the theme from the movie, “The Third Man” as his “song of the day.” The reason?  “It is a haunting melody from one of the best films ever made, says Harvey. “The music, played on a zither, is evocative.”  

The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and written by Graham Greene. It stars Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. The film focuses on Holly Martins, an American who is given a job by his friend Harry Lime, but who arrives in post-war Vienna to the news that Lime is dead. Martins then meets with Lime’s acquaintances in an attempt to investigate what he considers a suspicious death.

The atmospheric use of black-and-white expressionist cinematography by Robert Krasker, with harsh lighting and distorted “Dutch angle” camera technique, is a key feature of The Third Man. Combined with the unique theme music, seedy locations and acclaimed performances from the cast, the style evokes the atmosphere of an exhausted, cynical, post-war Vienna at the start of the Cold War.

Greene wrote the novella of the same name as preparation for the screenplay. Anton Karas wrote and performed the score, which featured only the zither (see below). The title music, The Third Man Theme, topped the international music charts in 1950, bringing the previously unknown performer international fame. It is considered one of the greatest films of all time, celebrated for its acting, musical score and atmospheric cinematography.

[Excerpted and edited from Wikipedia]

by Jerry Greenberg on May 30, 2016

Perez Prado serves up this smokin’ rendition of Mambo Number 5, an excerpt of which the New Horizons Concert Band dished out at the June 15, 2016 concert as part of its Mambo Medley!  

Here’s Prado’s version:

by Jerry Greenberg on February 16, 2017

New Horizons sax player Bea Christensen says she loves How Long Has This Been Going On?, a 1928 song by George and Ira Gershwin. Bea, who also performs vocals for the band, says she loves to sing How Long.  

According to Wikipedia, How Long Has This Been Going On? was composed for the musical Funny Face in 1928. Replaced by “He Loves and She Loves” in Funny Face, it was eventually introduced in the musical Rosalie (1928).  Here’s Ella Fiztgerald’s rendtion: How Long Has This Been Going On.

Music as community

by Jerry Greenberg on January 15, 2017

I attended a performance and work shop last night (January 14, 2017) at Prairie Music and Arts in Sun Prairie. The musicians on hand to perform and lead the clinic were Milwaukee-based Jamie Breiwick (pictured left), who plays trumpet, and Mark Davis, on piano. Both are Wisconsin natives, both are fabulous musicians, and the duo perform to great appreciation by the audience.

They played a wide range of bop, ballads, and other pieces by various composers including Thelonius Monk, Barry Harris, and Bud Powell. For me, the incredibly intimate setting (you are so close to the musicians, you can almost envision sitting in with them) combined with their beautiful and at times haunting interpretations of the charts generated a strong emotional connection to them and the music.  

Prior to the show, Mark and Jamie led an informal workshop for a group of aspiring musicians. Both are music teachers in various capacities in and around Milwaukee. There were a number of dynamics going on throughout the workshop that struck me as interesting…and vital to jazz. First, the two of them were incredibly accessible.  Here they are successful musicians at many different levels teaching a group that for most part ranged from beginners to intermediate players (including yours truly). Yet, I believe they made everyone in the room feel important. Second, they brought a joy and enthusiasm to their teaching (as well as their performance later!) that was downright infectious. Finally, the workshop participants ranged in age from (estimating here) eight to 59 years. Both genders as well. And here we all were “jamming” with Mark and Jamie to Sonny Rollins’ Sonnymoon for Two.  While I can’t say new heights were achieved, I can say that everyone played with enthusiasm, and some of what we played sounded downright authentic! The highlight in my opinion came when the youngest, (Elliot, again guessing he was eight years of age), played a soulful solo including a lick Jamie had just taught us to play from one of Sonny Rollins’ live versions of the tune. Wow! The boy could have a future.

Of course I can’t say what the other participants were thinking or feeling, but for me, I came away from the workshop moved and even inspired.  Here we were in Sun Prairie, WI, where a night of music, teaching, and sharing brought together a wide range of people of different skills and abilities into a single community… with jazz as the common bond. What power. What promise. What potential.

Before closing, I must urge all readers to check out the Prairie Music and Arts, a non-profit organization committed to bringing music and arts to people of all ages and stripes. They have lots of programs and performances across all of the arts. They are bringing in some serious talent. They are doing something very right. 

The New Horizons Jazz Band played Oye Como Va during its performance Friday July 8, 2016, at Oakwood Village. This jazz standard was written and popularized by the legendary Tito Puente. According to Wikipedia, Ernesto Antonio “Tito” Puente was born April 20, 1923 and grew up in New York City’s Spanish Harlem. Puente is often cited as “The Musical Pope”, “El Rey de los Timbales” (The King of the Timbales) and “The King of Latin Music.” He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz compositions that endured over a 50-year career. 

During the 1950s, Puente was at the height of his popularity, and helped to bring Afro-Cuban and Caribbean sounds like mambo, son, and cha-cha-cha to mainstream audiences. Puente was so successful playing popular Afro-Cuban rhythms that many people mistakenly identify him as Cuban. Dance Mania, possibly Puente’s most well known album, was released in 1958. He suffered a massive heart attack and died June 1, 2000. He was posthumously awarded the Grammy LIfetime Achievement Award in 2003.

Watch the master at work in this live performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1990.

 Oye Como Va

The jazz world was devastated when Clifford Brown died in a late night auto accident in 1956.  Only 26 years old and still growing and maturing as a jazz trumpeter, Brown’s death left a huge whole in the jazz world.  Benny Golson penned a tribute to Brown, “I Remember Clifford,” which the New Horizons Jazz Band covered in its June 10, 2016 gig in Middleton.

Here’s a gorgeous rendition of this tender ballad by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.