Happy Present From the Earth
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In search of the essence of Swing in music/ A Night in Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie et al. This well-known "be-bop" standard sets the stage for TBW!’s meditation on a pivotal moment in the history of improvising music. Using cues set forth in various recordings of Tunisia, TBW! interpret the facts about so-called Jazz music and it’s relation to our individual styles as we live in the late twentieth century. The superficial framework of Happy Present is represented by the musical personalities of Max Roach (drums), Dizzy Gillespie/Miles Davis (trumpets), Charlie Parker (alto saxophone), Tommy Potter (Bass) and using references to early rural blues guitar players such as Blind Lemon Jefferson. The title "Happy Present from the Earth" is a slogan lifted from a bag of wasabe dried peas purchased at a Japanese grocery store. They’re a spicy-hot tasty treat, just like the 1946 recording of A Night in Tunisia. Happy Present begins with a stereo-typical swing beat played on the ride cymbal and snaredrum and immediately is a pseudo-Max Roach solo which is never realized. The sax, elec.guitars, and elec.bass lerch into a raunchy walking skronk which begins to swing just as the drums abort the mission. This leaves the two guitars and bass in separate dimensions, but co-existing sonically. Tony and Matt solo at odds while Bill sits alone in the Mississippi Delta contemplating the day’s rhythm. The transitional cue is Tony’s interpretation of Dizzy’s lead-in horn chart which prepares Heather on saxophone to launch into a glaring approximation of Charlie Parker’s famous alto break. The weight of this musical moment is felt at the end of the break when the piece returns to the swinging drum introduction. From here TBW! can either insert a double-time hardcore punk/FreeJazz beat or explore other aspects of the "players" roles. For example; the drummer (Dan) usually affects this transition according to his mood at the time. Many times the focus is on retaining the organic "swing" element which can be rejected by the rest of the players. The signal to end the piece is also a drum cue interpreting the phrase, "Salt peanuts, Salt peanuts!" then full stop. This piece never attempts to sound like or emulate the original music/musicians who play "A Night in Tunisia". It is just a mental framework for improvising and satisfies our ongoing exploration of the music we listen to and study on a daily basis. This particular piece grew out of my continuing obsession with recorded music, especially what I consider to be transcendental experiences, like Charlie Parker’s alto break in Tunisia.
[Dan]
Happy present is a loving tribute to the genius that is fried wasabe pea snacks. Dan counts and then is Max Roach. We send up "Night in Tunisia" and Heather is Bird. You know, salt peanuts = wasabe peas. Ahhhh!
[Matt]
