By Loud Atlas
"Niiiice" – Louis Balfour, The Fast Show
... is a phrase I've mumbled under my breath a lot this week, such was the quality of the jazz and solo trumpet-inspired tunes this week! If you'd like a deeper dive, see last week's blog of excellent nominations.
A trumpet has a bold and brilliant tone, and is perhaps one of the most dazzling and versatile instruments around. From the fanfares of old, to the soulful improvisations of jazz, and all the shades in between, it's got it all. This week we looked at how the trumpet stands out amidst its neighbours to give its distinct timbre to a song.
Before it found its natural home as a cornerstone of any jazz-flavoured meal, the trumpet was used in a much statelier way – so let's start with a classic of the trumpet repertoire (first performed 225 years ago) - Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major III. Allegro. Wynton Marsalis performs the fluttering articulate solo with great aplomb. A revolutionary piece at the time, it was a big leap forward in the chromatic freedom of trumpets.
Jumping ahead 125 years, and we hear Maggie Jones' tales from her life as a greengrocer (ahem) in Anybody Here Want To Try My Cabbage?. And on the horn, a young Louis Armstrong riffing along for the whole song's duration (more on him later). How remarkable that we can hear original 100-year-old recordings nowadays. What a wonderful world.
A track that received a great revival in the 1990s thanks to Pulp Fiction (1994), next: Miserlou by Dick Dale & His Del-Tones. Originally a traditional Greek melody, Dick took it and cranked it up; surf rock at its most reverb-heavy and fiery. An ecstatic trumpet solo takes over from the whizzy guitar to add exotic trills and flair to the piece. Short and sharp, and very likely Dale on the trumpet himself, too.
Keeping up the tempo, another piece played at breakneck speed: One Finger Snap. Herbie Hancock gets a piano solo (very nice, of course), but on the brass is Freddie Hubbard who gives a blistering opening solo. Interestingly, Tony Williams, on the drums, was only 18 years old at the time of recording. Whoa. An adventurous piece.
This next one's a builder, ultimately ending in trumpet and bagpipes combining (a sound I wasn't expecting this week). Belle and Sebastian, a wistfully melancholic duo, are in self-reflection mode, but as Sleep The Clock Around develops, Mick Cooke on the trumpet kicks in and adds a boost taking the track to a different level.
In his post-"& The Tijuana Brass" life, Herb Alpert made the move into disco in the late 1970s with this, his biggest solo hit: Rise. Smooth jazz, almost hypnotic, and with a vibe that has a head-bopping bass groove. The track was later famously sampled by The Notorious B.I.G on "Hypnotize" in 1997.
Remember Freddie Hubbard from a few tracks back? He performed with Billy Joel to give the two standout trumpet solos on the next song, too. It tells a tale of life in a bar called Zanzibar; the narrator (a barfly) attempts to impress a waitress whilst trying to enjoy the games. The trumpets make a jazzy diversion.
The longest song in the lists this week is Let's Be Still by Yo La Tengo. If hazy were a song, this would be it. Plenty of dreamy sounds in here: the rumbling piano, the woozy woodwind, the hushed vocals. But the trumpet, provided by Roy Campbell Jr., meanders in and out of the foreground. A lovely 10 minutes to sit back and immerse yourself in.
Trumpets come in and out of the foreground here too, in Passionate Friend, a playful and emotionally quirky song. Layering the instrumentation, Julian Cope's singing introduces the melodies of the trumpet solos and then matches the pitch of them. Characteristically eccentric from The Teardrop Explodes.
I like a foreign language track, and I was happily surprised to hear some Finnish this week. Similar to Cope's singing in the last track, Yona joins in with the trumpet before the soloist lets loose on a solo. Toisen Oma ("Belonging to Another") is a song of longing, and Orkesteri Liikkuvat Pilvet add that emotion through some sublime orchestration.
From Finland to the sounds of Puerto Rico - Acid is a track of colourful Latin rhythms and grooves. There are a couple of trumpets here (blending a bit towards the end), but each stand out in their own way. Ray Burretto is the bandleader with Roberto Rodríguez & René López on the trumpets. There's even room for a tabla solo. A spicy tune!
A harmonious gospel choir underpin the trumpet next - Cristo Redentor ("Christ the Redeemer") is a spiritual work full of passion and soaring trumpet. The lyrical solo is played by Donald Byrd, and he really does take the vocal line to new heights - some lovely uplifting soulful jazz. Herbie Hancock on the keys here too, for good measure.
On the theme of redemption and transcendence, this next song is emotional and unashamedly theatrical. Beautiful Child is one of Rufus Wainwright's most stirring tunes, dealing with themes of longing and renewal. Amidst a wall of sound, the trumpet sings à la Rufus - full and free.
Miles Davis' piece Florence sur les Champs-Élysées is a toned-down version of the maestro but a concise and measured one too. The sparse and moody tune was used in the French film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud "Elevator to the Gallows" (1958). The soundtrack was improvised while Davis and his band watched the film, giving it that raw feeling, making this one of the first jazz scores ever to be improvised.
I was determined to squeeze one lengthy jazz piece into the list (and there were a lot!), and decided upon Moanin'. Drummer Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers split up the solos between them following the opening classic riff. The solos are performed by Lee Morgan (trumpet), Benny Golson (tenor saxophone), Bonny Timmons (piano) and Jymie Merritt (double bass) before returning to the main riff. The trumpet and sax' bring a rousing shift in the dynamics as the piece ends. Terrific stuff.
To end this list, one of the most distinctive vocals and trumpet styles to ever bless our ears - Louis Armstrong. Here with Mack The Knife, that glorious standard, he both sings and trumpets to typical Satchmo effect. As Louis Balfour might say, with a smile rising from the corner of his mouth, it's "grrreat".
Aperture and Embouchure A-List:
Haydn - Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major III. Allegro (ParaMhor)
Maggie Jones - Anybody Here Want To Try My Cabbage? (Nicko)
Dick Dale & His Del-Tones - Miserlou (Nicko)
Herbie Hancock - One Finger Snap (Nilpferd)
Belle and Sebastian - Sleep The Clock Around (TarquinSpodd)
Herb Alpert - Rise (SweetHomeAlabama)
Billy Joel - Zanzibar (ajostu)
Yo La Tengo - Let's Be Still (Nilpferd)
The Teardrop Explodes - Passionate Friend (ParaMhor)
Yona and Orkesteri Likkuvat Pilvat - Tolsen Oma (Uncleben)
Ray Barretto - Acid (pejepeine)
Donald Byrd - Cristo Redentor (Nicko)
Rufus Wainwright - Beautiful Child (magicman)
Miles Davis - Florence sur les Champs-Élysées (ParaMhor)
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Moanin' (Nilpferd)
Louis Armstrong - Mack The Knife (Noodsy)
Blow by Blow B-List Playlist:
The Waterboys - The Whole Of The Moon (tincanman2010)
Katzenjammer - A Bar In Amsterdam (barbryn)
Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good (SweetHomeAlabama)
The Carpenters - (They Long To Be) Close To You (ParaMhor)
Dinah Washington - I've Got You Under My Skin (Nicko)
Al Hirt - Fly Me To The Moon (Naguchi)
Blasterjaxx ft. Timmy Trumpet - Narco (SweetHomeAlabama)
Cake - Never There (Nicko)
Tomoo - Huckleberry Friend (ajostu)
Blur - End Of A Century (ajostu)
Chet Baker - Time After Time (Naguchi)
Otis Taylor - Live Your Life (tincanman2010)
Brandon Woody - Never Gonna Run Away (ajostu)
Luie Luie - Tastee Touchy (TarquinSpodd)
The Boo Radleys - Spaniard (ShivSidecar)
OMC - How Bizarre (ajostu)
Guru's Wildcard Picks:
Nino Rota - The Godfather Waltz (Main Title)
The sense of foreboding is palpable - that's the magic of just one simple haunting melody. The waltz itself is unsettling, reminiscent of old-world dances from the Corleone family's Sicilian roots inThe Godfather (1972).
Laufey - Like The Movies
Laufey's a master of nostalgic dreamy imagery. There's a bittersweet tone here, but a lovely trumpet throughout alongside a gently strummed and plodding acoustic guitar.
Bruce Springsteen - Meeting Across The River
This was the one song that I was sure would be snapped up this week. Hey, there's always next week. The wonderfully eerie trumpet is played by Randy Brecker.
A last laugh from Louis …
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations in response to last week's topic: Blow your own: songs with trumpet solos. The next topic will launch on Thursday after 1pm UK time.
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