Legends of jazz

It was quite a treat, getting new albums by Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock and news about Ahmad Jamal. And with those I remembered what great artists these guys are, how their music wonderfully affects their listeners and how they created some of the most iconic recordings these past 50 or more years.

Given the variety of sounds we get and how complicated yet inane they get by the minute, I cannot help but bow in adoration to what these guys have accomplished. Listen and I am sure you, too, will say they don’t make them like this anymore. Interestingly, they also put a new spin on the term “old age.” If being old means making music like these, then bring on the years.

Pianist, arranger and producer Herbie Hancock, 70, is on a roll. He won the Grammy for Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters, a tribute to the music of Joni Mitchell in 2008. Last year, he released Imagine, a collection of cross-cultural collaborations by artists from various parts of the world. The album got him a performance Grammy for Best Improvised Jazz Solo in the cut A Change Is Gonna Come featuring James Morrison.

The CD Then And Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock is a sort of a greatest hits collection but with new recorded versions. I do not know why it does not include his Academy Award-winning Round Midnight theme but almost all of his popular works are represented here. Extraordinarily moving are two versions of River, one featuring Corinne Bailey Rae and as a bonus track a live recording featuring original artist and music legend Joni Mitchell.

Quincy Jones

Best remembered among the other cuts are Watermelon Man and a live Rockit, which are Hancock’s most popular works. The rest are Maiden Voyage; Cantaloupe Island; Wiggle Waggle; Chameleon; St. Louis Blues, with special guest Stevie Wonder; Chan’s Song (Never Said); Don’t Explain, featuring Cameron Rice and Lisa Hannigan; and All Apologies.

Quincy Jones is 77. His accomplishments as humanitarian are legion and pop music enthusiasts will always think of him as the producer of the biggest-selling album of all time. This is Thriller by Michael Jackson which has already sold over 100 million copies. Given his stature, there is a tendency to think of Q, as he is often called in terms of epic undertakings like the recording of We Are The World. But he is also a musician, composer and arranger with a fun side. This is what I found in Soul Bossa Nostra.

The last time I heard Soul Bossa Nostra was in the soundtrack of the movie Austin Powers: Man Of Mystery. That is how fun Q can be. There are more of the same in this album, wherein some of today’s biggest names celebrate his music via their own interesting versions. Best of the lot are Jamie Foxx doing Give Me The Night, Akon with a sweet Strawberry Letter 23 and the star-studded Secret Garden featuring Usher, Robin Thicke, Tyrese Gibson, LL Cool J, Tevin Campbell and samples from the departed Barry White. What a line-up! Still I can’t help but think of what Michael Jackson might have contributed had he been around for this.

Other cuts are Ironside with Talib Kweli; Soul Bossa Nostra featuring Ludacris, Naturally 7 and Rudy Currence; Tomorrow featuring John Legend; You Put A Move In My Heart with Jennifer Hudson; Get The Funk Out Of My Face with Snoop Dogg; Betcha Wouldn’t Hurt Me with Mary J. Blige, Q Tip and Alfredo Rodriguez; Everything Must Change with Bebe Winans; Many Rains Ago (Oluwa) with Wyclef Jean; P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) featuring T. Pain and Robin Thicke; It’s My Party with Amy Winehouse; Hikky-Burr with Three 6 Mafia and David Banner; and Sanford And Son featuring T.I., B.o.B., Prince Charlez and Mohombi.

Ahmad Jamal

Ahmad Jamal is 79. Because he is turning a sprightly 80 in July and has been making hits since 1957, Poinciana in the But Not For Me, album was his first, I thought I will make mention of Jamal in this piece, although I still have to get a copy of his latest album A Quiet Time. The CD made No. 1 in jazz charts last year and has been getting rave reviews from everywhere. That is no surprise to fans who know how brilliant he is on the keyboard.

With Q and Hancock in the spotlight it is only proper to include Jamal in this brilliant line-up. Aside from their other more important activities that make life easier for people in this world, the three of them continue to make beautiful jazz that is relevant, ageless and most of all, accessible. What a relief in this era of hip-hop.