The Jazz Trio

[Ike Harris]

Forgive me if this has been posted before, it's late and no time to do a search, so here goes:


A jazz trio is playing a gig at an upscale nightclub. They play a classic bebop tune at a fleet tempo with grace and ease. Then comes a Wayne Shorter composition filled with mysterious harmonies, poignant melodies and daring improvisations. Next they present a medley of lesser known Harold Arlen songs that only a connoisseur would recognize, again played with elegant styling and exquisite taste. The whole evening has been one dazzling performance after another. Though the trio is playing background music and not a formal concert , the audience can sense that the musical display they are witnessing is of such a high caliber that the musicians should be allowed to perform as they please without interference. Then a well-dressed middle-aged man approaches the bandstand and asks the pianist “Can you play Laura’s Theme from Dr. Zhivago?” The pianist tells the man that they are jazz musicians and that they usually don’t take requests of that sort. The man reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out three one hundred dollar bills which he lays out on the piano. The pianist looks at the bass player and drummer and says “Laura’s Theme in G.” They play the tune in the fashion of the original version, the pianist emulating the Balalaika textures with a delicate upper register tremolo. The song obviously does not present the same level of difficulty that the trio is accustomed to dealing with. As the pianist plays, he absent-mindedly gazes at the soundboard of his ebony Steinway B and wonders about the grain in the wood.”How would the tonal characteristics be altered if the grain of the soundboard ran perpendicular to the strings rather than parallel”, he silently asks himself. The bass player amuses himself with an assortment of well-placed double-stops and harmonics. He daydreams as he looks at the top of his mid-nineteenth century double bass made by French master, Paul Claudot, and wonders “How many times has the top been varnished, how did the varnish of past years differ from today’s, how would the resonance properties be affected if there were no varnish at all?” The drummer gazes down onto the single ply, medium weight head of his 1950’s vintage black oyster pearl snare drum and thinks to himself “One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three.”

[Fred19137]

I think i missed something. hahahah sadly i am too naive to get it.

[Kevin Hsieh]

forwarded to my piano trio. i chuckled. thanks!

[fretlessspence]

same here. I have a few drummers that this will miff. Thanks for the ammo.

[Mike Goodbar]

I've heard a rock band version where the lead singer is thinking about all the groupies he's gonna be with, the guitar player is thinking about all the drugs he's gonna take, the drummer is thinking about all the booze he's gonna drink, and the bass player is thinking 1 - 5- 1 - 1- 4 - 5- 1- 1.

[zeytoun]

Well told.... heheh

[Dennis Kong]

Me too- I forwarded to my trio.

I wish that would happen to my piano trio!

Usually we get requests for Misty with a fiver tossed in tip jar from young couple in their 20's in love at midnite.

-The piano player- she staring into worn keys of the Yamaha baby grand trying to avoid the out of tune eb note in 3rd octave,

-myself thinking - my King bass with Golden Spirials gut strings is almost 60 years and sounds better than most Chinese carved uprights which cost 3X more than mine.

-and the drummer is playing with brushes on his Buddy Rich size snare
thinking- when are we going in double time at bridge ????...

[Treyzer]

Originally Posted by Mike Goodbar

I've heard a rock band version where the lead singer is thinking about all the groupies he's gonna be with, the guitar player is thinking about all the drugs he's gonna take, the drummer is thinking about all the booze he's gonna drink, and the bass player is thinking 1 - 5- 1 - 1- 4 - 5- 1- 1.

I've heard variations on this one many times. I like Ike's take much better!

I've heard this a few times, mostly in jest;

"OK guys band meeting, musicians come with me, drummer, take a break".

Full disclosure, I love drummers in a Chet Baker kind of way!

[Ike Harris]

I must confess, the wording isn't mine. I lifted it from my facebook page after a friend posted it. Had to share . . .

[longfinger]

Originally Posted by Ike Harris

The drummer gazes down onto the single ply, medium weight head of his 1950’s vintage black oyster pearl snare drum and thinks to himself “One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three.”

Nice joke, but from a Zen/Yogic point of view, who's the real master here? The drummer is focussing fully on what he is doing with single pointed concentration. The other two have wild untamed minds that prater on with useless thoughts that do not matter to the moment they are in, nor to what they are doing.

BTW, the girl in Dr. Zhivago is spelled "Lara" in english, and so it is "Lara's Theme" (Not Laura)

Maurice Jarré the composer of that tune just passed away two days ago. He lived a long life and left us a lot of beautiful music.

[JohnBarr]

The difference between a jazz trio gig and a rock gig?
The rockers play 3 chords for an audience of hundreds.

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by longfinger

Maurice Jarré the composer of that tune just passed away two days ago. He lived a long life and left us a lot of beautiful music.

Unfortunately, that tune wasn't one of them.


Ike, I LOVE your friend's customized version of this old one. So hip and inside in so many ways. I saved it in a folder and spread it around to many friends who I felt were hip enough to enjoy it.
Sorry for the few un-hip, and silly responses.

[longfinger]

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

Unfortunately, that tune wasn't one of them.

Really?

Lara's Tune from Dr. Zhivago is actually called "Somewhere My Love". It's the main theme of the movie. The sheet music I have from the Just Standards Real Book state that the music is by Maurice Jarre, lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. I'm sure he wrote all the music for the movie Dr. Zhivago directed by David Lean.

Are you thinking of 'Laura' by David Raskin? Or another song called "Laura's tune"?

Or is there an authorship controversy that Maurice Jarre got credit for another person's song?

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by longfinger

Really?

Lara's Tune from Dr. Zhivago is actually called "Somewhere My Love". It's the main theme of the movie. The sheet music I have from the Just Standards Real Book state that the music is by Maurice Jarre, lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. I'm sure he wrote all the music for the movie Dr. Zhivago directed by David Lean.
Are you thinking of 'Laura' by David Raskin? Or another song called "Laura's tune"?
Or is there an authorship controversy that Maurice Jarre got credit for another person's song?

Hey finger...don't push me. You missed my little joke entirely. I'm not a bit surprised. I've LIVED that tune and EVERY other tune pertaining to that title...on hundreds of bandstands around the world for over fifty years....I know ALL the lyrics to all those tunes....blah, blah.......when that piece of **** first came out, we HAD to play it, sometimes, three times a night. You seem to be trying to make us think that you hold some kind of special knowledge about all this bull****.
Sorry guys....a button got pushed ......"REALLY".
Finger.....sorry to hear of the passing of Maurice. (not really). He prolly died of terminal guilt, for giving the world this piece ****. (asterisks are MINE, not DURRL'S.)
I need to leave on a positive note....I dug Julie's legs. Kinda hard to see with all that Russian winter clothing she had to wear in the flick...but once in a while..............

[christ andronis]

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

Hey finger...don't push me. You missed my little joke entirely. I'm not a bit surprised. I've LIVED that tune and EVERY other tune pertaining to that title...on hundreds of bandstands around the world for over fifty years....I know ALL the lyrics to all those tunes....blah, blah.......when that piece of **** first came out, we HAD to play it, sometimes, three times a night. You seem to be trying to make us think that you hold some kind of special knowledge about all this bull****.
Sorry guys....a button got pushed ......"REALLY".
Finger.....sorry to hear of the passing of Maurice. (not really). He prolly died of terminal guilt, for giving the world this piece ****. (asterisks are MINE, not DURRL'S.)
I need to leave on a positive note....I dug Julie's legs. Kinda hard to see with all that Russian winter clothing she had to wear in the flick...but once in a while..............

Wow....so I guess you don't like "You Light Up My Life" either, huh?

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by christ andronis

Wow....so I guess you don't like "You Light Up My Life" either, huh?

Stay away from those dark alley's in the city tonight, Mother******.
I just sent out my Boyz.......

By the way, finger...since my Boyz'll be out on the above contract, they offered me a two-fer. I know...since you don't give much info in regards to where the hell you are on the planet, it don't matter to them. My Boyz are damn good. They can smell a HOBBYIST GOOGLER from many, many miles away. Instructions?: Disarm. Then a VERY slow and painful death.
Oops, maybe my bad. When I said "Disarm", I meant yer Google. They prolly thought I meant to Dis-arm you.
Oh, well. That works for me. That'll put an end to your user name.
How about a new one? Fingerless? Armless? I like Clueless best though.

[christ andronis]

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

Stay away from those dark alley's in the city tonight, Mother******.
I just sent out my Boyz.......

What, we gotta start kissing your ring now?

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by christ andronis

What, we gotta start kissing your ring now?

I suggest you start kissing somethin' else.

[christ andronis]

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

I suggest you start kissing somethin' else.

I deserved that....walked right into it....


Beware of Greeks bearing gifts..(heehee)

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by christ andronis

I deserved that....walked right into it....


Beware of Greeks bearing gifts..(heehee)

Due to the fact that the MODS are watching me real close these days, I can only say that I will BACK-off.