This week on Jazz Spectrum – 6/7-6/9
Song of the Week – “How Long Has This Been Going On” – Music by George Gershwin; lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Each week, Fritz exchanges thoughts with Aly Krajewski about the Song of the Week featured on Jazz Spectrum Saturday.
By Fritz Byers
Dear Aly,
Anyone who’s been through law school, or at least the caricature of law school that fetishizes the Socratic method, knows that enormous power derives from being the person who asks the questions. Ms. Krajewski, would you care to tell us why that is?
But seriously, Aly – isn’t it fun to ask a question?
Maybe I feel the allure of this because during the years I came to consciousness everyone was asking questions all the time, and it had this frisson of essentialist rebellion.
Even the music seemed inclined toward interrogation:
“What’s going on?” (Marvin Gaye)
“What’cha gonna do about me?” (Quicksilver).
“How Long (has this been going on?)” (Ace) (Don’t miss this video of the song for its lush period detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4uSzrsOQr8. I’ve likely heard the song 5,000 times, but yesterday was the first time I realized that the song consists, in its entirety, of a repeated-two-line chorus and two simplistic quatrains of virtually no content, which belie the vaguely conspiratorial cast of the song title. Yet I suspect it survives in the vestigial memories of my generation as something profound, searching, and ever-so-slightly radical.)
And yet . . . it IS an excellent question – How long has this been going on?
The question has immensely broad, probably limitless application. You can ask it in nearly any situation, from a decline in the quality of salsa at the local cantina to the degradation of the region’s water supply. And the question has the additional benefit that, when you ask it, you are also implying that you already know something about the situation. In a way, it’s better than Howard Baker’s famous compound Watergate question – perhaps less lawyerly, but more holistic, and probably more likely to lead somewhere interesting.
The answer, with Jazz Spectrum in mind, as it is this evening as I write, is, 35 years.
That’s why, when you and I were last together, to coincide with this week’s anniversary celebration we decided the Song of the Week should be the Gershwins’ “How Long Has This Been Going On?”
A crotchety old-timer might compare Ira’s immensely clever lyric with the vapid words of the 1974 Ace hit and use the contrast as Case Closed on the devolution from the sophistications of Tin Pan Alley to the inane sensibilities that have dominated post-hippie pop. But I wouldn’t do that. My dear old grandpappy once told me that there’s a season for everything. He wasn’t wrong, although in time I would come to discover that he didn’t exactly make that up.
The Gershwin tune is a marvel of songwriting -- the lyrics are literate in the extreme, replete with internal rhymes and assonance and shot through with a sort of aching that is at once intimate and universal; and the melody and harmonics are intricate but navigable. I know the latter is true from having heard dozens of instrumental versions that explore innovative possibilities in the tune that, if not infinite, are certainly indefinite.
Lore has it that the manager of the show for which the tune was written – Funny Face, which debuted on Broadway in 1927 – asked the Gershwins to drop the song from the show because it “doesn’t get you anywhere.” As Ira said, the manager got his wish. But the song survived.
Lucky us.
I was late coming to Peggy Lee fandom, but I live there now, thanks in part to a wonderful story my friend John Bigelow told me about seeing her perform live when he was a high-schooler. A few of her vocals in front of the Benny Goodman Orchestra are on my short list of favorite records. We open our first set with their 1941 version. I’m not sure I knew until the other day just how much control Peggy had over her wavery vibrato – listen to her sing “Oh, I feel I could melt” at the 1:20 mark of the tune. Chills.
Roy Eldridge’s trumpet defined the instrument’s sound in the pre-bop era, and the opening notes of his version are an apt demonstration of why that’s so. I hear this brief but powerful recording as documenting in almost precise terms the transition of trumpet playing from the virtuoso flourishes of Louis Armstrong to Dizzy Gillespie’s dervish flights. The recording is from 1957, long after Dizzy had changed everything. But in his lead statement and solo, you can still hear the new things Roy brought, on which his towering legacy is justly built.
I’ve told you, probably more times than you care to count, that for all the wonders of Ella’s songbook series her most revealing recordings are the duets she recorded with solo pianists – Ellis Larkins and Paul Smith. This version of “How Long” is from her Gershwin tribute with Ellis, recorded in September 1950 and released as Ella Sings Gershwin (now available as part of Pure Ella.) There’s a reason she’s been called a perfect singer. When she’s vibing with just a piano, you can almost think that’s an understatement.
The first set ends with another favorite recording pairing – the tenor saxophonist Ben Webster with the trumpeter Harry “Sweets” Edison. Sweets is among the funniest of musical innovators, and I mostly prefer to hear him with Lester Young. But this series of recordings reveal a startling degree of musical empathy, made all the more appealing because their styles are in such contrast.
The second set begins with the best male-vocal version of the tune I know – the incomparable baritone Johnny Hartman. It’s an indisputable truth that he peaked on his famous record with Coltrane, but you should never miss a chance to hear him.
The Toledo-born pianist Larry Fuller is next. He’s a personal favorite, as a pianist and as a person, so count this as an indulgence. But once you hear Larry play this tune, or almost any other song that he lavishes attention on, you’ll be a convert. Let’s you and I find a way to get him back to Lucille’s sometime soon.
The veteran-all-star recordings on the Pablo label from the 1970s and 1980s may seem like contrivances, but they entail some splendid pairings. The 1984 collaboration between the guitarist Joe Pass and the trombonist J.J. Johnson is among my favorites. Once you hear this, it’s no surprise that J.J. would go on to make those great 1988 live recordings at the Village Vanguard, released as Quintergy and Standards.
“How Long” is a nearly perfect song for Shirley Horn’s deeply personal vocal style. Her 1993 recording of the tune, from her tribute to Ray Charles, has stuck with me since I first heard it, the week the record was released.
And we conclude with Brad Mehldau’s live trio version, recorded in 2000 at the Village Vanguard with the bassist Larry Grenadier and the drummy Jorge Rossy. This version of “How Long” will convince you (if you still needed convincing) that George’s deceptively simple tune is as fertile as any that he wrote – which is saying a lot. The recording is part of Brad’s Art of the Trio series, which is among the most engrossing turn-of-century intimations of the horizons of piano jazz. Brad’s way with a slow-tempo standard, with his unembarrassed yearning for sheer beauty and the care he lavishes on lingering single notes, is as appealing as modern jazz piano gets.
How long? It feels as though we could go on like this forever.
Yrs,
F
Aly's Response
Fritz! Long time no write. (How long?)
I share your enthusiasm for the philosophic and syntactical implications of the platonic "question". Ever the inquisitive child, I was constantly prodding for more information – about what? Abouteverything. Didn't care if it was taboo to ask (as most young people without fully-formed frontal lobes tend to be); didn't mind if the answer was complicated (because then I could ask even MORE questions). So, one question was on my mind while reading your note this week: how do I tailor my response to this SotW to be an apt tribute to Jazz Spectrum's 35th anniversary?
Lucky for us, I realized I could honor this hilariously chosen SotW–and JS's milestone anniversary–in a fitting manner. (I've taken the liberty of answering some of these questions for the sake of waxing. I expect prompt replies in the next 48, whether by smoke signal, homing pigeon, or Morse code.)
35(ish) Questions to Celebrate 35 Years of Jazz Spectrum
1. What’s going on in the world of jazz (besides everyone pretending to like John Coltrane’s "Interstellar Space")?
I jest about Coltrane's posthumous release, of course. (Mostly.) I'd like to think that, regardless of the fidelity of the world's opinions on subgenres of jazz, the genre itself is as strong as ever. And to live in a time when so much of it is basically available at the push of a button (or tuning in to a certain radio program on weekend evenings) is pretty awesome.
2. How long has it been since you first fell in love with the genre, and can you still remember why?
I can't tell you what my first blush with true capital-j Jazz was, but I can tell you a memorable anecdote on an impressionable young me. I spent my first years being immersed in the typical jazz standards and stars: Glenn Miller, Duke, Louis, Bing, Frank, Billie. So, imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a bargain-bin CD of Anthony Braxton's "New York, Fall 1974" at the ripe age of 12. While certainly not as far as the genre pushes itself in terms of free jazz, my tiny mind was sufficiently blown open. Thus began a journey into the nooks, crannies, and crevices of the weirdest stuff I could get my hands on. Not my first love with jazz, but the most explosive love for sure.
3. Who did Roy Eldridge have to kill to acquire his particular brass tone, and how can I commit similar crimes for similar reward?
This is a serious question. What the hell, man? He is insane. The brightness of his tone on "How Long" is so crisp. Let me know if I can get in on some nefarious deeds.
4. What’s your favorite era in jazz history (and why is it always the one nobody else appreciates)?
5. Who was your first jazz crush?
Embarrassingly, I think I have to admit that it was Mr. Sinatra. (Hold for gasps.) I remember watching his performance of "Old Man River '' at the end of Til The Clouds Roll By, face glued to the screen, in awe of his talent and crushing on him so hard. It was a quick phase, but a phase nonetheless. Moving on!
6. How do you feel about the evolution of jazz over the decades, and is there really anything left to innovate?
7. What’s the most memorable live jazz performance you’ve ever attended?
8. The saga of Gershwin's brush with the "Funny Face" chopping block sounds like a plotline straight out of a jazz-themed soap opera. Do you think this "behind-the-scenes drama" is emblematic of the eternal struggle between artistic integrity and commercial pressures? How do we get a jazz soap opera spun up, also?
9. Do you think Johnny Hartman's version of "How Long" might be slightly better than Peggy Lee's?
I think I know your answer to this one, but hear me out! Something about Hartman's voice melts like butter. It's like a warm, soft blanket. I know better than to put excellence against excellence, but for the sake of stoking the fire, I'll ask the question.
10. Which jazz artist do you think asks the most intriguing musical questions (or should we ask their therapist)?
11. What’s the secret ingredient in a perfect jazz standard?
There's obviously more than one, I'm sure. I personally love to hear the highs and lows of a silky clarinet in most standards – a versatile reed that can flip a switch on almost any song it's added to. Hearing it in a few different tones on a few versions of this week's SotW was, per usual, a welcome treat.
12. Who’s the most underrated jazz musician, in your opinion?
13. How has working on Jazz Spectrum grown your jazz collection over the years?
14. What’s the quintessential jazz album to listen to on a rainy day?
If the answer list doesn't include "Chet Baker Sings", I automatically disqualify the response. In all seriousness, though, that album is so perfectly blended, a swirl of melancholy and soft optimism, and Chet's duality on the horn and the mic feels similarly balanced. Backtrack that album with some light rainfall, and you've got the beginnings of a perfect gray day.
15. How do you feel about the fusion of jazz with other genres?
16. What’s your favorite jazz venue of all time (and does it inexplicably still have that sticky floor)?
17. How did you first get involved with Jazz Spectrum?
18. What’s the most surprising jazz fact you’ve ever learned?
A recent favorite: In addition to his renowned jazz compositions, Charles Mingus also wrote a book titled "Cat Toilet Training Program," which is all about teaching cats to use the toilet instead of a litter box. Currently reading it to Winnie & Cosmo in the hopes of some progress.
19. How many jazz records do you own?
20. What’s your go-to jazz track when you need a pick-me-up?
Ella's rendition of "Stella by Starlight" and Blossom Dearie's "They Say It's Spring" never fail to brighten my mood.
21. How do you stay up-to-date with the latest in the genre?
22. Ella and Ellis, or Ella and Paul– who's the better duo?
A tough decision. I might be inclined to give it to Paul Smith's Quartet, probably because of how lovely and tight the band is on the live recording of "Ella in Berlin". But Ella & Ellis's rendition of "Imagination" is a top selection for me, too. Don't make me pick!
23. How do you feel about jazz interpretations of classical pieces?
24. What’s the most memorable interview you’ve conducted for Jazz Spectrum (or should I not ask)?
25. Do you think we should reach out to the surviving members of Ace in the hopes that we might score an exposé interview to piggyback off of this SotW?
(Of course we should. It's called Important Journalism, and we're the shepherds of it.)
26. How do you think technology changed the way we experience jazz, aside from enabling us to skip tracks?
27. What’s the best jazz festival you’ve ever attended (and how long did it take to recover)?
28. How do you curate the perfect jazz playlist?
Well, if you're asking me, you need to first decide what will be going on while you're optimally listening to the playlist. Do you have your full attention on the music? Are you cooking or cleaning while it's on? Are you trying to work or write? Will you be running a three-legged race at any point during its duration? This will help funnel your focus on the song selections. I also try to think of a jazz playlist as some kind of journey. Where are we starting, and where do we want to go?
29. How do you think jazz will evolve in the next 35 years?
30. Jazz musicians often have cool nicknames like "Bird" or "Satchmo." If you had a jazz nickname, what would it be, and what instrument would you play?
Mine would probably be something like "Sketch", and I would play the fool.
31. How do you incorporate jazz into your daily life?
32. What’s the most inspiring jazz quote you’ve ever heard?
33. What’s your jazz guilty pleasure (or is that a contradiction in terms)?
34. In the grand scheme of jazz history, "How Long Has This Been Going On?" has seen it all. Do you think it ever gets tired of being the belle of the jazz ball, or does it secretly revel in its status as the life of the party?
35. Finally: what do you think the best part of hosting JS has been over its long lifespan so far?
I've told you this before, but for the sake of answering: I learn so much about music (not just jazz music) when I tune in to your show. It's rare to find such comprehensive radio content that can also say it's existed as long as JS. I feel very grateful that Toledo has something so special to hang its hat on.
Here’s to many more years of asking, listening, and discovering. (And here's to fewer parentheticals.)
Cheers,
Aly
