Jason Lyon Music

Category: e) Rants & Ramblings

  • We’ve Run Out of Jam

    —

    by

    Jason
    in

    Our Wednesday marathon is now run. To morrow to fresh Woods, and Pastures new (we’re uncouth swains).

  • Threepenny Lyrics

    —

    by

    Jason
    in ,

    Bit of fun this week. I sat in on a gig the other night and the singer called Mack the Knife. It’s an interesting one because it’s harmonically very simple – just the four main chords of the key, but usually played cranking up the choruses by semitones. So you really need to take the…

  • The End of an Earache

    —

    by

    Jason
    in

    Well, residencies have a lifespan and I’m afraid we’re losing our lovely dog Weekly Wednesday. He’s heading for that great jazz gig in the sky, where all the musicians are glum because God’s girlfriend is a singer – oh please, I’m kidding. After about six years of frolicking about, I’m afraid it’s just become commercially…

  • Young Jazz Synergy Weekend & Guildhall in Focus

    —

    by

    Jason
    in

    Friday 19 May – Sunday 21 May Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec, London SE11 4RN, 020-7582 6800 The world loves competitions these days, and it seems people aren’t interested unless there are judges whirling round in big red chairs. But music really isn’t like that. The latest amazing group of jazz talent emerging from the top colleges work…

  • Playing Flat

    —

    by

    Jason
    in ,

    A quick one for pianists – in particular, pianists who are fortunate enough to play on grands. Though not all grands are made equal… Okay, let’s admit it, we all read sometimes. Whether detailed arrangements, originals, things we “kinda know” or whatever. Put the damn flap down and read the chart across it. If you’re a…

  • Hippies Didn’t Own the Sixties

    —

    by

    Jason
    in

    We had a really enjoyable gig recently with trumpeter Quentin Collins and he brought some interesting tunes along. QC (appearing for the modern harmony, m’lud) was obviously in a sort of early-’60s Blue Note frame of mind. Got me thinking about the ’60s. I love that stuff, I feel at home in it, and the…

  • Lies, Damn Lies & Marketing Episode VI: That’s Lovely But…

    —

    by

    Jason
    in ,

    Okay, I’m basically going to demonstrate by example here. I’ve noticed recently that a certain website has started billing my guest-with-house-trio residency as an “award-winning quartet”. It’s very flattering and no doubt rather good for business, but I do feel I should set the record straight. Many of the soloists have indeed won awards and…

  • Crystal Metheny

    —

    by

    Jason
    in , ,

    The point of this week’s post isn’t confined to Metheny tunes – it’s just that there are a couple we’ve happened to play recently that illustrate it nicely. The two tunes I’ll reference are Song for Bilbao and Question & Answer. They’re both characterised by rather floaty harmony on the A sections and contrasting, very…

  • Da-ba-da-ba-dah…

    —

    by

    Jason
    in ,

    Never mind Baldwin’s superb yanqui lounge creep, I just love the beautifully done, inane, piss-take bossa. “You have my hand… it gives me the blues… in my heart…” Perfect Portubollocks. Also watch Maya Rudolph on shaker (and “da-ba-da-ba-dahs”) at 1:42. She knows the lines that are coming and starts losing it… The timing throughout is…

  • Booker’s Blues

    —

    by

    Jason
    in ,

    All of us are always learning (well, hopefully most of us are…), but it’s not big-headed to take pride in what you do. Here’s a little parable (with apologies to Jorge Luis Borges). Imagine you’re walking down an enormous corridor in a library that stretches on and on into the distance. You’re reading the books as you…