Sometimes, jazz is used as part of a multi-media project. You probably won’t hear these albums performed as such in a jazz club, but the presentation on cd is quite a journey. Here are two examples.
Laura Karpman won some Emmys for this presentation of Langston Hughe’s 1961 poem, “Ask Your Mama; 12 Moods for Jazz.” This 2 cd set mixes various styles of sounds, ranging from gospel to swing, to bebop to opera. Vocals ranging from hip hoppers The Roots and Medusa, sopranos Angela Brown and Janai Brugger and jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon all take a turn revealing various aspects of life in Black America,particularly in the Harlem Renaissance of the 20th Century. Added to the mix are snippets from artists including Louis Armstrong, Leontyne Price and even Pigmeat Markham. The kaleidoscope of sounds and rhythms is intriguing as poetry, Afro-Cuban, cha-cha and patriotic songs all weave together to form a sonic tapestry. Won’t be done in a jazz club, but still quite a trip.
Caroline Davis takes you on a journey through the jazz life of Chicago. She mixes interviews and observations by Windy City locals including Art Davis, Bobby Broom, Ted Sirota and Von Freeman along with assorted songs performed by her band with Mike Allemana/g, Matt Ferguson/b Jeremy Cunningham/dr an dguest Russ Johnson/tp. Stories about musicians such as Gene Ammons and clubs like The Green Mill are interspersed between bopping tunes such as “Delighted” and dreamy interludes such as “Lin’.” Some of the songs such as “Golden Era” have a soundtrack feel to them, with Katinka Kleign’s cello adding texture to the pulse, while other songs such as the intricate “Rounds: For the Horses” and the melodic “Lincoln Land” hold up on their own. After one listen, the vocal snippets might take away from the music, but the stories themselves have the cozy feel of Saturday morning at the barber shop.