On Jessica Williams (A Small Debate On the Tube) rwkenyon3 Jessica Williams [not to be confused the the homonymous actress] is one of the very few pianists who have assimilated the style of Thelonious Monk, while still retaining her originality. She has recorded externsively, and many of her recent recordings are self-published. Visit her website and buy her albums: jessicawilliams *** BlueMonk Moods I wouldnt go as far as saying shes a Monkish pianist. The Monk spirit is there: shes essentially a stride pianist. But I think her biggest influence is Duke. That and those horn players shes fond of quoting. *** rwkenyon6 days ago For BlueMonk Moods, With all due respect, under no circumstances whatsoever could Jessica Williams ever be categorized as a stride pianist. You must be thinking of somebody else, whos about 50 years older than Jessica Williams. Insofar as the Monk influence on Jessica Williams, just listen to one of her best albums, In the Key of Monk, recorded in 1997 and released on Jazz Focus records, and you will understand what I am talking about. As for Ellingtons influence, you can check I Let a Song Go Out of my Heart, her solo piano Ellington tribute album, released in 2001 on the British Hep Jazz label. *** BlueMonk Moods5 days ago (edited) My good friend, I happen to be a friend of Jessica, and while this doesnt give me an insight into her work, we have had long and frequent conversations about her style. (I have written a couple of essays, in Spanish, about her music. Believe me, I have every single recording thats been released with her name on it.) Jessica thinks of herself as a modern stride pianist and then some more. I dont always take her words at face value, but what I take by this is that she has modeled her playing in that school of James P. Johnson, Willie The Lion and Fats Waller. Those were Ellingtons mentors (sort of speaking) and Ellington, with time, worked his own style out of that school. (So did Monk by the way.) Now the late Ellington, it should be said, kind of prefigured Monk. In his biography of the Duke, Terry Teachout quotes a source as saying that Ellington was surprised when he heard Monk for the first time because the cat was copying him. Well, you can argue theres always room for debate, but lets say that it is by no accident that when Orrin Keepnews signed Monk for his Riverside Records, he pushed Monk to record a tribute to the Duke (Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington). Keepnews, a brilliant listener and producer, kind of knew where Monk was coming from, even if Monk did not what to admit it openly. When I listen to Jessicas In The Key Of Monk, I am listening to a pianist whos approaching Monk from other sources rather than nearing herself to imitate Monk. Monks music, as you should know, is very idiosyncratic, and pianists with little imagination tend to copy Monks style almost verbatim. Not Jessica. She loved the way Don Pullen (Don Pullen Plays Monk) made Monk his own by breaking that percussive spirit and, of course, by discarding his quirks. But lets not go too far. This track (Elbow Room) is a perfect example of Jessicas modern stride. Isnt her left hand laying that 1-2-1-2 bass foundation dear of the stridist? Listeners tend to dismiss stride as unimaginative. But theres more than meets the ear. *** Jessica Williams Thank you for such warm and loving comments! As for being a stride pianist, its not my strong point, but I try. Mainly, the time is very important to me—its important that it feels danceable, that it swings in an aggressive East Coast sort of way. I was born and raised there and lived there until I was 28. Something about that time . . . thank you for the sweet quotes. The joy is in the music, and I just tap into it. I never thought about Monk in an academic way. I never wrote anything down and I heard every chord he played. It all made sense. I just love the way he played and sought to capture the spirit of the music he made. And that date with Charlie Rouse was an incredible honor. Thank you all again for the lovely comments. - Jessica
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 16:17:52 +0000
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