Ellingtonia in my dreams

[Larry Kart]

Dreamt last night of three great Ellington recordings from the early 1940s, all jumbled together, but then they do go together, both in spirit and (to some extent) in detail: "Rocks in My Bed," "Across the Tracks Blues," and "I Don't Know what Kind of Blues I Got."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45gN-bUNFjg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQZsP-8ZP94

Bigard and Lawrence Brown! And those sax section choruses! And Duke the Magician/Dramatist (with some input from Strayhorn, I believe).

[Larry Kart]

According to Walter van de Leur's "Something To Live For: The Music of Billy Strayhorn," p. 62-3, Strayhorn "for the full-band version of 'Rocks in My Bed' with Ivie Anderson ... scored the vocal segment ... breaking away from the I-IV-V blues changes [of the original recording with just Ellington and Joe Turner], replacing them with a liquid string of dominants that are connected with chromatic passing chords. As a result of the substitute chords, [strayhorn] has to adapt the melody significantly, and consequently none of the original passage remains, apart from the lyrics. Strayhorn's role has changed from arranger to co-composer."

[paul secor]

I love it when I have musical dreams like that. Doesn't happen often enough.

[HutchFan]

I love it when I have musical dreams like that. Doesn't happen often enough.

When I was building my Charles Ives website, I listened to practically nothing but Ives' music for a long, long time. I'd often listen to the same composition over and over and over again, typically to get a sense of the different interpretations by various performers.

For some reason, when I was listening to Ives' Second String Quartet, I had extremely vivid dreams of (re)hearing the music. It didn't happen with any of the other compositions. But with this piece I felt -- in my dreams -- as if I could follow the music as closely, as precisely as if I were reciting a long, long poem. I'm sure that sensation was an illusion. But it felt nice.

I guess I had "Ives on the brain."

Edited May 28, 2015 by HutchFan

[Larry Kart]

More than fifty years ago I dreamt I was in the old Rose Records Store on Wabash in Chicago, listening to a recording of "Stars Fell on Alabama" that featured Jack Teagarden and Paul Desmond -- the former playing the melody fairly straight, the latter embellishing it freely in a kind of dancing-darting but perfectly in tune with Teagarden manner. Felt sad when I woke up that no such recording existed.

[medjuck]

Wow! Teagarden and Desmond: I want that dream!

[paul secor]

I love it when I have musical dreams like that. Doesn't happen often enough.

When I was building my Charles Ives website, I listened to practically nothing but Ives' music for a long, long time. I'd often listen to the same composition over and over and over again, typically to get a sense of the different interpretations by various performers.

For some reason, when I was listening to Ives' Second String Quartet, I had extremely vivid dreams of (re)hearing the music. It didn't happen with any of the other compositions. But with this piece I felt -- in my dreams -- as if I could follow the music as closely, as precisely as if I were reciting a long, long poem. I'm sure that sensation was an illusion. But it felt nice.

I guess I had "Ives on the brain."

I've looked at that website a number of times. Had no idea you were the person behind it.

[JSngry]

If this was your Ellington dream, would you wake up ASAP or keep going just to make sure that it ended?

[Larry Kart]

If this was your Ellington dream, would you wake up ASAP or keep going just to make sure that it ended?

Gosh all willy.

[jeffcrom]

Larry, your dream prompted me to explore one of my pet theories - and reject it. "I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I've Got" has long been on of my favorite Ellington recordings. From the first time I heard it, I thought that the first clarinet solo was by Barney Bigard, but that the second one, with its hard, clear sound, was by Harry Carney. Ellington did that kind of thing every once in awhile - he would use different soloists on the same instrument on the same record for their slightly different sounds/feels. Listening to the master take, I could convince myself that I'm right. But on the alternate take, the balance of the saxophone section is slightly different, and I can hear Harry Carney's baritone behind the clarinet in the third chorus.

Oh, well. I'm glad I finally know for sure.

But cool dream.

Edited May 29, 2015 by jeffcrom

[AllenLowe]

the only recurring jazz dream I have is of me sitting down at the piano, I play a few chords, Bob Neloms comes over, moves my hands around, and suddenly I sound like Bud Powell.

I hate waking up from that one.

[HutchFan]

I love it when I have musical dreams like that. Doesn't happen often enough.

When I was building my Charles Ives website, I listened to practically nothing but Ives' music for a long, long time. I'd often listen to the same composition over and over and over again, typically to get a sense of the different interpretations by various performers.

For some reason, when I was listening to Ives' Second String Quartet, I had extremely vivid dreams of (re)hearing the music. It didn't happen with any of the other compositions. But with this piece I felt -- in my dreams -- as if I could follow the music as closely, as precisely as if I were reciting a long, long poem. I'm sure that sensation was an illusion. But it felt nice.

I guess I had "Ives on the brain."

I've looked at that website a number of times. Had no idea you were the person behind it.

Thanks Paul. I had fun putting it together.

It's long overdue for an update. But I'm on to other projects.

[paul secor]

I hope that you do get around to an update, though what's there is very worthwhile.

[johnblitweiler]

53 years ago I dreamed that I was playing an electric organ and I was playing Jimmy Smith's solo on "See See Rider." When I awoke the bed was drenched - wet dream. Didn't a psychiatrist write about a connection between dreams and puns?

I may have posted this elsewhere: One night I dreamed I had composed the most beautiful song ever. I awoke long enough to jot it down on a scrap of paper. The next day I had the urge to play a Freddie Redd Blue Note lp that I hadn't played in a long time, and heard the very song that I had composed in my sleep. Freddie had my most original thought before I had it.

[mikeweil]

That tune must have made a "deep" impression ...