jazztrain Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/arts/music/burt-bacharach-dead.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 That's a significant legacy. RIP and so many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonnymax Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 For those of us who don't have a NYT subscription: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/feb/09/burt-bacharach- So many great tunes - easy to sing, interesting to play. RIP, sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Wow - a living legend songwriter of the 20th century. RIP Mr. Bacharach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 The partnership with Hal David and Dionne Warwick produced memorable songs. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Sad news, I recall that my older brother, who had strong opinions about music would diss Bacharach and because of what I learned here I had to tell him how much jazz guys respected him and enjoyed blowing on his tunes. Didn't really change his mind about the guy but at least he found out something more. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Thanks for the music. R.I.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Listening right now to one of the “Blue Note Plays Bacharach” compilations. His music always seemed to be around when I was a kid. Another tough loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Dryden Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 He appeared as a guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz. I may upload the show to archive.org if it is not still available to stream on NPR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 (edited) 22 minutes ago, ghost of miles said: His music always seemed to be around when I was a kid. Another tough loss. When I was a little kid, I thought the Beatles, Beach Boys, and Stones were the sound of the '60s. But the subliminal soundtrack of my childhood was Burt Bacharach. So that is the real sound of the '60s. I thought Burt's music was perfect for the generation that was too old for rock, but too young for WWII. It was the sound of crying housewives whose husbands were having affairs with the secretaries. The secretaries operated huge keypunch Bendix or IBM computers, and wore mini dresses. RIP. ALSO: Burt Bacharach is great name to refute the argument that the general public likes only simple music. Edited February 9, 2023 by Teasing the Korean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 18 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said: ALSO: Burt Bacharach is great name to refute the argument that the general public likes only simple music. Yet his success with the general public was predicated on being heard as simple music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 7 minutes ago, Dan Gould said: Yet his success with the general public was predicated on being heard as simple music. I wonder how he pulled that off. His tunes are deceptively complex, all sorts of strange melodic jumps, extra beats thrown in here and there, and chord progressions that don't necessarily go where you would expect. We take that complexity for granted now, because we have heard those songs for decades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 The quality of the songwriting rather than the specific guts inside? It just appealed to pop ears and certainly didn't hurt to have people like Dionne Warwick singing his songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 1 minute ago, Dan Gould said: The quality of the songwriting rather than the specific guts inside? It just appealed to pop ears and certainly didn't hurt to have people like Dionne Warwick singing his songs. I'm saying, from a technical standpoint, that Burt's songs - and Jobim's songs - were more complex than what was typically heard in US pop music during the 1960s and 1970s. For example, if you took a songwriting 101 course and brought in "I Say a Little Prayer," you would get knocked for having too wide of interval jumps in the first few bars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 I think the song Alfie (not to be confused with S.R's Alfie's Theme) is one of the best songs ever written; multi-sections yet all unified musically; complicated yet accessible: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 That apparent simplicity masking hidden complexity was likely a big part of his success, no? The brain, on some level, may say to itself, "Hey, this is a little different" -- but it's also familiar enough to be immediately appealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 (edited) 9 minutes ago, AllenLowe said: I think the song Alfie (not to be confused with S.R's Alfie's Theme) is one of the best songs ever written; multi-sections yet all unified musically; complicated yet accessible: A very talented and prolific songwriting friend of mine thinks that Alfie is the greatest pop song ever written. 7 minutes ago, HutchFan said: That apparent simplicity masking hidden complexity was likely a big part of his success, no? Probably. I am obsessed with this track. And with this one, which sounds like the soundtrack to a travel montage in an early-70s made-for-TV movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpJwRy70xZM Speaking of made-for-TV movies, Bacharach's "Nikki" was the theme to the ABC Movie of the Week. Edited February 9, 2023 by Teasing the Korean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Wow. Major loss -- RIP. "My Little Red Book" (as recorded by Love) was my first conscious exposure to his craft, and is still a favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel A Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 In the late 1990s I found a used Bacharach casette tape for around 50 cents. I became totally obsessed with this version of Wives and Lovers, to the point that I started a jazz group which (at least initially) performed only Bacharach tunes: Another tune we played was the under-recorded Promises, Promises: I definitely agree about the hidden complexity of his compositions. There's really nothing like them in the history of popular music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Modal Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 48 minutes ago, HutchFan said: That apparent simplicity masking hidden complexity Calling card of a genius, no matter the subject. RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 RIP. Last night I dreamed about a bunch of kids singing Alfie! I remember a Cilla Black interview in which she said that Burt made her record Alfie over and over, and neither she nor George Martin had any idea what he was looking for. The original recording of My Little Red Book was by Manfred Mann for the What's New, Pussycat? soundtrack. Manfred couldn't get the hang of the rhythm of the piano part, so Burt played it himself while Manfred played the organ. When he married Carole Bayer Sager, instead of vowing "I do" he said, "I'll try!" I always enjoyed the Butch Cassidy record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trane123 Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Really loved the Bacharach stuff from the 60s. Especially the songs done by Dionne Warwick. Always loved this one (talk about complex but accessible) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 1 hour ago, trane123 said: Really loved the Bacharach stuff from the 60s. Especially the songs done by Dionne Warwick. Always loved this one (talk about complex but accessible) I've seen this written out in at least 3 different meters (15/8, alternating bars of 5/4 & 4/4 or 6/8 & 9/8) but it flows like someone spilling their guts. Genius. Think I'll go play some of his tunes on my sax now. If they can stand up to that then the're strong tunes. Like all great composers, he had range and was easily ID'ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardbopjazz Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Great composer. RIP Burt. Thanks for the melodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.