The jazz woo

Alcoa presents: The Jazz Ethicist…with Keitho!

Dear J.E. When is the proper time to employ the jazz ‘woo?’

Curious Yellow

Dear CY,

Good question! First of all, whatever you do, do not use it on the bandstand. Horn players, when they are not soling, should effect an insouciance with head cocked at 45 degree angles, looking passively into the audience, occasionally snapping on the 2 and/or the 4.

NOW. During the break you will be talking about great musicians with your fellow band members. For example, someone one will say, “Herbie was killing it on Speak Like a Child!”

Now is your chance.

With a barely audible, yet excited 2 second falsetto, you proclaim, “Ooooh!”

Note: The W in ‘woo’ is silent – if you say ‘woo’ you’ve blown it and will be instantly ostracized from the herd.

I hope this helps.

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The greatest piano solo I’ve ever heard

I’ve always liked Herbie Hancock but for whatever reason he has never cracked my top 3 favorite pianists. (Bud Powell, Wynton Kelly, McCoy Tyner) I was into most, if not all of his leader dates in the 60s, (Speak Like a Child is a top 5 record for me) and love him with Miles. Yet…there was something preventing me from going all in. I liked him as a friend.

Until…this. On the very first tune of this video, at apx 8:38 he plays a solo on Autumn Leaves that is so monumental that I am surprised that the space-time continuum was able to maintain its structural integrity and that there still exists an earth where there are standards with chord changes in 32 bar forms. That we try to play. And fail.

This is one of the best piano solos I’ve ever heard. It’s a fully realized, harmonically mind blowing, yet seriously grooving, logic defying masterpiece.

For some reason Wayne ends his solo at the bridge. (why did he do that?) Herbie starts out with some clusters suspended over a pedal point. He’s doing the ropadope – like he’s biding his time, patiently waiting for the chorus to come around and then BAM!