jazz (jaz) n. [etym. uncert] 1 a kind of music, originally improvised but now also arranged, characterized by syncopation, rubato, usually heavily accented rhythms, dissonances, individualized melodic variations, and unusual tonal effects on the trumpet, trombone, clarinet, saxophone, etc.: it originated with Southern blacks in the late 19th cent.: see also SWING
THE word swing has taken on a whole new meaning for the playground set.
In this case, it’s got young toes tapping and little fingers snapping. Not to mention horns o’ plenty.
To help introduce a new generation to jazz, Duke Ellington has been tranformed to “Duck Ellington” for a “Baby Loves Jazz” book, one of a quartet of likeminded new books from Penguin.
Each of the rhyming works – also “Ella Elephant” (the Ella Fitzgerald stand-in), Miles the Crocodile (Miles Davis) and Charlie Bird (Charlie Parker) – comes with a CD that not only tells the story in the book but also includes a healthy dose of original tunes specifically for jazz neophytes.
But will kids take to jazz?
Bill Bragin, director of programing for Joe’s Pub, thinks so.
He has booked the Baby Loves Jazz band, which will perform tunes there from its just-released “Go Baby Go” album on Sept. 9 (at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) “I think there’s a natural playfulness that’s part of improvisation,” Bragin says of jazz. “I remember the first time I went to see [trumpeter] Clark Terry when I was a kid and he was doing a ‘mumble’ solo, playing to my little sister.
There’s always that playfulness that people like Clark bought into.
Even if the music is really serious, there’s a way to do that and have a wink in the eye at the same time.” The Baby Loves Jazz band is made up of acclaimed jazz musicians such as keyboardist John Medeski, trumpet player Steve Bernstein, saxman Briggan Krauss and Lonnie Plaxico, who’s played with jazz legends Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and Chet Baker.
Funk vocalist Sharon Jones adds some sass, particularly as Ella Elephant, who, as the book says, “Scats like that.” What’s scat?
It’s when a singer improvises with made-up words and sounds.
“It’s just a form of jazz,” says Jones, who sings over the phone, “Scoo-wop ‘n diddy mama diddy weee ooh.” The book series (they have handles for easy transport!) is firmly rooted in that “wink in the eye” school of jazz. As Ella, Jones sings “Make Me Want To Scat” to the tune of the Isley Brothers’ classic “Shout.” With “Duck Ellington Swings Through the Zoo,” you can hear “Jazz for Snakes” (maybe they should try that on the plane) and a fun piece, “Coltrane for Monkeys,” in which the singer screams like Coltrane’s wild sax.
Echoing the jazz-for-kids theme, keyboardist Medeski says, “I think kids, more than adults, respond to the feeling and energy of something. And jazz truly is a language. It’s a language of freedom musically speaking, especially when there really is improvisation in it.
“There’s such a free spirit within the music, when it’s done right, it’s so for kids.” When it comes to jazz, it isn’t one style fits all, either. The title track on “Go Baby Go” is sort of punky. “Paw Paw Patch” has a New Orleans vibe. “The Trumpet” is pure funk. And in this jazz world, Old MacDonald doesn’t have a farm – he has a band!
Jazz at Lincoln Center is also horning in on the fun – or maybe they’re beating the drum for jazz – with educational programs for aspiring aficionados. The next Jazz for Young People show is set for Dec. 2 at the Rose Theater, when Wynton Marsalis and Co. explore and illustrate how an arranger assembles all the musical parts into a cohesive and happening sound. It’s recommended for kids 6 and older.
JALC’s WeBop!
classes (organized by age into Hipsters, Syncapators and the Gumbo Group) introduce tots as young as 8 months to the original Amercian art form, with musicians leading singing, dancing and other lessons about jazz. The eight-class fall session ($280) starts Sept. 26. For more information, phone (212) 2589835. For further details on Jazz for Young People, log onto jalc.org and click on education.
Musician Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, has explained that introducing youngsters to jazz “can teach us about listening to, and respecting, one another. Jazz leads us in an acceptance and appreciation of other people’s creativity, while it helps us understand who we are, and what we’re capable of.
“I believe this music can raise the soul quotient of America.” Clearly, when Duke Ellington wrote “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” he was not referring to a playground with missing equipment.