NATHAN HAINES / “Wonderful Thing”
In the first few years of the 2000’s, I suddenly started hearing what I like to call ‘Tranesongs.’* These are jazz-electronica confections that may owe little to John Coltrane musically, yet are obviously (and often intentionally) imbued with the ‘vibe’ of ‘Trane. I’m a generation removed from ‘Trane as a revolutionary force, from ‘Trane as the leading musician of his time, from ‘Trane as a virtually God-like figure. When I think about ‘Trane and his music, I’m more likely to think of him alongside others like Miles or Monk or even Marsalis, as opposed to putting him in a category of his own. That said (and unrepentant Miles fan that I remain), I must add that there is an unquantifiable ‘something’ about the tone of ‘Trane’s tenor saxophone that reaches deeper into my musical spirit than any other sound in jazz. Coltrane’s spiritual depth—his ceaseless reaching and searching for truth and fulfillment through music—may be what the musicians of my generation are inspired by when they cut these tributes.
We’ll start with three original pieces and close out with two covers. First up is New Zealand-born saxophonist Nathan Haines with a tune named “Wonderful Thing.” Play the first few bars of this one (the opening drum parts, I mean) back-to-back with The John Coltrane Quartet’s “Out Of This World,” and you’ll probably believe (like I do) that “Wonderful Thing” is a conscious homage to ‘Trane. The sweetly lilting vocal work is by the UK’s Vanessa Freeman, who has also recorded with 4Hero and Bugz In The Attic, among others. Nathan is probably best known for his more dance-oriented production—tracks like “Earth Is The Place” and “Squire For Hire” (with Marlena Shaw)—but he is also a classically-trained flutist and saxophonist and the son of jazz bassist Kevin Haines. Nathan also happens to be the best-selling jazz artist in New Zealand history. (I’m guessing there’s not an overwhelming amount of competition for the title, but there it is.) "Wonderful Thing" is on Haines' Sound Travels album.
The next tune also features Nathan, but it’s from an album by Italian pianist Marco Di Marco. With a career spanning four decades, Marco’s name seems to be preceded invariably by the sobriquet ‘The Legendary.’ I have to admit though, before I came across “Brazilian Waltz” (from the 2004 album, My London Friends) at http://biggersplash.blogspot.com , I’d never heard of Di Marco. One thing to notice right away: both “Wonderful Thing” and “Brazilian Waltz” feature that rocking, striding style of comping that McCoy Tyner favored. It’s probably the piano even more than the sax that gives both tunes that ‘Trane flavor. Be sure to check out Di Marco’s solo. He has the easy, soulful style that tells you he’s been playing a long, long time. Marco is out to prove nothing—he lets his playing speak for itself.
Let’s stay with piano but pick up the pace a bit. “Dado” (the opening track of the album Lovely Arthur) is a track from Brazilian producer Bruno E. Bruno’s route to jazz has been circuitous, to say the least. He started off in São Paulo as a hip-hop and electronica producer. One day he recorded a one-off jazz piece called “Lovely Arthur.” The piece was so successful that in 2003, Bruno got together several Brazilian jazz musicians he knew and formed a band. The resulting album, also called Lovely Arthur, received considerable acclaim from the more progressive-leaning jazz press. What I like about the Lovely Arthur album is the way Bruno uses musicians playing acoustic instruments to create rhythm tracks that have the feel of electronica. The overall style is reminiscent of Cinematic Orchestra only with less ‘atmosphere’ and more actual playing.
The first cover is Andre 3000’s hyper-speed broken-beat remake of the Rodgers and Hammerstein composition “My Favorite Things” (from the 2003 Outkast double-CD Speakerboxx/Love Below). Of course, for anyone with even a passing interest in jazz, “My Favorite Things” has nothing to do with either Julie Andrews or The Sound Of Music and everything to do with ‘Trane. (For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, click here. Among hip-hop fans, Andre's remake tends to be a polarizing track: I've heard some people say they love it and others say it's boring and/or irritating. I suspect that most of the latter group has never heard the 'Trane 'original,' but that's just a guess. I should mention too that although I'm a big Andre fan, I hesitate to call this remake of "My Favorite Things" an Andre 3000 song because the obvious star of the piece is the pianist...who goes uncredited. I came across a few sites claiming that it's Norah Jones—I doubt that seriously.
The last track is probably my favorite of all five of these pieces. It’s the UK’s futuristic sound-meisters 4Hero with their version of the well-known Coltrane ballad “Naima” (from the 2004 release The Remix Album, Vol. 1). Surprisingly enough, “Naima” survives intact despite the radically different musical context in which it is placed. Using recorded loops of live drums (I think), Marc and Dego hook up one of those hypnotic broken-beat grooves their so well-known for. Over that, they layer samples of a ‘Trane interview as well as a few notes from the man himself. From there, it’s all newly recorded material: piano, bass, strings and, of course, saxophone…which, again, goes uncredited. This time, I came across a site or two claiming that the saxophonist is none other than Nathan Haines—and it’s probably true.
—Mtume ya Salaam
*At least, that’s what I call them in my iTunes.
I'm not a purist, so I won't say that most of the above is not jazz. What I will say is that I appreciate, and in some cases actually enjoy, most of these selections as instrumental pop music rather than as jazz. And it's not a matter of me thinking one category is better than another, it's simply a question of getting the nomenclature straight within the context of the traditions of the music known as jazz.
On the other hand, it could simply be that it's not my kind of jazz, which doesn't mean it's not jazz, it just means I don't consider it in the same light as I do "jazz" recordings, especially in the general context of talking about John Coltrane. Mtume, you actually pointed that out in your intro as you began your survey of tranesongs.
Just for the record, I'm partial to 4Hero's arrangement, even though i don't particularly like the lightweight sax playing on a heavy Trane tune. Also, I have the Haines album and don't listen to it much, for the same reason. Ditto for the Bruno E, most of which you can listen to online at trama records' website.
In the final analysis, perhaps, it's not really a question of categories, i.e. jazz or not-jazz, what it really is, or so it seems to me in reflection, is that this is Trane without the sound of Trane's sax or even a strongly distinctive sax. That's what spoils it for me, especially since Trane's sound was the sound of a whole era of jazz saxophone.
—Kalamu ya Salaam
I agree...sort of
Baba, I agree...sort of, with what you're saying. Other than the Marco Di Marco track, I wouldn't really consider any of these tracks 'jazz,' per se. They're definitely more instrumental pop music than jazz. The only real disagreement is that I don't think these cats are even attempting to imitate 'the sound of Trane's sax' or to include 'a strongly distinctive sax.' For them, that isn't the point. And, I don't think any of these records are aimed at people who came up listening to Trane. These records are aimed at folk who like electronica. The 'jazz' part is just a flavoring...almost like a sample or something. For a Trane-head, that's probably very difficult, if not impossible, to swallow.
The only relationship these tracks have to 'Trane's music is just in the vibe that they all have—not in the way they swing (they don't) or in the way the musicians play. I remember you and I and Aumra got into this way back when I posted Bob James' "Nautilus." Because I didn't grow up with jazz, I don't hear 'jazzy pop' as inherently 'lighter' or 'lesser' than 'real' jazz. I just hear it as something different. Of course, whenever we talk about 'lightweight' hip-hop, I get all up in arms, so I guess I know how you feel.
—Mtume ya Salaam
This entry was posted on Sunday, August 6th, 2006 at 12:30 am and is filed under Contemporary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
One Response to “NATHAN HAINES / “Wonderful Thing””
August 12th, 2006 at 8:58 am
Yeesh. In this category I have to say that 4Hero saves the day. I dig Andre but what the hell…???
one love,
Ekere
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