This piece was written as an elegy for Lester Young, who, as well as being one of the most influential tenor players of all time, was a cultural and stylistic icon, one of his trademarks being his wide-brimmed pork pie hats. Modern version of Infant Eyes: Eric Legnini – Natural Balance His tenor saxophone is accompanied by some of the finest names in 1960s jazz: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (double bass) and Elvin Jones (drums).Īpart from ‘Infant Eyes’, the tunes, which are all composed by the bandleader, are themed around magic and folklore. Classic version of Infant Eyes: Wayne Shorter – Speak No Evilġ964’s Speak No Evil is a classic of the Blue Note era, regarded by many as Shorter’s finest work. Unusually, its form comprises three nine-bar sections. Wayne Shorter’s touching dedication to his young daughter is a good example of advancing compositional techniques in 1960s jazz.Ī relatively static melody floats on top of harmony that is ‘non-functional’ or ‘modal’ i.e., moving between chords that imply various tonalities or chord scales, and with less of a focus on traditional tonic-dominant relationships. Modern version of Lush Life: Joshua Redman – Walking Shadows More famous versions include the two by John Coltrane: it appears on the album Lush Life and on his recording with vocalist Johnny Hartman. His solo piano is accompanied only by the interjections of a vocal choir in a slightly eccentric arrangement, and it is interesting to note that both melody and harmony differ slightly in comparison to better-known recordings.
One of Strayhorn’s few ventures away from Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, this is not a famous record, but it is gratifying to hear the composer’s own interpretation of this fascinating jazz ballad. You can, of course, find him in our round up of the most famous jazz composers of all time! Classic version of Lush Life: Billy Strayhorn – The Peaceful Side Its sophisticated lyrics, also by Strayhorn, are a weary lament on failed romance and tiresome nightlife, while its harmony moves through various key centres and contains multiple chromatic shifts.īest known for his long collaboration with Duke Ellington, Strayhorn also composed ‘ Take the ‘A’ Train’, ‘ Chelsea Bridge’ and many others. Lush Life was written by Billy Strayhorn between 19: Strayhorn was, remarkably, still a teenager when he began its composition.
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