Is there any other modal jazz?

Bernie · May 7, 2015

I read recently where somebody said "after Kind of Blue modal jazz was everywhere". Well I can't find it. Can anybody suggest recordings along similar lines to KoB?

Nick Wyver · May 7, 2015

There's a long list of them here.

Bernie · May 7, 2015

Very good, thanks Nick, there's some stuff I don't know there.

Bernie · May 7, 2015

Enjoying "Time Cycles", Owen Howard, off that list. Although I wish he had oiled those sprockets.

aldevis · May 7, 2015

Lot of Garbarek can probably be defined as modal too.

jbtsax · May 7, 2015

Herbie Hancock has some great tunes. This is just one example.

altissimo · May 7, 2015

Charles Lloyd, Pharoah Sanders, Alice coltrane

GJ77 · May 7, 2015

That Pharaoh Sanders album, "Karma" is fantastic. And anything by Bill Evans is obviously heart-stoppingly beautiful.

GJ77 · May 7, 2015

Lots more to explore there though.

kernewegor · May 7, 2015

There is an awful lot of traditional Celtic music which is modal. When you can't hit all the semitones (at least not without some contriving...) modes are the answer if you play whistle or pipes... and pentatonic scales, which are modes with some notes missing...

A very few quid spent on a tin whistle (a D whistle is my favourite) will get you thinking modal... (as well as wondering how long it would take to match the greats, such as Séamus Ennis[URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se%C3%A1n_Potts'], Seán Potts, [URL='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Moloney']Paddy Moloney and many others... ) and you can then carry those ideas over to your sax... [/URL][/URL]

This looks interesting: http://www.standingstones.com/modeharm.html

The use of modes in Middle Eastern music has been studied and used by jazz musicians (e.g. Coltrane) and there has been some Celtic/jazz fusion ( e.g.Clannad) and, of course, Rufus Harley...

flamingoer · May 8, 2015

Blues and the Abstract Truth. by Oliver Nelson

I'm no expert but this is one of my favourites.
I know it's very blues orientated - hence the title -
but it does have a very modal feeling, particularly
Nelson's solo on Stolen Moments?

GJ77 · May 8, 2015

A great album and a fine solo. I use this in my teaching all the time to demonstrate motivic development.

Bernie · May 8, 2015

kernewegor said:
There is an awful lot of traditional Celtic music which is modal. When you can't hit all the semitones (at least not without some contriving...) modes are the answer if you play whistle or pipes... and pentatonic scales, which are modes with some notes missing...

A very few quid spent on a tin whistle (a D whistle is my favourite) will get you thinking modal... (as well as wondering how long it would take to match the greats, such as Séamus Ennis , Seán Potts, Paddy Moloney and many others... ) and you can then carry those ideas over to your sax...

This looks interesting: http://www.standingstones.com/modeharm.html

The use of modes in Middle Eastern music has been studied and used by jazz musicians (e.g. Coltrane) and there has been some Celtic/jazz fusion ( e.g.Clannad) and, of course, Rufus Harley...

I have mainly being playing Irish music on fiddle the last few years, I have several whistles (the Shaw D is the best). But I don't like "fusion", I like my Irish music as traditional as possible, what they call "the Pure Drop".

Bernie · May 8, 2015

jbtsax said:
Herbie Hancock has some great tunes. This is just one example.

Yes, great suggestion jbt, haven't listened to that for a while.

altissimo · May 8, 2015

Bernie · May 9, 2015

Thanks altissimo: some things old, some things new, though nothing quite compares with Kind of Blue.

Jeanette · May 9, 2015

Bernie said:
Thanks altissimo: some things old, some things new, though nothing quite compares with Kind of Blue.

Is someone getting married 🙂

Jx

BigMartin · May 9, 2015

Jeanette said:
Is someone getting married 🙂

Only If you also play some Borodin...

I'll get me coat.

altissimo · May 9, 2015

Bernie said:
Thanks altissimo: some things old, some things new, though nothing quite compares with Kind of Blue.

Miles Davis' soundtrack recordings for the Louis Malle film 'Ascenseur pour l'échafaud' contain the blueprint for 'Kind Of Blue'
https://youtu.be/Wc4tT-55ZzI
you can hear modal techniques on 'Porgy And Bess' - eg 'Prayer' https://youtu.be/4e7ftQBv6R8
and on 'Milestones' from the 'Miles Ahead' album - https://youtu.be/1pvmfbOEjKY which is often cited as Miles' first modal composition
here's an interesting article on the influence of George Russell on Miles' use of modes - http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=notabene

Miles continued to use modal techniques for much of the rest of his career, particularly during his late 60's and 70's jazz fusion period on albums like 'Bitches Brew', 'Big Fun', 'Jack Johnson' and 'Get Up With It' where the long funereal piece 'He Loved Him Madly' (a reference to the late Duke Ellington) somehow reflects the moody beginnings of modal jazz on 'Ascenseur' - https://youtu.be/3Fc_-VZlkcM

Bernie · May 13, 2015

Thanks Altissimo. It's interesting (isn't it?) that (probably) the best-selling jazz album of all time was so little imitated, that there are so few recordings like it.