Donald Lambert - Anitra's Dance

Donald Lambert plays his version of Edvard Grieg's "Anitra's Dance" at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival. Unfortunately the pitch of the audio is about a half-step too high.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Donald
• Lambert
• Ragtime
• Stride
• Newport
• Jazz
• Festival
• Edvard
• Grieg
• Anitra's
• Dance

[KawhackitaRag]

Swing does not necessarily correlate with improvisation. I've heard pianists swing hard (Zez Confrey, on his audio recordings) who did not seem to improvise much, and I've heard other pianists who do not seem to swing much who improvise extensively (in this regard, I mean they play straight-eighth notes).

[KawhackitaRag]

Finally, one more note regarding "swing". I have heard some piano pundits sling back and forth the mud about "who swings more" and all of that garbage. You can't measure "swing" on a scale. There is not an "amount" of it. I guess if you wanted to get technical you could measure the relative distance between the on-beat and off-beat eighth notes, that's a start. However, the uniqueness of every pianist's swing (regardless of whether they played "jazz" or whatever) also comes from the ACCENTS.

[KawhackitaRag]

However, it is also important to call attention to the beautiful touch and quite remarkable chord voicings Mr. Lambert uses for the "straight" version at the beginning. What is in the middle would not be nearly as exciting were the intro and outro poorly played!!!

[KawhackitaRag]

I hope you viewers out there realize that the syncopation and feel Mr. Lambert is using in his right hand is EXTREMELY SOPHISTICATED... I doubt I could even notate it! It is more than simple tuplets or eigth notes or whatnot, and creates a subtle tension with the left hand. This is very much like what James P. Johnson did, and in fact I think that of all the pianists out there. Mr. Lambert could come the closest to actually capturing Mr. Johnson's "feel".

[LudwigVonKoopa64]

Adam, I have to say.. you played this really good in a video i saw a couple years ago. a little different than how I've heard Donald play but still its fantastic! on another topic, I think that Mr. Lambert was quite the drinker and probably pot smoker much like Fats Waller was which is ok in my book! they were great :)

[neechiwa]

My name is Anitra and I was interested to find this 'swung' version of Anitra's Dance... =)

[helmut4lyfe]

Hey adam, I saw you play in Sacramento at the West Coast Ragtime festival. Love your music, and I can't thank you enough for posting the rare videos that exist of this fantastic pianist.

-Cory