The First Taste (Epiphany day 21)

One of the Jazz Protagonists' distinguishing features is the desire to play unusual material for a jazz group, especially songs from recent years.

The big set of standards that every jazz musician is expected to know mainly comes from the 20s, 30s, and 40s. (There's a misconception that rock killed golden-age pop music, but that's not borne out by the facts: by 1950, it was becoming recognized that an era was coming to an end, and people just didn't know what would come next.) Meanwhile, great pop songs continued to be written, and still are.

The 90s in particular saw a flowering of pop composition, especially the late 90s spilling into the new century.

On our radio show, the Protagonists Jazz Party on KRTU.org, 91.7 in San Antonio, we played a special tribute to the music of that decade, including stuff made popular by Nirvana, N'Sync, Britney Spears, and Fiona Apple.

Here's a sample: "The First Taste," a smoky Latin tune from Fiona Apple's seminal album "Tidal." It turned out to be a revelation for us. This performance, with an urgent 6/8 feel, was our very first time through the piece. None of us, including me, had ever played it before, separately or together. That's what jazz is all about: spontaneity, reinvention, pouring old songs into new wineskins.

The Protags' website is http://www.jazzprotagonists.com

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To find out more about "Epiphany: 50 Days, 50 Songs," visit my website at http://www.barrybrake.com
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[Coventrey]

Brilliant rendition.... absolutely amazing. I just think your drawn-out, watered-down, fluffed description of why/how this song came to be on the side panel is somewhat unneccesary...

[barryhowardbrake]

Ach, you're probaby right - it's my downfall.

I'm happy, though, that you liked it. Man, we gotta do that at a gig soon.

[SatoriEarth]

How does this only have 143 views and no rating yet!?!?!?

This is a phenomenal rendition! Just gorgeous.