Yogi Berra Explains Jazz

Excerpts from an interview published in 2004 at AllAboutJazz.com.

Interviewer: Can you explain jazz?

Yogi: I can't, but I will. 90% of all jazz is half improvisation. The other half is the part people play while others are playing something they never played with anyone who played that part. So if you play the wrong part, it's right. If you play the right part, it might be right if you play it wrong enough. But if you play it too right, it's wrong.

Interviewer: I don't understand.

Yogi: Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's whats so simple about it.

Interviewer: Do you understand it?

Yogi: No. That's why I can explain it. If I understood it, I wouldn't know anything about it.

Interviewer: Are there any great jazz players alive today?

Yogi: No. All the great jazz players alive today are dead. Except for the ones that are still alive. But so many of them are dead, that the ones that are still alive are dying to be like the ones that are dead. Some would kill for it.

Interviewer: What is syncopation?

Yogi: That's when the note that you should hear now happens either before or after you hear it. In jazz, you don't hear notes when they happen because that would be some other type of music. Other types of music can be jazz, but only if they're the same as something different from those other kinds.

Interviewer: Now I really don't understand.

Yogi: I haven't taught you enough for you to not understand jazz that well.

Easing Your Way Into Jazz (Part 2)

It's been a while since my Part 1 post, but here are the rest of my top 10 recommended albums to ease your way into jazz:

• Chairman of the Board by Count Basie. A swinging taste of the big band era (although it was recorded in 1958, long after that genre's heyday).
  

• Blues Walk by Lou Donaldson. Relaxed bebop with an inviting mix of blues and swing (and a hint of latin rhythm at times).

• Midnight Blue by Kenny Burrell. A moody, bluesy collection led by guitarist Kenny Burrell.

• Back at the Chicken Shack by Jimmy Smith. Fun, funky, groovin' soul-jazz featuring innovative organist Jimmy Smith.

• Jazz Samba by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd. Quintessential bossa nova, combining the smooth saxophone of Stan Getz with the delicate guitar work of Charlie Byrd. A beautiful collection.

Check back later for a list of a few incredible albums that didn't make my "easing your way into the genre" list but are absolute must-haves for anyone who enjoys jazz.

Easing Your Way into Jazz (Part 1)

Over the last couple of years, I've started listening to a lot of jazz music. It's an incredibly rich and varied genre that offers a little bit of something for everybody. But it can also be difficult to get into, partly because of its breadth and diversity, and partly because much of the music is fairly "inaccessible" (i.e., hard to understand and, frankly, not very enjoyable to listen to for most people).

So, I've compiled a list of ten albums I highly recommend for newbies interested in exploring the world of jazz. These are not necessarily the greatest jazz albums of all time (whatever that means), although some of them would be right at the top of most jazz lovers' lists. But I believe they are all highly enjoyable and readily accessible to listeners approaching from more "popular" genres. I have, in the language of the day, thoroughly vetted them for mainstream musical tastes.

One thing to note about listening to jazz: be sure give every song at least a minute or two before you start to evaluate it too critically. Jazz songs frequently start with a "statement of the melody" where the band presents the basic theme or pattern of the song. This introduction is then followed by successive improvisational "solos" in which the musicians take turns interpreting and expanding on the theme. Improvisation is at the heart of jazz, and it's during these solos that the music really comes alive. So be sure to get to the good stuff before concluding that a song just isn't doing it for you.

With that, here are the first five of my recommended albums to ease your way into jazz. You'll have to check back later for the next five!

• Night Train by the Oscar Peterson Trio. This toe-tappin' collection of blues and R&B standards from pianist extraordinaire Oscar Peterson and his trio is as about as accessible as music can be. (As a bonus recommendation, if you like Night Train, head right out and get Junior's Blues by the Junior Mance Trio. Don't even think about it. Just get it. Now.)

• Saxophone Colossus by Sonny Rollins. This classic album makes its way onto many enthusiasts' desert island lists, and is also frequently cited as an ideal place to start a journey into the jazz world. You can't not enjoy this music! (Unfortunately, the 2006 reissue of this CD currently being sold is reported to have some technical problems with the mastering. So you might want to grab a used CD from an earlier release.)
  

• Papa Gato by Poncho Sanchez. A spicy serving of Afro-Cuban (aka Latin) jazz. Put the kids to bed, bust out some tequila, limes and Cointreau (or, more authentically, some mojitos), and good times are guaranteed.
  

• Soul Station by Hank Mobley. The masterful sax work on this album by the underappreciated Hank Mobley has a very laid-back feel, but will still get you snapping your fingers and feeling the groove.

• Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago 1961 by Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt. A generally up-tempo "blowing session" by dueling saxophonists Ammons and Stitt. Denim and/or diamonds welcome.
  

If you're feeling trusting yet adventurous, click here to buy all five (+ the bonus recommendation).