Take A Train

OK...So by now, all the hipsters following the blog know that most of what we call the "modern" tenor players came out of Joe Henderson, but have you had a chance to dig the master himself?  Here is a little reworking of the classic "Take the A Train" by Duke Ellington.  I put this up here so you can hear what can done with an old classic a.k.a. a standard.  
 
A standard is a tune that has been played many, many times by many, many different musicians over many, many years.  That's a lot of "manys" in there to deal with.  Eventually, if enough musicians learn the song, and memorize the melody and the changes, it becomes a standard.  One could say that it is a testament to how well these songs were written that they still get played today.   If you listen to classic rock, there is a good chance you're going to hear "Hotel California."  It's the same thing in the jazz world.  Good music holds up.

Enter the exit music.

No need blow the dust off this one. This is Brad Mehldau on the piano. This is a Radiohead cover called "Exit Music (for a film)". Why not? Jazz doesn't have to be the standards of yesteryear. When I jog I listen to "Rage Against the Machine" (not sure why, latent aggression or something), and I was thinking wouldn't that be interesting for big band? I was also thinking maybe some rap with a small jazz band backing it up. Why not some Dave Matthews (Yorktown alum) tunes, or even Justin Timberlake reharmonized or something. Do you have a band, try this, and let us know how it works out for you. Maybe put us in your liner notes if you're famous...Mrs. Kluga and Mr. Whalen's blog shaped my life's direction. ;)