| By Terry Perkins
This is the first in a series of articles
examining a variety of interesting educational
efforts exploring the meaning and impact
of jazz standards on American culture, jazz
history, and contemporary music.
An ideal place to begin is National Public
Radio-specifically, the show,
Jazz Profiles. Hosted by famed vocalist
Nancy Wilson, this weekly, one-hour program
uses a documentary style approach to examine
the lives and musical contributions of jazz
legends ranging from Louis Armstrong, Nat
“King” Cole, and Duke Ellington to Miles
Davis, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins.
Jazz Profiles also occasionally
focuses on specific topics. For example,
subjects such as women in jazz, the jazz
violin, and the jazz history of cities such
as Chicago and Washington D.C. have all
been included in the Jazz Profiles
lineup. Sure to be of special interest
to JazzStandards.com readers is the program,
“The Standards,” which features singer Michael
Feinstein, violinist Regina Carter, pianist
Max Morath, lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman,
and others discussing the topic of standard
songs and their relationship to jazz.
An overview of the program-including
nine taped excerpts from the original broadcast-can
be accessed by going to the Jazz Profiles
website (click
here), going to the bottom of the page
and clicking on “The Standards.” Interspersed
among copy providing a running commentary
on topics such as an overview of where standards
came from in the past and where new ones
are originating today, the essential qualities
of a standard song, and the lasting power
of the classic tunes from the great American
songbook, you’ll hear interesting commentary
on those topics by the guests listed above.
Those looking for the in-depth, detailed
information and background on specific standard
tunes, songwriters and performers provided
on the JazzStandards.com site won’t find
it in this particular Jazz Profiles
program. In fact many of the jazz musicians
featured on other Jazz Profiles shows
don’t fit into the more focused approach
of JazzStandards.com. Artists profiled on
both sites to date include Armstrong, Ellington,
Hoagy Carmichael, Billie Holiday, Thelonious
Monk, Errol Garner, Paul Desmond, Sarah
Vaughan, Jon Hendricks, and Al Hibbler.
But what you will find on Jazz Profiles
“The Standards” is a fine introduction to
the symbiotic relationship between the standard
song and jazz musicians and a look at how
that has evolved over the years. Add the
thought-provoking comments of Feinstein,
Morath and the others, and it’s like sitting
in on a free-flowing, intimate conversation
among some very talented and opinionated
musical professionals.
 And
that relaxed but highly entertaining and
informative approach is one of the secrets
behind the success of Jazz Profiles--that
and the impressive work of Wilson as the
host. Wilson has proven to be an ideal choice
for Jazz Profiles. Over the course
of a five-plus decade career, she has established
herself as one of the most popular vocalists
in American music. Wilson first came to
national prominence after noted sax player
Cannonball Adderley let her sit in on a
club date in Columbus, Ohio. She soon came
to New York at Adderley’s urging, where
she signed a contract with Capitol records,
leading to a string of critically acclaimed
recordings such as Broadway My
Way and Hollywood My Way.
Although
jazz is her forte, Wilson prefers to call
herself a “song stylist” rather than a jazz
or pop singer, and that title certainly
fits her wide-ranging approach to the songs
she has chosen to perform and record. Wilson’s
most recent recording, R.S.V.P.: Rare
Songs, Very Personal, on the Manchester
Craftsmen’s Guild label, won a Grammy. But
more importantly, the recording serves as
a fine example of Wilson’s eclectic approach
to the concept of jazz standards.
Recently, Wilson took time out from her
busy schedule to comment on the concept
behind R.S.V.P., the criteria she
uses to pick standards to record, and how
she sees the concept of the standard changing.
Wilson began by talking about the songs
she chose to record for R.S.V.P.
“Because all of my albums have themes
that run through them,” she explains, “there
were a handful of songs that were always
near and dear to me but that I was never
able to record as they didn’t flow with
whichever project I was working on at the
time. So after 50 years of being in this
business, I finally decided it was time
to record some of my personal favorites.
R.S.V.P. is a compilation of the
songs that I was just always fond of.”
Interestingly, the songs on R.S.V.P.
include quite a few tunes that belong to
the great American songbook such as Irving
Berlin’s “How About Me” and Duke Ellington’s
“I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart.” But Wilson
also covers O.C. Smith’s 1968 pop hit “Little
Green Apples” as well as the Marvin Gaye
song “Why Did I Choose You.” According
to Wilson, her criteria for choosing a song
to perform or record are both personal and
related to her need to put her own stamp
on a song.
“First, the song has to tell a story;
the lyrics must speak to me,” she explains.
“If I can’t feel it, I won’t sing it. Secondly,
I try to pick songs that I feel the audience
will want to hear done in a new way. So
many artists cover the standards but don’t
introduce anything new or unique to them.
I try to make the standards my own by putting
my soul into them.”
Wilson also sees new standards emerging,
but she doesn’t see any particular trends
in terms of those tunes coming from particular
sources. But she does have some favorite
contemporary songwriters.
“A lot of songs used to come from Broadway
shows, but with the exception of a few Sondheim
songs, most music from most of today’s shows
can’t stand alone,” comments Wilson. “I
don’t think that there is a ‘trend’ in particular
that defines a standard. If a songwriter
makes beautiful and powerful tunes, singers
will want to sing them and audiences will
demand they be sung. As for the ‘new’ standards
songwriters I like, Patti Austin and Billy
Joel are the first two who come to mind.
Their lyrics are always filled with passion
and sincerity and that is so important to
me.”
You can expect to hear more of those
“new” standards on Wilson’s next MCG recording
project, which is well under way. Although
she didn’t want to give away too much about
the upcoming recording, Wilson did give
us a sneak peek at the project
“In a way, this new album is also like
R.S.V.P.,” states Wilson. “I am doing
songs that I have always adored as well
as some new tunes sure to become new favorites.
It has more of a set theme than R.S.V.P.
did though; these are all songs of love
and loss. But don’t be fooled, this won’t
be a sad, melodramatic recording. Some of
these songs swing just as much as ever!
I don’t want to give too much away, but
you can expect to hear Billy Taylor, Jimmy
Heath, Bob Mintzer, Tom Scott, and John
Clayton. It’s going to be special!”
You can visit Nancy Wilson's website
at:
www.missnancywilson.com
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