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Jordan Young is Artist of the Month at Critical Jazz…

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www.criticaljazz.com

Jordan Young is a prime example of the incredible young talent that Posi-Tone seems to hit pay dirt with year after year. What makes Young special is very simple. Melody. The art of the melody and a deep respect for not just jazz but for all music where I strong melodic sense or feel is something that is celebrated. Sure, Young can reharm a cover with the best of them but what he does not do is mangle a melody beyond all recognition. The music stands on it’s on. From classic melodies including those from Jimmy Webb to Sting not to mention a couple of killer originals, Cymbal Melodies shows the importance of letting a good tune stand on its own and just play!.
Below is my review:
http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/08/jordan-young-cymbal-melodies-posi-tone.html
From my interview with Young, his comments on the importance of melody in music today.
J.Y. – “I chose these specific tunes not only because I like them, but because they are examples of strong melody writing. Not to mention the harmonies are beautiful and give the musicians some substance to work with. These two ideas of strong melody and harmonic motion have gotten a little lost in most popular music today. Sure you can find it somewhere, but there is something special about that era of popular songwriting. I am referring to the late 60’s and early 70’s. Two examples on my record of this are “Raindrops…” and “By The Time I Get To Phoenix.” A lot of these songwriters such as Burt Bacharach, Carol King, and Jimmy Webb really knew what it was to write a good melody. They knew about harmony and how it functions within a piece of music. Most of these people had some sort of musical training, studying the classics like Bach and Beethoven. The great jazz guitarist Pat Metheny said it best when speaking of some of the songs he recorded from this era on his solo guitar record. He said, “It was a period when harmony and melody were still important and viable elements in popular music. Every one of these songs has something going on that is just hip on a musical level, no matter how you cut it.” I couldn’t agree more Pat.”
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Written by editor

September 27th, 2012 at 8:47 am