Content Stats & Analytics for @jazzandcoffee

Syd Schwartz
@jazzandcoffee

13,547 followers

Wishing a happy celestial birthday to Cannonball Adderley and a Happy Rosh Hashanah to those celebrating! The Original Cast recording of FOTR—a set of blues numbers masquerading as show tunes—was in heavy rotation around the house when I was growing up, and those melodies are permanently imprinted on my brain. So I was delighted to find an album of jazz interpretations by a killer sextet including Cannonball-alto sax and his brother Nat-cornet, joined by Charles Lloyd-flute/tenor sax, Joe Zawinul-piano, Sam Jones-bass, and Louis Hayes-drums. They make the most of interpreting and improvising around those unforgettable melodies with loads of swing and fantastic interplay—good luck getting "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" out of your head after spinning this album. Music aside, the parable of Fiddler is simple storytelling of complex problems at its finest. Tevye—the sardonic, long-suffering narrator/hero of the tale describes life in the tiny, fictional Ukrainian shtetl of Anatevka—under threat of Russian annexation—as follows: "Every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck." His gift for understatement makes the narrative more powerful: do you love your kids enough to break with centuries of tradition, even if in letting them go and following their hearts, you may never see them again? How can you discuss with your (arranged marriage) wife of 25 years the unspoken question of whether you ever loved one another? Maintaining tradition is a tricky balancing act, especially under the threat of war—will efforts at fencing yourself in keep a changing world out? While it helps to know the story and lyrics, Adderley's sextet succeeds brilliantly with sophistication, sensitivity, and bringing the Fiddler on the Roof atmosphere To Life (see what I did there?), creating one of the best jazz interpretations of show tunes on record. L'Shana Tovah! #vinylcollection #vinylcommunity #fiddlerontheroof #joezawinul #cannonballadderley #charleslloyd