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"Just Improv a Bit, Then We'll Hit Them With the Real Song"


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A fun idea as a way to sneak into Smoke On the Water. Unless the guy who is "just improv-ing a while" turns out to be Corey Henry, and he produces this stunning bit of sound-magic. The switch into Smoke is like someone swapping out your last bite of filet mignon with a pre-chewed Big Mac. Everything before "the big reveal" is, no other word for it, genius.

 

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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Yup, really great, agree with "genius". But after that, "Smoke On The Water" is simply just such a big let down! The Intro and the "reveal" are simply incongruent, though I realize they probably intended it to be that way. They probably had an audience of rockers that they knew would quickly tire of hearing any virtuosity or chords greater than 3 notes.... so thought the "reveal" would be a big relief to the audience. Hopefully, there were at least a few folks in the venue that appreciated the phenomenal Intro.

Ludwig van Beethoven:  “To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.”

My Rig: Yamaha MOXF8 (used mostly for acoustic piano voices); Motion Sound KP-612SX & SL-512.

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This is a Mandoki Soulmates performance.

 

More here about this supergroup / collection of superstar project.

 

Website says members have included ian Anderson, jack Bruce, Al Di Meola, David Clayton-Thomas, Chaka Khan, Chris Thompson, Bobby Kimball and Steve Lukather, Nick van Eede, Eric Burdon, Nik Kershaw, Greg Lake, Randy and Michael Brecker, Cory Henry, Bill Evans, John Helliwell, Till Brönner, Klaus Doldinger, Mike Stern, Richard Bona, Anthony Jackson, Victor Bailey, Pino Palladino, Tony Carey, Mark Hart, Paul Carrack, Peter Frampton, and Jon Lord.

..
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That is how a musician draws in an audience that may have disparate musical tastes. As Emeril Lagasse might say, Bam!, here's a little something for everyone. :laugh::cool:

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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The improviser in me wonders if he set the glide rate to set up the motive at the beginning, or if he came up with the motive after hearing the glide rate. I tend to think the latter. It's a beautiful element either way.

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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Lovely, dude got chops and then some. Thanks for sharing that beautiful moment.

 

I was 15 or so when my older brother started bringing home records filled with jazz virtuosity.

I dug Cream and Canned Heat at that point in life. Suddenly, there were other things to hear.

There is a parallel for me, somebody thought it would be a great way to present something different to a larger audience. It is that and then some.

 

Despite my humble beginnings and my eventual evolution into an "Urban Sophisticate", I just can't bring myself to stick my nose up in the air - I haven't mastered the etiquette or intricacies of displaying one's nostrils.

Maybe because John Lee Hooker? I don't know...

 

Music evolves, if we are lucky we will all get to be "old and in the way" someday.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I was on standby to do a gig with these guys in NYC a few years ago - they had a German guy playing keys that had issues with his passport or work papers. Ironically, although the gig was in NYC and I live near NYC, I would have had to fly to Germany to rehearse! It worked out for the other guy and I wasn't needed.

 

I'm gonna hazard a guess here as to what this clip is about, and it's nothing especially revelatory: what Mandoky does is get these "supergroups" together with some of the heavyweights of rock bands past, along with a healthy dose of jazzers. The rockers each get a feature where they play one or two of their hits. That explains the song choice since Jon Lord is one of the guys that plays with them. He probably told Cory "play something to get us into SOTW" and left it at that. Cory might have had no idea of what he was gonna do before he started playing.

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I was on standby to do a gig with these guys in NYC a few years ago - they had a German guy playing keys that had issues with his passport or work papers. Ironically, although the gig was in NYC and I live near NYC, I would have had to fly to Germany to rehearse! It worked out for the other guy and I wasn't needed.

 

I'm gonna hazard a guess here as to what this clip is about, and it's nothing especially revelatory: what Mandoky does is get these "supergroups" together with some of the heavyweights of rock bands past, along with a healthy dose of jazzers. The rockers each get a feature where they play one or two of their hits. That explains the song choice since Jon Lord is one of the guys that plays with them. He probably told Cory "play something to get us into SOTW" and left it at that. Cory might have had no idea of what he was gonna do before he started playing.

If they managed to find a way to have Jon Lord play with them, that would make them a very super group indeed!

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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Even having read the thread before watching the video -- and thinking "why is everyone being so hard on Smoke on the Water? I know it ain't jazz or gospel, but it's a classic!" -- the transition made me laugh out loud. Something about the sensitivity, depth, and focus of Cory Henry giving way to "ARE YOU GUYS READY TO GET REAL WHITE?!" hit me right in the funny bone. :roll:

 

Still, I would watch the rest of the tune if it were in the video!

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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The choice of Smoke On The Water still mystifies me. This clip was put up just last year - well after Jon Lord's death, and that's obviously not Ian Gillan on vocals. So who are these guys? Do any of them have a connection to Deep Purple?

 

Was blown away by the intro though. Cory Henry is just insane!

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If they managed to find a way to have Jon Lord play with them, that would make them a very super group indeed!

 

Ha ha, right you are. Well he is listed as one of the players - but I guess that was an earlier edition of the Mandoky "supergroup." :-)

 

Jack Bruce, Mike Brecker and Victor Bailey are also on the list of players in this "supergroup"... all of them gone.

 

OK well I have no idea why they chose to keep SOTW in their book - I don't see any current or past member of Deep Purple in the list of players. Maybe Leslie Mandoky was a personal friend of Jon Lord's and this is his sentimental tribute to him. I will tell you this â all those musicians on stage are being paid well and this is Mandoky's show â he is choosing the repertoire.

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Even having read the thread before watching the video -- and thinking "why is everyone being so hard on Smoke on the Water? I know it ain't jazz or gospel, but it's a classic!" -- the transition made me laugh out loud. Something about the sensitivity, depth, and focus of Cory Henry giving way to "ARE YOU GUYS READY TO GET REAL WHITE?!" hit me right in the funny bone. :roll:

 

This.

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Rod

Here for the gear.

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Just to throw this out there: is there an argument to be made that Henry should have "played the song" instead of setting up that comical dissonance in styles? I know that in the moment, our "receiving" selves channel whatever we find while we're improvising. But could someone make the case that, since it says right on the monitor "Corey Intro into Smoke on the Water," he should have set the radar to scan a closer universe?

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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Just to throw this out there: is there an argument to be made that Henry should have "played the song" instead of setting up that comical dissonance in styles? I know that in the moment, our "receiving" selves channel whatever we find while we're improvising. But could someone make the case that, since it says right on the monitor "Corey Intro into Smoke on the Water," that he should have set the radar to scan a closer universe?
Interesting thought! I would counter that, were one to make that argument, my response would be: if that's what's desired, don't hire Cory Henry. :wink:

 

EDIT: I had another thought, and that's that it isn't just the music itself that creates a jarring transition -- it's the style of performance. Conceivably, this is somewhere in the middle of a larger show, so the tone of "rock sideman supergroup playing heavy-hitting hits" is established throughout, and the keyboard player taking a wild fusion improv solo spot is a fascinating interlude before returning to the Arena Rock vibe of the overall show, complete with long-haired frontman pumping up the audience.

 

But if you're not at the show -- if you're just watching a video of legendary jazz/gospel/boundary-shattering keyboard prodigy Cory Henry playing the kind of gorgeous improvisation he's been wowing audiences with around the world for almost his entire life -- the sudden appearance of a bunch of older rock-with-a-capital-R musicians, and the onstage vocabulary and body language that goes with it, is jarring and unintentionally humorous, and might still be, even if Cory had just played a bluesy, overdriven Hammond solo, a la Chest Fever or something, to get us into the Deep Purple cover. It's like getting Rock Rolled: "what's this European metal band doing crashing a Cory Henry concert?"

 

Anyway, just my close read as a former English major!

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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I was an English major too, undergrad. :cool:
Not to continue dragging us OT, but my wife and I (who are musicians by trade but met as fellow English majors in college) are very good at figuring out when entertainers, particularly comedians, majored in English. There's a particular way of thinking that reveals itself, a tendency to find humor or meaning in something by pulling a tiny moment or idea apart and plumbing its depths. It's one of the reasons we love comedian John Mulaney -- what would be a short, mildly interesting observation to some becomes a feast to him, and my wife called it: he majored in English at Georgetown.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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Just to throw this out there: is there an argument to be made that Henry should have "played the song" instead of setting up that comical dissonance in styles? I know that in the moment, our "receiving" selves channel whatever we find while we're improvising. But could someone make the case that, since it says right on the monitor "Corey Intro into Smoke on the Water," that he should have set the radar to scan a closer universe?
Interesting thought! I would counter that, were one to make that argument, my response would be: if that's what's desired, don't hire Cory Henry. :wink:

I totally agree with Sam here. :thu:

 

That was a great opportunity for folks to witness higher level musicianship still exists. :cool:

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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I was an English major too, undergrad. :cool:
Not to continue dragging us OT, but my wife and I (who are musicians by trade but met as fellow English majors in college) are very good at figuring out when entertainers, particularly comedians, majored in English. There's a particular way of thinking that reveals itself, a tendency to find humor or meaning in something by pulling a tiny moment or idea apart and plumbing its depths. It's one of the reasons we love comedian John Mulaney -- what would be a short, mildly interesting observation to some becomes a feast to him, and my wife called it: he majored in English at Georgetown.

 

There is definitely a common love of "the idea of ideas," among a few of the Liberal Arts. Philosophy too, and even Ethnic Studies in its own way. These things exist ONLY in "critical studies" world, and (it should be said) can be infuriating to people who don't come up through that path. And to be honest, it can be infuriating to me too, even from within that universe. The NYer in me has a very short "Oh, shut it" fuse when people are off somewhere beside the point. Like, sure, we can talk about that. LATER. Right now her car is on fire, and the fact that it's a Fiero is not the important part of that proposition.

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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Just to throw this out there: is there an argument to be made that Henry should have "played the song" instead of setting up that comical dissonance in styles? I know that in the moment, our "receiving" selves channel whatever we find while we're improvising. But could someone make the case that, since it says right on the monitor "Corey Intro into Smoke on the Water," that he should have set the radar to scan a closer universe?
Interesting thought! I would counter that, were one to make that argument, my response would be: if that's what's desired, don't hire Cory Henry. :wink:

I totally agree with Sam here. That was a great opportunity for folks to witness higher level musicianship still exists.

Good discussion. I would be asking three questions: "What does the gig pay? Who's paying? And what does the payer want me to play?" I wouldn't be surprised if the MD said to the effect of, well, "just improv a bit, then we'll hit them with the real song".

 

Cheers, Mike.

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Thanks for posting this!

 

Lot's of good points being made. I fall into the "you hire the players for who they are, so you must expect them to be themselves", especially when you feature them. I wouldn't want to see Cory try to imitate Jon Lord just because of the setting. Let him be him.

 

On second thought, I probably would enjoy seeing that... Cory can do no wrong in my book, even when he overplays.

 

I loved the very beginning, what a great example to teach students about the use of pedal point in harmony. And he grew out of it in such a graceful and fluid fashion. Truly being "in the moment".

 

It would be interesting to see other performances that included different players to see how they navigated the disparate backgrounds and styles of the mixed genre bands. I'll have to do some searching...

 

Thanks again, Math.

 

Jerry

 

P.S. Yes, that's a Kronos on the bottom.

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I"m Hungarian and we are seeing our Mandoki getting lots of attention in state sponsored media. I have no idea of this guy"s actual career accomplishments that allowed him to get to that level since he did all that in Germany AFAIK. His claims of having played on Phil Collins, Lionel Richie or Elton records are suspicious because there is zero info on this on sites like Discogs. So I"d really like to find out what his real skills and accomplishments are, without the exaggeration - because on the other hand, his taste in choosing musicians is top notch, he obviously is able to pull off albums and concerts with those people; I"ve heard some snippets from his latest album that were so convincing they make me want to give a listen to his whole catalog, I"d rather have 100 Mandokis then people like Balazs Havasi and Peter Bence, and, well, he"s living my wildest dreams :)

Life is subtractive.
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Wishlist: 80s-ish (synth)pop, symph pop, prog rock, fusion, musical theatre
Gear: NS2 + JUNO-G. KingKORG. SP6 at church.

 

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