Standard Session Song No. 160: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat by Charles Mingus / Joni Mitchell / Jeff Beck
A standard song for jazz/fusion sessions. It is a ballad written by bassist Charles Mingus as a tribute to Lester Young. While it is not a song that everyone practices frequently, it might be just on the edge of being acceptable to request suddenly (if you bring your own lead sheet).
(Lyrics are posted at the bottom)
Since Japanese translations are posted on various websites, I will only explain the key points here.
Point 1: Jeff Beck
The rock generation learned of this song from this version included on Jeff Beck's 1976 album, "Wired." At the time, everyone, from hard rock fans to prog rock fans, was listening to this album. Since Jeff Beck was basically someone who didn't write his own songs (beyond guitar riffs), I thought such a melodious song must be a cover of something, and it turned out to be Charles Mingus. The guitar with lots of picking harmonics is cool. Come to think of it, Jeff Beck once said, "I got hooked on copying saxophone phrases and that's all I'm doing."
Point 2: Charles Mingus
And here is the original version. While the bass is often associated with being a "monophonic instrument" or "keeping the tempo/rhythm," how did he write a song with such complex harmony? In fact, many excellent bassists have a sharp sense of harmony, and Charles Mingus also had a side as a pianist and wrote many original songs.
Point 3: Joni Mitchell
A 1979 live recording. A miraculous live performance where everyone on stage is a genius, featuring Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Michael Brecker, and Don Alias. In line with the purpose of remembering Lester Young, she sings with lyrics that have a narrative quality. During this period, Joni Mitchell had moved slightly away from the world of folk/pop and was employing many jazz musicians.
Point 4: Lester Young
A tenor saxophonist who passed away in 1959; he was a jazz player of an older generation, so to speak, older than the bebop crowd. He is the type who captivates listeners with a mellow tone and soulful phrasing; in fact, what the general public imagines as "jazz saxophone" might actually be this man's playing. He also performed frequently with Billie Holiday.
Since there is a strong view that modern jazz had been "evolving" up until a certain point, things that fell outside of those trends were less likely to be heard, but now there is a feeling that that way of listening is what's outdated. Why not ignore chronological order and just listen to what you think is "good" when you hear it?
Point 5: Key points of Joni Mitchell's lyrics and the song structure
When Charlie speaks of Lester, you know someone great has gone
The sweetest swinging music man had a Porkie Pig hat on
A bright star in a dark age
When the bandstands had a thousand ways
Of refusing a black man admission
Black musician in those days they put him in an
Underdog position, cellars and chitlins
Bird (Charlie Parker) also said with nostalgia
That wonderful sax player has gone to heaven
He was swinging wonderful jazz wearing a flat hat
Back then, black musicians were given all sorts of grief
They couldn't play in big clubs
They were playing small basement clubs, but
Lester was a star of hope
In the second verse, the depiction of racial discrimination continues. Was one of Lester Young's wives a white woman? This couple seems to have gone through quite a terrible time. At the end, she even sings about the possibility of being lynched and hung from a tree.
The third verse depicts a situation where hope began to appear. In the streets of NY (the black neighborhood), children are dancing in the street even in the middle of the night, taxis are honking noisily, and people are beginning to interact.
Starting with reminiscences, the lyrics were actually quite heavy. I think it reflects the worldview that Charles Mingus envisioned, but perhaps these lyrics are the reason why this song did not become established as a "vocal song."
Many people interpret and perform this as a 12-bar modified minor blues. The key is how the melodic phrasing constantly changes.
Point 5: Various Vocal Performances
Actually, it has been sung with various lyrics. Personally, I find the Roland Kirk version more compactly arranged and easier to fit to the melody.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk, recorded in 1975
Kevin Mahogany, recorded in 1997
Karrin Allyson, recorded in 1994
Lyambiko, recorded in 2015
Thana Alexa, live recording from 2011
A soulful, passionate performance with unique lyrics. It's a version I like.
Point 6: Various Instrumental Performances
Performances by fusion musicians are more prominent than those by jazz musicians.
Pentangle, live recording from 1968
John Mclaughlin, live recording from 1971
I suspect this might be the version Jeff Beck listened to.
Marcus Miller, recorded in 2001
Avishai Cohen, recorded in 2014
While there is a famous bassist by the same name, this is the trumpeter.
Jessica Williams, recorded in 2015
Solo piano performance.
Point 7: Instructional Videos
From 3:00 onwards
◼️Lyrics (Joni Mitchell version)
When Charlie speaks of Lester, you know someone great has gone
The sweetest swinging music man had a Porkie Pig hat on
A bright star in a dark age
When the bandstands had a thousand ways
Of refusing a black man admission
Black musician in those days they put him in an
Underdog position, cellars and chitlins
When Lester took him a wife, arm and arm went black and white
And some saw red and drove them from their hotel bed
Love is never easy, it's short of the hope we have for happiness
Bright and sweet, love is never easy street
Now we are black and white
Embracing out in the lunatic New York night
It's very unlikely we'll be driven out of town
Or be hung in a tree, that's unlikely
Tonight these crowds are happy and loud
Children are up dancing in the streets
In the sticky middle of the night
Summer serenade of taxi horns and fun arcades
Where right or wrong under neon
Every feeling goes on for you and me
The sidewalk is a history book and a circus
Dangerous clowns balancing dreadful and wonderful perceptions
They have been handed day by day, generations on down
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
◼️Lyrics (Roland Kirk version)
He put all of his soul
Into a tenor saxophone
He had his way a talking
'T was a language of his own
Life story love and glory
If you listen when he plays it for you
Now listen and listen, and dig it-
Can't you dig it?
Lester Young is playing what he's feeling
Dealing and dancing
Now someone might have told you
Lester Young, he's out of style
But now I'm here to tell you
Tell you, Prez is happening right now
Life's story, love and glory if you listen
When he plays it for you
Now listen, and listen, and dig it
Can't you dig it?
Lester Young is playing what he's feeling
Dealing and dancing you home