Nick Drake - "Poor Boy"
van
stores that sell new (and used) CDs, so I picked up Nick Drake's
"Bryter Layter" for less than $10.
On his first LP, "5 Leaves Left", I didn't hear anything
earthshaking other than "River Man", but he uses some UK jazz
musicians on this one and even plays an archtop on this cut:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLTxqcu05ns&feature=related
Some of the musicians from Terry Smith's only jazz LP as a leader
in the 20th Century, "Fallout" are featured, like Ray Warleigh on alto.
Phil
Fellow Nick Drake fan here. "Bryter Layter" is my favorite of his 3
albums. Richard Thompson plays guitar on the first two. Not jazz,
but a little jazz-y perhaps. Nick used very interesting harmonies and
odd tunings.
> On his first LP, "5 Leaves Left", I didn't hear anything earthshaking other than "River Man",
You didn't hear "Way To Blue"?
van
I agree that the rest of his work isn't jazz, but what isn't jazz
about this cut?
Nice bossa nova groove, upright bass, jazz harmony, jazz drummer, jazz
piano solo, jazz alto sax player, sounds like an archtop electric
guitar, and the guy swings very subtly when he sings.
I'd rather listen to this cut than most of the crap that passes
for jazz today.
Hip, sarcastic lyrics, too.
Drake played jazz piano, alto sax, and clarinet in a jazz band in prep
school (or whatever they call it in the UK) and used to go into London
to catch any American jazz sax players live at clubs, and listened to
Miles, Trane, Evans, etc...
If we can't call this jazz (or at very least pop-jazz) maybe that's
why nobody wants to listen to jazz anymore.
van
"Way To Blue" and some of his other songs that are similar to it, are
influenced by his trips to Paris and the "French Chanson", a kind of
French pop music that was popular in the Paris clubs in the 50s and
60s.
If you like that type of thing, it's fine.
I like the more jazz-influenced pop things like "River Man", Man In a
Shed", Chime of a City Clock, etc...
I haven't heard the "Pink Moon" LP yet.
How is it?
Phil
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If you like Nick, you'll probably like "Pink Moon", but it is much
more stripped-down and sparse -- no Baroque arrangements here -- just
an increasingly morose fellow and a guitar on many tracks. Still
beautiful and great songs and imagery, of course. No jazzy stuff.
Phil
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Sure, I'm with you. It does have a sweet bossa groove.
tom walls
I bought "Pink Moon" the other day, and, although it is pretty bare
bones instrumentation-wise, I thought that the tunes were more fully
realized than his earlier work. If I was looking to work up an
arrangement I think I'd start there.