Saturday, August 23, 2008

Jaki Byard, Blues for Smoke (Candid)


He could play anything he wants, really. Could play cowboys and indians for all I care. In some saloon with a bunch of drunken cowboys, strides up to the piano and takes requests. Some smelly cowhand named Rex asks for a waltz by Strauss, so he plays a few bars, and getting bored with that plays Strauss as if played by Jelly Roll Morton, and not content with that plays Strauss-Jelly Roll as a 9 year-old banging the keys, and then finishes it as Chico Marx acting the 9 year-old. But Hoss shouts out that he always preferred Mahler to Strauss and smashes Rex over the head with a bottle of moonshine. So he plays Mahler for a few bars, but decides he like to hear Mahler as arranged by Nelson Riddle. Pretty soon all the cowboys and their floosies are going wild throwing chairs at one another and shooting their pistols into the air, but he's still there on the piano playing some country blues like he was George Gershwin. He could play anything he wants, really. But what's he smoking? I don't know, but I want some. Just so I could pay him in smoke.

Suggested Wine Pairing: I think Jaki deserves a wine that works. And something with a good deal of smoke to it. Dude gets one of my favorites, the Chateau Fourcas Hosten, Bordeaux Superieur 2003 (one of the all time great vintages for the region, superior superieur, if you dig what I'm saying).

1 comment:

Bob Davidson said...

I dig the superior superieur dude...