Let's deal with this. It has been all over the news this week. There was a very important death, and while this vital figure in musical history wasn't primarily known for his work in jazz, I shall endeavor to show you that he was a misunderstood figure.
As you know, if you pay attention to the music posts on this pretentious, little blog, my taste in music is somewhat anachronistic. Jazz, in particular, I think peaked in the 1960s. That was an era in which musicians, and groups were... real. We didn't have this mass-produced garbage, constructed by marketing machines just to sell stuff. It was about the art. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. The '60s. That was when music was real, right? Groups of like-minded artists would get together, craft and perfect their sounds independently of any studio meddling, and the results would stand the test of time because it was real art.
Of course, there are a few musicians around today who embody this ethic, but nothing like what the world had back in the glory days, right? And so, it is with great sadness that the world mourns the passing of… say it with me...
Kofi Burbridge.
Yes, I know you have already heard and read dozens, nay, hundreds of tributes to Burbridge over the course of the last few days, but let me add my humble thoughts. A few groups have continued the tradition of artistry from the best of the '60s and '70s rock groups. That, of course, was the Allman Brothers. Kofi's brother, Oteil, went on to play bass in a re-formed version of the Allmans, and currently stands among the top of the crowd of bass players in the world, but Kofi himself was a multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, noted in particular for his work on keyboards and flute. He was a critical member of groups associated with Derek Trucks--- nephew of Allman drummer Butch Trucks, and frequent guitarist for the Allmans. Kofi made Derek's solo bands work, as well as arguably the best working group today-- the Tedeschi Trucks Band, formed around the core of the husband-wife duo, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi. Trucks is one of the most amazing guitarists around, and Tedeschi's voice, in my opinion, puts her in the ranks of the greatest blues singers of all time. If I had a choice between a Bessie Smith show and a Susan Tedeschi show, the only thing that would even make me consider Bessie is historical interest. Susan just has the best pipes in the business.
But none of that would really work without Kofi, who ties the band together like the Dude's rug. Was he a rock musician? Blues? Jazz? Does it matter?
He was an improvisational musician in the spirit of the old Allman Brothers, but also guys like Roland Kirk and Yusef Lateef, who made the flute work in jazz without sounding wimpy.
Yes, that old spirit of authenticity, and improvisational genius is still around, with groups like the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Kofi Burbridge has been a key part of keeping the spirit alive.
How shall we pay tribute to Kofi? I'm going to go with a Derek Trucks Band performance of "My Favorite Things." An old standard, made into a jazz classic by His Holiness, St. John Coltrane in 1961. You get some great Kofi on this one.
Ah, the '60s. When music was real, and we didn't have any of that phony, mass-produced garbage, m'I right?
Have I... um... made my point? I'm not being very subtle, am I?
And as long as I mentioned Roland Kirk, and "spirit," let's have another little tribute to Kofi with some bonus Roland. On flute, of course. For Kofi, it's only appropriate.