Light taps on the hi-hat, the brushing of the snare drum accompanied by a face-scrunching bassline. Light and twangy chords being played on a Gretsch, a piano piece that serenades the crowd and renowned sax solos that make jazz music distinct. Jazz musicians create beautiful harmonies while vocalists sing in a “call and response” style. This requires a high level of skill and musicality, which goes under-appreciated by the masses. Sadly, Jazz is a lost art in today’s musical scene as we stray away from live band music. Many of us associate Jazz music with “Hotel Lobby” or “Elevator” music, serving as the backdrop of a scene, when in fact it deserves to be upfront on centre stage. Another reason for Jazz’s uniqueness is the simplicity of its lyrics. Most of the phrases used are simple yet impactful. The contrast between the complex and multi-layered music and easy-to-understand lyrics was the recipe for success for the creation of timeless hits. Hits like Autumn Leaves, La Vie en Rose and Fly Me to the Moon are perfect examples of this. This is a testament to the genius of jazz musicians, and how they are able to make music that is both simple and profound.
One jazz classic that everyone is familiar with is Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder. Just by looking at the title and lyrics, one might casually categorise this hit as another love song. However, by diving deeper into the meaning of the song and the subtle musical decisions made, this song is revealed to be a sweet love letter to his firstborn, Aisha Morris. In the initial release of the song in the album Songs in the Key of Life, the song starts with a recording of Aisha’s first cry backed by a swing drum fill and bass line. In the final, instrumental, part of the song, a recording of Stevie Wonder bathing Aisha as a toddler is played together with his world-renowned harmonica solo. Isn’t She Lovely perfectly expresses parental love, but in my opinion, Stevie Wonder’s unique physical limitations make the meaning of this song even more special.
As many of us know, Stevie Wonder has been physically blind his whole life. He knows nothing about how colourful, vibrant and beautiful the world is. However, despite his visual impairment, he still recognises one of the most natural and pure forms of beauty: the creation of life through childbirth. This gives a whole new meaning to the lyrics “Isn’t she lovely” and “Isn’t she pretty”. Though he was physically incapable of seeing his daughter’s alluring eyes and charming hands, his words were still full of adoration and affection towards her. This beautiful irony shows that true love is not superficial and that beauty can be found deeper than what our eyes can see. It teaches us to appreciate the simple beauties of life and cherish the people around us. As we go through our fast-paced lifestyle, we sometimes forget to be grateful for what we have and take things for granted. Stevie Wonder never forgot, and has expressed this exquisitely through his music. In 2015, this story came full circle when Stevie Wonder was surprised by his daughter, Aisha Morris, who performed this song in his TV special.
Many musicians, especially guitarists, look up to Eric Clapton. They admire his work by learning his songs, copying his playing style and striving to be as good a songwriter as he is. One of his renowned pieces of work is Tears in Heaven, which is known for its guitar fingerpicking intro and sombre melody. Similar to Isn’t She Lovely, this song expresses a parent’s love towards their child, but the story behind this is heartbreaking. In an interview with Eric Clapton released in 1992 and reuploaded in 2016, it was revealed that Conor Clapton died at the tender age of 4 years old because of a gruesome accident. The passing of Conor had a great emotional impact on his parents, especially Clapton, who realised what Conor meant to him as a father only the day before Conor’s death. Conor’s mere existence and Clapton wanting to be a good father propelled him to sobriety from alcohol and drugs. Regret, sorrow and grief were expressed in the song Tears in Heaven and can be felt from beginning to end. When asked about the role of music in helping him get over such a tragedy, Clapton likened music to “a tranquillizer or a safe anaesthetic (Clapton, 1992)” that calmed him down throughout his grief over his son’s death. According to Clapton, the main purpose of this song is for Conor “to be remembered (Clapton,1992)” and he “wants to remember Conor through good music and nice songs (Clapton, 1992)”.
All of us aim for our lives to be structured and for everything to go according to plan. We much prefer to seek order and avoid chaos, seek assurance instead of uncertainties. As much as we would like to compose our own story, set the tempo of our lives and dictate how it should be played, we all know it is impossible. Like the two stories mentioned above, Stevie Wonder’s blindness and the death of Eric Clapton’s child were things beyond their control. Sometimes stars align in our favour, and sometimes life throws us curveballs that break us and destroy everything we have built. Life is complicated. Feelings are complicated and emotions are hard to describe. However, a lack of structure, complexity and unpredictability do not always lead to unpleasantness. Jazz is a prime example of this. Jazz is a remarkable art form that breaks all the common music rules. Jazz musicians play extended chords, instead of regular chords, that have extra notes thrown on top for extra flavour. Unlike other genres of music, Jazz uses chords from other ‘keys’ that do not seem to go together, but magically work, giving musicians a wider tonal palette. Lastly, Jazz’s unpredictable improvisation makes the genre one-of-a-kind. A song can be performed a hundred times, yet each one of these performances is completely unique and different from the other. Jazz musicians have the freedom to come up with something completely new in the moment, leaving listeners in awe of the sudden change in tempo, melody and overall direction of the song.
Our daily lives can be likened to the intricacies and convoluted musical pieces of a live jazz performance. Anything can happen and sometimes we cannot fully comprehend the reason why, whether it be losing someone you love or going through constant hardships. These unexpected setbacks in our lives may feel terrible at the moment, but once you step back and see how these episodes orchestrate your life, you will see the complex and beautiful harmony they create.
References
Musicpedia Interviews. (2021, May 6). ERIC CLAPTON, THE STORY BEHIND “TEARS IN HEAVEN” AND HIS SON’S DEATH | BLUES INTERVIEW [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F4w_qIAkZk&t=89s
Stevie Wonder. (1976). Isn’t She Lovely [Song]. On Songs in the Key of Life. Tamla Records, Motown.