Everyone from my generation can appreciate this song and the sense of comfort it conjures up. It comes from a time when watching cartoons during a weekday evening was rare and special, and it wasn’t the holiday season until Snoopy and Charlie Brown said so. A time when we were all innocent, and adults were incomprehensible. The opening bassline of this song never fails to bring forth memories of kids with big heads and hard luck and the evenings I spent with them.
The Great Pumpkin was usually the first of the Peanuts specials to air, signaling Halloween. Its airing coincided with the time that Halloween decorations started to go up, and teachers and doctors would have bowls of candy out on their desks. Then, Halloween night would come, and I would don a plastic smock/mask set made by the good folks at Ben Cooper, almost invariably purchased at Toys R Us. I dressed as He-Man, Luke Skywalker, Spider-Man, and while the costume might change, the experience of wearing it didn’t. I was always a little lightheaded from the PVC fumes, and my upper lip was always sweaty from the moisture of my breath as I tried to breathe through the tiny hole in the mask. And always, my ears would be chafed from he rubber band and staples holding the mask on. It was an uncomfortable experience, made worthwhile by the candy and the opportunity to use that chemical and technological marvel, the glow stick. These were little plastic tubes with smaller glass tubes inside, and when the tube was bent to break the inner glass tube, a chemical reaction occurred allowing the stick to glow for up to an hour or so. So cool, and so much fun for a 10 year old—truly, I lived in an age of marvels!
The next Peanuts special was the Christmas one. Possibly one of the most emotionally stirring cartoons, even today. Its airing heralded an onslaught of Christmas specials, including large blocks of Saturday morning cartoons and the beloved Rankin Bass stop-motion specials. Christmas was always my favorite as a kid. From the treats and happiness, fun songs to be sung at school, and copious use of construction paper, Elmer’s glue, cotton balls and glitter, the season was full of fun things for the senses. Growing up on the western side of Michigan, the lake could always be counted on to provide tons of snow for the season, and usually a snow day or two.
I really like this version of the song, by Wynton Marsalis and Ellis Marsalis. One of the things it does illustrate for me is how mercurial music is. Being technically proficient does not make you a great musician. In fact, I think this is where Wynton Marsalis fails in this song. While his trumpet solo (at 0:58 into the song) is perfectly serviceable and technically sound, it’s sort of…cold. It follows the scales, and is on-key, but it really doesn’t stir me. Contrast this with his brother Delfeayo’s trombone solo (at 1:45), which starts off laconic, not worried about keeping up with the rest of the band. It’s full of life, and very playful, much more in keeping with the spirit of the piece. It brings a smile to my face, it’s so effortless and breezy, and therein lies one of the mysteries of music…as proficient as someone can become in the language, theory, and performance, some of the best music can be made by people like B.B. King, who never studied those rules and focused purely on the emotion of music. A complex piece by Wynton may fail to move me, but three notes from B.B. King can break my heart.
4 comments:
I like listening to Louis Armstrong as well. Not only was his trumpet playing skills touching, but so was his voice. I can just listen to him over and over...it was all full of emotion. I just wish I could achieve what he conveys with his trumpet when I play mine..but there is no comparison LOL.
Thanks for the comment, ara! I love, love, love Louis Armstrong!! He's a great example of someone who had an unconventional voice but who really understood how to convey emotion through a song. I played trumpet growing up, too, and idolized him! Do you still play?
When I have some spare time, I still play. Although, I don't think my neighbor's dog appreciates it as much as I do...being that I live in an apartment complex with neighbors LOL. I try to use my mute, and to play it towards my open closet..the clothes absorb a lot of the sound. I should get it out more often, but I am afraid the neighbors will complain. How about you? Do you still play?
Oh, from time to time. I've been playing bass guitar more now, though. Very different from trumpet, but easier to find people to play with, as pretty much anyone with a guitar (ie any guy who went to college and wanted to impress women) will play with you. But yeah, when I was in an apartment building I would get complaints all the time playing trumpet! It's awesome that you still play. I once got to meet Wynton Marsalis, and when I mentioned I play he told me I should keep at it. Maybe you can fulfill his advice FOR me =)
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