One of the beautiful things about jazz is the way that it encourages us to look at people and life through different lenses. Every time that we revisit an influential musician, song, or event, we can interpret it slight – or even wildly – different and develop a new understanding. As I was looking back on Duke Ellington and John Coltrane this past week, I decided to do just that.

This week I wanted to try creating a new musical statement based on samples from the classic Duke & Trane recording of “In A Sentimental Mood”. I’ll be honest – I’m not an expert on hip hop, but my brief explorations have led me to believe that sampling is a fine art form. And it’s clearly related to jazz. Sampling is the creative reinterpretation of a piece of audio that is filled with harmony, melody, and rhythm. Jazz is the creative reinterpretation of harmony, melody, and rhythm through improvisation. They both draw upon a love and respect for the source material and a driven need to dig deep inside that source material to create something new. There’s a powerful connection there, and really, putting this song together helped me truly see it for the first time.

So I’ve taken pieces of all these things and put them together in a loving tribute to Duke, Trane, and their creative collaboration on “In A Sentimental Mood”. Spending this time with the original recording, taking the time to consider how it could be reconstructed through Ableton Live, and then improvising over the new product on my basses gave me a whole new appreciation for their genius. I hope this leads you to the same conclusion – enjoy!

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