Prompt 5: Deep Listening

I did my repeated listening with “My Melancholy Baby” by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Most of the time when I listen to new music, I just lay down, close my eyes, and listen to the entire album from start to finish. Because of this, I pick up quite a few details on the first try as I’m used to this way of hearing music. Despite this, I did hear some very smaller details come through once I got to my last few listens. I noticed especially the subtle interaction between the soloists and the rhythm section. The soloist would play and phrase and leave some space in between the next. In that space, the pianist would either play something as a response as a continuation of the line or repeat the same rhythm the soloist just played. There is also a ton of interplay between the rhythm section and the soloists when playing simultaneously. Another really small detail I never noticed until near the end of my listening was from 2:37-2:40. It is extremely faint in the background, but it sounds like someone is talking right before the head comes back in. I can’t make out what it says at all, but maybe it has something to do with the melody coming back in? It’s very interesting that even though I thought I had heard everything, one small little thing came out of nowhere, and now I can’t unhear it.

Leave a Reply