The Power Of Subtlety

Jazz can often be a music of blazing virtuosity. Jazz musicians have always pushed the boundaries of what their instruments were deemed capable of, from Louis Armstrong’s famed trumpet intros and high notes to Ella Fitzgerald’s scat singing to John Coltrane’s ecstatic shrieking. But jazz is also a music of subtlety and intricacy, and it’s that side of the music that we’re focusing on in this post. Here are three performances that highlight the power of subtlety.

The Modern Jazz Quartet – “Fontessa” (1956)

Bill Evans – “Here’s That Rainy Day”

Dorothy Ashby – “Round Midnight”