A friend sent me a video of Keith Jarrett playing somewhere over the rainbow today. <youtu.be/AyLQGDIrG…>
Such a beautiful arrangement which took me to a place of reverie, and after hearing it, I began listening to others versions of the song, one by Tommy Emmanuel. <youtu.be/xjzDECtdE…>
Then I came across this documentary by PBS in the USA where Jeffrey Brown talks to composer and musician Rob Kapilow, who helps explain why we love the story of a girl caught yearning for both home and adventure, and what makes the song so special. <youtu.be/RbKEB1v8M…>
He mentions the ‘dark chords’ these are diminished and augmented chords, not 7ths as you get in blues, more jazz type chords which both Jarrett and Emmanuel play so exquisitely … and they build tension, but also, as this composer says, communicate a yearning, yearning for resolution or transformation.
How Dorothy moves from the grinding black & white reality of Kansas, to her (yearned for) imagined reality of Oz , and winds up back in Kansas, but with a whole new perspective in this reality (transformation)
I loved the quote by the lyric writer Yip Harburg towards the end of this documentary:
“Words make you think thoughts. Music makes you feel a feeling. But a song makes you feel a thought.” (4:50)
And here is a short documentary by ‘ The History Guy’ titled: Yip Harburg, Forgotten Lyricist of Over the Rainbow <youtu.be/rF2vzftzp…>
I didn’t realise he wrote the famous song, ‘Brother, can you spare a dime.’ I loved that song as a teenager and taught myself how to play it while learning the guitar. Harburg, a lifelong activist, for social justice and racial and gender equality, was blacklisted in the Macarthy era in the 50’s. Yet he retained his optimism.
The documentary maker said: > “He was able to channel the emotion of a song into Lyrics. Words that touched and inspired the world. That is his legacy. > Everyone has their personal version of what’s over the rainbow. Or vision that perfect land of Oz that we aspire to. > But to have that vision, you have to believe in the rainbow. And that was the gift that Yip Harburg gave to us all.”
We learn earlier that there is no mention of the rainbow in the book wizard of Oz. This was Harburg’s invention. His creative summary of the heart of what the story meant. And, as the documentary maker said, the gift that he gave to us all.
Towards the end you hear him as an older man in an interview summarising his philosophy.
“Underneath all our mistakes, there is a purpose to life. And the purpose is brotherhood, laughter, un-neuroticism and the therapy of good will.”