The Story Of Marv Gaye's 'What's Gog On' : NPR

Contents:

• JAZZ LOV MARV GAYE
• MONTRX JAZZ FTIVAL RELEAS FREE STREAMS OF INIC MARV GAYE, NA SIMONE PERFORMANC
• CELEBRATG THE JAZZ OF MARV GAYE – Y, JAZZ! – #JAZZAPPRECIATNMONTH (LISTEN)
• MARV GAYE
• WHAT’S GOG ON AT 50: MARV GAYE’S MASTERPIECE IS STILL SO TE TO LIFE
• MARV GAYE
• MARV GAYE
• MARV GAYE
• MARV GAYE
• THE STORY OF MARV GAYE'S 'WHAT'S GOG ON'

JAZZ LOV MARV GAYE

Wh Jazz Lov Marv Gaye, Universal has assembled a very solid jazz celebratn of Gaye's work om their very own library of labels taken om rerdgs om the 1970s through the begng of the new century. Performanc of Gaye's tun “Mercy Mercy Me (The Elogy)” and the sublime, nearly 16-mute “Trouble Man, ” Fred Wley's “You Sure Love to Ball, ” and Gato Barbieri's expansive Lat funk take on “I Want You. Given the price tag and that all of the tun are remastered, this is a steal for Marv Gaye fans and soul-jazz heads.

Montrx Jazz Ftival has announced the release of more than 50 performanc om across s 54-year history, cludg sets by Na Simone, Marv Gaye, Johnny Cash and Jam Brown. Marv Gaye - What's Gog On (Live At Montrx1980).

MONTRX JAZZ FTIVAL RELEAS FREE STREAMS OF INIC MARV GAYE, NA SIMONE PERFORMANC

Listen to the Bt of Marv Gaye on Apple Mic and Spotify.

Marv Gaye is known worldwi as a key R&B, soul and pop mic novator om the 1960s on. But what may not be well known about Gaye is that his earlit mil ambns were to sg and perform jazz.

CELEBRATG THE JAZZ OF MARV GAYE – Y, JAZZ! – #JAZZAPPRECIATNMONTH (LISTEN)

As ’s #JazzAppreciatnMonth addn to what would have been Gaye’s 83rd birthday, we honor his ntributns to the genre today’s daily drop. The parable mician and artist Marv Gaye was born #onthisday 1939 Washgton D. But what may not be well known about Gaye, even though he started his profsnal reer the 1950s as a doo wop sger the New Moonglows wh Harvey Fuqua, ’s that his earlit mil ambns for himself were to be a jazz sger and player the ilk of Nat Kg Cole.

When Fuqua moved to Detro 1960, Gaye followed and soon signed his own solo ntract wh Motown subsidiary Tamla Rerds.

And even though his main release was tled The Soulful Moods of Marv Gaye, as Berry Gordy had other ias md for Gaye than Gaye had, 9 of the 11 tracks on were, at Gaye’s sistence, jazz standards, such as “My Funny Valente”:. Even though Gaye’s first album and the sgl released om didn’t sell well, the tle track of his next album, That Stubborn Kd of Fellow beme a Top 10 R&B h and the trajectory of Gaye’s mil path the public’s – and Berry Gordy’s — perceptn was set. But Gaye, still a lover of jazz, returned right to on his 1964 release When I’m Alone I Cry, this time wh way better productn value and put om rpected jazz micians and arrangers Melba Liston and Ernie Wilks.

MARV GAYE

The album starts wh Gaye’s smolrg versn of “You’ve Changed”:. The LP also clus Gaye’s tak on “I’ll Be Around”:.

In 1965, Gaye even did a tribute album to Nat “Kg” Cole after Cole’s passg lled A Tribute to the Great Nat “Kg” Cole where Gaye vered “Straighten Up and Fly Right”:. After this album, the majory of Gaye’s rerdgs were ntemporary soul, pop and R&B, even though he still managed to clu a geo, bluy remake of “One for My Baby (And One for the Road)” on his 1966 The Moods of Marv Gaye LP:.

WHAT’S GOG ON AT 50: MARV GAYE’S MASTERPIECE IS STILL SO TE TO LIFE

Only after Marv Gaye’s untimely passg 1984, did more of his jazz-fluenced rerdg ssns om the late 1960s and 1970s e to light on the posthumo albums Romantilly Yours, which was issued 1985 and Vulnerable which me out 1997. On those you n hear Gaye’s tak on “I Won’t Cry Anymore”:. And the arrtg “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So” which seems to pture every nuance of Marv Gaye’s voice, style and novatns across all the genr he loved:.

Even though Gaye’s lible legacy was fed om different genr of mic entirely, Gaye also gave much to appreciate about him the realm of jazz. To learn more about Marv Gaye and his jazz leangs, check out the “Standards of Marv Gaye” episo of WFIU’s weekly mic show Afterglow hosted by Mark Chilla, read Divid Soul: The Life of Marv Gaye bgraphy by David Rz and of urse, stream or buy all of the albums mentned durg this drop to hear even more of Marv Gaye’s forays to jazz. All excerpts of mic om Marv Gaye are clud unr fair e.

Marv Gaye, byname of Marv Pentz Gay, Jr., (born April 2, 1939, Washgton, D.

MARV GAYE

Gaye sang his father’s Evangelil church Washgton, D.

MARV GAYE

When doo-wop dissipated the late 1950s, Gaye had already absorbed Fuqua’s lsons close harmony. After disbandg the Moonglows, Fuqua took the 20-year-old Gaye to Detro, where Berry Gordy, Jr., was formg Motown Rerds.

Gaye, who also played dms and piano, bucked the Motown system and s emphasis on teen hs. Gaye also enjoyed a seri of succsful duets, most notably wh Tammi Terrell (“A’t Nothg Like the Real Thg” [1968]). Blsed wh an exceptnally wi range that enpassed three distct vol styl—a piercg falsetto, a smooth mid-range tenor, and a ep gospel growl—Gaye bed great technil prows wh rare mil dividualy.

MARV GAYE

Gaye also displayed dazzlg virtuosy by overdubbg (buildg sound track by track onto a sgle tape) his own voice three or four tim to provi his own rich harmony, a technique he would employ for the rt of his reer.

”Other major artists—most importantly Stevie Wonr—followed Gaye’s lead and acted as producer of their own efforts. In 1972 Gaye wrote the soundtrack for the film Trouble Man, wh lyrics that mirrored his own sense of secury.

Let’s Get It On, released 1973, displayed Gaye’s sensuo si. Here, My Dear (1979) brilliantly alt wh Gaye’s divorce om Gordy’s sister Anna (the first of the sger’s two tumultuo divorc)’s growg addictn to e exacerbated his psychologil stggl. On April 1, 1984, durg a fay dispute, Gaye iated a vlent fight wh his father, who shot him to ath.

MARV GAYE

Gaye, who ced his chief fluenc as Ray Charl, Cly McPhatter, Rudy Wt (lead sger for the doo-wop group the Five Keys), and Ltle Willie John, was ducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1987. He received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement an artist who employed urban soul mic to exprs social and personal ncerns, as well as a sger of exquise sensivy and romantic grace, Gaye left a legacy that has wined sce his mise, and his mic has bee a permanent fixture Amerin pop. Marv Gaye’s classic 1971 rerd What’s Gog On turns 50 this month, which means more people than ever will have ocsn to note how timely is.

“He uld have wrten What’s Gog On yterday, ” poet Nikki Gvanni noted an terview last tumn, explag that the ver portra of her 2020 llectn, Make Me Ra, pays homage to Gaye’s album ver, picturg Gvanni a raat, her llar upturned.

THE STORY OF MARV GAYE'S 'WHAT'S GOG ON'

The rerd’s endurance – most movgly displayed by Nelson Manla, who, shortly after his release om prison 1990, reced l om the album at Tiger Stadium Detro – has practilly bee a one is wrong, of urse, to say that Gaye’s album cuts as eply today as did 1971.

A dively spired work driven by social rage – one that braid doo-wop harmoni, jazz and the hymns Gaye had loved as a child – What’s Gog On was also Gaye’s claratn of creative pennce om Berry Gordy’s Motown mache. After a of polished pop hs, Gaye, now his early 30s, revealed there was a lot on his md: the outrage of the war Vietnam (What’s Happeng Brother? The surgent subject matter was acpanied by a change Gaye’s personal style: he stopped wearg ti and grew a beard.

”What’s Gog On remas val, above all, for how turns away om that “Ameri” and stead addrs the tle qutn to a closer-kn group – those people gathered at the hoe party Gaye stag the album’s openg moments; the “mother, mother” and “father father” he lls out to (and that the party settg might emboln him to ndidly addrs).

” the speaker asks What’s Happeng Brother?, checkg the claims of those power agast the thory of everyday Black is one thg to celebrate Gaye’s endurg and prcient mo of creatn; another to appld the ntued ronance of his album’s ncerns.