The Greatest Chef of All Time

As you might have followed, from time to time I try to publish some culinary posts which is another passion and hobby of mine. I was getting prepared for the next jazz notes on "Free Jazz" but I noticed that so many jazz notes one after the other would be a bit overloading for everyone so I decided to throw in a more relaxed and tasty post.

In this post I would like to introduce a grand master culinary character and  probably the greatest chef of all time to you: Auguste Escoffier.

One can argue why I did not choose Marie-Antoine Carême, who is often considered as the father of the modern grand cuisine; simply because I like the works of Escoffier better. Anyhow it is a fact that Escoffier had followed the footsteps of Carême but in my opinion he has achieved to create a more contemporary and a simpler culinary style than his predecessor. One other significance of Escoffier is that he always preferred to work in restaurants and hotels whereas Carême had chosen to be closer to royals and aristocrats. Maybe that's why I appreciate Escoffier more...

Escoffier

Escoffier was born in 1846 in Villeneuve-Loubet, a town near Nice in France. His father was a blacksmith and a tobacco trader. Young Auguste was strong, witty and smart with an amazing talent in painting. However with his family's desire to direct him to some sort of craft/trade and maybe more importantly his grandmother's impact on little Auguste after witnessing her cooking skills led him to start his working life in a restaurant owned by his uncle when he was only 13 (Le Restaurant Français in Nice). He worked there almost 6 years and experienced a highly disciplined and tough apprenticeship. His uncle never treated his nephew differently than his other staff and that's why he made a huge progress within these six years and learned all the fine details of the culinary world.

In 1865, he met the owner of the famous Paris restaurant "Le Petit Moulin Rouge" who was visiting Nice and was immediately hired to become the restaurant's new "apprentice roast chef". He traveled to Paris for the new job but unfortunately could not stay there for long due to being called to the army service. He spent seven years in the army because of the Franco-Prussian war, mostly as an army chef. During these challenging years in the army, he managed to solve the problem of food preservation by canning certain foods in order to be consumed on the battlefield. During the same time, while observing the chain of command in the army, he thought of a similar system to be implemented in the culinary service world called the "Brigade System" which is a structured system that delegates special tasks to different specialized people in the establishment (chef, sous-chef, commis, rotisseur, patissier etc...). This system is still very much used in restaurants. He is also the inventor of the bouillon cube that is widely used in home kitchens all around the world.

As you can see he changed a lot of things about the culinary life that are still viable today, from the attire of the kitchen staff to the sauces used in cooking (if interested more check his 5 mother sauces online).

Marche Heroique by Saint-Saens composed as an homage to a friend died in the Franco-Prussian War

After the war, Escoffier came back to "Le Petit Moulin Rouge" where he worked until 1878. He opened his own restaurant "Le Faisan D'Or" in Cannes in the same year. Not even completing a year in his own establishment, he was again called back to Paris as the head chef of "Masion Chevet" which was one of the highlights of the Parisian political figures and jet set. At the same time he also consulted the kitchens of the mayor of Paris.

In 1880 he got married to Delphine Dafhis, the daughter of a famous French publisher. She has helped Escoffier with his many books he has written between 1886 and his death.

"Fleurs en Cire" by Escoffier

The couple moved to Monte Carlo in 1884. Escoffier was now employed by César Ritz to manage the kitchens of the "Grand Hotel". Until 1890 he spent half a year there in Monte Carlo and half a year in the Swiss branch of the Grand Hotel National in Lucerne. During these 6 years, Escoffier became  close friends with Ritz who had started his career as a bellboy in this hotel and who had finally promoted as the hotel manager. Historians agree that their collaboration has shaped the modern hospitality industry.

1890 was a milestone in the careers of Escoffier and Ritz as they were called to manage the "Savoy Hotel" in London, maybe the first modern luxury hotel in the world. Both were working hard and at the same time training new enthusiastic apprentices who later became celebrity chefs and hoteliers all around the world. In Savoy, Escoffier did not only work in the kitchens creating beautiful and tasty dishes, but he also revolutionized the restaurant management concept, kitchen techniques, food hygiene and even the eating habits of the society.

Savoy Hotel London

On top of all these successes, Escoffier had created many signature dishes with names coming mostly from his famous clients.

• Pêche Melba: Inspired from Nelly Melba, Australian singer who had spent almost 2 years in the Savoy Hotel. Escoffier confessed later that he had visualized Nelly Melba on stage when creating this still famous desert.
• Tournedos Rossini: In honor of Rossini (there is a dispute whether this dish was created by Carême or Escoffier)
• Salade Rejane: In honor of Gabrielle Réjane, a French actress.
• Bombe Nero: after Roman emperor Nero
• Melba Toast: again after Nelly Melba when she was sick and asked something light to eat
• Chaud-Froid Jeanette: In memory of the ship crew that died in a polar expedition
• Fraises à la Sarah Bernhardt: strawberries in honor of Sarah Bernhardt

Inspired from Nelly Melba

In honor of Sarah Bernhardt

Interestingly, Escoffier and Ritz were fired from the Savoy with serious accusations of fraud and corruption. After settling with the owners of the hotel, they moved to Paris and opened the "Ritz Hotel" in 1898. It was the most modern hotel of the period. There was electricity in all rooms. The hotel had 4000 bottles of valuable wines in its own cellar and another 180.000 bottles in a close-by cellar/warehouse. 

Ritz in Paris

One year later two partners opened the "Carlton" hotel in London and many more "Ritz" hotels in the big cities of the world. They worked together until 1901 when Ritz started to suffer from health problems. 

In 1903, Escoffier finished his great book called the "Le Guide Culinaire". The book consists of almost 5000 recipes and culinary techniques and even today it is considered as a reference book for chefs.

Le Guide Culinaire by Escoffier

He participated in the first voyage of the SS Imperator from Hamburg to New York as the master chef. He met Kaiser Wilhelm II on the ship and legend has it that he told Escoffier: "I may be the Emperor of Germany, but you are the Emperor of Chefs"...

In 1919 he retired from the "Carlton" and moved back to Monte Carlo to live with his wife. In 1920, he was decorated with "Legion d'Honeur" and he was the first chef in history to receive the medal.

Another very important contribution by Escoffier to the culinary world is the creation of the "Degustation (Tasting) Menus".  He desired to show his talent by offering various dishes (typically 10-12 different plates) to his guests. Such menus are great for the diners as they provide an opportunity to taste almost all the signature dishes of the restaurant however on the other hand they are very challenging for the chefs to prepare. As opposed to contrary belief, the "tasting menus" (as we know today) do not date back to middle ages. It is true that around 10-12 different dishes were offered to guests but the format (especially elegance and planning) was nothing like the modern times.

Today food historians agree that the "Degustation Menus" as we have them today are created by Escoffier between the years of 1880 and 1910. 

Maybe the most famous "Tasting Menu" Escoffier had prepared was for King George V and his 12 guests in 1908. Here are some highlights from that menu:

• Half a melon filled with Beluga Caviar
• Tortoise and chicken soup
• Whole chicken stuffed with rice and truffles
• Roasted Welsh lamb with peas
• Lemon and ginger sorbet to freshen up the palette
• Trout with herbs
• Duck with port reduction
• Pink grapefruit sorbet to freshen up the palette
• Artichokes with mustard sauce
• Salad with mint sauce
• Pêche Melba, petit fours and fruits as deserts

As you can notice the "tasting menu" created by Escoffier is not too different that what we have today, well maybe and hopefully the sizes are a bit smaller for us.

In 1928 he helped with the foundation of "World Association of World Chefs" and became its first president.

He died in 1935, two weeks after his wife.
Escoffier is still remembered today as the most important figure of the culinary stage.

Let's conclude with a recipe well associated with Escoffier: "Pêche Melba"...(Sorry but you need to wait until peach season)

First ingredients (4 servings):

• 4 ripe peaches
• 1/2 kg raspberries
• 1/2 lt water
• 250 gr sugar
• 100 gr powdered sugar
• 1 stick vanilla bean
• 1/2 kg vanilla ice cream

Put the peaches into boiling water for 30 seconds, immediately remove and place in iced water. In a pan boil the water, sugar and the vanilla bean (only whats inside the stalk). When cold enough, cut the peaches in half, remove the stones and peel. Put them in the pan with boiling water, sugar and vanilla  for 7-8 minutes. Remove before the peaches get too soft and leave to cool. In a sieve, mash the raspberries with powdered sugar in order to make a sauce. 

In the meantime make a swan by sculpting a big form of ice, just kidding. But that was the original...

Put the ice cream into pre-cooled plates and place the peaches onto the ice cream. As a final touch, decorate the plate with the raspberry sauce and serve immediately.

Bon Appétit!

Jazz Notes VIII

We had discussed the "Bebop" jazz style in the last post and we had traveled back to mid 1940s. Until that period it was a bit easier to differentiate the jazz styles along the timeline. However as it was the case in our rapidly changing planet after the World War II, things started to become more intertwined and so did the jazz styles. From this post and on, it might be a good idea to forget about the chronological order of things and concentrate more on the 5W1H, as the great English writer Rudyard Kipling has put it in his famous "Just So Stories", a childrens' book.

I keep six honest serving-men

They taught me all I knew;

Their names are What and Why and When

And How and Where and Who.

Cool Jazz & West Coast & Hard Bop:

It is not too easy to classify and characterize "cool jazz" as a sui generis jazz form. It is rather a feeling or an approach and a combination of various forms. We can argue that it arose as a reaction to Bebop which was too fast, complex and not too easy to listen to by the average music lover.
Was it on a mission to re-popularize jazz? I am not sure, but it is a fact that with the fine examples of cool jazz, people who had fled during the Bebop period, started to come back to jazz. "Cool jazz" was the new cool especially in the "West Coast" of USA, that also became a sub-genre later.

We said it was a reaction to Bebop but in what ways? 

• Bebop was hot, whereas cool jazz is cool (the term "cool" as musical term was first used by Capitol Records with their 1953 compilation album called "Classics in Jazz:Cool and Quiet")
• Cool jazz was mostly performed via written arrangements and solo improvisation whereas Bebop was nearly all improvisation
• Instrumentation is wider in cool jazz, in bebop it is relatively limited
• Bebop was a more intense and loud form and harmonically had a complex structure compared to a more melodic, relaxed and softer cool jazz
• Cool can be considered as a turning back to mainstream whereas Bebop was completely the opposite
• Bebop reflected the complexity and the hectic style of the East Coast (basically New York), where cool jazz represented the laid back style of sunny California
• It can be a bit flashy, but bebop was African-American whereas cool jazz was white

As you can notice from the above main differences, it is difficult to differentiate both forms in a purely musical perspective like we had done with the earlier jazz styles. But now, the distinctions have to be analyzed based on mood, feelings and perceptions. American society was changing after the War and cool jazz was quite parallel with this. People were less eager to express their feelings and emotions but rather bring their intellects more and more into the equation. The values and the attitudes of the society led a similar change in the entertainment business. A shift from night clubs,jazz clubs and dancing parlors to TV had also big impacts. 

As it is challenging to name one recording or one band as the originator of cool jazz, we can maybe argue that Woody Herman Band with Stan Getz and Zoot Zims in 1947 and Miles Davis Nonet with Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz and arranger Gil Evans, gave the first examples of this style (without knowing the name of the style)...

Miles Davis Nonet recorded some pieces and published on 78 rpm records in 1949 and 1950. These pieces were much later (i.e. 1957) compiled to an album: "Birth of the Cool". At that time Miles had said that he wanted to play softer in order to be more expressive.

Following these bands and recordings came the Modern Jazz Quartet, Lennie Tristano, Chet Baker, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Jimmy Giuffre and Shelly Manne.

"Jeru" from the Birth of the Cool (composed by Gerry Mulligan)

"Moonlight in Vermont" Johnny Smith with Stan Getz

Gerry Mulligan, once a part of Miles Davis' Nonet during the recordings of the "Birth of the Cool", moved to California in 1952 and formed a new band with Chet Baker, Chico Hamilton and Bob Whitlock. This piano-less band can be treated as the innovator of the West Coast style. After that in 1959 came the huge success of Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond with "Take Five". It is is probably the best selling jazz single ever. By that time jazz was again under the spotlight of the American people.

"Take Five" Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond (composition)

On the other side of the continent, East Coast musicians, especially the African Americans who were still suffering from racism, poor civil rights, social and economic conditions, could never embrace the style. Their answer to "cool jazz" was "hardbop"...They believed that jazz was starting to mix with European classical music, meaning moving farther away from the blues. They insisted that the jazz they wanted to perform should be nourishing from bebop, blues, gospel and R&B.

Jazz historians agree that hard bop is originated by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers' "Hard Bop" album in 1957.

"Cranky Spanky" by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers

Following that, many great artists such as John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Clifford Jordan, Cannonball Adderley, Freddie Hubbard, Miles Davis(yes you can see find him in all jazz styles), Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson, Wes Montgomery and many many more made incredibly well hard bop recordings.

"Blue Train" by John Coltrane

As I mentioned in the first paragraphs, starting from the late 1940s and with the beginning of the 1950s, jazz styles started to mingle with each other leaving behind the clear cut differentiating characteristics. 

Maybe that was the main reason why the next generation had already started to sow the seeds of "Free Jazz"... 

Jazz Notes VII

We had left the Swing Era behind in a not so pleasant world. Yes, the World War II was over, leaving many wounds and scars all around the world. I always wondered where would the world be right now if there wasn't a war after all... Impossible to answer. 
Yes, the USA was victorious against its enemies in the war, but it had lost its opportunity to become a more racially integrated country with the decline of the Swing Era. I have never understood the hypocrisy of asking African-American people to fight for liberty and democracy, especially against Fascism, that they never enjoyed at home. Too much politics, yep, but can you separate art from politics? Don't think so!

Bebop:

The Great Charlie "Bird" Parker (1920-1955)

Anyhow let's come back to our chronological jazz style posts. In 1945, the Swing Era was almost over, the world was trying to lick it's wounds with the ending of the war. So were the jazz musicians... Especially the African-American musicians were very much frustrated about the increasing racism, inequality in wages and touring problems. On the other hand, Swing music never enabled the musicians to express their freedom and desire for experimenting and innovating. I guess the majority of the African-American musicians who especially had become virtuoso on their instruments were feeling like that. Most probably these musicians were being forced to suppress their improvisation skills in exchange for a steady job and salary and most importantly hope for status which would never come.

And that's how Bebop evolved in the early to mid 1940s. But as most of the jazz historians also point out, was it an evolution or a revolution? I guess we can say that both arguments are true. Keep in mind that some of the same historians further claim that real jazz has started with Bebop.

It was an evolution if you think the chronological timeline of jazz styles and the changing climate of the USA since 1890s, from African work songs to Ragtime, from Blues to Dixieland and Swing. It was equally a revolution due to the fact that Bebop was nothing like its predecessors, it was a sudden and drastic change in musical formation (however we must keep in mind that even it is a revolutionary form it was never a reaction against Swing).

Wikipedia defines Bebop like this: "Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States, which features songs characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumental virtuosity, and improvisation based on a combination of harmonic structure, the use of scales and occasional references to the melody."

Sounds like an evolution and a revolution to me...

In Bebop, there is a vast amount of stylistic changes compared to previous jazz forms:

1. Especially compared to Swing, the instrumentation was rather limited. Generally a Bebop band consisted of two horns (a trumpet and a saxophone) plus the rhythm section (piano, bass and drums). We can also see bands as small as a trio (piano,bass and drums) and as big as a septet (multiple horns, guitar and the usual rhythm section)
2. Solo and much longer improvisation is a key element and the solos are almost never repeated and resolved
3. The tempos used in Bebop are generally much faster than the earlier jazz forms
4. Drumming is very different, shift to cymbals for time keeping is introduced
5. Adherence to written music and arrangements is very minimal
6. The chord progressions and melodies are much more complex
7. Largely developed in jam sessions, more informal and in small clubs without much rehearsing
8. Requires top virtuosity, artistry to play and a deep knowledge of jazz harmony
9. Singing is very minimal and mostly performed as scat and also improvised

"Shaw 'Nuff" by Gillespie and Parker, one of the earliest and best examples of Bebop

We can also say that with Bebop, jazz started to be an art music rather than popular entertainment or dance music. I believe this was the breaking point of jazz in history. I believe it is purely an art music created by African-Americans (with exceptions of course) who wanted to create their own music. It was a good reflection of the situation of the colored people: complex and difficult, with a blues reference with the desire of experimenting and looking for new directions. It was totally opposite of mainstream.

Bebop, the first definitive form of modern jazz, was dramatically less popular than the classical jazz forms. It was a style that did not allow dancing nor singing in way masses wanted. When compared to swing, it was not a show for entertainment nor had a visual appeal; therefore did not attract the people who wanted to enjoy themselves. As it is still the case today, human voice and singing makes most music more listenable and appealing.
It is also a fact that majority of the music listeners prefer uncomplicated music; meaning predictable themes, songs they can at least hum to or tap with the beats. Bebop did not offer any of these.
Furthermore sound wise, it grew more and more abstract than all its predecessors. The average listener was not able to catch the melody of the song played even with the well known pieces. The improvised lines and the fast chordal changes were challenging as well.

Masses have always neglected to understand instrumental jazz as a language per se and turned their backs to this wonderfully crafted art form. This is probably why jazz started to become alienated from the public and docked somewhere only the real enthusiasts could reach to. And from there jazz was no more America's popular music.

However there were obviously successful (i.e.commercially) bebop bands too, such as Stan Getz (maybe more cool jazz but still), George Shearing and Modern Jazz Quartet (note that Getz was famous mostly for his compositions that contained vocal).

If you ask me (the jazz historians agree with me on this one😉) only three names that created Bebop, I would say on alto & tenor sax, Charlie Parker (Bird); on the piano, Thelonious Monk and on the trumpet, Dizzy Gillespie. These three were the originators of what we call today "modern jazz". Please note anything before Bebop is considered as "classical jazz". They had analyzed well the styles of the most innovative figures of classical jazz such as Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Art Tatum, Charlie Christian, Roy Eldridge and Count Basie. 

"Salt Peanuts" by Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker

"Bloomdido" by Parker, Monk & Gillespie

Key figures of the Bebop jazz scene were:

• Trumpet:
• Dizzy Gillespie
• Fats Navarro
• Miles Davis
• Clark Terry
• Saxophone:
• Charlie Parker
• Dexter Gordon
• Sonny Rollins
• Stan Getz
• Piano:
• Thelonious Monk
• Bud Powell
• Oscar Peterson
• George Shearing
• Ahmad Jamal
• Bass:
• Ray Brown
• Oscar Pettiford
• Charles Mingus
• Drums:
• Max Roach
• Kenny Clarke
• Roy Haynes

"Ko-Ko" by Charlie Parker, another fine example of Bebop

So this is Bebop in a nutshell. When I reviewed the post before publishing, it sounded like it had more of a criticizing tone about Bebop, which was never  and could never be my intention in the first place.
But that's what Bebop is; always complex, unresolved and different. An evolution of the past to revolutionize the future. Don't forget, after Bebop nothing in jazz was the way it used to be!

Nb: Some information you may use in a quiz show.

• Why was Charlie Parker called "Bird" (Yardbird)?
• Some say that he liked to eat chicken all the time (even there is a story that he wanted to take home and cook a chicken that they hit with a car). Another story says that he used to practice in the local park and the neighbours nick named him the "yardbird".
• Who threw a cymbal to him?
• It was the drummer Jo Jones who threw a cymbal at the teenage Parker, after he made a mistake in a tune by losing the beat.
• Where does the word "Bebop" come from?
• Some say from the scat singing where "be" and "bop" syllables are mostly used
• Others say it is from Charlie Christian's and/or Dizzy Gillespie's hummings

Jazz Notes VI

In our last jazz notes we concentrated on Dixieland, the earliest jazz form. Following this combo based early jazz style, comes the "Swing Era".
In this post I will try to make you acquainted with this highly popular (probably the most popular) jazz form that reigned between the years of 1930 and 1945.

Swing Era:

It might be a good introduction if we start with how swing jazz evolved. As with any new style or form, the changes versus its predecessor should be analyzed in two different aspects. First and maybe the most important, is the cultural impetus, and the second being the musical impetus (experimentation and searching for the next level).

In my opinion, no major stylistic change in any art form, especially in music, comes out of the blue. There is always a driving force behind change. Same rules apply for swing.

Think about the atmosphere in the late 1920s, especially in the USA. The birth of swing music took place during the years of Great Depression. Although this jazz style can easily be considered as the happiest jazz style, it is not possible to say the same thing for the period it was popular in. Throughout its life span (still not dead of course, but during its flashy years), the World first suffered from the Great Depression followed by the World War II. In addition to these two horrible events, America had its own problems about racial and gender inequality. There was no peace and harmony anywhere but swing was a safe harbor to get away from all these troubles and feel you were alive. Finally the people had found a music to easily listen to and to dance to which would lift their spirits up during hard times. It enabled them to picture a bright future, and so they embraced it. That's why it became one of the most popular musical styles of all time (maybe after Rock'n Roll). I have to confess there are many similarities between Benny Goodman and Elvis Presley as they are both authentic creators of new musical forms.

So that was the context when Swing came into life. Obviously it didn't happen overnight. There were many bands in the late 20s (when Dixieland was still the dominant style) experimenting the sound of a new style, later to be defined as swing (most probably with lesser band members & instruments).
However the generally accepted stylistic change took place in 1931 and onward. Bandleaders such as Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson began developing the new style by increasing the number of musicians in a band (keep in mind that there were many good players around without jobs) making it possible to utilize a high number of instruments (around 16) during performances. Another major change was the permanent introduction of upright bass and guitar as the main rhythm section instead of tuba and banjo. It gave way to change the time signature from 2/4 to 4/4 therefore giving possibility to the swing feel. Mostly the bands, called the "Big Bands" consisted of;

• five saxophones (two alto saxes, two tenor saxes, and one baritone sax) 
• four trumpets
• four trombones
• four "rhythm" instruments (piano, bass, drums, guitar)

Another feature of Swing was the usage of "Call and Response" formulation. Basically it is a method where one section (say, the brass section, i.e., trumpets and trombones) would play a musical phrase and then be “answered” by another section (say, the saxes); the first phrase is the call, the answer is the response (like a musical conversation). This was nothing new to the musical context as it was already being used from classical music to African music and later in America with the work songs and even with blues.

"Wrappin' It Up": a fine example of "Call & Response" by the Fletcher Henderson Band

At this point put yourselves in the shoes of the musicians of that period. There is poverty everywhere, the salaries are low (if you are lucky to receive one), a lot of competitive musicians around, travelling is not as easy and cheap as today especially for Big Bands. Not the perfect time for being a musician. However they never felt like that, they performed their music with great respect, pride and enthusiasm. That is the beauty and the uniting power of music...In my humble opinion, the Swing Era is one of the key elements that has helped America at least to acknowledge its racial tension. Until the swing era, the bands were almost either all white or all African-American. As more and more bands (like the Benny Goodman bands) initiated the racial integration during a time that the overall population had not accepted it, people automatically began to question themselves. How successful was it is an another discussion...

"Sing sing sing" by the Benny Goodman Big Band (obviously before the racial integration)

With the introduction of swing, the jazz music became a little more sophisticated (in my opinion not fully, since the style of swing did not allow too much improvisation, I believe much lesser than Dixieland) thanks to Big Bands and band members who were real virtuosos. On the other hand it began to cater for almost every taste and popularized the genre as the melodies were softer and mellifluous.As a consequence, jazz music started to become the symbol of America (there are still arguments even today implying that American jazz musicians, especially African-Americans know how to really swing).

Swing Era is really the most popular jazz period in the history of the genre. Jazz music after the swing form never achieved to reach so many people again (good or bad, can be discussed). Although it did not allow freedom in the form of improvisation (mostly the players adhered to the written music), there is no argument that many jazz performers that would shape the future of jazz, began their careers in these Big Bands or Sweet Bands (this term was used for Big Bands that performed with no improvisation at all, used less complex chord progressions etc. like the Glenn Miller Big Band).

Just to summarize the main stylistic differences from its predecessor Dixieland;

1. Music is played mostly from written scores
2. Little possibility of improvisation and in a solo manner rather than collective
3. Usage of eight notes very common in order to be able to swing
4. Tuba is replaced with upright bass and banjo is replaced with guitar
5. Bands are more crowded, generally consist of around 16 members 
6. Idea of band leader/conductor becomes highly important. All the bandleaders were also virtuoso instrumentalists and the band shaped around them (Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman,Artie Shaw,  Fletcher Henderson and Tommy Dorsey).

"It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing" by the Duke Ellington Orchestra

Swing was not only a new jazz form but it was also a life style, a fashion and even an ideology. It changed many things in the society from dancing to clothing. Even during such difficult years, people, especially young people from all walks of life,  who were attracted to swing, felt freedom and solidarity that helped them to overcome that unpleasant period. Dancing (mainly Jitterbug and Charleston) like crazy to loudest big bands with their stylish costumes made them feel well. As David Stowe mentions in his book called "Swing Changes", it was a musical response of America to increasing Fascism (more specifically against Hitler who had said that jazz was an ugly squeak of instruments to ears) in the world by out crying the concepts of ethnic and gender equality as well as democratic and civil rights. One can argue that it also planted the seeds of feminism through egalitarian dancing structure.

If we look at some great musicians of the swing era;

• Big Bands:
• Duke Ellington Orchestra
• Benny Goodman Big Band
• Fletcher Henderson
• Tommy Dorsey
• Count Basie Orchestra
• Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra
• Artie Shaw Band
• Glenn Miller Orchestra
• Woody Herman and His Orchestra
• Sax Players:
• Coleman Hawkins
• Lester Young
• Johnny Hodges
• Ben Webster
• Benny Carter
• Trumpet Players:
• Roy Eldridge
• Wilbur Clayton
• Oran Page
• Trombone Players:
• Jack Teagarden
• Tommy Dorsey
• Bill Harris
• Pianists:
• Art Tatum
• Earl Hines
• Teddy Wilson
• Count Basie
• Duke Ellington
• Guitarists:
• Django Reinhardt
• Charlie Christian
• Drummers:
• Chick Webb
• Gene Krupa
• Vocalists:
• Billie Holiday
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Anita O'Day
• Sarah Vaughan

"You will have to swing it Mr. Paganini" by Ella Fitzgerald & Chick Webb Orchestra

So what happened and the Swing Era came to an end in mid 1940s? I believe the first important reason was the World War. Many artists were drafted to serve their country, the government introduced a 20% tax on many things that the society was enjoying from (concerts, shows, live music venues etc), there was a curfew after midnight and the popularity of TV in the US households played a big role in the deterioration of this musical style. On the other hand people witnessed that swing could not fully achieve the idealistic principles it had been promising (mostly not Swing's fault but many other factors, especially political, intervened).

Today the Swing Era is still remembered as one of the most prominent jazz styles. We still hear revival bands making modernized versions of swing music. Do they appeal the listeners? Well I say not fully but listen to Cherry Poppin' Daddies and decide yourselves...

"Zoot Suit Riot" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies

Life is a "Menu"

A little break from musical posts and back to foodie stories...

Are you amazed by the menus in the proper restaurants that you visit? As they appear to be common items in such restaurants, have you ever wondered how they are created and prepared?
Well I do and that's why I made a brief research on this interesting topic.

When I go to a restaurant (an average quality restaurant) and handed a menu by the waiter/waitress, I try to concentrate on that piece of paper. I try to catch some clues about the restaurant, the food and their quality. I assure you, one can get genuine ideas just by looking at the menu: its consistency, its wholeness and the effort behind will tell you a lot of things about your experience (obviously there are exceptions, but generally yes). Those menus if crafted well, can cause you gulp with hunger or make you wear a smile (as is the case in my country especially with the poor English translations).

It is believed that the first menu in history dates back to an unknown Egyptian Prince. It was discovered by William Cristal in 1922 during a tomb excavation near the pyramids. It was written in hieroglyphics and carved into a clay tablet. It is understood that the menu belongs to a feast in order to celebrate the births of the Prince's twin sons (future pharaohs). The menu read sour cream garlics and barley soup, followed by salmon and roasted pig. For deserts; cake dipped in honey, dates and pomegranates.

The menus, until the 19th century, were mainly used to help the kitchen staff to instruct them which food to prepare and when to prepare, rather than a guidance for the diners. Such usage has been common in European royal households. During the Renaissance period, the menus have enormously extended. Food historians say that on a regular day in the palace of the King of Piedmont, chefs had prepared eight different menus that consisted of at least 6 different dishes. One important detail is that the guests had to taste everything in order not to offend the host. You can imagine the size of the feasts...

Until the mid 18th century, the inns were the only alternatives to dine out. People visited the inns for spending the night during their travels and/or simply to eat a hot meal. Such establishments did not offer their guests a menu but offered them what was available and prepared on a daily basis. Therefore, the limited choices were posted on a board and had to be enjoyed by all whether rich or poor. Of course this was not a pleasant situation for the rich. Noticing this, the innkeepers started to set up a new class of inns serving the upper class of the society (let's say 5 star inns 😄). These inns employed qualified waiters/waitresses who could speak Italian, English and French. The chefs announced the daily menus via these educated staff by shouting in the dining area on an hourly basis.
La Tour D'Argent, the first restaurant in the world that the fork was used, opened its doors in Paris in 1582, and it did not give its customers the opportunity to choose from various alternatives of food for almost 200 years.

The menus as we know today, with choices and pricing information, did not appear until the end of the 18th century. The first real menus were presented to customers in France and they offered a wide variety of dining options according to diners' budgets. The French restaurants made this process possible by "Escriteau",  a board that includes the dish names along with their prices placed in front of an inn or a restaurant. The English people travelling to France liked the idea very much and they copied this system in their pubs. This tradition still goes on in both countries.

Old menu from France

The process of a waiter/waitress handing out menus to the diners sitting at a table started in the 19th century. As can be imagined, in the beginning, this was a gesture made only for the royal guests but thanks to its convenience, it spread out very quickly all over the fine restaurants in Europe and became the general practice after 1850.

Old menu from Angier House

There is an interesting story from 1867 about a fabulous menu created for three important guests, Czar Alexander the 2nd, his son and King of Prussia. The event, taking place in Café Anglais in Paris, is known as the"Dinner of the Three Emperors". The dinner consisted of 16  different dishes and 8 different wines and lasted 8 hours. The menu created by Adolphe Dugléré was like this;

• Soups:
• Impéatrice: chicken soup with tapioca
• Fontanges: stock with pea puree and mushrooms
• Big Meat Items (not individually served):
• Soufflé a la Reine: Chicken souffle with truffles
• Filets de sole à la vénitienne: Sole fish with wine sauce
• Escalope de turbot au gratin: Turbot
• Selle de mouton purée Bretonne: Saddle of mouton with bean puree
• Entrees:
• Poulet à la portugaise: Chicken with adobo paste
• Pâté chaud de cailles: Quail pate
• Homard à la parisienne: Lobster
• Roasts:
• Canetons à la rouennaise: Roasted ducklings
• Ortolans sur canapés: Ortolans on toast
• Side Dishes:
• Aubergines à l'espagnole: Eggplant dish
• Asperges en branches: Asparagus
• Cassolette princesse: Potatoes with cream sauce
• Desserts:
• Bombe glacée: Ice cream desert
• Fruits: Various fruits
• Wines & Champagne:
• Madère retour de l'Inde 1810
• Xérès 1821
• Châteaux d'Yquem 1847
• Chambertin 1846
• Châteaux Margaux 1847
• Château Latour 1847
• Châteaux Lafite 1848
• Champagne Roederer

Check please...In today's prices: $ 12.950...

Café Anglais in Paris

Late 19th century, almost all the restaurants in the world, had menus as we know today. There was even a competition amongst restaurants to create the best menu design. La Tour D'Argent in 1868, printed a 22 page menu. Lapérouse also in Paris, prepared a 6 page menu with gold plated letters. Some great artists, such as Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Renoir, Matisse and Gauguin designed menus for some upscale restaurants, sometimes in exchange of money and sometimes in exchange of food...A rumor says that Renoir has prepared a menu for his favorite restaurant and has never paid for food after that.

Delmonico's Old Menu

Another change took place in 1920, almost simultaneously all over the world, the restaurants started to have multiple copies of their menus in order to save time.

The first fixed price menu was introduced in the "Fred Harvey" diner in Chicago, offering its customers "fried fish in tomato sauce" or "grilled steak" and potato puree, cauliflower, bread, desert and coffee on the side for 70 cents. The European version can be found in a Cambridge pub called "The Bull and The Bear" for 40 pence.

Fred Harvey menu from the 1940s

Some interesting highlights about menus. The longest menu in the world could have been seen in a diner in Newark airport (now closed), consisting of 50 starters, 40 soups, 300 sandwiches, 200 salads, 400 main courses and 200 deserts. And the shortest menu in history was a blank page given to the Lord of Halifax by his chef on the day of his resignation.

I hope you will enjoy the restaurant menus more from now on, read them, analyze them and appreciate them. And don't forget that there is always a good story behind them...

Interesting video on Menus