Untitled Document

Sam Cooke: The Mystery of the Beatles Solved ...
and Lester Young Leaps In Yet Again

It has always been amazing to me how original the Beatles sound. Their
first albums display a rasa that seemed to come out of nowhere, and
explanations that they were influenced by Little Richard, Elvis
Presley, Buddy Holly, etc. seemed superficial in relation to the
expressive essence.

And then I heard Sam Cooke for the first time singing You Send Me. I
immediately knew this was a musical moment as powerful as the Beatles’
I Want To Hold Your Hand, Coltrane’s My Favorite Things and The Doors
Light My Fire.

Similar to what Lester Young had achieved decades earlier in jazz,
Cooke had done in popular music: A musical expression that transcends
race or ethnicity. A new artistic plateau that focused on the
individual rather than stereotypes. Hope for civilization.

Rasa is a Hindu concept that translates to mean transcendental
expression or essence, and Cooke’s musical vision radiates joy,
peacefulness, fearlessness, and lack of inhibition.

Mixed with all this is a profound musical sophistication,
clarity of expression, and a magnetic presence.

If you listen to the voices of Paul McCartney, John Lennon
and George Harrison, on their first LPs, the essence of Sam
Cooke is there too, and I believe that this cannot be a coincidence,
no matter whether it was conscious or not. This includes limpidity of
diction, and technical perfection bolstering their powerful exuberance.
Also noteworthy is the spare use of vibrato focusing on pure tone
flavored with thrilling vocal melismas.

Pure tone, spare use of vibrato, absolute clarity of line, and joyful,
unpretentious expression were also the revolutionary contributions of
Lester Young that helped to transform jazz, inspiring artists as diverse as
Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Stan Getz, among many others. (In his last
recorded interview - there are only two that I know of - Parker stated that
he admired music that was very clean and precise.)

Given the musical evidence, I imagine that Sam Cooke was well-versed in Lester Young's saxophone playing, and will attempt to find out the answer. One important connection they share is a fact. Nat King Cole's singing is one of Cooke's commonly known influences, and Cole was the pianist on some of Young's greatest recordings. (Not many know that Nat King Cole was one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, including being the favorite of Bill Evans.)

I am curious to hear what Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George
Martin have to say about Sam Cooke, and will ask the next time I see
them … it’s not completely out of the question! In the past, I received
a personal letter from Martin, and did have a long conversation
with the late George Harrison.

We do know that the early Beatles, including before they became a group, practically lived for the American recordings that reached the shores of Liverpool, and I have no doubt that Sam Cooke's output was paramount.

- Michael Robinson, February 2010, Los Angeles

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