Something's cookin'

I was recently looking through some old issues of the American jazz magazine JAZZIZ when I came across a series of articles on the theme of jazz and cooking.  The magazine reproduced several recipes from the 1992 book Jazz Cooks: Portraits and Recipes of the Greats, which, according to JAZZIZ, “captures the essence of the food and music that has moved more than 90 renowned artists, from Dave Brubeck and Sun Ra to Wynton Marsalis and Roy Haynes.”

These recipes included pianist Tommy Flanagan’s Shrimp Eclypso, trumpeter and flugelhorn player Art Farmer’s Chilled Cucumber Soup, saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom’s Cut-Time Capellini (similar to spaghetti), drummer Rashid Ali’s Chicken Anise, and Brazilian saxophonist Ivo Perelman’s Amazonian Duck.  However, the recipe that really caught my eye came under the heading “Jim Hall: Nuts About Soup.”  According to the accompanying article (in JAZZIZ, January 2004), the acclaimed guitarist took a course on “How to Boil Water” (!) after moving to New York.  During this course, he discovered a dish which was to become his favourite: Ribollita, a hearty Tuscan soup based on leftover bread.  Hall recalled making it for John Abercrombie and his wife and said: “It was amazing to me to realise that I could just follow a recipe and it would work out all right.  I got over being intimidated by the whole thing.”

 

Interesting words from a master improviser.  But I guess that all the greats, both in jazz and cooking, need to get the basics right first.

 

So, readers, what dishes would you recommend?  And do you like to improvise in the kitchen?  Please get in touch!

 

Jazz Cooks: Portraits and Recipes of the Greats by Bob Young and Al Stankus (published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang. Cover photo © Stewart, Tabori & Chang.) is available from Amazon and elsewhere. Colin Muirhead.