Jazz for aficionados
Not a post from Mary Jo but you might be interested anyway... Charnett Moffett - Music From Our Soul Great piano by Cyrus Chestnut on this "standard" (track 3).... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgv0c8IP9hE&list=PLIprspV8mpL6SmXiRZruchPUD6WlYbrnV&index=3 |
@millercarbon Don't discount the contribution that Stanton's wonderful mid-range made. |
@frogman :-) Laughing about the reminder of my b in l's take on bass solos. Not hearing that from Charnett at all. I got onto him because he was the bass player on TW's Civilization recording. I'd heard the name Cyrus Chestnut but knew not much else. There's a lengthy run he does on Mood Indigo that really caught my ear when I first heard it. Read his bio on Wiki. The man is gifted and well-schooled. @orpheus10 The entire Music From Our Soul recording strikes me as a little "oddball" - though in a good way. It's a real "stew" considering the selection of compositions, performers, as well as recording venues (both studio and live). Hearing and liking Pharoah Sanders' contributions was a happy surprise to me. Thanks to all for taking time to give a listen. Gratifying. @pjw - Hope Mary Jo re-visits the thread soon. |
@frogman Back atcha' on the Herbie Hancock. I have spent little time listening to HH's jazz funk. When it first came out I wrote it off as him cashing in. Amazing how much I knew in my 20s. Listened to Actual Proof via the link you supplied. Enjoyed it. The music is much more complex and substantial than my younger self thought. Quite a few commented there about Mike Clark's drumming...and rightly so, I think. Quick quick quick and light handed (if that's even possible in a funk setting). Just recently stumbled onto HH's "VSOP Quintet" on the live double album, VSOP (1977). Was amazed at the performance of Maiden Voyage that opens things. Freddie Hubbard in particular lights it up! in his soloing. But circling back to jazz funk, side 4 contains two HH jazz funk compositions...Hang Up your Hang Ups (from Man-Child) and Spider from Secrets. Here's Spider from the VSOP Live. Kind of a slow build so patience required. The drummer is James Levi (not Mike Clark). Nice work from Herbie at around the midway point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2J2w9enLZ0 |
Greetings earthlings. Some excellence beaming down to ya.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bLVdKbPHHY |
For O - "Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?”― Tennessee Williams From comments related to this recording.... http://https//youtu.be/ViAsMZhJX1E Thanks for sharing those memories. |
http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_XBL6m2Xi0 Espen Eriksen Trio - Track 5 from Never Ending January |
Might be noise to some, but beautiful to other ears. Written and recorded in this century. Title track from Magnus Ostrom's, "Searching for Jupiter". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SinHjKx4rh4 |
@pjw81563 You are very welcome. The pleasure is all mine. Truly makes my day to be able to introduce an appreciative listener to something new! A bit of a stretch to call it "jazz" perhaps but definitely jazz influences in it. The recording quality of SfJ is excellent as is the musicianship. The ACT label puts out quality recordings (somewhat like ECM in that regard). Searching is one of 3 recordings Magnus Ostrom made following the death of Esbjorn Svensson (namesake of e.s.t. trio). Ostrom was the drummer for e.s.t.. Thread of Life and Parachute are the other two. Thread of Life is a tougher listen for me. Parachute is the most recent but playing it last night from Tidal I thought there was a lot of (redundancy?) to the music of Searching. Recording quality and musicianship on both these others are also excellent, however. If you haven't discovered e.s.t. yet you might enjoy exploring their back catalog. I think you will be rewarded. |
I'd like to add support for "cables matter" and shockingly (couldn't resist the pun) that includes power cords. This is from a former "wire skeptic" who was especially skeptical about power cord claims. Skeptical until I heard the difference in my own system. Yes, certainly, someone can pay "stupid" money for wire but that's not absolutely essential for realizing a sonic improvement over the typical as-supplied cables. |
@pjw81563 ghosthouse if you don’t mind could you tell me what power conditioner and cables you use?Happy to do so... Just be aware, I didn’t start out with this stuff. The "journey" is essential for appreciating what the gear (in this case, cabling) is doing for the sound. Very affordable power cords that made an immediate and unmistakable good difference to me: Shunyata Venom HC v1 used on a Merrill Audio Taranis amp. Analysis Plus Pro Power Cable used on a TEAC CD-3000. The Analysis power cords are still on my CDP and Gungnir DAC. I went to a Shunyata Alpha NR v1 power cord on my amps but that change brought far less improvement than the Venom HC v1 which replaced Cullen Crossover v1 and Pangea AC-9. I just recently bought an Isotek Aquarius power conditioner. THAT made a huge difference for me. Like a component upgrade. AND, funny thing about it, switching out the stock Isotek Premier power cord to a Venom HC improved things further and yet again when I put a Shunyata Delta NR v1 on it. I have Cardas Clear Reflection speaker wire and interconnects on my main sources. I like the Cardas sound. Others don’t. I will say the Clear line is different than the stereotypical Cardas house sound (kinda warm and wooly, some say; never heard it quite that way, myself). Didn’t start with the Clear line. Had or tried quite a few other cable brands before Cardas (including Morrow; did audition some Audioquest wire too). The initial Cardas wire was Parsec speaker and interconnect, plus their Microtwin 300B IC and a Golden Reference IC. All these before getting the Clear Reflection wire. The sole keeper out of the older stuff I had before Cardas Clear Refl. is a run of Clear Day Double Shot-gun speaker cable that I still use on occasion (depending on amp). As much as possible I buy demos, used and B stock to save $ (hence my virtual system name; posted on A’gon but not fully updated). You can rent to audition different wire brands at The CableCo.com. It will cost you 5% of retail (+ shpping) which will be applied against purchase price (less shipping $) if you do buy. My choices might or might not be good for you. You could try the same stuff on your gear and hate the sound or, possibly, not hear any difference worth the $$$! Good luck. Hope this helps. Turning back to music and Lyle Mays. His first solo album from 1986 is a favorite for me. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Mays_(album) I was fortunate enough to see The Pat Metheny Group at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton NJ when they were touring in support of the Wichita Falls album. Lyle was a big part of that. It was a magical show. |
Hear, Hear!! Ralph Towner!! A favorite... Solstice with Jan Garbarek (sax & flute); Eberhard Weber (bass); Jon Christensen (drums) Discovered at the local public library years ago when you could actually borrow LPs. Was an ear opening and mind expanding experience. My introduction to ECM. Of course, there’s his work in Oregon. While not criticizing that work, I haven’t found Oregon the strong attractor I thought it might have been. Thanks for mentioning him, keegiam. |
I’ve been enjoying TW’s Civilization as well as Believe It and Million Dollar Legs. Keegiam, if you haven’t already heard it, you might enjoy a "tribute" to Tony called, "Blues for Tony". It’s a live performance by Alan Pasqua, Allan Holdsworth, Jimmy Haslip and Chad Wackerman. Good sounding recording and some great performances. |
Frogman - Enjoyed the Killer Joe track. What wonderful chords and arrangement. To my ears the latter almost "classical" in terms of exchange of parts among the various members. Will have to look further into that Jazztet work. Thanks for the introduction. Unfortunately, my thread killing doesn’t relate at all to Joe’s killer threads! My own fashion sense (my wife is highly critical) being heavily influenced as it is by band and roadie wardrobes on the cover of The Allman Bros. Live At The Fillmore East. Keegiam - I could NOT agree more with your opinion about Holdsworth & Di Meola. Glad I’m not the only one. From my perspective, you can have the world’s largest vocabulary but you gotta have something meaningful to say with it. Partial case in point, I much prefer Bill Connors or Frank Gambale to Di Meola in Return to Forever. Not to ruffle any feathers. Alan Pasqua, the keyboard player, in that Blues For Tony track, did in fact play in TW’s New Lifetime. The Blues For Tony double CD is worth owning; as mentioned previously, a live recording covering New Lifetime songs from Believe It and Million Dollar Legs (I have Lifetime: The Collection a compilation of those two albums, not the individual albums). Pasqua is worth looking up on Wikipedia. You might be surprised. Talk about flying under the radar. His work on The Antisocial Club and his solo, Northern Lights, are very good though the music styles on those recordings is very different. |
@pjw81563 I enjoyed reading your Hendrix "appreciation". Don’t know that I hold him in the exact same high esteem you do, but I’m not prepared to argue against it. An innovator, good lyricist (at his best, a poet) and gifted with an ear for beautiful melody though I expect he doesn’t get as much credit as deserved for these last two. For the jazz purists, it’s worth noting how much jazz influenced Hendrix, not to mention Jeff Beck and Duane Allman. To underscore the point, read the Robert Palmer piece in the middle of the liner notes to Kind of Blue (Columbia Legacy CK64935). Duane credits his extended soloing ability to the influences of Miles and Coltrane. Speaking of liner notes, this site might be of interest: in depth background on the recording of several Hendrix albums. http://albumlinernotes.com/Jimi_Hendrix.html If you haven’t seen it, you might also find Still On The Run/The Jeff Beck Story worth watching. FWLIW - I’d probably have Clapton on my list instead of Kath (nothing against Kath). If you can recommend something you like by Holdsworth, please do. I enjoy an album he did with Anders and Jens Johansson called Heavy Machinery but might in fact like their work on it more than his. |
@pjw81563 No time now for a longer response to your several recent posts but thank you very much for the Duane Allman/jazz connections link. That is a great article and warrants re-reading; not to mention checking out RR Kirk's music. THANK YOU for it...and also those Holdsworth titles. I'll see what I can find on Tidal. Recognize a few of them and probably sampled them previously but will check again. |
@keegiam Thanks for your follow up comments re HH’s The River: The Joni Letters as well as that "making of" link. Tastes definitely differ. Me personally, never heard of Corrine Bailey and honestly wasn’t taken with her voice on that recording. No offense intended, but too much of that little girl "thing" going on which seems a popular style these days. I’ll pass. Once again the prescient Mr. Hancock has something pertinent to recent discussion: http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk-QKm0Nkcc&list=PL8a8cutYP7fpt6kgfknQfP_ospmVm8Ftl&ab_channel=MichaelSpencerMichaelSpencer (Who’s that singing The Man I Love?!) |
@frogman Yes, yes, and YES! Sorry the YouTube link didn't work. Was supposed to take one to the full Gershwin's World album which is relevant to subjects of recent discussion: Joni Mitchell and George Gershwin. Great review of the album on the All Music Guide. I agree with your assessment of Joni's singing on The Man I Love (though I hardly pretend to be any kind of expert on female jazz singers). I was really surprised to learn it was her. Didn't know! I don't own Gershwin's World but might have to remedy that lack...and as you know, that's from someone often "lukewarm" about the standard jazz repertoire. BUT there's no denying the excellence there and maybe repeated listening will improve my tastes! Herbie impresses me - his playing, as well as the arrangements that I'm guessing he is responsible for. The cat is talented (not to mention having had a fine music education and training). |
Good luck @pjw81563 FWIW - I agree with Frogman's suggestion to go longer term with your listening comparison. You might hear a difference in audio quality right after making a change though I personally think unsettling things by moving wire (and even the act of unplugging/re-plugging) can affect the sound. I'd also suggest listening for differences (or lack thereof) using a recording you have had for some time and know very well. You can certainly use the method you have outlined, but I think living with new and then going back to old after a few days of listening to recordings you know well will give you a firmer basis for deciding if the new wire is doing something better in your system. Good luck. BTW - I think you might be the one that had suggested the Eastern Rebelliong recordings to me. Thanks. I have enjoyed them (vol 1, especially) and in in particular the George Coleman composed, "5/4 Thing". |
@keegiam A couple of recordings with Bob Berg. Possibly new for you.... Jazz Times Super Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBCAqOnuVXQ Time Warp - Chick Corea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oogfndpjZ7U I thought I didn't like soprano sax. Berg's playing here makes me reconsider. I enjoy his oboe-like tone. |
Something a little different that might be of interest to participants here... Not the same old same old. For me, puts "fresh" back into classic jazz. "Classic" given the date of the original sessions: Nov 1969. Over 50 years ago! Not released until Oct 2003 (as per Wikipedia). Andrew Hill strikes me as somewhat the keyboard counterpart to Eric Dolphy on reeds (but maybe a little more accessible!). Thanks to Frogman for pointing me to AH some time ago. Andrew Hill - Passing Ships; Track 6, Cascade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETGGEYVA2Q8&list=PLEyxWPyoryRKh7uJWexso-JADvtpJ3Ioj&index=6 |
Miles Davis? Marcus Miller? 1980s? How about Tutu? (3 birds with one stone) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutu_(album) Not trying to say it's my favorite '80s album by MD. I don't know his work in sufficient depth to legitimately claim a favorite. But Tutu is one I have spent a little time with. Will say it has one of the best album covers. Genius B&W photo portrait. |
@acman3 Yes. Tutu has its moments music-wise. Overall, the sonics/recording quality seem very good to me. @whipsaw Another, "thank you" for the Marcus Miller interview. Very interesting. For all his other faults, Miles was a generous musician/leader. Mentored many. @pjw81563 If you’ve not yet watched it, PBS’s American Masters: Miles Davis Birth of the Cool is worth watching. He was royalty back in the day. Still is, I suppose.... |
Some vibraphone for late night.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNjkSWvzwU0&ab_channel=MikeMainieri-TopicMikeMainieri-Topic Mike Mainieri - Northern Lights w/Nils Petter Molvaer, Lars Danielsson (and a horde of Nords). |
I'm on it @acman3 Thanks for the suggestion. Found Live at the Mira Room on Tidal. These guys swing + sonics are great and so is the musicianship. Jazz trios pretty often a challenge for attention deficit moi. In this case though, I'm two tracks in and haven't hung up the phone yet. Make that 3 tracks. Thanks again...for something new and interesting. |
Bought it. Gosh, what tone (those sustained notes in the opening phrases of Man of Words). I was pleased to find Eric Dolphy in the quintet. I wonder how much he influenced the melodic but slightly dissonant themes in various of the compositions. Some odd-ball chords for sure ;-). Really enjoying the drumming (and I have a soft spot for trombone).
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Thanks for the Booker Little recommendation. New to me but then so is most everything in this genre. FWIW - the Out Front recording is on Tidal. It's remastered and sound quality is excellent. Listening now. Enjoying his compositions and playing of the quintet. Did jump ahead to "Man of Words". That one carries a load of emotion. Thanks again. |
Thanks for those further Booker L. recommendations. I'll have to check them out. Really know nothing of his discography (other than, now, this Out Front). Other work with Eric Dolphy definitely intrigues me. I admire ED greatly though I struggle with his well known "solo" albums. Enjoy him most as side man. I'll see what the ED albums w/BL hold. Re DAC/Streamers...a service like Tidal is a great way to find and sample new music. But if the recording is a keeper, then I'll buy the physical medium...mainly CDs these days but some vinyl too. If the 'net goes down, I won't be stranded. |
