Jazz for aficionados
Sorry maybe I should have said "old regulars" meaning many posters here on JFA, besides the three I mentioned, that have been posting on a daily basis since the OP ten years ago. You, stuartk, calgary, mahgister and a few others that have been posting regularly are now regulars whereas some of the older regulars have been absent for a while.....
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Well I hope the new knee works better then the old one... Been reading Saxophone Colossus and playing lots of Rollins lately. His birthday is coming up on 7 September and he will be 93! You know all the praise Sonny gets for the albums Way Out West and Saxophone Colossus and rightly so but all of his studio sessions are way above average and many just a notch below those aforementioned classics. Sonny's first Blue Note recording is exceptional straight ahead jazz. Cant go wrong with Donald Byrd, Wynton Kelly and Max Roach helping out.... Sonny speedy improvisations here Sonnysphere (Rudy Van Gelder Edition/1999 Remaster/24 Bit Mastering) - YouTube And Sonny plays slow improvisations with a beautiful loud, lush tone on his rendition of the Irish ballad from the musical How Are Things in Glocca Morra How Are Things In Glocca Morra - Sonny Rollins - YouTube
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If 3 of those albums are Saxophone Colossus, Way Out West, and Freedom Suite you have the essentials... My friend and JFA poster Alextapos is not big on Sonny either (as he posted in a few years back). Not every great artist appeals to everyone. But concerning Mr. Rollins I would say the unimpressed fly in the face of public jazz opinions... But jazz has always had critics and when Sonny first started playing they had negative things to say about his improvisations of jazz standards.... The critics also slammed John Coltrane when Giant Steps was released..... IIRC @alexatpos he does not like the "hard/gruff" tone Sonny employs on a lot of his performances.... Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Gene Ammons and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis had similar tones and according to Hawkins, at least referring to himself, this tone was used on purpose. Hawkins told Sonny himself that the tenor should have a "large tone" and draw the listener in... Coltrane played the tenor on A Love Supreme, even though his soprano playing had become very popular by 1960. Coltrane stated that he wanted to use the tenor on the whole session because the tenor's voice has more to say.... |
@curiousjim Get well soon and keep listening to your favorite music to cheer you up..... |
@stuartk If you dont have the Dizzy Gillespie Sonny Side Up LP I highly recommend it. Give it a listen on Spotify first before spending on the LP.... All 4 songs are great but The Eternal Triangle and After Hours are desert island songs for me... You can clearly hear the smoother tone Stitt has on his tenor compared to Rollins on his. The opening features the two tenors playing the same notes as one then Rollins solos first from 0:40 - 2:55 then Stitt jumps in to solo. Throughout they play as one at times while exchanging solos and Dizzy jumps in as well in a blistering pace... The Eternal Triangle - YouTube Blues at its best
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I agree those 3 Rollins albums are a must have and would be on the desert island list...Elvin Jones plays drums on the evening set at the Village Vanguard. Another desert Island set Coltrane with Eric Dolphy India (Live From Village Vanguard/November 1,1961) - YouTube |
Further on the topic of tenors. This LP is yet another desert island session. What makes it very special was that Kenny Clarke played the drums in one of his last recording sessions in the USA before he permanently moved to Paris France in 1956 to escape the racial bigotry prevailing in the states at the time. Clarke's contributions to the emerging be bop sound are comparable to Max Roach (both drummers played a pivotal role in changing the role of the drummer) |
More on Sonny Side Up Borrowed from All Music
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@rok2id MJQ is a great session with Sonny..... I worked along side Percy Heath's son Stuart in the construction business. Do you have vol. 1 and 2? Anyway Blue 7 from Saxophone Colossus is outstanding... Sonny Rollins - Blue 7 - YouTube
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Hey @alexatpos I listen to prog rock and listen still. 70s Sonny I dont like but a few... Sonny is a master at improvising off the top of his head.... Sonny Rollins Quintet - Don't Stop the Carnival | Cascais Jazz 76 - 13 de Novembro - YouTube |
Re: Atonal Atonality can vary in its presentation from minor to complete dissonance. That being said Eric Dolphy has just as many recordings with minor dissonance, and mostly so, then he has with complete dissonance (I call it chaos).... Archie Shepp is another example of this Ballad The Shadow Of Your Smile - YouTube Minor Chaos Archie Shepp - Yasmina, A Black Woman - YouTube The term "free jazz" can vary in its definition. Did it not start with Ornette Coleman Major Chaos Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz (1961) (Full Album) - YouTube
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I don't know what you mean by "wobly"..Maybe you can define it another way or post a song pointing it out so I can listen. I have a very eclectic taste when it comes to music. I really like Dolphy's Out To Lunch album as well as the album Out There... I love Coltrane (who dosen't) but his chaotic creations at the end I cannot listen to. I like Sam Rivers playing on Contours... |
Excellent album. Been listening to DeBriano for years and I believe this is the first time I have seen an example posted here on JFA. Salute!! |
Paul Desmond has the most distinctive tone on the alto then any other. Every solo is a thing of beauty...
What do you mean by "showing off"? Back when Be Bop turned the swing era of jazz upside down the late night jamming sessions in all of the NYC nightclubs and cafes were attended by anyone who wanted to and was not afraid to compete... It was aright of passage when your "chops" and virtuosity were accepted by your peers and you became "one of them" There was no publicity - just the artists jamming..... These jamming sessions would start at closing time around 4am and continue many times until 10am.... Norman Granz became very well known by hosting "jam sessions" for the public and recorded (thankfully) many of them. Granz called these jam concerts Jazz At The Philharmonic - JATP. Most of the recordings are sub par sonically but are still exciting to listen to. All of these musicians could play a song beautifully from ballads to blues and waltzes....This is one of my desert island sessions |
On January 20, 1949, at the age of 18, Sonny Rollins made his recording debut. He played tenor sax in a 9 piece group backing vocalist Babs Gonzales. The horn arrangements by trombonist JJ Johnson, also a member of "Babs' band" Sonny's first recorded solo starts at 1:17 here; Babs had signed a recording contract with Capitol Records hence the title "Capitolizing" |
@acman3 Thanks for the Cecil McBee clips. Been listening to him today... Challenging but accessible (for me anyway).
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Some very interesting bass and cello playing on this McCoy Tyner album. Actually, Tyner had 3 brilliant recording sessions 1970 - 73 that I would also describe as challenging yet accessible. Here is the other two |
Sonny Rollins, at age 18 - 20 used to hang out for hours in the Harlem apartment of Bud Powell and the upper west side apartment of Thelonious Monk on 63rd St. Sonny and his young friends, aspiring young musicians all, would go to both Powell's and Monk's apartments to "jam out" and work out their jazz vocabulary on their respective instruments. This included Kenny Drew on piano, Jackie McLean alto sax and young sax phenom Andy Kirk Jr. the son of band leader Andy Kirk. Both Rollins and McLean state that Kirk Jr. was the better player and could have been one of the all time greats but, unlike Rollins and McLean who kicked heroin, the drug, which Rollins called the scourge of the jazz scene at the time, heroin won the battle with Kirk Jr. and eventually killed him.... Further Kirk Jr. info on a forum thread by ghost of miles here: |
Another great Sonny Rollins interview “It takes a while to perfect your soul”: Sonny Rollins in Conversation | TIDAL Magazine And I have been listening to more very early Rollins recording sessions like these with JJ Johnson's band in 1949 and Bud Powell as well.... Written by JJ Johnson: Audobon - YouTube Written by Sonny Rollins: J.J. Johnsons Boppers - Hilo - YouTube Written by Bud Powell: Bouncin' With Bud - YouTube Written by Thelonious Monk: 52nd Street Theme (Rudy Van Gelder Edition/1998 Digital Remaster) - YouTube A teenage Sonny Rollins takes short but great solos on all......
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I have Focal Point/Sama CDs..I also have Extensions and posted a song from it above From The Nile
I like a live rendition of Sama Layuca from a 2006 recording at Yoshi's with Tyner, Christian McBride, Joe Lovano and Jeff "Tain" Watts.. Zbigniew Seifert is new to me. Very talented. Died way to young....
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Bobby Hutcherson: album: Components recorded June 10, 1965. Personnel:
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@stuartk The Harold Land material I am most familiar with is his 50s collaborations with Clifford Brown and Max Roach. I also own all the CDs of Land as a leader 1959 - 68. I also have all the CDs with Curtis Counce/Land. Carmel Jones/Land also good.... I have this one with Hutcherson/Land Nothing against the vibraphone, but I gravitate more towards these sessions (as well as the Brown/roach/Land) (1) Haro̲l̲d L̲a̲n̲d – ̲W̲e̲st ̲C̲oast ̲B̲l̲u̲e̲s! (̲1̲9̲6̲0̲)̲ - YouTube I will check out the Timeless All Stars on your recommendation. I highly recommend this Bill Evans session with Harold Land |
Happy New Year! @acman3 Great "Lockjaw" selections. I like that live rendition of I'll Remember April a lot. Really swings. And Lock and Johnny Griffin always sound great in all of their "tenor battle" recordings. Them 2 went together like peanut butter and jelly! Lock was also known for his "edgy/gruff" tone. By any chance did you get the new (2020 release) release of the 2 of them live at The Penthouse in 1962 titled OW! on vinyl? I purchased the CD the day it came out. The sonics on the CD are very good.
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Great LP to have in your collection. I dont have a copy on CD but found it on Spotify and I am listening to the opener, Goin’ Down South, through my Qudelix/Sennheiser rig as I write this. I was not familiar with this album but if the rest of it is as good as the first song its a winner.. Edit: track 2 is awesome as well. I’m really digging the electric keyboards played by Joe Sample. Edit 2: Track 3 Joe Sample plays acoustic piano instead of the electric piano. Another great tune! Edit 3 Track 4 is funk based. Sample back to the electric keyboard. Really digging this album!! |
@stuartk Re Bobby Hutcherson & Harold Land. Thanks for the Hutch selections. I have the Mapenzi disc. My favorite Hutcherson are the 60s sessions. I just like it when the music "swings" Listening to Step Lightly from The Kicker disc as I am writing this. Joe Henderson on ts and Grant Green g. Been revisiting my Spotify library (I do have all the 60s Hutch CDs) through my 100 dollar "gadget", the Qudelix 5k via laptop usb - Qudelix 5k - 2.5mm balanced Audio Ninja headphone cable - Sennheiser HD650 PEQ pre set to Legacy HD650.
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@acman3 Could not edit my previous post again as it was passed 30m. Re: San Francisco Track 5, Procession, is a nice change of pace. Melancholy and reminds me a little of Donald Byrd's song Christo Redentor. Track 6, A Night In Barcelona, has an afro cuban feel to it. Another great tune! Overall, I would give the album an enthusiastic thumbs up!! |
Been listening to Coleman Hawkins The Hawk Flies High session. One of his best. The 11:17 long track two, Juicy Fruit, is my favorite. At the 0:40 mark the Hawk hits a note and sustains it for over a minute displaying his talent of circular breathing. A lot of the great players really perfected circular breathing especially Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Here is a current artist, Trombone Shorty, using circular breathing on the trumpet (1) Trombone Shorty AMAZING circular breathing Hurricane Season HOB NOLA 4-28-12 - YouTube and here (1) TROMBONE SHORTY - Circular Breathing! - YouTube
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Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Co. on the Ed Sullivan Show. Its like the who's who of the jazz world including Charles Mingus and Roy Haynes among others. And playing one of Mingus' best songs.... (1) Rahsaan Roland Kirk "The Inflated Tears & Haitian Fight Song" on The Ed Sullivan Show - YouTube |
I see you put a smile in the text so I am assuming your being sarcastic about ancient tribal people on the Asian Continent being the root of jazz. I hope my assumption is correct... Anyway here are some tunes I know you will dig.... (1) Art Pepper Quartet (May 9, 1964) - Jazz Casual - YouTube (1) Frank Morgan Quartet performing LULLABY by George Cables. - YouTube (1) Dave Brubeck Trio spec. Guest Paul Desmond & Gerry Mulligan all the things you are - YouTube |
@mahgister Not "roll". Proper is "swing" Did you like the tunes I posted for you? |
An awesome video breaking down the tenor sax duel between Soony Rollins and Sonny Stitt on the song The Eternal Triangle off of Dizzy Gillespie’s Sonny Side Up album. Hey @stuartk have youbeen alble to find a top level vinyl LP of it? (1) Reaction: Who won the tenor battle on The Eternal Triangle? - YouTube A shout out @frogman Where have you been?...I would like to hear from you about this topic or anything at all for that matter.... |
Thanks @mahgister for defining roll. Have you watched the "duel of the sonny's"? I know you like classical music and here is a reply to the "duel of the sonny's" from another classical student/listener...
@bobpremecz5429One of the things to remember, Stitt was 33 at the time of this recording while Rollins was only 27 giving the young Turk even more incentive to bring his "A" game. What enthusiasm presenting this classic breakdown of the tenor battle on the tune "Eternal Triangle". You helped me see how both had their own ways of interpreting the changes and made clear the use of their "go to" licks and tricks. As one who had classic training, seeing this helped me recognize how even classical composers shared/borrowed some of the ideas these two giants set down for all to hear, appreciate and even analyze. Tractor noises, who cares when you end up with what you posted. |
@frogman Welcome back. Its good to know you are ok and still with us. Your first post in a while is once again very informative for an avid jazz listener who is not a schooled and working musician such as myself. Re Sonny Rollins: I understand what you are saying about Sonny's harmonic prowess and I think this is why I have such a great experience whenever I listen to any of his music. Btw, his new biography is incredible so far. Its not just about him but all of the great musicians he knew, played with, or recorded with. Saxophone Colossus - The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins could have had more subtitles such as growing up in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance, The jazz artists substance addictions and following death, obscurity (great unknown artists whom addiction destroyed), substance abuse recovery , racial tensions in the USA (and not just in the south), Jim Crowe states, the music industry (recording co./labels) and on and on.... That 1957 Village Vanguard recording sans piano is a great example of Sonny's command of harmonic structure and also I like his command of playing bebop chords within the songs harmonic/melodic foundation chords. Your points on Jackie Mac and Dolphy are appreciated as well.
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I am a big Jackie McLean fan. 4 of his albums are on my desert island list and I believe every jazz aficionado should have these 4 in their collection. Here they are in order of their respective recording date. Bluesnik 1961 Let Freedom Ring 1962 One Step Beyond 1963 (April) Destination Out! 1963 (September) That being said I myself can hear the slightly (to my ears) sharper pitch McLeans alto sounds then many of the other alto greats. It is reasonable to say that if I had a long career in music playing in a music ensemble, small or large, jazz or classical, this subtly sharper playing would become more of an annoyance especially if it is not in harmony with the melodic chords the rest of the band is playing. A small jazz ensemble comparison example showcasing the alto saxophones of McLean followed by Phil Woods:
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Speaking of alto sax players and obscure/unrecognized musicians such as J R Moterose, I think you can put alto sax player John Handy in both of those categories. I really enjoy a lot of Handy's albums as a leader, and his playing on various Charles Mingus session dates. One of his albums, Live at Monterey Jazz Festival, is on my desert island list. The release with the 3rd bonus track Ole Miss (Anatomy of a Riot) Live at the Village Gate is the one to get. The two songs from Monterey (1) John Handy - Monterey Jazz Fest (Full Album) - YouTube Bonus track at Village Gate (1) John Handy Tears Of Ole Miss Live At Monterey Jazz Festival - YouTube And a nice blues track featuring Handy (not to bad) on vocals (1) Blues For Louis Jordan - YouTube And Handy expanding his horizons with Asian Continent musicians @mahgister may enjoy this album which features Handy on the alto sax combined with 2 eastern musicians playing the string instruments Sarod and Tanpura with a 3rd playing the percussive instrument Tabla. (1) John Handy, Ali Akbar Khan - Karuna Supreme (full album) - YouTube
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Can I ask you the model of your new 1000,00 headphone amp/pre amp. Is it also a DAC? I use this 100 dollar gadget Amazon.com: Qudelix-5K Bluetooth USB DAC AMP with LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, AAC (Dual ES9219 3.5mm Unbalanced & 2.5mm Balanced Output) : Electronics which receives the audio through Spotify I have close to 250 playlists. My phone, a cheap Samsung lower tier (350.00) smart phone, is used as my digital audio player (DAP) and sends the music files via blue tooth to my Qudelix DAC/AMP. As you can see in the photo on Amazon, the Qudelix has 2 outputs. One is a 3.5mm unbalanced and one is a 2.5mm balanced. I use the 2.5mm balanced for my headphones which is the Sennheiser HD650. The 3.5mm I use for my Soundboks Go portable speaker. SOUNDBOKS Go | Portable Bluetooth Performance Speaker I use the headphones occasionally and the Qudelix DAC/AMP performance far exceeded my expectations. Although the Quedelix receives audio from my DAP via blue tooth signal I use a hard wire to connect the headphones or speaker. I use a 2.5mm balanced Audiophile Ninja headphone cable Custom Headphone Cables ⋆ Audiophile Ninja and for the speaker a generic 3.5mm male to male interconnect. The majority my use of the Qudelix is with the speaker when I am working. I drive a tractor trailer semi 8 - 12 hours per day/night and the audio using the Qudelix and Soundboks go is amazing. A little lacking in the mid range which I fix with the Qudelix on board PEQ and the Soundboks Go EQ. You could try out the qudelix and if you do not like it Amazon Europe probably has the same 30 day free returns as Amazon USA. Yes I spend hours on the road listening to music while making money...... |
@mahgister That Sansui AU7700 is a beautiful vintage integrated amp. Your headphones are also vintage. And I just saw a review for the Microzotll2 here and it looks awesome as well. (1) REVIEW: Linear Tube Audio MZ2-S - YouTube And I agree that acoustic room treatment and speakers/speaker placement is very important. Those M Audio speakers have great reviews. Keep me posted when you set up the MZ2 and have a listening session. Do you have the Bill Evans Complete live at the Village Vanguard box set? Its his awesome trio with bassist Scott Lofaro and drummer Paul Motian. Enjoy the music! |
Masabume Kikuchi with two of the greatest jazz drummers Elvin Jones and Paul Motian.... (1) Hollow Out (full album) - Elvin Jones & Masabumi Kikuchi (1977) - YouTube (1) Paul Motian - 2011-03-12, Village Vanguard, New York, NY - YouTube |
Kenny Drew is a favorite pianist of mine as well. His songs have been posted quite a lot here on JFA for the last few months and rightly so. Every time the KD posts start up I always nominate KDs album "Undercurrent" Not only is Undercurrent my favorite KD album it is also one of my favorite jazz albums and near the top of my desert island recordings. Undercurrent (again)😊
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Hiromi Uehara is releasing a new album October 6th 2023!! Sonicwonder is the title and she will be at Sony Hall in NYC for an "album release show" on Friday October 13 and Saturday 14. I already purchased tickets. Hiromi has a new 3 piece band backing her. See here: Hiromi’s Sonic Wonder - 6/24/23 CBJF, Wilmington DE - YouTube
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I know I am probably (based on threads history) the only fan of Hiromi Uehara here on JFA but I did not expect all of the esteemed jazz aficionados here, who have been posting regularly all week, to "tune out" upon seeing my Hiromi post... Anyway... There has been a lot of talk about trumpet players recently with many of the greats being mentioned. Everybody here knows (from thread history) that Clifford Brown is my favorite trumpet player after the great Mr. Louis Armstrong. The Clifford Brown Max Roach Quintet was described by the New York Times as "perhaps the definitive bop group until Mr. Brown's fatal automobile accident in 1956". Here are a few standouts from their repertoire: With Harold Land on tenor sax (2) Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Joy Spring - YouTube (2) Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet - Daahoud - YouTube (2) Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Delilah - YouTube Sonny Rollins on tenor sax (2) I'll Remember April - Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street - YouTube More with Sonny Rollins on Rollins' album Sonny Rollins Plus 4. This is essentially the same quintet but recorded and released with Rollins as the leader. |
Hey @acman3 That is a nice recording. More Hiromi piano Here, Hiromi, Chick Corea and Hank Jones all playing and Sadao Watanabe is introduced around the 14:50 mark. (2) Hank Jones Trio, Sadao Watanabe, Chick Corea, Hiromi, Austin Peralta - Tokyo Jazz 2006 - YouTube |
This is Hiromi's typical keyboard set up. I have already saw her live 2x (2009 and 2014) and she stacks the smaller electronic keyboards on top of an acoustic piano as well as one on the side. Hiromi is adventurous and likes blending the sounds of electric and acoustic keyboards into her repertoire. Piano solo starts at 0:08 (2) Hiromi - Timeout piano solo - YouTube
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@stuartk been listening to Kenny Werner. I have a few CDs and, after revisiting them, specifically Lawn Chair Society, Animal Crackers and With a Song in my Heart I will check out some more sessions I am not familiar with. Its too bad your home is far from any jazz venues. I live 1 hour from NYC so its not a problem for me...
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@stuartk Middletown NY is about an hour and half north of Mid Town Manhattan. I pass by it often while taking 87N to the Albany area in my semi. I also have a friend who has a house and 45 acres there. Of note is that the small town of Goshen, just south of Middletown, was the birthplace of Willie The Lion Smith, one of the greatest American jazz pianists and a big influence for Fats Waller and Duke Ellington. The Lion: (2) Willie The Lion Smith - Fingerbuster - YouTube
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