@mahgister
I was fortunate to see Pat Martino live at Birdland NYC about 8 years ago. I am also a big fan of Martino. You have to check out his earlier recording sessions as a guitarist on Willis "Gatortail" Jackson sessions. I have purchased many of their collaborations on CDs over the years and they are rare.
Martino is in his teens and early 20s on a lot of these recordings and of course it was way before the near fatal car accident before Pat had to "re-learn" the guitar.
I like to compare his playing pre and post accident. Anyway here is a Spotify playlist I made for you.
Willis Jackson Mahgister - playlist by Paul Irishman | Spotify
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@stuartk
Well, I didn't have a choice at the time. My dad retired while I was about to enter 9th grade and my parents decided to move the family to Guadalajara at that point.
You moved around a lot. I was born 60 years ago in Babylon, Long Island NY. I have lived here my entire life. Always a 1 hour drive to NYC. I have been to Mexico many times (I have a sister living in San Diego since 1980).
I like tequila and I know the history of Jalisco province in Mexico of making the best mezcal's and tequila's. How long did you call Guadalajara home?
Speaking of Mexico
Charles Mingus - Tijuana Moods ( Full Album ) - YouTube
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@mary_jo Hello Marija welcome back and Happy New Year!! I wish you all the best and much happiness in 2024!
I have to say your first post in many many months (a year?) is a really great song by a great band (I had the privilege of seeing this exact band live).
A suggestion for you is this 2005 Live at Smoke (another of my NYC hangouts) album by Eric Alexander and Vincent Herring
And here they are over 15 years after that live recording session playing the same song at Emmet Cohen's NYC Jazz Loft.
Eric and Vincent like playing together! And they like playing "Blues Up and Down"
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@jafant Al DiMeola
I have tickets for Al Di Meola for Friday, October 27. I just saw that he had a heart attack at one of his European performances. I assume he will be taking a sabbatical while he is recovering. I think the date I have tickets for will be postponed/cancelled I have not received any notice yet.
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@stuartk
I enjoy DiMeola’s acoustic playing. I saw RTF on the Romantic Warrior tour and much preferred the acoustic portion of the show. Wish I could have seen them early on, with Bill Connors..
Plus 1 Bill Conners. Great guitarist not as recognized as others we have been discussing but just as good (not as good as McLaughlin though!)
I do hope Di Meola recovers 100% from his recent heart attack. From what I have read about the type of heart attack he had he is lucky to be alive.
What-- no love for Nick Brignola or Gary Smulyan???
I must say they have not received the love I give the others I mentioned but I have endless hours to listen to them both while I am driving my semi and I will do so.
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Now here is some really good music that you can definitely describe as jazz. The band is called "Steps Ahead". From Wiki
The group arose out of spontaneous sessions at Seventh Avenue South, a jazz club in New York City owned by saxophonist Michael Brecker and trumpeter brother Randy Brecker.[2] The first three albums were released under the name Steps, later changed to Steps Ahead, on Nippon Columbia in Japan, starting with the debut live album Smokin' in the Pit (1980), followed by Step By Step (1981) and Paradox (1982).
I listened to the live album "Smokin' in the Pit" in its entirety last night and it is what I would call "a keeper". Check out the personnel! Michael Brecker (arguably the best tenor player alive 1975 - 2007), and Steve Gadd, often placed on the list of "best drummers" on drums, Michael Mainiary on vibes, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Don Grolnick on piano.
The last 3 musicians are all excellent as well. All of them are superlative as soloists and there is great cohesiveness and "feel" among the band when playing as a whole.
I will be listening to them a lot more!
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@mahgister
This John Zorn CD I bought years ago and had mixed feelings about it and a few other Zorn CDs I purchased. It goes without saying that if you are having mixed feelings (or second thoughts) about an artist, you will stop spending your hard earned money on him/her.
Voodoo • Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet (spotify.com)
Fast forward to when I happily started using Spotify and could listen to an album before buying it and I can now explore Zorn freely and pick and choose songs I like. I just put together this John Zorn Book Of Angels playlist I titled John Zorn 1 BOA (book of angels). It comprises the first 8 BOA sessions in chapter "1". When time permits I plan to make 3 more chapters covering all of the BOA sessions to give a listen.
John Zorn 1 BOA - playlist by Paul Irishman | Spotify
I listened to BOA Vol. 1 in its entirety and it is by no means "chaotic noise" Some of the songs were quite enjoyable.
However if you like to use genres for music/artists I would not call Book of Angels Volume 1 "Astaroth" jazz.
I do not know what genre I would call it. Maybe abstract music? world music?
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@acman3
I picked up the self titled album when it came out in 1983. Great band. I have every album til Brecker's death.
Are you referring to the Brecker Brothers Band or Steps Ahead?
Breckers "debut" album was released more then a decade after his studio and live collaborations with "Steps" , his brother Randy and others. It was a great "debut" with backing musicians Pat Metheny, Kenny Kirkland, Charlie Haden, and Jack DeJohnette.
Original Rays - YouTube
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@acman3
Love all things Zorn. Very prolific, and most his stuff is not on streaming so you have to hunt it down and keep up. Very hard in these busy days.
I found all but 2 of the total of 32 "Book of Angels" sessions on Spotify. I found all of the Masada live sessions as well.
I dont love all things Zorn. Far from it. But I plan on listening to all of it and selecting individual songs to keep.
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@acman3 Been listening extensively to this playlist for over a week now. Michael Brecker’s brilliance on the tenor is on another level.
Steps Ahead - playlist by Paul Irishman | Spotify
Vibraphonist Mike Mainieri’s rhythm laying down extended grooves is something that I have never heard on this level before from Hutcherson, Jackson, Lionel Hampton or Gary Burton. (to be fair they played in a different context).
Mainieri broke in with Buddy Rich in the late 50s and I plan on listening to his earlier sessions. Here is a couple
With Rich
Caravan - YouTube
Mainieri’s debut album. At age 25, after making his bones with Rich, he already had his own unique style on the vibes.
Waltzin’ In and Out - YouTube
Bassist Eddie Gomez is also outstanding on the acoustic bass. On this Gomez album, Gomez’ Steps Ahead partners, drummer Steve Gadd and Michael Brecker back him, resulting in some excellent music.
Eddie Gomez,Michael Brecker,Steve Gadd,Masahiko Satoh play Puccini’s Walk from Mezgo 1985 - YouTube
Btw, fwiw Steps Ahead has only made one album without Brecker. They are joined by the WDR Big Band on this 2016 album titled "Steppin' Out"
Blue Montreux - YouTube
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@stuartk
Thanks for the Grolnick recommendations. I had already contemplated creating a Don Grolnick playlist on Spotify and after listening to your suggestions and "Smokin' in the Pit" by Steps Ahead (I believe Grolnick's only date with Steps) I have done so. Spotify did not have "Weaver of Dreams" but the complete album is on You Tube.
Grolnick was definitely a gifted musician and yet another struck down by cancer at a young age.
I have been listening to Steps Ahead and vibrophonist Mike Mainieri along with Michael Brecker exclusively but Grolnick will join that list as well.
Its interesting comparing the first 2 drummers in "Steps Ahead", Steve Gadd and Peter Erskine. Both are consensus picks on any list of "best drummers" but their styles/influences are different. Both ventured into other genres but were rooted the jazz tradition of drums (masterful use of the ride symbol in keeping time).
Listening to "The Complete London Concert" Grolnick album now
Intro Applause - YouTube
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@stuartk
Great example of Grolnick. Donald Fagen and Walter Brecker supposedly stated "Don Grolnick keyboard vamps so solid you could set your watch by them."
Took that quote from Wiki (noat always the best source).
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@frogman
Thanks for "checking in". I always appreciate your contributions. I know how much you like Michael Brecker, and I believe you once posted here on JFA that he is your favorite tenor post Coltrane/Rollins/Henderson.
I have been listening to Brecker so much lately and I am beginning to understand why you hold him in such high regard.
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@frogman
Thanks as always.
I have "Tales from the Hudson" on CD for a long time. It is the "unknown" Michael Brecker music that you post/posted here that I like.
Keep it coming please....
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Thanks froggy for that Jack Wilkens link. Never knew of him.
Ic Michael Brecker credits. I will be listening to that when I leave for Tennessee today.
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The 70s decade was the worst by far when it concerned jazz music/artists.
Michael Brecker was 21 in 1970 so I can see how people can look back on his first 10 years of preforming as pretty crappy. Especially jazz people (listeners and artists).
In contrast, even though the 80s was still a bad decade for jazz as a whole the jazz purists of old and the upcoming artists like the Marsalis brothers and Jeff "Tain" Watts, among many, were slowly getting back to the roots of swing and blues instead of funk and disco.
Even the great Sonny Rollins tried infusing "disco influenced grooves" into his 70s albums and they were pretty bad.
Jeff "Tain" Watts never released a "cheesy" album. The same can be said of the Marsalis brothers. Those 3 artists have some really great recordings with each other and with others. Look at this 1982 example of how the Marsalis brothers "made their bones"
Keystone 3 - Wikipedia
Jeff "Tain" Watts'1991 debut album, Megawatts, a trio, is one of my favorite trio sessions.
Megawatts 1991 featuring "Tain" with bassist Charles Fambrough and pianist Kenny Kirkland. Fambrough also played bass on the Art Blakey session I used as an example for the Marsalis brothers. This IMO, is what a straight ahead jazz trio that swings as a whole along with excellent comping and soloing sound like.
Black Nile - YouTube
Branford Marsalis 1986 album Royal Garden Blues
Branford Marsalis - Royal Garden Blues - YouTube
Wynton Marsalis 1983 album Think of One
Knozz-Moe-King - YouTube
An outstanding Jeff "Tain" Watts album with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, as well as altoist Kenny Garrett contributing. Watts composed "The Impaler" which he also played in a trio setting on his Megawatts album.
Jeff "Tain" Watts - The Impaler - YouTube
Trio version
The Impaler - YouTube
Michael Brecker has a great rendition of Watts' "The Impaler" on his 1998 album Two Blocks from The Edge but I cannot find it on You Tube but I found Brecker playing "The Impaler" with none other than John McLaughlin.
Michael Brecker with John McLaughlin - One Night in Monte Carlo - The Impaler - YouTube
One last addition (I could not resist!), Branford and Wynton Marsalis with Art Blakey playing live in 1981 at 7th Ave South, a jazz club owned by Michael and Randy Brecker.
@frogman Did you ever hang out at 7th Ave South?
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Listening to that Horace Silver bootleg now. Yes you can hear Coltrane's influence on Brecker's playing. Thanks for posting that!
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Breckers, Mike Manieri band, Steve Grossman, Woody Shaw, Mike Stern, Art Blakey with a very young Wynton Marsalis and my favorite show there, Joe Henderson.
All great artists. A young Wynton, Woody Shaw and Joe Henderson stand out. Did you ever catch Steps Ahead?
Btw I really like Branford Marsalis' Tenor playing. Not quite a virtuoso as Brecker but he was great at the post bop straight ahead jazz idiom. Have you heard his take on A Love Supreme? This is a favorite blu ray video of mine.
A Love Supreme, Pt. 1: Acknowledgement - YouTube
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Remember the non profit RIF (reading is fundamental) Organization. I remember the commercials on USA TV 50 years ago when I was 10.
The organizations mission was that all children should be able to read.
50 years later Home | RIF.org
Watching documentaries and music videos is ok but if you really want to learn about a particular person, place or thing reading is the best way. Read reviews first to make sure the author has done proper research using primary sources.
Schools still teach our children to read and write but at home this is not encouraged by the majority of households. By 10 years old most kids have a PC, smart phone and a TV in their bedrooms. I know a lot of adults that simply refuse to read.
I will continue with my book recommendations from time to time in the hope that maybe one of you will read at least one book about your favorite jazz artists.
Rant over.
Re; Michael Brecker Just listened to his Pilgrimage album. It truly is a masterpiece.
I just ordered this and I cant wait to "dive in"
Ode to a Tenor Titan: The Life and Times and Music of Michael Brecker: Milkowski, Bill: 9781493053766: Amazon.com: Books
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FWIW, the Hiromi Uehara concert last night at Sony Hall NYC was a success. Her new band really displayed a lot of telepathy and thoughtful improvisations.
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To Ravi Coltrane, the son of jazz legend John Coltrane, Brecker's ability to improvise effectively in a variety of styles had a lot to do with timing.
"Michael came out during a time when there were all these strands of music happening," Coltrane says. "Funk, rock and soul music — he found a way to make his sound work within all those genres."
Coltrane knew Brecker as a friend, as well as a major influence.
"I began studying the saxophone in the '80s, and there were a few modern-day saxophone players that most people focused on," Coltrane says. "For those followers of Michael, it demanded another caliber of focus and study."
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@frogman That Desmond/Hall duo is really good. And that "dry martini" tone will always be recognizable in just a few notes.
This Evans/Hall session gets repeated listening's in my desert island rotation. Great dialog here as well. Telepathy in motion.
My Funny Valentine - YouTube
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@curiousjim
I’m sure there’s better out there, but the 5’s are making me happy now
All that matters is that you are satisfied with the way they sound.
I have found that speakers and room placement and acoustical room treatments matter more then any other part in the audio system chain.
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@curiousjim Those KEF R5 look like great speakers. I noticed they have 2 rear firing ports.
Did they come with foam inserts to close one or both ports as/if needed. How far away from the wall do they sound best?
Just asking because rear firing ports sound better when not right against the wall.
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Excellent Miles Davis article about his terrific "comeback" performance at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival.
After the show, George Avakian, of Columbia Records, signed Davis to a huge contract. Avakian had to sit down with Bob Weinstock, of Prestige Records, who had already signed Davis to a recording contract. Davis still owed Weinstock and Prestige more recordings for the monetary advances they gave him.
In just 6 months, from May through October 1956 Miles and his first great quintet recorded enough material to complete his contractual obligations with Weinstock and Prestige. The material recorded was enough for 4 albums Cookin', Relaxin', Steamin', and workin'.
From 1951 through 1954 Miles was addicted to heroin and tried many times to quit before he was finally able to and then appeared at Newport. His muted trumpet playing, using less notes with more space in between notes, a style and tone he had already been using with great success for a decade, rewarded him with the lucrative Columbia contract.
The article also has a You Tube clip of the Newport concert.
Miles Davis, Newport 1955: the day of a sensational comeback | Jazz | The Guardian
IMHO, Davis' rendition of the Rodgers (composer/arranger) and Hart's (song writer) is the best instrumental recording of the piece. Miles' hauntingly, seductive, beautiful ballad playing is on full display and Red Garland's piano intro is simply beautiful...
Miles Davis Quintet - It Never Entered My Mind - YouTube
From 1956 onward, Miles' career and legacy, steadily grew into the "Legend of Miles Davis"
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@curiousjim
Replacement speakers are here and getting setup!
You are replacing the middle drivers (tweeter/midrange combo) on both speakers?
Either way I hope its a success let me know.
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The Miles Davis Quintet's first album for Columbia Records, Round About Midnight, sold more copies then all of his Prestige sessions combined!
The Sony 2001 24 bit remaster of Round About Midnight has really good sonics. I also have the 2005 Legacy Edition with bonus live tracks.
The sonics on the live tracks are as good as could be expected from live recordings in the 50s. Included is 1 track from the sensational 1955 Newport Jazz Concert, Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" and 6 tracks from the 1956 Pasadena Civic Auditorium including "It Never Entered My Mind"
Again, Red Garland's piano intro is as beautiful live as it is in the studio. All of the Prestige studio sessions Miles recorded have a "live sound" as the majority of them were recorded in 1 take which demonstrates the telepathy between the musicians.
It Never Entered My Mind (Live at Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, CA - February 1956) - YouTube
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@curiousjim
I'm happy that KEF fixed both of your speakers or gave you two brand new speakers (I'm still confused).
Enjoy your new speakers. I have never had the pleasure of listening to the KEF UNI Q tweeter/midrange driver but a couple guys over at the Audio Science Review forum (ASR) have pairs of the KEF LS50 bookshelf UNI-Q mid woofer/tweeter on speaker stands with a subwoofer and rave about this setup.
You have the towers so no sub needed. Enjoy!
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I was not aware @alexatpos that you switched over to SS gear until now. The "warmth" and "organic" adjectives are two of the most common "audio reproductive descriptions" used by tube gear lovers. These descriptions imply that the audio reproduction takes on a certain characteristic of what the particular tube gear being used is known for.
I have listened to tube gear and my ears recognized some of these characteristics. I think that most tube gear lovers enjoy these characteristics and there is nothing wrong with that. I also am aware of the hybrid tube amps (I would love to demo the newest Mcintosh pre amp/amp SS/tube hybrid). I think with tubes you have to spend a lot of money to get that ultra low noise floor with a neutral sound but I could be wrong.
Front Cover Jul19.indd (mcintoshlabs.com)
To me an amplifier should do just that- "amplify" leaving no "sound signature".
I also like to have a physical audio collection and I will always be old school like that. That is why in 2017 I purchased the best disc player in the world at its price point - the Oppo UDP 205. This player was used to test the Mcintosh tube gear in the above link.
I collect SACDs, DVD Audio, Blu ray audio, Blu ray and 4k UHD Blu ray movies.
And like you I love to read. And I have a very large physical library in my house. I save the books even after reading them.
I think you and I have been off topic a bit but nobody else was posting recently anyway (last 48 hours) except us two.
Back on topic. I am going to see the Charles Mingus Big Band tonight at Drom music venue on the lower east side of Manhattan. "Let My Children Hear Music"!!
Mingus Big Band Residency @ DROM — CHARLES MINGUS
My man Jeremy Pelt will lead the trumpet section and Alex Terrier is in the saxophone section.
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And here is another KD session I always recommend
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I like Dark Beauty as well
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@jdougs Thanks for the recommendation. Listening to the album now.
Here is a song and check out this cool audio set up
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Speaking of Spanish pianist's
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@curiousjim
I just started streaming right at two years ago. After I realizes that I have a wall of CD’s and vinyl I’m barely touching anymore and the price of a month on any of the streaming services is less than purchasing an album, I turned to the dark side
The "dark side" is a great thing as you can sample before spending on physical media, whether vinyl or digital.
I started using digital streaming 2 years ago as well. As you already know, being an ex CDL operator, we need music spending 8 - 12 hours per day in the rig.
Anyways Jim I have a suggested listen for you. It is based on your recent posts which indicate that you like piano trio sessions.
This is Geri Allen, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian recorded live at the Village Vanguard, NYC December 1990. There are two discs available. The most common is the first link which is an entire album.
The second disc is entitled "Unissued Tracks" and is, IMHO, as good or better than the more common release. I could not find on You Tube the complete Unissued Tracks but individual songs are there.
The entire 2 night concert was released on a the DIW Japanese label. Dont ask me why a NYC show was released on a foreign label. The one thing that upsets me is that the label should have issued the 2 separate discs as a 2 disc "Complete Villag Vanguard"
first track on the "Unissued Tracks"
Both are available on Spotify so the hi res streaming services should also have them.
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@stuartk Turrentine has always been one of my favorite tenors and Kenny Burrell belongs in any conversation of greatest jazz guitarist's just like @jafant Pat Martino.
Turrentine's Blue Hour and Burrell's Midnight Blue are both on my desert island list.
Two other Kenny Burrell albums that belong on any jazz aficionados "must have jazz guitarist's list's" are All Night Long and All Day Long. The title tracks of those two albums, All Night Long and All Day Long, clocking in at 17 plus minutes and 18 plus minutes, respectively, are alone worth it to buy physical copies of each.
As for Turrentine paired with Burrell I highly suggest Jubilee Shout and Hustlin'
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