Which P. Martino album are you talking about?
Jazz for aficionados
Jazz for aficionados
I'm going to review records in my collection, and you'll be able to decide if they're worthy of your collection. These records are what I consider "must haves" for any jazz aficionado, and would be found in their collections. I wont review any record that's not on CD, nor will I review any record if the CD is markedly inferior. Fortunately, I only found 1 case where the CD was markedly inferior to the record.
Our first album is "Moanin" by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. We have Lee Morgan , trumpet; Benney Golson, tenor sax; Bobby Timmons, piano; Jymie merrit, bass; Art Blakey, drums.
The title tune "Moanin" is by Bobby Timmons, it conveys the emotion of the title like no other tune I've ever heard, even better than any words could ever convey. This music pictures a person whose down to his last nickel, and all he can do is "moan".
"Along Came Betty" is a tune by Benny Golson, it reminds me of a Betty I once knew. She was gorgeous with a jazzy personality, and she moved smooth and easy, just like this tune. Somebody find me a time machine! Maybe you knew a Betty.
While the rest of the music is just fine, those are my favorite tunes. Why don't you share your, "must have" jazz albums with us.
Enjoy the music.
I'm going to review records in my collection, and you'll be able to decide if they're worthy of your collection. These records are what I consider "must haves" for any jazz aficionado, and would be found in their collections. I wont review any record that's not on CD, nor will I review any record if the CD is markedly inferior. Fortunately, I only found 1 case where the CD was markedly inferior to the record.
Our first album is "Moanin" by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. We have Lee Morgan , trumpet; Benney Golson, tenor sax; Bobby Timmons, piano; Jymie merrit, bass; Art Blakey, drums.
The title tune "Moanin" is by Bobby Timmons, it conveys the emotion of the title like no other tune I've ever heard, even better than any words could ever convey. This music pictures a person whose down to his last nickel, and all he can do is "moan".
"Along Came Betty" is a tune by Benny Golson, it reminds me of a Betty I once knew. She was gorgeous with a jazzy personality, and she moved smooth and easy, just like this tune. Somebody find me a time machine! Maybe you knew a Betty.
While the rest of the music is just fine, those are my favorite tunes. Why don't you share your, "must have" jazz albums with us.
Enjoy the music.
Showing 50 responses by 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. Later on, I did return to the East Coast -- my wife and I lived in Maine for 9 wonderful years. I always miss the East come fall but I have no desire to deal with those winters, although the last two have been marked by more snow than I like here in the rural Sierra Foothills. |
I think you are right! His sense of rhythm was indeed impeccable and an aspect of his playing not so often mentioned. You've heard this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBi29nU-S-I&list=OLAK5uy_lrwp53TVjMLccwjjVqQH041aeOeDUu7B8
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I’ve lived in NY, Mexico, So Cal, Maine, Oregon and since 1998, Nor Cal. I’ve always wondered what it would like to stay in one place one’s entire life and whether that might impart a certain sense of rooted stability. I’ve known folks for which this seemed to be the case but no doubt, it depends upon the individual. We were in Guadalajara one year only, as I was viewed as a "problem student’ at The American School and was told not to return after 9th grade. My parents moved us to San Miguel de Allende, which at that time (1971) was much smaller and much less popular than it eventually became. I enjoyed living in both locales, although my school issues continued and I was sent to a private school in Sedona, during which time my family were victims of a home invasion, which prompted a return to the States. Upon graduating HS, I worked in restaurants, where my Spanish proved a valuable asset. I’ve only been back to Mexico once and on that trip was much more aware of the poverty than when I’d been an adolescent, which significantly affected my experience as a tourist. I still have opportunities to speak Spanish from time to time, although my fluency has greatly deteriorated. I never developed a taste for Tequila -- when I was a teenager down there I was more into drugs than alcohol. Sorry for the long-winded response! Yeah -- Tijuana Moods" is a good one! |
Sounds to me like you’ve made a wise career move. I was a bread baker for many years, which was very satisfying but like construction, hard on the body. I’m familiar with "Gatemouth" but not "Gator Tail".I will check out the links you've posted.
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Now here’s a potential treasure-trove -- a bunch of Bobby Hutcherson’s Blue Notes, all in one place on YouTube! It’s claimed to be "complete" but there are clearly titles missing. Still, there’s a lot to explore for anyone who hasn’t already had the pleasure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcsTckW6BnI&list=PLOhBqh2oUOMFLf3kOhj-ckr1oDszZJBPP |
@curiousjim , @pjw81563 I can’t help but wonder, as was the case with Emily Remler, whether "heart failure" was also a euphemism for drug OD in Leo’s case. |
What-- no love for Nick Brignola or Gary Smulyan??? 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.. For Bari, try "On a Different Level" and "Hidden Treasures" For DiMeola, "Rite of Strings" with Clarke and Ponty is terrific. I also favor his trio work with J McLaughlin and P de Lucia. The live ones are better known but the studio release which I believe is simply titled Guitar Trio is also very good. |
Hadn’t heard about his heart attack. Let’s hope this isn’t the end of his playing days. As you probably know, Brignola doesn’t only play Bari. However, on the session with Holland and DeJohnette Bari is the sole horn. This is also the case on "Flight of the Eagle". I agree re: the comparison between Connors and Johnny Mac. I recently picked up Connor's "Return". Have you heard it?
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Can you imagine a band with John McLaughlin and Larry Young? It was called Lifetime and the drummer was Tony Williams, who led the band... no issues of keeping up. Can you imagine a band with John McLaughlin and Jaco? It was called Trio of Doom and the drummer was, yes, Tony Williams...again no issues with keeping up! Can you imagine a band with Pharoah Sanders and Sonny Sharrock?! The drummer was none other than Elvin Jones... you know he didn't have any problems keeping up! The same could be said of The Mahavishnu Orchestra... Billy Cobham had things well under control. One of the highlights for me of seeing the Dave Holland Quintet was when everyone was soloing at once and I couldn't tell where the "one" was. I was always amazed by Billy Kilson -- no matter how rhythmically complex things got, he remained the calm at the center of the storm. Of course, Elvin was renowned for the same capacity. |
OK. Sophistication was a poor choice of words on my part as it’s hard to pin down. Let me try to say it another way. I enjoy cooked garlic, in moderate-to-generous amounts, as an enhancement to various dishes. I even like it raw, in tzatziki, for example. However, do not enjoy it raw, on its own. A platterful of raw garlic has little appeal, let alone an entire banquet table. All I hear from Brozman is an unending stream of raw garlic. BTW, the authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz adored this stuff. They admitted they weren’t sure it was Jazz; they called it "European Improvised Music" and left out Jazz artists to ensure there would be sufficient space for it and no doubt, to also ensure it would be known far and wide that they were among the hippest of the hip. I don’t believe in "formless art". Without form, there’s no content and chaos is no substitute for content. Others will, of course, disagree. |
Speaking of the Brecker brothers... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc2x_WEUUKo&list=PL3TNkr0VCexwBIVEzh6T6Aj6_7GM5gcXs
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I have no idea what to make of your latest links... or is this, perhaps, the idea? Are you playing the role of "Dylan" with me as "Mr. Jones" ??? I prefer "Blue Serge" but it’s my nature to compare and categorize. . . If you enjoy both, more power to you! How is your DiMeola exploration progressing? |
From Brozman to Tingvall -- quite a contrast! This is pleasant enough but there’s something a bit too smooth about it, for my taste. I know -- first I complain about too much dissonance; now, it’s too much consonance. What can I say? I'm finding it increasingly challenging to find music I really like, at this point.
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I can relate; there are many Jazz vocalists but like you, there are only a few that really move me. |
Another pairing of Grolnick and both Breckers -- Don Grolnick's "Weaver of Dreams" re-released as a 2 cd set with Grolnick's "Night Town" -- both excellent, showcasing Grolnick's distinctive writing executed by two killer bands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDSgV3F8WyI
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RE: drummers, it may well be a misapprehension, based on the limited examples I’ve heard but my impression has been that Gadd is a bit "flashier". I wonder if anyone in the audience at that L. Ronstadt show had any clue whatsoever re: what sort of player Grolnick was. Can you recommend some M. Brecker recordings that are in an all-acoustic, mainstream Jazz vein? |
The same could be said regarding poetry, dance or abstract art. This is not a culture that prioritizes the arts, unless it’s the "art of the deal". Fortunately for me, my parents appreciated art and music and did their best to nature such appreciation in their kids. But it’s best not to disclose such information, unless you want to risk being labelled an "elitist". Oh, and I don't understand it, either.
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That video confused me. In my experience, moving from a 150 watts @ 8 ohm Wells Majestic integrated to a 250 watts @ 8 ohm Hegel H390 impacted more than the system’s ability to play loud. In fact, when I first hooked up the Hegel, I was shocked, because my speakers sounded so much better. Unless one is restricting one’s choices to amps of varying power within the same product line of a single manufacturer, there will be differences between 10 amps of different brands with equal power ratings besides how loud/clean they play. Perhaps I’m simply too ignorant re: the physics involved to grasp the value of the experiment in the video in terms of real world application.
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What I’ve read consistently is that the H390 is warmer. This would disincline me from moving up but perhaps you’d find the 590 more appealing. Jay from Jay’s Inagi recently reviewed the H600 and described its tonality as midway between the 390 and 590. Whether or nor I utilize all the power on tap from the 390, its warmth (greater then both the 590 and those below it in the line) is not something I’d be willing to give up.I’d actually welcome warming up the system a bit more. I can’t afford to do this now but perhaps will be able to do so in the future. Thanks for your comments!
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I also heard him with Holland. He plays on the live Holland Octet’s "Pathways" which I personally prefer to the Holland Big Band recordings. My favorite Smulyan recording is this trio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDBa-33F7Ko Another bari release I like very much: |
You must be doing something right with your embedding!
I’m going to have to buy this! You mean in db’s ? Maybe others could answer this. I can’t. What I can say is, it depends upon the venue’s acoustics, where you’re seated, if the instruments are mic’d and if so, the band’s preferences re: volume. I attended quite a few performances at Yoshi’s from trios up to the Dave Holland Big Band and never had any problems. Yoshi’s has quite a high stage. The sound was consistently excellent. If the musicians are on a very low stage and you have concerns, all I can suggest is, don’t sit right in front of a horn player! If players are mic’d bring earplugs to be on the safe side. I once went to hear The Cookers and the volume drove me out of the venue! They were louder than Rock shows I’d attended! I asked the sound guy and he said it was what the band wanted. I can only assume they are going deaf. This was a disappointment as it was my second chance to hear Billy Harper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SZqOpzXd20
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Tastes differ. Why apologize? Not sure this qualifies as Jazz but there’s nothing to be gained through nitpicking. Personally, if I’m going to listen to the likes of "Ballad of a Thin Man", I’d rather listen to Dylan’s original version. Neither Dylan nor the vocalist on the Saft recording are "good" singers but I prefer Dylan’s "bad" singing. It seems to me, some songs are best left alone, as cover versions inevitably fall short. Having said that, I’m glad you’ve found another musician you enjoy ! |
I’m a big fan of Chick Corea’s acoustic and Fender Rhodes playing, but as is also the case with Herbie Hancock, I do not enjoy his synth recordings. It’s not Corea -- it’s the instrument, which I’ve never warmed to, overall. There are a few isolated exceptions. For example, Steve Winwood has on occasion, managed to coax a fairly musical ( to my ears) tone from a synth. I don’t care for heavily processed electric guitar, either, though. I want to be able to discern whether it’s a Tele, Les Paul, 335, strat, etc. Otherwise, why even use instruments? Just generate any tone you please with a computer and call it good. Sorry for the rant. If you enjoy synths, you have many more possibilities to explore. That’s a good thing! |
Can we broaden the scope a bit? Dexter Gordon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mQQ-tB9X38 Art Pepper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoN3s1KlXEo Al Cohn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrz5JcJxg08 Zoot Sims: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeYzisZJD4o Steve Grossman: |
How could I have forgotten Stan Getz? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZm3e37i1E8 Hammond cheese or Hammond eggs? ? ? |
Wow -- this is great!!!! Do you happen to know whether this group released any recordings?
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Check out F. Strozier on W. Shaw’s "Little Red’s Fantasy" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj14kiJPUp4
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Have you heard the recordings by the Three Sounds with Stanley Turrentine? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V8_-n_1AAI&list=PL0q2VleZJVEm9n_pGu3Wa2b7uZDkIMxk3
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You're familiar with this, right? : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylGjvwXV3HA&list=PLL-NbN8uTOihuoZ7cQZrMJagCaujqIaa-
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