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.
Showing 50 responses by rok2id
A song that used to belong to Billie Holiday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3C9L6VzOdY Been posted before, but you really can't get too much of this. Cheers |
Today's Mary Lou: Mary Lou Williams -- ZODIAC SUITE Recorded in 1945. Sound quality awesome. The notes give a short synopsis of the Zodiac signs, and the person she had in mind when she wrote each piece for that sign. Examples: Gemini -- Paul Robeson, Libra -- Art Tatum, Scorpio -- Imogene Coco Taurus -- Duke Ellington & Joe Louis etc..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXveXHcVsrI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDqngdGw7Dk Interesting Concept. Cheers |
*****I don't expect Mary Lou Williams music to affect everyone else, the same as it affects me.***** It might not, nor should it. Music is private. I just finished 'conducting' 'Bolero' and '1812'. At volume. I hope no one was watching. Glad you enjoyed Mary Lou. Her history is almost as compelling as her music. Gives "Against all odds" new meaning. Cheers |
Two of my favorite divas are Ella and Dee Dee. It's hard to find the same song from Nina and other folks. A lot of her songs were 'message' or protest songs. Dee Dee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sOygJsLDc4 Nina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCuu5fOEB3Y Ella: Nina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5q9YGj3hNw Cheers |
*****piano was her life, she didn’t just play piano.****** I get that, I just thought you were going to compare her performances to those of my favorite divas in some way. You know me, I want to know who won? I think it was Dee Dee and Ella in a blow out. But I do love Nina. She sings a lot of what I would call Folk music. And since she often sang about current events, some of her music can sound dated now. My favorite of hers is "New York goddam". Cheers |
Today's Mary Lou: Mary Lou Williams -- LIVE AT THE COOKERY Recorded 1975. Nice booklet with pictures and history. The notes point out that Mary Lou has lived through all the eras in the history of Jazz, and played the new music of each era. She has lived and played through 90% of the history of recorded Jazz. She makes Miles, Trane, Monk etc... seem like fly by night flashes in the pan. This is my favorite CD of the ones I have by Mary Lou. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SEL9r11fvg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=titcI_y8LVw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rez4rZ-Dnxc Cheers |
Nina Simone: All four, absolutely brilliant!!!! And all this time I thought Oscar Brown Jr owned "rags and Old Iron",. She took it to a new level. The 'Work Song' was almost like a lecture. Blackbird, with that bird flying was just awesome. Poignant. Her backing players are often times sparse, but always brilliant. Esp on rags and old iron. African Mailman was her just playing jazz piano. Great! Great Clips Cheers |
*****The Curtis Institute of Music highly values a diverse international student body. Since 1924, Curtis has welcomed all applicants regardless of race, geographic origin, religious background, socio-economic level, gender, or sexual orientation****** As pertains to 1924, this is a blatant lie! This statement would not be true OF ANY institution in this country in 1924. Cheers |
Helen Sung: Very nice. I noticed she was well integrated into the band. Is Wynton becoming the next Blakey?? As it happened, I was listening to this yesterday, from the CD "Handful of keys". On this CD he features pianists from age 13, Joey Alexander, all the way to 89 year old Dick Hyman. She played McCoy Tyner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN2K-iif7bY Cheers |
Today's Listen: Oscar Peterson -- EXCLUSIVELY FOR MY FRIENDS 4 CD set. Includes 6 complete albums. Excellent booklet and notes: "All songs are recorded in the private studio of Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, Villingen, Germany. Unfortunately the exact dates of the recording sessions are unknown." Like a handful of other players, Gene Harris comes to mind, Oscar is never boring or tedious. from volume 1: ray brown (b), ed thigpen (d) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k6RYYjhodk sam jones (b), bobby durham (d) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZn4kPR01HE sam jones (b), Louis Hayes (d) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAbt3RdYMh0 sam jones (b), bobby durham (d) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_2gxpB6GoM Cheers |
Today's Listen: Art Blakey / Jazz Messengers -- MOSAIC with addition of Curtis Fuller(tb), first time Messengers were a Sextet. Recorded 1961. Classic Blue Note cover art. composed by cedar walton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzfURZdmkx8 by curtis fuller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqI7KG1ERyQ by freddie hubbard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS9wQqFgR68 Cheers |
From the "Good Stuff" thread. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TWcRjmgkjU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQIg3lRN2Xw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4uPOBnbFnU Cheers |
Today's Listen: Miles Davis -- SKETCHES OF SPAIN Another collaboration with Gil Evans. Very informative and extensive notes that show these guys were full of themselves. Maybe they had a right to be. Classic cover art. by joaquin rodrigo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-FeHIYromw by manuel de falla https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h18jgWhjeVk by gil evans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjsblnOXD2E Cheers |
To former Air Force person: https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2213439/senate-confirms-brown-to-be-22nd-air-force-chief-of-staff-on-unanimous-vote/ Cheers |
Today's Listen: Gene Harris -- ANOTHER NIGHT IN LONDON Only 6 tracks, all standards, but they stretch out on each one. Gene is his usual brilliant self. However this recording illustrates the perils of touring Europe without your own group. The drummer and guitarist are ok, but the drummer must have thought, since I have all these cymbals, I should beat the hell out of them. Made some of the tunes almost unlistenable on my 'audiophile' HD 660s. Better on speakers. But they, the trio, all play too loud. The folks came to hear Gene!! Recorded at the 'Pizza Express' in London in 1996. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri9CFL37y5E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcG0wZuCTRE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsPeJVJb4V8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK5C6GkvmN8 Cheers |
Remember The Sabbath, and make a joyful noise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i1SyfXGCg4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_UHeHC8ikM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_rkAOpcWNE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCLcSolIhjU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE_YepI8PZA Amen |
our problems would be solved. When all this ends, and it will end. all the problems will remain. When I used to attend Officer Professional Development Courses in the Army, we would often get management experts from Corporate America to give us lectures. All said this at the very start of the course: The First Step In Problem Solving, is to "STATE THE PROBLEM". We can't even do that, so what chance do we have of solving anything. Cheers |
Questions to The Frogman: Just got this yesterday. Your thoughts / opinion on this performance. It was an epiphany for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbE8gFj6rZk Notes: "When we play Beethoven on original instruments we have the opportunity, perhaps even the duty, to rethink each work according to the written score, the known intentions of the composer and the DEMANDING PLAYING STYLE OF THE TIME." (what does this refer to?) Cheers |
Frogman, thanks for the response. Precise and Concise as always. I have been doing a lot of listening to Beethoven lately and have concluded that these conductors take a lot of liberties with the score. On the 4th movement by Norrington that I posted, everything seems pretty much normal, given the instruments and the smaller orchestra and choir, until, around 8:12 to 10:21 there is something magical there. Like hearing Beethoven for the first time. How it’s supposed to sound. Maybe it’s the bass drum. Also, at 11:23, the violins don’t create the same degree of tension as they do on other recordings. Anyway, as a real reviewer might say, the whole thing is glorious! I was in Germany when this was released and the reviewers went gaga. So all these years later, I have it. I owe much to Stereo Review. Tempo: I thought Gardiner was out there by himself, then I heard Gewandhausorchester-Chailly. Maybe these guys use tempo to satisfy their urge to improvise, or to put their personal stamp on a performance. Surely the score is marked. Period Instrument limitations: Was that more pronounced in the Brass family of instruments? Thanks again. Cheers Btw, I am on a roll. In addition to Norrington and Chailly, I received The Complete String Quartets - Alban Berg Quartet. Wow! |
Today's Listen: Nina Simone -- NINA SIMONE AND PIANO Compilation disc. Very very good. She can be very funny. I esp loved "everyone's gone to the moon". Unique voice and singer. Beautiful cover art. 14 tracks, all short and sweet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waxI8k0Hgk0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-BXkIZhsVo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbUdmjTYH40 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X785cPNf-3Q Cheers |
Jazz: Wynton and the Irish. It took me a while to respond, I was laughing so hard. New meaning to LMAO!!!! There was a time when this "jungle music" was solely the responsibility of black folks. It was all their fault, and PROVED they were inferior. Definitely their creation and plague upon our land. Then a curious thing happened, especially during and after WWl. The world discovered this music, thanks in large part to Lt. Jimmy Europe and his Army band, and fell in love with it. It was / is considered America’s ONLY contribution to music. OMG!!! What is we gon do now!!!! Meanwhile, back at ’powers that be’ HQ: Well boys, it’s back to the drawing board. They must have brought it with them. Yeah yeah that’s it. It’s African in origin. We all know music travels with skin color. That’s even in the Bible. That dog didn’t hunt. Now, it’s the Irish. Lawd, Lawd. and so on and so on You want to know what Wynton really thinks, watch the Ken Burn’s series, "JAZZ." Responsibility makes cowards of us all. And Wynton, has a ton of responsibility. Cheers Nice try Frogman. No Cigar. |
I know and trust that the Good Lord would not put more on me than he knew I could handle. Nothing was more inhumane than the atrocities that occurred in Vietnam.Where did you read that, in Pravda? You must have dropped out of history after the first page. If you take the time, you will notice I was speaking of combat losses in a war, not 'atrocities'. If you list the most horrendous 'atrocities' that man has inflicted on his fellow man, Vietnam does not even make the list. May I recommend the 1915 genocide against the Armenians by the Turks. Just as a starter. After that, try the Japanese occupation of Nanking. The Belgians in the Congo perhaps? I'm sure you get the drift. Cheers |
Today's Listen: J.J. Johnson -- THE EMINENT, VOLUME ONE with / Clifford Brown(trumpet), John Lewis(piano), Jimmy Heath(bass), Kenny Clarke(drums), J.J. Johnson(trombone). Nice Booklet, tells of Johnson's career progression. He would immediately seek employment elsewhere whenever the Jazz job market was in a slump. Serious family man. Once had the reputation of being a 'Mechanical' player. Blue Note, 1953. it could happen to you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOXg6ZfNabI get happy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQSs8G6iX4Y turnpike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOJ8Upt70aA sketch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnhB1lQYaok Cheers |
Today's Listen: Coleman Hawkins / Lester Young -- CLASSIC TENORS Slight amount of noise. Taken from 78rpm records. Recorded in 1943. That's 77 years ago folks. Classic indeed!! Just think of who was playing saxophone in 1943. Giants walked the land of Jazz. I started to indicate which player was playing on the different tunes, but I thought that would be an insult to a true Jazz Aficionado. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN_Q4QKjhX0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p80IS1H-Ruc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ImiLmxpZ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1O-zU5zvio Cheers oh well: 1&4 Hawk, 2&3 Prez. |
Back by Popular Demand: Listened to this today, through headphones, had to post it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIad7Q6M6uE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmDqIY-A7HI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWCvceUxwG4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zOlugtNz0k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkt2IvpWY1c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsjT2SyWemg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd1Y3I1_ci0 Cheers |