Jazz for aficionados
I have previously referred to our contributor Jafant as “the Jazz crier”. He was first to simply name an artist. I always took it as simply an acknowledgment of an artist worth exploring, or possibly an artist who is on his play list at the moment. Kind of an even more minimalist version of my own Jazz birthdays postings. Speaking of which: Happy birthday Wardell Gray!
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From your list, one of my favorite tunes: https://youtu.be/AXlsjVS6AoU https://youtu.be/WcWbTrirHsg https://youtu.be/MoBHTW54iU4 |
I’ll be more blunt, the comment is absurd. Joe Pass was one of the greatest Jazz guitarists that ever lived; some would say the greatest. **** Joe Pass is alright, though he can’t really play, technically speaking. His ’voice’ lacks depth as well. **** inna, you can’t be serious. I have to believe the comment was made for effect; an unfortunate example of the politics of Internet forums? Or, does it show a complete lack of understanding of this music. You posted this a while back. Is this your idea of “depth”? https://youtu.be/ZKbPPuaHnxw |
Inna, right back at you. If the first couple of clips are unbearable 😱, do check out the last, at least. Enjoy (?): https://youtu.be/PM1cTxXy6Qo Oscar clearly doesn’t know what he is talking about 😊: https://youtu.be/p_kUJa1PueM https://youtu.be/yEu0ULY21UI You like speed: https://youtu.be/Q30bdy5b5-c |
Inna, thanks for the Gilmore clip. I don’t dislike David Gilmore. Not sure what it has to do with the subject of Jazz guitar, but thanks. For me, a moderately interesting Rock singer/songwriter/guitarist. As a songwriter/singer he is no Joni Mitchell 😊. Obviously, we all have different tastes, but seriously, there is a huge difference between saying one doesn’t like a style of playing and saying “he can’t play”. I think it’s important to separate the two things before making grand statements like that which can easily be disputed by objective (yes, objective) criteria which define a music. Anyway, your comment: **** Others think differently **** I’ll play. A quick search: https://www.theguitarjournal.com/top-5-acoustic-guitar-jazz-albums/ https://guitarsexchange.com/en/psych-out/416/jazz-the-best-guitarists/ https://jazzfuel.com/best-jazz-guitarists-of-all-time/ http://www.aaamusic.co.uk/2019/11/16/5-best-jazz-guitarists-of-all-time/ https://www.roadiemusic.com/blog/top-10-jazz-guitarists/ https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-jazz-guitarists-of-all-time/ranker-music https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/best-jazz-guitarists/amp/ https://www.somuchguitar.com/top-jazz-guitarists.html https://www.westword.com/music/the-ten-best-jazz-guitarists-of-all-time/ (Oh, and if I’m not mistaken, more Downbeat Reader’s Poll, “Best” rankings than any other. Not absolutely sure about that, but definitely not far behind.) Now, find one, ONE, comment by anyone (besides, Inna 😊) anywhere, claiming that Joe Pass “can’t play”; or, even that he was not one of the best. All in good fun, of course, no need for more of a pi&&ing contest than it already is. Cheers. |
Hey, speaking of bean (“Bean”). I meant to post this last night, before being “distracted” by Inna 😊. Another favorite tune from Marija’s soundtrack list. It is often said, and for good reason, that Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” was in many ways a game changer in not only what was possible on the tenor saxophone, but also the overall scheme of Jazz improvisation. Rewind a couple of decades and this recording of “Body and Soul” by Coleman Hawkins (“Bean”) was a game changer in the way players improvised; and it laid the groundwork for the harmonic complexity and less linear approach which would go on to morph Swing into Bebop. Classic recording: https://youtu.be/zUFg6HvljDE |
Great movie, Alex and one of the few times I have enjoyed Sean Penn. Thanks for the reminder. A little history: ”Sweet and Lowdown”, the tune, by the great George Gershwin, one of the most important American composers. We tend to forget what a huge influence George Gershwin was in the history of Jazz. He composed so many tunes that helped shape the music early in the 20th century; and, so many that became Jazz standards and are still played today. Many of Gershwin’s compositions were written for, or commissioned by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. May seem hard to believe that this orchestra was a major force in the evolution of Jazz as we know it today, but it was. (As an aside, I’m always amazed just how real, in their way, these old 78 rpm recordings sound, as opposed to the more “modern”, hyped “audiophile” sound that we have all become accustomed to. We can still hear every instrument and in a very musically natural way; they sound more like an ensemble and less like individual players. Imagine yourself standing near the back of a club or dance hall full of patrons and hearing this) : https://youtu.be/sGfbWcrHJ3E Think the historical stuff above seems far fetched? Duke Ellington, the same year, 1925: https://youtu.be/QguHGe5acQI https://youtu.be/E5g8IBsx8t4 |
Ghosthouse, your link doesn’t work for me. Please repost, I’d love to hear it. Just taking a guess here. “The Man I Live” is one of Gershwin’s most beautiful tunes. Is the link Herbie talking about his gorgeous record “Gershwin’s World”? If so, the singer would be none other than Joni Mitchell sounding awesome and much more “mature” than on her earlier, more folksy stuff. Like I said in my recent post about her, “More of a Jazz singer than many claiming the title” (or something like that). Thanks. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kaIbrPndteynw7ZmIVD0apUmgVYf2Xqi4 |
Talk about underappreciated! My favorite flugelhorn player: https://youtu.be/HaEF6xfijL0 https://youtu.be/bwZiJAFWWfw https://youtu.be/5wKLBLgkSBk |
Wonderful Larry Young clips, mahgister, thank you. Probably my favorite Jazz organist and certainly the most under recognized. I suppose it was difficult to be in the shadow of the likes of Jimmy Smith, Groove Holmes and others who were traditionalists on the Hammond B3. Young was a modernist and the first organist to embrace the modal improvisation approach, with John Coltrane being a main influence and the reason for the title of the posted tune “Talkin’ About J.C.”. Wonderful player and very soulful as you point out. I have posted this at least a couple of times previously. It is one of my favorite records and a real sleeper which seems to stay under the radar. Amazing lineup: https://youtu.be/aB1H4dJVvvk https://youtu.be/M0Q7BM0_oLE https://youtu.be/rZC7mEzczEI |
May seem counter intuitive, but years ago when I would go to audio shows, I would also bring along (to the befuddlement of some) recordings of great music performances with less than great sound instead of records with “audiophile” sound. If THOSE records sounded better and I would hear new insights into the music, that’s when I knew I was on to something. Sonny Rollins’ “A Night at the Village Vanguard” (mono) was one. Hope the cables work out for you and let us know. |
Today is a triple birthday celebration. Three of my favorite Jazz artists. Two, well established as two of the greats and one still gaining the deserved recognition. Each, representative of a different era in the music. All three, sadly gone. https://youtu.be/9NTgmGy-wXA https://youtu.be/IQlehVpcAes https://youtu.be/CZXGL5d9dBs |
Al Hirt?!!! But, what about those funky glasses? 😊 OK........ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0q2VleZJVElZiXuwHka3uCm94qHZsmaA And, of course, from my very first post on this thread, one my favorite trumpet solos in recorded Jazz: https://youtu.be/RbaGDDbpcQ4 Bob Berg: Hero to the NYC based tenor players of the post-Coltrane generation. In many ways always in the shadow of the great Michael Brecker. While not quite the unbelievable virtuoso that Brecker was, he was arguably the more musically interesting player. Very passionate player. Alumnus of one of Miles’ last bands, Cedar Walton, Horace Silver, Steps, and others. Tragic death in an auto accident at age 51. https://youtu.be/H7MB3n0SZrM https://youtu.be/s6sb6h5a7-I https://youtu.be/gAl_O4Qvn0A https://youtu.be/QmJoqq6f_KQ |
Speaking of P.T. Barnum and cabl...I mean, car tires: Got a 2020 Subaru Outback Onyx eighteen months ago. Needed something for the brutal snow and ice we get on rough roads in upstate NY. Did OK two winters ago with the stock all-season tires; I was a little underwhelmed given the rep. This Winter I put good snow tires on it. Unbelievable difference. Goes through anything. It’s a beast! .......I swear the tires did even better after a few miles of “break in” 😊 |
Good stuff, Keegiam. Rewind about a decade (!) from Big Joe Turner’s “Shake Rattle and Roll”. The roots of R&R go even further back. 1945!: https://youtu.be/5LxmxVFoyOc https://youtu.be/HnyB0a8G71Y https://youtu.be/m4KemW-YzcI https://youtu.be/F3sMB4ciIYU |
Keegiam, I did catch the Berg interview. In fact, I had written a response with clips and the iPad gremlins struck again. It lost it before posting. Let me try again. Great interview. One of the striking things about it for me was his comments showing how wide and varied his tastes in music are. Most musicians don’t dwell much on what genre the music is and more on the ways that all genres are intertwined. Berg loved Barton’s harmonic language and Sinatra’s phrasing. Thanks for the clip. Another great tenor player and who was the father of the post-Coltrane style of tenor playing that would influence players like Berg was Steve Grossman. Played with Miles at age 18 (!) and had a troubled personal life with a career long drug addiction. He spent many years in Europe and his records seem to stay under the radar. His sound a lot changed over the years, going from a Trane inspired sound to a softer more traditional one. It wasn’t as fully developed a sound as Berg’s, but had ideas that were, arguably, even more interesting than Berg’s. https://youtu.be/IVDy5lxKrWU https://youtu.be/wLZoVnRXxuY https://youtu.be/0UzpG_7fAAY https://youtu.be/-RpPr08P5Dg https://youtu.be/K3wE7KrNXAc |
Great stuff acman3, thanks. Keegiam, thanks, but no need to compare. I have been exposed to a lot of great stuff and learn a lot from you guys/lady. As in acman3’s clips, Elvin Jones’ was one of my favorite piano-less bands. Not too many horn players that can play credibly without a harmony instrument behind them. One more with both Grossman and the great Dave Liebman. With piano this time, but one of my favorite Elvin Jones records from that era. Liebman on soprano and Grossman on tenor: https://youtu.be/fZ8UY6pJe38 Grossman on tenor (no piano): https://youtu.be/sVK0hjDopXU Liebman on tenor (no piano): https://youtu.be/D4Y3x7SeRKo Astounding soprano playing by Liebman. Wayne Shorter, not too shabby either 😊: https://youtu.be/SEDeROOFGok |
Funny thing is that I don’t seem to have any indication of what is for Premium Members and what’s not. Let’s try this one. Same tune different version (quite a bit slower): https://youtu.be/sbRLV3XEsAk Different version still, faster tempo: https://youtu.be/XlHgkieoR90 |
Beautiful versions all, of this most beautiful song. Thanks! https://youtu.be/AyLQGDIrGcI Still, there’s something about young Judy Garland’s...... https://youtu.be/PSZxmZmBfnU |
Birthday celebration time! Today is the birthday of two of the giants of Jazz. Not much that hasn’t been posted here by or about Charles Mingus and Paul Chambers. A lesser known player celebrating a birthday today and one who hasn’t gotten much attention here is the great West Coast tenor player Don Menza. One of the great tenor sounds, IMO; very distinctive and soulful: https://youtu.be/c1M64tqocVw https://youtu.be/LZ8ExNe8hKA https://youtu.be/0IRnST0tP7M https://youtu.be/olTWsbUdpyY https://youtu.be/LGVMu2n6eZM Anyone unfamiliar with the name Don Menza may be surprised to learn that his great tenor sound is not totally unfamiliar 😉: https://youtu.be/Q0RutCQ4oQk |
+1 pjw. Great Monk, Rok. New to me, “Plus Two” goes on the shopping list. **** When you first hear the Saxophone, you know it's Monk. How can that be? **** It’s called genius. Not to take anything away from Charlie Rouse’s own genius, but some band leaders have such a powerful musical identity that a great sideman can get pulled into that leader’s “zone” to such a degree that his playing reflects the leader’s personality. Charlie Rouse’s tone and approach with Monk has always been a great extension of Monk’s quirky style. A while back I posted some of his stuff as a leader and it showed a different, but equally great, sound and style. Btw, while I’ve always liked Harold Land’s playing, I can’t say he has ever been a favorite. This is probably the best I’ve heard Land sound. Another testament to Monk’s genius? Notice how incredibly together and tight Monk and Rouse are playing this typically Monkish disjointed and obtuse melody. Very hard to do and not heard too often: https://youtu.be/qweSlfP6BtI |
Very nice, acman3. More than one way to skin a c...tune! Love the way this guy plays the guitar. Definition of “fluid”: https://youtu.be/Ql_bHgaQQZE https://youtu.be/9NovCFNXayc https://youtu.be/tES_nKjmvlQ https://youtu.be/xtC04SIMQZc |
I just realized that I posted the wrong “Oleo” clip; its incomplete. Here’s the complete: https://youtu.be/O4csj7s1uOI |
“over four decades ago”!!!! I’m showing my age ☺️. I was fresh out of HS when I went to see Dexter for the first time at the suggestion of a saxophone teacher that I had at the time. I didn’t quite understand the significance of those performances at the time and it wasn’t until years later that I bought and listened to the “Homecoming” recording made from those dates. That recording was made over a couple of days at The Vanguard. The personnel when I was there was as the record states: Dexter, Shaw, Ronnie Mathews, Stanford James and Louis Hayes. I heard Dexter twice more at The Vanguard a few years later. These times it was just a quarter; no Shaw, George Cables, Eddie Gladden and I’m blanking on who the bass player was. |
Spell checker strikes again! That should have read Stafford, not “Stanford” James. Btw, funny how the mind works, yesterday I couldn’t remember who the bass player was with Dexter and when I woke up this morning one of the first things I thought of was “Rufus Reid, that’s it!” 😊 More Dexter with Stafford James:
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Keegiam, that is one of my wife’s favorite songs (for reasons a little personal). Great song! The song was written by Hebb for the memory of his brother who died tragically. Hebb was born in Nashville to musician parents. My wife is a big country music fan and she follows most things Nashville. The Nashville music scene is much more than just Country music. During a visit there a few years ago to see a friend, she was scouring some bins in a record store and she came across this record. It was Hebb’s last recording after a 30+ year hiatus from recording. I was surprised to find it on the Tube. Great clip, btw; thanks. Ron Carter on electric bass! And yes, very nice guitar playing by Hebb. https://youtu.be/MbphsUWC7rw https://youtu.be/qvTMDN3MdPc |
Many would say that it, Jazz as we know it today, really all began with Satchmo. pryso, what I wouldn’t give to have heard and seen Satchmo live. Lucky you! Great clip! mahgister, and they both also sang…interesting (and so did Teagarden). On a related note (😉) many Jazz instrumentalists make a point of learning the lyrics to a song before playing it as an instrumental. Speaking of Dexter, he was one of the very best examples of this approach to a tune. He would often begin a live performance of a tune by reciting part of the lyrics:
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