Jazz for aficionados
This is as deep in the pocket jazz as you can get; if it was cognac, it would be "Courvoisier XO" or Hennessy Master Blender's Selection No. 3. That's what jazz Connoisseurs sip when auditioning 5 star jazz on their 5 star rigs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e8KCXVWeeU&list=RD-e8KCXVWeeU&start_radio=1 However; if your fresh out of Courvoisier, and you only got a 1 star rig, this will still sound boss. |
Here is where Mr. PC has to strut his best stuff because this is Oscar Pettifords jam; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcfRksYtwew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5EwGijmqKc |
To make a living, Eunice Waymon changed her name to "Nina Simone". The change related to her need to disguise herself from family members, having chosen to play "the devil's music" or "cocktail piano" at a nightclub in Atlantic City. She was told in the nightclub that she would have to sing to her own accompaniment, which effectively launched her career as a jazz vocalist. Nina Simone's early albums gave us two for one; we are getting an accomplished jazz pianist plus a unique female vocalist. Since it was singing that payed the bills, I'm not sure she maintained her pianist skills to the end; Frogman, the professional musician will have to answer that question. I recognized her skill as a jazz pianist from the beginning; while I have these works on CD, I'm not sure you can get them on vinyl because they're primarily the early albums. "Nina at Newport" is one of them; besides the vocals like "Porgy", you get instrumentals like "Flo Me La" and "Nina's Blues" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24XaKqEeGk4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeMfDflHM1E |
Can you imagine, Milt Hinton, Herbie Mann, Kai winding & J. J. Johnson as side men backing up a female vocalist? That's when you can count on me to listen intently to the music; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8eP6WG0aDY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmj-856HCGU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_karS6dakeA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM30-bScuvA |
I didn't mean her piano throughout her career, but in the beginning when in her mind, she was more of a pianist than a vocalist. After it was determined that the piano alone would not pay the bills, it wasn't necessary to play at the same level she had worked so hard to attain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHeIASIwBp0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDrCbfuu5Tk Her piano style is so unique, that I never compare it to any other pianists, but consider it a treasure for my ears alone. |
"nor the piano skills of Evans, Kelly, Barron, Wyands, or many other great piano players. To be honest you probably made a valid observation that I never did." She would have to be exclusively a pianist to make the comparison you made because there is so little where she focused exclusively on the piano. Although the judgement I made is 100% subjective, and it is minute compared to someone who is exclusively a pianist, I listen intently and treasure it. |
Eunice Waymon was hired at a cocktail lounge to play the piano; when she was told she had to sing for her supper, she became "Nina Simone"; she never had any intention of becoming a vocalist. Pryso, and Frogman, your evaluations, and comparisons are quite valid in regard to Nina, and the other jazz divas; she might even agree. |
Rok, cruising the boulevards late at night in the new "deuce"; 24 years old; this was my theme song; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfJRX-8SXOs |
Frogman, you are a professional musician, and you have exhibited your knowledge of music, time, and time again, but you are not a "Connoisseur" of the very best jazz; that requires taste comparable to the best wine stewards. When Nina Simone goes deep into her piano bag, she is no longer Nina Simone; she is Eunice Waymon, the girl who spent her entire life training to become a classical pianist. Only the most knowledgeable aficionados can hear this. I have presented to you, Frogman, the jazz epicureans piano delight, although you may not appreciate it; such is life. Maybe if you start at my first presentation, and listen to them as being that of the pianist Eunice Waymon, you can appreciate them more. It's only when you separate Nina Simone from Eunice Waymon, can you truly appreciate her piano. |
Out of all of the many years that I've lived, there are only "moments" that make it all worthwhile, and I wish I could live in a cycle that would repeat those moments over and over; moments trapped in time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP6mX_HtgGI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbaGDDbpcQ4 |
Frogman, I direct things at you because you are a professional musician, and the top aficionado beside myself. Who is the top aficionado is based on who has recommended the "best" jazz over a period of 3 years. Of course that has to be confirmed by others, and it has been; it's in the records; this is not a popularity contest. |
Eunice Waymon spent her entire life practicing and studying to become a concert pianist. She was playing at a bar in order to earn money for classical piano lessons when she was told she had to sing. I can hear all those hours she spent practicing and studying, but you can not. Time, time and again you have demonstrated your tin ear, which all the knowledge in the world or your clever use of the English language will compensate for. Forget Nina Simone, why don't you read about "Eunice Waymon" and tell me specifically which jazz pianists studied, or practiced harder; that would be responding to a specific question which you can not do, not even if it would save your life. |
When one is rolling in the mud it's difficult to tell who the low life is. Nothing in your post pertains to the subject of Nina Simone's piano playing. I stated "fake snobery" because it was an attempt at humor, but in the future you can count on me not addressing you in any form or fashion, since that is the kind of response it gets, and your bs is much older than anything I could throw down. I didn't intend to get this muddy, but s--- happens. |
At times like these, we need to recall all the precious moments we can ever remember. mine are depicted in songs, and "speak Low" is one of them; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DGY3MGwqls That version captures the perfect Summer day. |
This song is about either "instant seduction" or love at first sight; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyp1yvSBq5I&list=RDiyp1yvSBq5I&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Qt3Y7IxsM&list=RDiyp1yvSBq5I&index=2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC8FY-PSlZk&list=RDiyp1yvSBq5I&index=3 Moments in time too unforgettable for words, moments that one wishes could be trapped in a time capsule to be relived when desired. |
"This is not say that I think she is a fantastic piano player in absolute terms. I don’t; as evidenced in part by the fact that we don’t find recordings (any?) by other artists with Simone on piano. She was the perfect piano player FOR HER music. Conversely, many great jazz piano players are not necessarily great accompanists to singers. It is a specific skill." That is the most stupid, ludicrous, and ridiculous statement that has ever been made on this thread. When I read it, it raised my blood pressure 10 points, which is the only reason I responded. "We don't find recordings by other artists with Simone on piano"; talking about brain out to lunch............ |
Acman, I can't thank you enough for introducing me to "Lisa Simone". The most fortunate thing about that link you presented, was the fact that it gave me the opportunity to see Lisa Simone several times without changing anything. What impressed me most was her "naturalness"; she made no effort to sound like anybody else but "Lisa Simone". Her bio says she served in the United States Air Force as an engineering assistant; that's a most admiral beginning. After that she became an actress, she was in St. Louis at The Muny in the Summer of 2006 as "Aida". The opening of "The Muny" was an event I looked forward to when I lived in the city. Lisa Simone is a natural vocalist with a unique individuality that will take her far; other than the name, there is no similarity between her style and her mothers; Lisa Simone is her own woman with a lot of spirit, her vocals was just what I needed to hear, and her inner confidence is just what she needs to succeed. It takes a lot of confidence to sing with these three woman and hold your own; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R_Qk1AN5S4 Lisa Simone, Lizz Wright, Dianne Reeves, and Angelique Kidjo; four woman not afraid to display their femininity. "Sweet Thang" was my favorite lady, as sung by Lisa Simone. I had to play that one twice. The second time around I heard Lizz Wright like I had never heard her before; her voice is dripping with dark chocalate; I've got to get more. In my last post about Nina Simone, I only focused on her piano; this song encompasses the raw power of "Nina Simone", I could feel her spirit as I listened. |
I don't have as many of Grover's albums as I thought I had, but these are the one's that I have;"Inner City Blues"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1_tkTYAHhE "A Secret Place" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmap1RBNhAs "Winelight" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPH1IuMtFGc Plus a few more; all of this music sounds good to me; especially "Just the Two Of Us" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOuI4OqJfQc |
This music and dance exudes "sensuality"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btGWCEOtaiU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVpfwZ4iGa8 |
"Skyscraper", what a moniker; I like it. You could have picked your list from out of my collection, and I mean the original records from about the time of their release; except for Bird and Lady Day, and Duke of course; I was too young. But I bought "Something Else" in 59; it was the hottest piece of wax available at that time. "Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster" came out at about the same time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMT8-9jiUW8 Gato, "Third World" is from early Gato which is my favorite period. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD3nK8700NA "Charley Parker on Dial", exists in some form on compilations in my collection, but not that specific record. Many people don't realize that "Bird" is several different musicians rolled into one; he can sound so different from one record to another that it's like hearing another extremely talented musician. John McLaughlin; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSh0nmretso Lady Day; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Web007rzSOI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUMuDWDVd20 Too cool for words; Alice and John. Welcome to the thread. |
Rok, I think you have this spectacular CD by Dinah Washington; it's "Dinah Jams" I've told this story so many times that you would think that I actually saw Dinah perform, but I was a teenager and too young to go to nightclubs at that time; never the less, just being in the vicinity of "The Queen" is something worth recalling, especially now. I was walking down Cottage Grove on the South Side one afternoon, when I saw a crowd of people around an automobile. This was in 56, and no one had ever seen this particular model of automobile. It just happened to be Dinah Washington's car, but even if it had been my car, people would have still been crowded around it, the car was just that out of sight; a new Lincoln Continental Mark with the built in spare on the trunk; it was the most expensive US automobile made at that time. The car was parked in front of the Pershing Lounge, where Ahmad Jamal led the house band, and she probably just stopped in with friends for a cocktail, or maybe was conducting business with the management, who knows? When you add all of those things together, you can see just how fantastic that moment was, and well worth recalling now that I'm listening to a new record by Dinah. It's so unfortunate that she died from a pill reaction, not a pill overdose, when her chaotic life had finally settled down to perfection; she was with her last husband who was also her perfect mate when death struck. As Fats Waller said, "One never knows, do one? |
Schubert and Mary J; my favorite love song, by just about any body; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyp1yvSBq5I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdVZq20QAYc |
Thank you mary_jo for the kind thought. Unfortunately, my responses will be intermittent for reasons that you are aware of, that need no discussion. Art Pepper's book made him more than just another jazz musician, he is a person who we feel that we know. That is the most beautiful tune I have ever heard by Art; those notes have so much romanticism, they convey the intensity of a new love affair. |
Schubert it's good to talk to old friends; I'm glad to see you up and about. Acman has introduced me to the only new artists that I like, and although Mary J. heard this before, it might be new to you. Lisa Simone is new to me; while she's Nina Simone's daughter, she is her own person; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xbUx44mKpA&start_radio=1&list=RD5xbUx44mKpA&t=0 |
Dakota Staton was really hot in St. Louis when she was performing. I don't know but I would hope she was that hot in other places too. With George Shearing; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpY_d7_mUaQ |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxbaEOEqUQ0 Lyrics for Invitation sung by Dinah Washington https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyp1yvSBq5I You and your smile Hold a strange invitation Somehow it seems We've shared our dreams But where? Time after time In a room full of strangers Out of the blue Suddenly you are there Wherever I go You're the glow of temptation Glancing my way In the gray of the dawn And always your eyes Smile that strange invitation When you are gone Where oh, where have you gone? How long must I stay In a world of illusion? Be where you are So near yet so far apart Hoping you'll say With a warm invitation Where have you been? Darling, come in into my heart Wherever I go You're the glow of temptation Glancing my way In the gray of the dawn And always your eyes Smile that strange invitation When you are gone Where oh, where have you gone? How long must I stay In a world of illusion? Be where you are So near yet so far apart Hoping you'll say With a warm invitation Where have you been? Darling, come in into my heart Without a doubt, Dinah Washington sings the best version of this song. While others may have more beautiful voices, this song is about mystery and "drama", which Dinah's voice adds. Picture yourself in a lounge, alone in a roomful of strangers, and there is a striking lady about four stools down, wearing a big black floppy hat that adds to her mystery. You glance at her to confirm her aura. Then you catch her glancing at you. Shortly after that, she leaves; leaving you with her aura, and the desire to see her again. A week later, you are in the same lounge, on the same bar stool, and again she's about four or five bar stools down; this time the big floppy hat is straw. Sneaky guy that you are, you decide to get a good look at her in the mirror behind the bar; low and behold, that's where your eyes meet, and she smiles, the hide and peak game is over. There is no doubt in my mind that Dinah actually lived this scene by the way she sings the song, plus the fact that she lived life with all the zest a nice lady could manage. Mary J., I don't know how to recreate this scene for you, other than to make you the striking lady wearing the big black floppy hat. |
Diane Schuur is an artist that I don't think we've covered; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6DwEGPuyBs This is another one of my favorite songs; there are so many beautiful versions, I like them all; this is my favorite instrumental version; I think, but you may come up with something better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2_dTssW_eU The songs that get recorded the most have a life of their own, and "Speak low" is such a song; let us examine the lyrics; Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief Speak low when you speak love Our summer's day withers away too soon, too soon Speak low when you speak love Our moment is swift like ships adrift Swept apart too soon Speak low, darling speak low Love is a spark, lost in the dark too soon, too soon I feel wherever I go that tomorrow is near Tomorrow is here and always too soon Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief We're late, darling, we're late The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon I wait, oh darling, I wait Will you speak low to me, Speak love to me And soon Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief We're late, darling, we're late The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon I wait, darling, I wait Will you speak low to me, Speak love to me And soon And soon Speak low, speak low Speak low, speak low That is life; "Love is pure gold and time is a thief"; don't waste it. "The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon"; no matter how long it lasts, the curtain descends, and everything ends too soon. I cherish all the songs that played as the background to the movie of my life. |
Neither one of those versions are as good as this; even though Kurt Weill wrote it, he should never try to sing it in public; his version is totally out to lunch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiIb0TZbLOg let me post the words again; Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief Speak low when you speak love Our summer's day withers away too soon, too soon Speak low when you speak love Our moment is swift like ships adrift Swept apart too soon Speak low, darling speak low Love is a spark, lost in the dark too soon, too soon I feel wherever I go that tomorrow is near Tomorrow is here and always too soon Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief We're late, darling, we're late The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon I wait, oh darling, I wait Will you speak low to me, Speak love to me And soon Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief We're late, darling, we're late The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon I wait, darling, I wait Will you speak low to me, Speak love to me And soon And soon Speak low, speak low Speak low, speak low That is life; "Love is pure gold and time is a thief"; no time to waste. "The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon"; no matter how long it lasts, the curtain descends, and everything ends too soon. The song itself speaks of "urgency"; the race against time. Carmen projects that urgency, while Ella's beautiful voice projects "romanticism"; this song is more about desperation to beat the clock; not a minute to waste, lets get it on and keep it going on until the curtain descends and everything ends. This is the rare case where the instrumental wins; the urgency in the words are best projected by Sonny Clark and crew; plus the couple listening to the music who know the words and understand the urgency of the situation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDd_0FuenDc |
mary_jo, Rok posted a number of fantastic women in jazz; I'll try and recall them. I brought up a lady jazz pianist that we discussed at length; her name was Mary Lou Williams, and what made her so unusual was how she changed with the times. I thought she predated the music I was into, and didn't bother to investigate; was I ever wrong; Rok agreed. What we need is your evaluation; that's the one that counts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X4r5ZioIBw I find her interpretations unusual; take "It Ain't Necessarily So"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20kDIh3q928 |
No frogman,it is you who missed the point; Kurt Weils couldn't sing if his life depended on it, he should stick to writing. Of course we know Ella can sing, but in my opinion, that song, according to the words should convey the urgent desperation to out race time and the descending curtain; it should convey passion and the need to fill available time with wild romance and love; which Carmen's does; while Ella's conveys beauty; beauty is not a substitute for passion. All the words to that song convey love, passion, and time; "time is a thief"; the curtain will descend, and everything ends, all too soon. Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief. The couple staring across the table and looking into each others eyes, while listening to Sonny Clark's music, who knew the words, got the message that "Love is pure gold and time is a thief". Life was for those who lived it, not for those who watched others live it. Another case of a great diva who missed the message was "lady Day"; she sang a song the wrong way that someone else chose at the last minute, and she was very angry about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMgK3vi4rMw This is the way it should have been sung; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf27yA20OhU You tell me why Lorez sang it the way it should have been sung, and Billy didn't; not my words in regard to the song but "Billie Holiday's". |
This is absolutely incredible; not because it's John Coltrane blowing, but because it's so "seductive"; this music makes the object of the music (the lady with the big black floppy hat) absolutely irresistible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8eYVN8hAlU Songs tell stories, or incite emotions; Billie Holiday was a master at both. |
Frogman, I never have, nor ever will be about shooting down every point you make; I'm about the song, and the music when it coincides with the song. Take this version of in a sentimental mood, it captures the emotion of the song more than any vocal; while I'm not always right, I think I am; that's because I've spent my entire life listening to this music, and absorbing the "aura" of each song. Now we both know that can't be true, but in my mind it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwweLcoHqNQ |
It seems that Gloria Lynne was popular at about the same time as Dakota; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMeLxh80zdE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DwPn1wCxIE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tgh5BOTCuM |
Rok, here is a very early Mingus I've been perusing that I don't recall posting, and I was wandering if you had it? This music and poetry connects with me personally, but it's not for everyone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdQuL1Vyy04 |
Jarreau, Hendricks, and Elling; three guys entertaining and having fun, what is there not to like? Mingus always was unusual; he was someone who they didn't know what to make of in 57, but I liked him anyway. I noticed your jazz queen of Croatia didn't comment on Mary Lou, but that wasn't surprising; taking all things into consideration she couldn't be expected to appreciate the blues. I had forgotten how special Mary Lou was, but I know you appreciated her; she played the blues different from everybody else. Have you ever looked at those lights gleaming down the railroad tracks in the black of night; that's a lonely sight, it reminds me of the blues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw-V_raPJEE |
Here's another special pianist for both of us. I don't know why it's so hard for some people to realize that their music might be the best in the world, but I don't think some of it is squat. I don't think 99 and 9/10ths of the music that's presented on "audiogon" is squat; so what? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyNL4T7JBpg |
