Jazz for aficionados

Hello everyone its been a long time. I hope everyone is well. I was listening to A Love Supreme and thought about this thread and everyone posting.

Elvin Jones' 1:31 solo at the beginning of "Pursuance" is one of the greatest openings of any jazz song.

I signed in and clicked "last" and noticed Frogman's excellent virtuosity post at the top and eagerly read it very slowly. Another awesome educational frog post!

Speaking of virtuosity, and wrapping my head (trying!) around frogs post, I thought of this 1957 album by Johnny Griffen titled "A Blowin' Session featuring Griffin, Hank Mobley and yes, John Coltrane. This was one of Coltrane's first sessions after he conquered his heroin and other addictions.

The first song titled "The Way You Look Tonight" is definitely Griffin on the first extended solo and he is as fast as anyone before him and after him but speed, if I am understanding frogs post, is not the only thing virtuosity implies.

I was wondering frogman, when you have the spare time, to give this album a listen and tell us which of the solo(s), after Griffen's opening, are Coltrane's on "The Way You Look Tonight".

And if you have the time, point out Coltrane's entry into the other 3 songs - "Ball Bearing", "All The Things You Are" and "Smokestack".

I think on the first song, "The Way You Look Tonight", Coltrane plays the 3rd solo after 1. Griffin, and 2. Mobley, but I could be wrong.

Here it is:

https://youtu.be/SgA1HD9-K7I?si=0du1DFlF31vDYMjx

Good to see you here PJW!

Actually thinking of Johnny Griffin this morning while on a walk. 

Johnny Griffin, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Ow! Live At The Penthouse

Yes, good to see you back, PJW. Hope all is well and thanks for your comments.

You are correct about Coltrane’s solo on “The Way You Look Tonight”,  Trane plays after Mobley @5:52.

Solo orders:

“Ball Bearing”:

10:26 - Coltrane, 11:42 - Morgan, 12:56 - Griffin, 14:47 - Mobley, 16:00 - Kelly

”All The Things You Are”:

18:48 - Griffin, 21:09 - Coltrane, 22:40 - Morgan, 24:11 - Mobley, 25:40 - Kelly, 26:11 - Chambers

“Smoke Stack”:

28:46 - Griffin, 30:43 - Morgan, 32:47 - Mobley, 34:23 - Coltrane, 35:48 - Kelly, 36:35 - Chambers, 37:24 - Griffin and Blakey trade 4’s to end.

“Smoke Stack” (Alternate version):

39:00 - Griffin, 41:01 - Mobley, 42:48 - Morgan, 45:00 - Coltrane, 46:42 - Kelly, 47:56 - Griffin and Blakey trade 4’s to end.

Thanks frog for the fast and detailed response. Listened to a lot of Trane yesterday and I have a few observations I would like to share.

Blue Train, Coltrane's first album as a leader during his last decade on earth 100% addiction free, is basically "straight ahead hard bop" and very accessible to all.

Giant Steps is when I needed repeated listening's to "get it".

A Love Supreme took more listens to "get it" then Giant Steps.

I have listened to Ascension dozens of times and I still don't "get it".

Frogman I apologize for bothering you a second time in 24 hours but was wondering is there a "certain way" with different expectations of listening to Ascension to get the most out of it. Lord knows I have tried.

Dave Liebman, another artist I listen to that often ventures across the border into "free jazz", says of Ascension:

 the album "blew everybody out of the water" and was "the torch that lit the free-jazz thing. I mean, it really begins with Cecil [Taylor] and Ornette [Coleman] in '59, but Ascension was like the patron saint saying, 'It's OK—this is valid.' I think that even had much more of an effect on everybody than A Love Supreme."

Here is an interesting rendition of My Favorite Things by Leibman's Expansions" band recorded in September, 2021.

https://youtu.be/SxxSKrKRciY?si=CWgLv4sJTpUOntLB

Thanks acman. I have that disc ow! with Griffin and Davis and it gets a lot of repeat listening's over here.

Great new Sonny Rollins interview (July 5 2025).

https://youtu.be/StWBlxF3Fg4?si=AVdOGpoZSAf9rgHr