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.
Acman3, very interesting and fitting that you should mention both Max Roach and Jaco. As far as their contributions to the way their respective instruments are played and their role in an ensemble, one can say a lot of the same things. They each pushed the boundaries of what was considered technically possible on their instrument well beyond what had been the norm until they come on the scene and they expanded the role of their instrument well beyond the traditional role of simply timekeepers. This goes to your question:
**** did Jaco decide not to lay back in support of Brecker, but to solo over Brecker's solo? ****
While I wouldn't say that he was soloing during Brecker's solo he was definitely, in typical fashion for him, much more active than the average bass player playing bass lines that were in response to what Brecker was playing as well as playing in a way that it was obvious Brecker was responding to; he even plays chords on the bass, something almost unheard of from an accompanying bass player. One could say that they were having a dialogue or a duet.
Max Roach broke many boundaries for drummers. Fantastic finesse at very fast tempos and his brush work is particularly great. He was one of the very first drummers to be comfortable playing in odd meters (3/4, 5/4, etc) as opposed to the typical 4/4 Chink-ca-Chink,
I have stumbled on the music that was my primary interest before jazz; EXOTICA! This was when Martin Denny's music evoked pictures of far away places with strange sounding names where flamingos fly, and incredibly gorgeous women were all over the place; this high school student was going to get him one when he got there.
Acman3, very interesting and fitting that you should mention both Max Roach and Jaco. As far as their contributions to the way their respective instruments are played and their role in an ensemble, one can say a lot of the same things about both players. They each pushed the boundaries of what was considered technically possible on their instrument well beyond what had been the norm until they come on the scene and they expanded the role of their instrument well beyond the traditional role of simply timekeepers. This goes to your question:
**** did Jaco decide not to lay back in support of Brecker, but to solo over Brecker's solo? ****
While I wouldn't say that he was soloing during Brecker's solo he was definitely, in typical fashion for him, much more active than the average bass player playing bass lines that were in response to what Brecker was playing as well as playing in a way that pushed Brecker and it was obvious Brecker was responding to; he even plays chords on the bass, something almost previously unheard of from an accompanying bass player. One could say that they were having a dialogue or a duet. On that particular performance the bass is mixed way up and the tenor is a little recessed adding to the feeling that the bass was soloing.
**** why Max Roach's use of poly rhythms helped the soloist, from a soloist point of view, it may help explain why Roach was so important to Jazz, ****
Max Roach broke many boundaries for drummers. Fantastic finesse at very fast tempos and his brush work is particularly great. He was one of the very first drummers to be comfortable playing in odd meters (3/4, 5/4, etc) as opposed to the usual Chin-ca-Chin, Chin-Chin 4/4 time that you have in the majority of jazz tunes, fast or slow. He was the first to use the drums as a melodic instrument by tuning his drum heads to specific and complimentary pitches. And, as you point out, he had an amazing ability for being able to play different rhythms at the same time with his uncanny hand and foot rhythmic independence. All of this was very new in the drum world. As far as how all this impacts the soloist, it is obviously no secret that jazz playing is usually a collective effort by a group of musicians reacting to each other's musical contribution at any given moment. Even when a rhythm section player is relatively "passive" by sticking more closely to the traditional role of timekeeper only, there is a lot of nuance that can be brought to bear by way of a particular or unique time feel that the player plays with and this, in turn, influences how the soloist approaches the playing of a solo. This is one of the reasons why sometimes even the best soloists sound lackluster on certain recordings; the rhythm section is not happening. Conversely, when the rhythm section is really inspired the soloist is freed to reach greater heights of creativity which, in turn, adds more fuel to the rhythm section's simmer; they feed off each other. Now, consider a player like Roach who is able to bring new sounds and multi rhythms to the mix and how that will help the soloist push the creative envelope even further. Multi rhythms, while on the face of it, may seem to only add complexity to the mix, in a way actually make the rhythmic landscape simpler for a soloist by creating a situation in which the players rely on an implied pulse as opposed to obvious drum hits on primary beats (1,2,3,4). This is one of the reasons why the lowly (?) rhythm section player can be considered one of the most important jazz musicians as Roach was. Imagine Michael Jordan as a member of a college basketball team. Sure, it's fun to watch him score basket after basket; but, is it a good basketball game? I don't think so. In a team alongside other greats and its something special to watch.
Tikiyaki Orch: I liked it in spite of not wanting to like it. They did forget to get to the Jazz part. A lot of Jazz musicians do that these days.
The Duke: I have this CD. Starts off very different, tensions builds, and at 3:00, (after faking me out a few times), JAZZ!! After that, it was just The Duke we all know and love. Those reeds!! How do they do that??
Keith Jarrett: I liked this one also. I have loved this guy since 'Koln Concert'. He seems to play for an European audience. Or maybe it's just me.
I had the exact same opinion about the "Takiyaki orchestra", after wanting to make fun of it, I liked it; as a matter of fact, it made me recall Martin Denny, who I liked a long time ago.
I'm continuing with Stereophile's list of R2D4. Buddy Collette played sax, clarinet and flute; I primarily knew him for his work on flute. He grew up with Mingus in LA, but I can't think of any musical similarities between the two.
The last selection isn't jazz, but it was in R2D4, and I know somebody will like it; I wouldn't be surprised if he has it in his collection already. The Neville Brothers "Yellow Moon"
You guys have knowledge of jazz far beyond mine, but I have always loved jazz and have begun to appreciate it more than ever.
I recently bought a Hegel DAC and joined Tidal to expand my exposure to jazz by using this thread as a guide for learning more about great jazz using the extensive Tidal jazz database.
I will continue to share what I consider to be extraordinary finds as I go. Hopefully some of these will be beneficial to you experts and to others looking to increase their enjoyment of this great music.
Thanks to you all for building such a great database of knowledge on this topic.
Excellent!! I listened to every track that was on youtube. Could not turn away. Even 'Mighty', my cat, was impressed. Maybe it was just the late hour, but it was really great. Great playing and tune selection.
Dave, having excellent taste is an important component for the acquisition of a boss jazz collection. Not many newcomers would have selected "Soul Brothers" in the beginning stage of getting into jazz. You couldn't have picked a better time; thanks to "You Tube", and a little help from your friends in jazz, you'll have a boss collection in no time.
This is Wynton's latest project. I don't have it. Don't like watching it, but I wonder if I would like to listen to it on CD. Right now, it stays in the 'save for later' list.
A Baptist Church in NYC always struck me a bit incredulous. I think this would have been better with a Southern Choir.
in New Orleans, kids with horns are all over the place, walking home from school - at high school football games, even if the team loses, if your band wins that is a victory
and here's a quote from a friend (who does not live there): "most of the street musicians would be band leaders in other cities"
Without a doubt, that would have been better with a southern choir; everything goes better with biscuits, butter and molasses. Which reminds me of a joke, "How can I have Mo-lasses, when I aint had No-lasses"?
Somehow, sophisticated Northern soul is not quite the same as southern "Nawlins" soul.
I've got one more cut to conclude R2D4, and it's one that's probably already in everyone's collection; "Grace, Passion, and Fire", features three of the worlds greatest guitarists.
Virtuoso playing by three masters of the Guitar. However, they forgot to get to the Jazz part.
Ever notice how albums like this will always give you a tip-off by the album cover art. Land or sea scape. That seems to indicate soundscape music inside. No foxy babe on the cover of this type music.
Rok, for me, that's universal, ageless music, it never gets old, and also has good recording quality; that puts it over the top.
There was another piece of music that fit in that category, and we both liked the way they danced, but I can't remember it right now; it was a traditional dance, maybe you can remember and find it.
Good morning Aficionados, we have a new member to this thread, "Dave - dlcockrum"; who is a very sharp audiophile that has personally helped me to upgrade my rig substantially.
If I cover ground we've already covered, it will be to bring Dave's collection up to speed. I was listening to Shirley Scott, Queen of the organ, and thinking, "What a good place for Dave to start", she's so connected to other prominent jazz artists that every aficionado has in their collection, that he can't go wrong here.
Dave, you must be forewarned, that from time to time, I have these brain-strokes and get off thread. I know all the other aficionados are sweating bullets right now, and saying to themselves, "Please, not now, you might run him off".
Some things are more important than me or this thread.
Dave, I thank you for your compassionate stance, but I'm beginning to see the other side.
We like to know your musical taste, that way we can recommend what you like best in jazz. Jazz is incorporated into every genre under the sun, consequently, anyone who doesn't like jazz, doesn't like music.
While some among us (raise your hand) have a very definitive definition of jazz (I don't) we call "JAZZ Jazz", which is also "Jazz" in a specific time frame, this music is broad enough to accommodate your musical taste without too much change.
Since I recommended Shirley Scott, I'll give you one with her husband at one time, "Stanly Turrentine", that I like. This will start things off.
I was listening to Marvin Gaye's, "What's going on" and thought about when I was partying in Detroit in the mid 60's, when it was the richest city in the world in per capita income. Although at that time, I most certainly did not have time for statistics, I couldn't help but notice all the brand new shiny cars. I have never seen so many new cars on any city street before nor since. In one of the nightclubs we visited where Aretha Franklin was performing, the people were so well dressed, the place looked like a fashion show shoot.
"And the band played on". This is not the forum for such a discussion, I was just sharing my musings of how the times have changed, nothing else.
Excellent Brad Mehldau suggestion, Dave. Beautiful record and I’m glad to see Mehldau get some love here. The last time his music was posted he received undeserved lukewarm response; I think it was around his "My Favorite Things". He is a brilliant player that has a unique jazz feel that is less obviously "swingy" than older generation jazz players. I was intrigued by a couple of comments that I would love some expounding/clarification on:
Francesco Cafiso: very impressive young player with probably a bit too much youthful exuberance. He has a whole lot to say; but, not quite organized enough yet with his thoughts. I was intrigued by the comment that he is NOT a *stereotypical* player. He is what saxophone players call a Phil Woods clone. He sounds very much like Phil Woods in tone and ideas and has clearly listened to a whole lot of Woods and copies a lot of his vocabulary. His solos are jam packed with stereotypical bebop licks and not enough connection between them. Previously, Phil Woods was unfairly (imo) deemed a "stereotypical" player. Wondered about this apparent contradiction. Why would I want to listen to this......
Marsalis, "Abyssinian Mass". I actually liked that clip and a couple others from the Mass that I listened to a lot. I think Wynton is coming into his own as as a composer. I haven’t liked most of his previous large scale compositions. There are some really great things there compositionally; and, ironically, some of the things that make this music successful for me are exactly what I don’t like about his playing in an improvisatory situation. I am intrigued by the comment that a Southern chorus would have been better. I think I understand why the comment was made and would love some clarification; but, again, the order and refinement that these voices have are part of how Marsalis "heard" the parts that he wrote for the chorus and in the context of that piece I think it works. That’s the irony, that control and refinement at the expense of a sense of abandon (Southern chorus?) is precisely what hangs up his improvisation. Still, I liked it a lot. Thanks for the post. I came across this related clip that I found interesting:
Dave, you're getting special treatment; I don't know if you know that Frogman is a professional musician, who is also a walking music encyclopedia.
Presently I'm working on my "Vinyl play list"; I hope you have that analog to PC down pat. In this process I'm making discoveries; if you like "Grace, Passion, and Fire", you can focus on each individual guitarist, and expand your collection in a most pleasing fashion. I have a lot of Al Di Meola on very well recorded LP's, and none of them sound repetitious, which is what you run into recording one Lp after another of the same artist.
While not "Jazz Jazz", it's good music. If you make known what kind of sound you like in jazz, the other aficionados will chime in and help to build your collection; hope to hear from you.
Rok, I don't have much "Pops" in my jazz collection because until this thread,I considered him more of an "entertainer". That also goes for some of the other artists you have presented; I'll have to get busy and start adding.
It's funny that one of Acmans friends called the music you presented; "Cartoon music", and it's true, they used that music in a lot of old cartoons; that was a misuse of the music. I could hear the "Nawlins soul" in Pops horn, and that's always good.
*****
It's funny that one of Acmans friends called the music you presented; "Cartoon music", *****
Who said that? I don't remember it. I know I would not have let that pass unpunished. Refresh me if you can. Jamming to WAR at the moment. Dare I post them on this thread?
I worked in a movie theater for several years. Saw a lot of cartoons, which contained a lot of great Classical Music. So did the Saturday matinee westerns.
Movies used to a great place to hear serious music and to learn to speak proper English. Not so today. :(
I stumbled across this. I am not an Audiophile, so of course I think It's incredible boring, BUT, it's also like finding out who was 'Number 1' in the British TV series, 'The Prisoner".
There are several clips. Watch them all. Interesting.
Rok, I thank you for putting that on this thread, and I'll probably put it on the analog forum when I get around to it. I don't think they'll find it boring.
Another Bill Evans unreleased concert from 1976 is slated for a March drop date. "On a Monday Evening" Concord label. The last (2) have been nothing less than Outstanding!
Rok, I have never seen so many, talk so much, and say so little; "Is it is, or is it aint, will it will, or will it wont"; that's all I wanted to know, and I never found out.
I put that on the proper forum 13 hours ago, 63 viewed, and 0 responded; that says it all.
O-10, if you don't mind my asking, how is the "ANALOG" forum the proper forum? Very little of the discussion in the clip is about analog. Perhaps "MISC AUDIO" would have been a more appropriate forum and would have received posts.
Frogman, there is more than one segment; RMAF16: Analog Tape: The Ultimate Format Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, plus the future of vinyl should be in analog, while the other segments would fit in different forums; Misc audio sounds good for the rest of the segments, why don't you post it there.
My opinion of that whole thing has been stated; for example; there is no better waste of money than a $200. turntable, unless it's for a child.
*****
I have never seen so many, talk so much, and say so little; "Is it is, or is it aint, will it will, or will it wont"; that's all I wanted to know, and I never found out.*****
EXACTLY!! I did not get any info from the three or four I watched. Fermer said "we have to get the people who can afford high end, to buy more of it." WTF?
I don't think music was even mentioned.
One guy said his amps sold for 185,000 dollars U.S. I think that demands some explanation. I bet it did not cost him much more to build that amp than it did Harman Kardon to build my $300 receiver.
A good opportunity missed. All the gurus in one place and they say nothing. Perhaps there is nothing to say. It is what it is, the most lucrative business this side of the drug cartels.
Frogman, after going through R2D4, I noticed there was no current or even fairly recent jazz there. While there is good music being made currently, good jazz is so debatable, that it's not worth the debate. Mediocre, yes; but good would be stretching it a bit. Mediocre is fine for live, if that's the best you can get.
Nothing falls in or out of existence without a reason; the kind of jazz I call "fantastic", only exists in the past. If you can find some current jazz, that I would call fantastic I'll agree to that.
Rok, those amps over $100K get into something that has nothing to do with audio; that gets into people who are bored, and they just discovered "High end audio". While stuff like that is nothing new; I ask you, "Why is it that all of a sudden, we have so much of this stuff"; that tells me there has been an increase in the number of people who can buy such stuff, and it comes along at the same time as an increase in poverty?
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