Jazz for aficionados
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.
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.
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Joanne Brackeen with a latin flavor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVX9dFbW2zw&list=OLAK5uy_nDC0263fbicKey1kgd0UW4zEDPmk9kiC4&index=2 |
@alexatpos Thanks for posting the video! Wonderful to hear live jazz, hope you enjoyed the show. |
@stuartk nice Hampton Hawes, do not have that one..
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@ho249 Believe it or not, saw Anat Cohen live in my hometown, even found the video on ytube from that event (not great, jus for information)
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Found this on internet radio (Radio JRiver): https://youtu.be/Ethes76EgLE?si=mkCB-850BueDBADv Good to play if you need a boost of energy! Another find from internet radio: https://youtu.be/DDV0QXqKJfA?si=4fJZntFels3tYnTu More subdued... These are like hidden treasures! Was totally unfamiliar with these musicians before the streaming encounters. Hope you enjoy!
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A different side of Hampton Hawes... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vll2IVmYDJA&list=PLEP60J3cg6P-qkoRFLSv1y8HWlo-P3wAU&index=1 |
"Anyone else love Tardo Hammer? Listening to Look, Stop & Listen and it’s just great." Yes, fabulous record. A very well recorded/produced record of the music of Tadd Dameron. Charlesdad2, a regular A'Gon poster, recommended that one. Another fabulous disc he recommended is Oliver Nelson's, The Blues and the Abstract Truth. Have you heard that one? David |
Rereading my post i guess it suggest a misreading from my part... Remember english is not even a daily spoken language where i live... All my life i never used english... I only read science and philosophy in english not even poetry or litterature ... Then my mastery is limited at lot ... I prefer to read Dickens in translation ... Slang words , Victorian idiom, the same for Mark Twain ...I read Peirce in english but he was not a great writer just a thinker with abstract vocabulary ... The greatest english writer i was able to read was Santayana , he was so mesmerizing to read , i loose the thread a couple times in ectasy with his style forgetting the deep content and he was born spanish ... But it was an exception ... I got your point for sure but answered as if not ...My fault ...
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You’re welcome -- glad you find her enjoyable listening. She has the capacity to display the sort of power and intensity one associates with McCoy Tyner but very much in her own style. Another underrated talent. Thanks for the links to the performances with Henderson, Brecker.
Luckily, records/cds don't display jealousy!
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I had hard time to listen to all suggestions here everyday and pick what i must keep... It is the results of good dudes crowding with astonishing always better suggestions .. i felt like a sultan complaining that i had too much beautiful women in my harem ... 😁 And i cannot afford ten more ... 😁 Thanks anyway for the last suggestion i must come back to her but tomorrow 😉... Because i was sleeping so to speak with Blue Mitchell for a while now ... But piano is my favorite instrument then ... |
@stuartk Thanks for posting Joanne Brackeen. I have to admit, I had never heard of her. JFA is my "guide to jazz" Found this and listened to the entire album. Brackeen is a great pianist, and, as @acman3 said, when you add great backing personnel, like Michael Brecker, Cecil McBee, and Billy Hart you have great music! I enjoyed the album so much I went over to Discogs and purchased the CD. Another great example of the mastery of tenor titan Michael Brecker! Another tenor titan, Joe Henderson, live with Joanne Brackeen in 1986
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That J. Bracken album is an excellent example of one I would most likely have never found on my own, having read about it in the Penguin Guide. The Guide certainly has its shortcomings but overall, it’s had a major influence in my path of Jazz discovery. I was lucky to have bought my first copy during the early 90’s , when there were still many great Jazz titles in print on CD, unlike now. |
Thanks @alexatpos for the Roy Ayers clip. Great vibes player and its too bad he went over to the "dark side" for good by the late 60s but the path he took was his chosen one and he was very successful. |
I will check thanks ... I dont have this one ... Seems good ..
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@pjw81563 , I dont have that one (speaking of Feldman), but beside posted ones I have ’On vibes’ and ’Merry Olde Soul* but many others where he plays as sideman. With Shelly Manne and his men ’live at the blackhawk’ you might have, if not, all 5 albums are great, as well as the work he has done with Adderley (5 albums), or Curtis Amy (Way Down), who was mentioned also here not so while ago In fact, he aslo redorded with above mentioned Blue Mitchell on ’Stablemates’ album, as well as with Miles on ’Seven steps to heaven’ which he composed. Miles even invited him to be part of his bend after that recoding, but he refused, choosing life of studio musician instead. Have him with Leroy Vinnegar on ’Leroy walks/Walks again, on ’Sonny Rollins and Contemporary Leaders’ and many more. Again, you should all check his discography, he played on all (first) Steely Dan 8 albums, played from Zappa to Elton John or B.B King...or Liza Minelli....its crazy.. Anyway, speaking of vibes, this album came on my mind, its Roy Ayers first and perhaps only ’proper’ jazz album from 1953.’West Coast vibes’ before he went on the dark side..
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@ho249 I agree with Curious Jim. Etudes is a great album. Here is another by the same trio that is on my desert island list.
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Oh and I’m glad you liked the Paul Desmond video. I watched it with great envy. I tried desperately to learn guitar in the last century and never got better than bad! So when I see a video of someone making it look easy, I flash on how hard I tried and how I could never move my fingers, I get a little jealous. |
@alexatpos Those are great Victor Felman sessions. Thanks for posting. Drummer Stan Levy and bassist Scott LaFaro need no introduction. LaFaro went on to play bass in the Bill Evans Trio (the great Evans-LaFaro-Motian trio). Stan Levy is a great and under rated drummer who played with many of the greatest be boppers in the 40s. Levy was one of the few "white men" Miles Davis liked and a young Miles roomed in Levy's NYC apartment for weeks at a time while he was up and coming. Your second selection does not drop off one bit. Great jazz and great personnel. This Bossa Nova session with Feldman leading, is an under rated gem. Probably because it was overshadowed by the Getz/Gilberto sessions evan though Feldman released his album 4 years prior to the Getz/Gilberto collaborations. It has a great cover too. Do you have this on vinyl? If so how do you like the music and that great album cover?
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@curiousjim I rally like that acoustic guitar rendition of Take Five. Very tasty! And I am happy you like Blue Mitchell's Blue Soul album. Mitchell recorded 6 albums for Riverside between 1959 and 1962 before switching over to Blue Note in 1963. All Music's Scott Yanow rated 5 of them at 4 stars while Michael G. Nastos, also from All Music rated Blue Soul at 4.5 stars. IMHO all 6 deserve the high ratings given to them and I have all 6 on CDs. All 7 records Mitchell recorded for the Blue Note label were also rated at least 4 stars. Only one, "Heads Up", was rated 3 stars, with 1964s "The Thing to Do" rated at All Music's highest mark at 5 stars. Mitchell was a great trumpet player and when credited as the leader for a recording session always used the cream of the crop with his backing personnel including, among many other greats: Benny Golson, Joe Henderson, Jimmy Heath and Junior Cook on tenor sax, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Wynton Kelly and Andre Previn on piano, Paul Chambers and Sam Jones on bass, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones and Billy Higgins on drums. You cant go wrong with musicians like that playing well thought out arrangements. |
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Thanks very much ... It is the music i need to goes out of my sound nervosa disease...😉 |
@curiousjim Check on how many albums Victor Feldman played,as sideman, you will be surprised...few suggestions, his solo albums
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My new low cost tube preamplifier with three tone controls well done (50 bucks) for my active speakers make my soundfield even better and it was good already... Then i listened the sound ( not the music) of my system for the last 24 hours...😁 It is really a joy to have a better component which help but nothing beat relaxed musical listening ( not excited sound testing ) ... I will begin to listen music after my calming of nerves ... 😊 «Sound accompany music and reveal his beauty as a wedding dress for a woman it dit not replace it or her so beautiful the dress or the sound could be »-- Anonymus single frustrated audiophile soon maried and listening music for the first time of his life relaxed ...😉 |
I did not find any albums parts of the pianist i listened too on youtube only live events ... He had three albums all very good ... And he seems to be unknown ... It is hard to be a great French jazz pianist for sure...😆😁😊 Gabriel Zufferey ... There is three albums on "Bee jazz " label : Apres l’orage, Contemplation, ( amazing solo) Hear and know ... All three albums are creative ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=752iTxH3Ug8
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