Ghosthouse, on a clear night when you could see all the stars, I would wonder what space travel is like; that's when I would imagine a journey through an outer galaxy to "Orion 10", a distant star, or planet, and this music is just right for a space flight.
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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It may not have been jazz -- but this video shows the improvisation and interplay among the musicians of a very creative group from the early '70s. I may have mentioned it before but I saw them in concert around this time. It was in a small club, probably no more than 200, and we had a table up front. Watching the musicians trade off lines and feed off one another's energy was something special. Cobham was a coiled spring that released more and more energy as the night went on. Certainly one of my Top 10 concert experiences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-0bMRcBik4 |
Regarding the "Hudson" track. Those who read Stereophile will know the album was recently selected as their recording of the month. When I first began listening I thought, OK, heavy bass line to propel it forward but nothing really grabbed me. But the review mentioned the resemblance with Miles from the "Silent Way", "Bitches Brew" period. I could hear some Mahavishnu Orchestra as well, which led me to the post above. A second listen, all the way through this time, was a little more fun. The review also discusses the use of classic rock associated with the Hudson Valley as well as a few new compositions. "Woodstock" and other rock numbers can be found in the listing to the right for anyone else curious about how they were adapted. |
I liked a lot of "Mahavishnu", especially in the early 70's; cut from "The Emerald Green Beyond". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSh0nmretso Listening to them live in a small club is an experience I would most certainly cherish; I recall hearing incredible groups in small clubs, and the experience is beyond description. |
Pryso, when I first heard "Hudson", I must have been listening to "Hard bop" just before hearing it, and in that kind of groove. Let me tell you and Ghosthouse about a very unusual experience; I hardly remember hearing "Hudson" when Ghosthouse told me about my first review. I suspect it's because I can't switch from "Hard bop" to fusion; one of them won't sound quite right; I guess it's like going from whisky to wine. |
Ry Cooder is one of the most diverse guitarists ever; he effortlessly goes from one genre to another, one musical landscape to another; he's what I call a "universal" player. Here he does the "Ganges Delta Blues" with V. M. Bhat; I like the way they combine the two; sounds like they belong together, India and the Delta blues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lnys8R2fXk From the Ganges to E. St. Louis in "Trespass"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=050TIMlpmL0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc10UdraDY4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAJOQKiqh2U I had a bad dream, it was like I went to sleep and woke up in a deserted warehouse or other large commercial building about 2:00 AM in E. St. Louis. The first thing I tried to do was find a phone; it was like real, I was so scared my heart was about to beat out of my chest; that's when I woke up stumbling around my bedroom looking for a pay phone. That night I had taken some pills to get to sleep; never will I take any more of those pills |
Pardon the (non) commercial interruption. A neighbor sent this link tonight. Thought it worth sharing though no doubt not new to any of you veteran jazz fans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7m5joZPP0U&sns=em |
Another guitarist infamous amongst his peers is the late Danny Gatton. He played Jazz, Hillbilly, Blues, Rockabilly, you name it. Vince Gill nicknamed him "The Humbler". An astounding talent who decided to leave this world ahead of schedule. His good friend and sometimes bandmate Evan Johns told me it was because of his nagging wife, who would not stop badgering him about his lack of professional ambition. Danny wanted to stay close to home---the Virginia/Washington DC area---play local gigs, and work on his vintage Hot Rods, his other passion. There is a 2-CD compilation album of his Warner Brothers releases, plus a bunch of Indi stuff also on CD. |
I've spent a lot of time searching for "new new music". What I've found has not been "Da Bomb", or whatever expression you use for such. The music has been good, but not "that good". Ghosthouse comes up with "Da Bomb", and it's music that should already be in my collection. We didn't have PC's back then, consequently there was no way to know everything that came out. Just like that "Trane" got past me (probably put buying it off till another day, and that day never came) a lot of other killer works got past me I'm sure; my point of this dialogue is that no longer will I spend so much time and money on "new new music", when there is so much boss music from the past that has slipped past me. Shadorne mentioned "Mambo Sinuendo" by Ry Cooder; here it is; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nidoCkcTw1k&list=PLB--yRp2J0bEeqUMOxpetrdWPtp3WldGP |
"Ghosthouse comes up with "Da Bomb". You are very welcome, Orpheus and while duly gratifying, it's undeserved credit. You know what they say, "even a blind squirrel....". Was my neighbor who sent me the link. If you are inclined to purchase, then this version might be the one to get. Worth noting they catalog it under Elvin Jones name! https://www.amazon.com/Complete-1961-Village-Vanguard-Recordings/dp/B000003NA3/ref=pd_cp_15_3?_encod... w/respect to Ry Cooder. Not of a jazz idiom but never the less well known the Stones and Keith Richards in particular owe MUCH to Ry Cooder; arguably writing and recording the best music of their career(s) using things he taught and shared and for which he was, at the time, barely acknowledged or credited let alone compensated (or so I've read). Good New Yorker article here... https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/ry-cooders-elegant-indignation |
Thanks Ghosthouse; no wonder I like Ry Cooders music so much, we're philosophical twins, we always root for the "under dog". (lately we always Lose) I would like everyone's help in focusing on "Ry Cooder"; contribute your favorite music by him. You will be astounded at how much we learn and enjoy in a short time. This is from "Pull Up Some Dust"; although I'm a jazz aficionado, this is my kind of song; it's all about the "under dog". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgUcW8KbnsU |
o10, Ry has such a variety in his recordings I think it is impossible to make an absolute recommendation -- it may all depend on what sort of listening mood you're in at the time. I will say I've only heard one of his which I didn't enjoy, "Bop Till You Drop". For all that, possibly his most popular recording and thus a safe place to begin is the "Buena Vista Social Club". He doesn't play lead, instead allowing a great group of little known (within the US) musicians enjoy the spot light. I believe he was the producer though so deserves much credit for pulling off the the whole thing. So yes, it features underdogs! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNYOVEXJBBM |
Great and very eclectic musician deserving of all the accolades. Ry Cooder was indeed the producer of the Buena Vista Social Club project and deserves a great deal of credit, as pryso says, for making it all happen. Interesting project on several counts. First, it all happened practically by accident as the original project was supposed to be the recording of a musical collaboration between musicians from Mali and modern Cuban musicians. The African musicians never made it due to some diplomatic red tape and so Cooder decided to record traditional Cuban music instead and embarked on finding musicians who were active pre-revolution and were mostly retired. Not only were these musicians not known in the USA, many of them were not known to younger generation Cubans. Beautiful traditional music from pre-war Cuba. I love the record, but have one pet peeve. As much as I like Ry Cooder's guitar playing, he should not have played on the record. His playing is mostly tasteful, but it really doesn't fit the style of the music. The sound of slide guitar is something that is never heard in this music. Paquito D'Rivera tells a funny story of the Cuban musicians looking at each other while recording and shrugging their shoulders as if to say "well, he's the one with the money" 😏. Still, a record that was hugely influential in exposing people all over the world to this beautiful music. |
Re Coltrane "Live At The Village Vanguard": That great record is actually only part of the music from a four day run at The Vanguard available in its four day entirety as "The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings". O-10, that's the one to get. Of note is the fact that it is the first recording featuring the classic Coltrane rhythm section of McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. In my book, one of the two greatest rhythm sections in all of jazz, along with Miles' '60s rhythm section with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Fantastic music. Ghosthouse, here's a couple more mold-breaking, very adventurous jazz also happening around that time: https://youtu.be/MOhKYOQK-dw https://youtu.be/xbZIiom9rDA |
Ry Cooder is great not only as a guitarist/frontman/bandleader/singer (of a "certain" sort ;-), but also as a sideman. When John Hiatt was preparing to record his Bring The Family album, the record’s producer invited him to choose the players for the album---his "dream" band. He chose Ry, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner, on guitar, electric bass, and drums, respectively. Ry’s playing is fantastic throughout, but his short solo on "Lipstick Sunset" is absolutely stellar---one of my perhaps three favorites of all time. That line-up later made an album under a collective band name---Little Village, but the album is not so hot (why that is so is a story for a different time). I was fortunate enough to see and hear Little Village live, and when Ry played that solo in "Lipstick Sunset", it felt as if time had stopped. It is the single greatest musical experience of my life; I had an out-of-body experience, the only other time being upon hearing J.S. Bach’s Concerto For 4 Harpsichords and Orchestra for the first time. Ry is a fanatic about the tone and timbre of his guitars, and when in the late 70’s he heard about a new recording system---digital---he arranged to do his next album---Bop ’Til You Drop---in that format. The resulting recorded sound quality not just disappointed him, but actually displeased him. When years later he heard a Water Lily label album, recorded by the great Kavi Alexander on his custom made tube reel-to-reel (electronics by Tim de Paravicini of EAR-Yoshino), he asked "Why don’t my records sound this good?". He ended up doing an album for Water Lily, the Grammy-winning A Meeting By The River. In the early 70’s Ry did an interview for Rolling Stone magazine, in which he told the story about working with the Rolling Stones. Brian Jones had just died, and they were working on their next album. They hired Ry to come over and play guitar in the studio. Ry came in every day, and Mick had him play along with the backing tracks they had already gotten on tape, recording him as he did. He found it odd that Keith was never there. One day Ry showed up unscheduled, and found Keith playing along to the tapes, trying to learn Ry’s parts. Ry packed his bags and flew back home. That was the end of my respect for The Stones and Keith, and their credibility with myself and the musicians I do respect. |
Interesting post, bdp24. You mention John Hiatt. My wife is a country music fan and has been responsible for opening my ears to a lot of the more interesting country music out there. Knowing that I am a Lyle Lovett fan she bought me tickets to see Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt at the Beacon Theater just last Sunday. With Jazz and Classical being my preferred genres, I knew John Hiatt as a great songwriter and not much more. To say that I was blown away by this musician would be a huge understatement. What a singer and guitar player! Soulful and completely from the heart singing and playing. He and Lovett put on a great show trading songs and stories, but it was Hiatt that knocked me out making Lovett seem a little "lite" and affected by comparison. Great musician. |
Ghosthouse mentions the mixed (at best) critical reception that Coltrane’s "Live At The Village Vanguard" received and the state of jazz in 1962. To me, no better example of why "critical reception" needs to be taken with a grain of salt sometimes (!) is the story behind this next recording; one of the best stories in all of jazz lore: Sonny Rollins is a giant of jazz that has gotten short shrift on this thread, imo. In 1959 he took a three year break from performing/recording in order to work on his craft, practice and improve his technique. He would go to the Williamsburg Bridge connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn and practice, alone, on the walkway sometimes for sixteen hours at a stretch...for three years. There was great anticipation leading up to the release of his next record, the appropriately titled "The Bridge". Critical reception was mixed. Not because it wasn’t a great record, but because it was expected to be much more to the "out" side of things as was now the expected trend started by records like Trane’s "Live At TVV" and, even more so, Ornette Coleman’s "Free Jazz". How ironic is that?! One of my very favorite records. His version of "God Bless The Child" kills me every time: https://youtu.be/3c3pBbmmaVw |
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More diverse "Ry Cooder"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lnys8R2fXk&index=2&list=RDEMeaGKKsEjeInkMwOGl_8bzQ |
As everyone knows, I am not a Blues fan, but I most certainly have to make this one exception, this song is too authentic and real to be denied; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXKQlCQKtIg Along with Albert King; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOQE41oeHaY |
frogman, it’s great to hear about Country music fans (such as your wife) liking the "real" stuff, not what’s being pushed by Nashville. John Hiatt isn’t marketed as a Country artist (more as a singer/songwriter), but he is more country than what’s on the radio. He’s a major player in what is called "Americana"---roots musics ("Hard" Country, Hillbilly, Bluegrass, Blues) that operate on an underground, cult audience level. Other members include Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller (another singer as good as Hiatt---and you’re SO right, John is a great, very soulful singer. Excellent songwriter too!), Jim Lauderdale, Marty Stuart, Steve Earle, Del McCoury, Alison Krauss, Iris Dement, Rhonda Vincent, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Jann Browne, Carlene Carter (June’s daughter), Rosanne Cash, Rosie Flores, Jason Isbell, Patty Loveless, Gillian Welch, and hundreds of others. That’s where the best Pop (non-Classical) music being made today is, imo. Americana music is covered in a great publication called No Depression. It use to be a print magazine, but is now a website. |
Hey guys, this is my first post here! This thread is quite long so please excuse me if this album has already been mentioned, but Herbie Hancock's Speak Like a Child (the Music Matters 45rpms is what I got) is my hidden treasure. I love "Riot", which is the opening track, and it's really fun to compare Herbie's version with Miles' version recorded in Nefertiti. Warm regards from Brazil. |
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"Sonny Rollins Strikes me............ Now I'm going to strike him; Bam! He done been struck. Inna here's is a Sonny Rollins record you should have in your collection for the recording quality alone; it's the same as having the purest sounding saxophone you ever heard in your listening room. Thomas Conrad (Stereophile) said he cued up "Way Out West" up on his Thorens turntable, and suddenly he was in a room with Rollins, Shelly Manne, and Ray Brown. It was recorded by "Roy DuNann" who some say was better than "Rudy Van Gelder". I'm sure that name rings a bell. The CD is on the JVC XRCD label, and I'm sure there are multiple vinyl renditions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5rCZcTfr2s&t=2145s Any time you can hear the quality of the sonics on "You tube", you know it's boss. |
bdp24, does "Ode To Billy Joe" qualify as "Country Music"? It's one of my favorite tunes regardless of genre. The first time I heard it, I was crossing a bridge spanning a muddy river near Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and I just knew I was crossing that Bridge Bobbie Gentry was singing about; "The Tallahatchie Bridge". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNB8AKMdqiQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0RCdSKogeI |
Lots to be thankful for today, including the wonderful heritage of jazz as it has progressed from its creation in America in the early 1900s. I'll add my welcome to luizfcoimbra. Your country has made some nice additions to the lexicon. I was going to offer "Way Out West" as another counter to inna's position but o10 beat me to it. ;^) For a long time I had little tolerance for "country" music. Only a few artists like Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline interested me. And BTW I consider mountain music/blue grass/string band music to be separate from country. So Doc Watson, Alison Krauss, the Dirt Band, etc. have been on my playlist. That label applies more to the commercial Nashville product in my mind. But then I happened to attend a George Jones concert with a friend (I'm leaving out the longer story of how that came about) and was truly impressed. That opened my eyes, and ears, to some of the more traditional country artists who are worth listening to. |
Rollins is the most relevant artist of our lifetime, IMO! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPCBqSy3lwk |
Amen! Indeed, lots to be thankful for today. Another appropriately titled composition (for today) from a very overlooked alto player who was a long time member (lead alto) of one of my favorite big bands, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis. Haunting in a Billy Strayhorn/Johnny Hodges kind of way: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iIjKV1M8kqM |
Thanks for that Tonight Show clip, acman3; had not seen that! One of the things that makes Rollins particularly relevant is the fact that he was the first player to have the cojones to play without a harmony instrument. He pioneered the piano (guitar)-less trio. Not a gimmick, but a testament to his amazing command of harmony. To an extent, the use of a harmony instrument is a bit of a crutch for a soloist. Without it, the soloist has to improvise in a particularly convincing way which allows the listener to hear the harmony of the tune implied by the soloist’s single-note phrases. Few can pull this off credibly. Another special quality about his playing is (he’s still with us) his unusually commanding sense of rhythm. Often one gets the feeling that the rhythm section is playing to HIS pulse, not the other way around as is usually the case even with great players. My favorite Sonny recording (3 volumes); like the great “Way Out West” it is piano-less: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0q2VleZJVEk03oGLxkxjZs-JGjm8fMu4 |
Not to step away from Rollins, who I admire for both his musical talent and intellect, but I just stumbled across this nearly 30-year-old 60 Minutes interview with Miles. "I never suffered, and I can still play the blues." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb6WIzRbCjo |
