Jazz for aficionados
Some Charles Mingus to welcome your morning(or perhap evening if in a diiferent time zone) http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WyOlc8BaR0A http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ys-h1d0kY http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xf2ZRxYehaI |
Meanwhile in Croatia... The scat singing. If it's not the part of cartoon, I do not like it. One of the rare places where I can normally accept it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhUCItCCQmQ Hi De Hi De Hi De Ho |
frog, that was a good selection to show how various instruments contribute to orchestral sound. Also the brisk tempo defies the idea that classical music is too slow and plodding. I enjoyed seeing the energy of many of the musicians as they "leaned into it", not unlike many jazz artists might as well. Regarding taste, I added blueberries, walnuts, and a dash of pure maple syrup to my oatmeal this morning. ;^) nsp, I can enjoy Mingus any time of day! |
Wardell Gray was popular for his "Bird like" Bop, but I preferred his ballads, they were very special to me; every time I heard them they brought back memories of long forgotten scenes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7en810UObk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq1gBQENKOA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OsK-SX7Emo Enjoy |
Glad you enjoyed that, pryso. One of the greatest modern orchestral works and the LSC with Chicago/Fritz Reiner is an audiophile fave (the clip was Berlin/Pierre Boulez). mary_jo, great! The real-life Betty Boop: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1rgcgW7Yw |
I like Fever, fro. Know it from Peggy Lee and when Elvis sings it but haven’t yet heard it in Bernadette’s performance. Actually I have perceived her so far only as an actor, so this has come as a surprise to me. Never knew that she had that talent as well. She is daring and shameless in Fever. She says she burns but she actually wanna say: Come away with me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmRT4TVCxG8 Love me tender https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gzC29VwE1A |
frog, I enjoyed Bernadette's performance, but it can't displace Peggy Lee as #1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGb5IweiYG8&list=PL18E00C84FF26FA25 BTW, I've heard that Shelly Manne was drummer on that, but I don't have the record to reference the fact. Also I thought Julie London recorded it too, but I couldn't find it on YouTube. It seems like an obvious choice for her. |
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fever_(Little_Willie_John_song) frogman Enjoyed Peter's version of "Fever" but I am with pryso in that Peggy Lee's version is best IMHO . pryso- Yes it was Shelly Manne ! here is the proof: link above interesting back story : Lee's 1958 version included different lyrics (by her)and different tempo. When singers do a cover it is her version that seems universally copied. |
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..... if one likes that sort of thing. Bernadette Peters is a musical theater diva who has cultivated that “Betty Boop” persona. The clip was not meant as a good example of “Fever”, but as a follow up to mary_jo’s very cute clip. One does have to admire a woman who still looks like that today at 70 (!). |
0-10, I agree about Wardell Gray’s ballad playing. Beautiful player who like Coleman Hawkins was a transitional player who bridged swing and bebop. To my ears he sounded pretty credible in a bebop setting, but he was still mostly rooted in the swing tradition and sounded most at home there. Shades of Lester Young. You may like this: https://youtu.be/d4l2KDVMjXU |
The clip was not meant as a good example of “Fever”We got it fro, but wanted to emphasize our Fever version. (Mine is that one from the Elvis, the king. But even though that’s not the point here, it doesn’t hurt to mention.) Bernadette is such an actor. Her acting abilities serves her singing well. The way she moves, compensates what she wanted to say through words/voice only. Her performance is quite opposite to the one’s from Norah that I posted. It is interesting for me to see how much body language a stage singer uses as opposed to the purely voice interpretation (if such barely exists). How much of the body interpretation should be there to be sent out to the audience and how much of the share goes to voice interpretation only? Where is the balance? I guess this one is unanswerable and can be taken nearly as rhetorical question. |
nsp, interesting post on Little Willie John. I just became a teenager about the time rock and roll emerged in popularity. I remember John but strangely not that song in his original version. However in my defense, during the ’50s there were still regional hits, not just a single national Top Twenty. Anyway, that one reminded me of this which was a personal favorite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kIswurDJt4 It was a few years later before I developed a serious interest in jazz. But R&R relates to R&B which relates to jazz so there were connections. |
This recording is all Tabackin songs. Can only find this track off the recording on youtube, but there is some great blowing on this record. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egbntk-QxJs |
pryso Right ! Little Willie John's "Fever" was probably not a national hit maybe just local. Your post is a classic hit and a classic car. Is that a 58 Chevy? maryjo mentioned liking Elvis's "Fever" http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OSeyfWTLnWg# http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0gApye34low orpheus10 +1 Wardell Gray I think maryjo posted a cut by Norah Jones. This cut and a cd of hers I borrowed from my library sounded like she leans towards country music style. Has she done any thing in the jazz idiom? |
acman3 I liked Tierney Sutton's "Fever" . She can do no wrong as far as I am concerned. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ey3Kw6CihEc |
Do not forget perhaps the most creatively unique jazz album of all time; and to me its one of the finest too.It's an album called Mysterious traveler by the group Weather Report.This was the album where the sound of Weather Report began to gel and come together into the most unique sound in jazz.In fact,this album is so unique that it may take several spins before it starts to gel on you. Zawinuls keyboard arrangements are excellent and quite unforgettable,Wayne Shorter plays his saxophone in a very unique and unusual way, entering in and out as a team player, adding texture rather than virtuostic highlighting of his skills.Jaco Pastorius was the best on bass, check out "Cucumber Slumber".Even the quiet low key last track on side 2 which sounds like filler on first spin becomes something really ingenious on further listening.I have a rare white label LP promo copy,the rare SACD and am looking for the Nimbus Super Cut LP,if I can find a great copy for less than a hundred and a half. |
Welcome supertweek, One small correction. Alfonso Johnson was still on bass during Mysterious Traveler. Jaco took over midway through Black Market. Great music! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3sBSHEivzs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDtx2LTDT5s |
Yes, welcome supertweak! Great record, “Mysterious Traveller”. I like and agree with your descriptions of the record and the playing on it. **** Do not forget perhaps the most creatively unique jazz album of all time **** Pretty bold statement and while I would agree it is definitely one of the most creatively unique, I’m not sure I, personally, would say “the most of all time”. Like other uniquely creative albums their uniqueness has everything to do with the time period. I prefer a broader context. You mention Wayne Shorter, one of my very favorite jazz musicians and highly underrated as a composer as far as I am concerned. So much of his concept as a composer has shaped contemporary jazz. As a player, as you point out, I have found it fascinating how his playing has gotten more and more concise; say the most with fewer and fewer notes. Great composer: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3XvJFW0DHbU https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fvRkGglLe-U https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z3qXILIfPuw |
Thanks for joining us supertweak. Weather Report has been a favored band for me for years. And while I realize personal experience can vary a great deal, and I do appreciate "Mysterious Traveler", was that really such a uniquely creative album to distinguish it from earlier WR albums? Maybe I don't have sufficient musical knowledge to make such distinctions. :^( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzpDAH_ISCk |
Greetings earthlings. Pardon the flyby. Add 42 years to Mysterious Traveller and maybe you get this... (or not) Takuya Kuroda's No Sign from his 2016 Zigzagger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k7kQyedXbw Gotta go. Ciao |
pryso, your musical knowledge is certainly not an issue, imo. Even more importantly, your musical instincts are excellent, imo. Having said that, I hope you are not suggesting that you consider all WR albums prior to MT to be on the same level of creativity; that would suggest that you don’t have a favorite. You are correct that this sort of question seldom has a definitive answer and is subject to personal taste. Are there any WR albums that you consider to be exceptional? All those concerns aside, however, I would say that for whatever it may be worth MT is generally cited as, if not always the best, certainly one of the best WR albums. For me it makes a clear move to a more structured (and, for me, interesting) compositional approach (the tunes are better) as opposed to the more liberal use of vamps for extended improvisations in earlier records. This combined with the fact that this was the record that, as supertweak suggested, began Zawinal’s more prominent role in the band. Great band whose music and playing, to be honest, I admired more than I liked. Then, of course, is the fact that this was the last album before Jaco came aboard. This changed the sound of the band in a big way. So, best (whatever that is) or not, I think it is certainly a milestone of sorts. |
Thanks for the kind words frog. I've not listened to some of my WR albums in some time so I need to give a re-do listen. Off the top of my head I can't pick one I consider exceptional. Favorite(s) may change depending on mood. But I always considered Zawinal to have the prominent role in the band, although Jaco seemed to contribute a lot with both playing and writing once he joined. I will say the only time I saw them live was after Jaco joined and that was an exceptional performance all 'round. |
More Wayne Shorter. Unique voice as a composer as well as player: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hEzAJJfTtBE https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UNFfuve42-w https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5_z-_-Kn7U8 |
Wayne Shorter A little different Pinocchio than NSP is going to play next. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xz8S0oUuWE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZHggdxDNKc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVhw2NCxqaE |
frogman although I agree with supertweak that "Mysterious Traveler is creatively unique I really prefer the 1st three albums by Weather Report. Although I may agree the tunes on MT had more structure I like the extended pieces on the earlier albums which breathe with more open space and emphasis on the individual players and their interactions . My feeling is that as Zawinul became more prominent this element was lost. And also Shorters contributions seemed to fade with Zawinul's ascendancy. I don't listen to "Heavy Weather " anymore. That was the album that. introduced me to the group but I feel my tastes have changed over time. As far as W Shorter in concerned I think he is under appreciated as a composer and saxophone player. Although he came up in the bebop era he forged a playing style so unique in the 60's with M Davis group. His probing never rushed solos which took advantage of space were unlike anyone at the time. It fit well with Davis who also used less notes and used space within his solso to create a mood. And Idon't think Shorter gets enough credit for the compositions he wrote for Miles 60's group. I can't say enough abput this group and their move away from bebop which had dominated for almost 20 years. I am going back to that group to relisten to their output to gain new insights into the high level of musicianship they created. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qeJ9NEyxk8I http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xUC8NuiuXcs http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gZOoepKkpeI |
Early Weather Report: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eP4tzCLWEX4 http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=04fPJ3PEV9M |
Great WR clips, acman and pryso; thanks. Really good to revisit this group’s records after a surprisingly long time (for me) not spinning them. As I pointed out before, while I have always enjoyed their records they were never favorites and I am finding that my reaction to them is even more positive now. Good post, nsp; and good observations re WR. I would only add that while Wayne Shorter does seem to take more of a back seat to Zawinal beginning with Mysterious Traveller, my hunch is that there is more “Wayne Shorter” in the post-MT mix than may seem obvious. For me one of the most insteresting things about Shorter’s career is how his playing became more and more economical as time passed; as if he were on a mission to say the most with the least number of notes. As you point out he used space in his solos very well; one single well placed and shaped note from him can be so expressive and say so much. Consummate artist that he is, I suspect that taking more of back seat to Zawinal was itself an artistic statement on his part and not the result of any “political” issue. Miles with Wayne: my favorite jazz band of all time. Amazing Quintet with an amazing amount of musical synergy. For me, it just doesn’t get “better” than this as concerns level of musical interaction and intuition in jazz regardless of style. Tony Williams!!! One of Shorter’s more unique recordings: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VFPIB4rFPIA https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fijliIceqJ4 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8DTTx_hb_Gs |
Some tunes getting play on my system last night: Coleman Hawkins -Sirius 1966 date w/Barry Harris piano http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rgo47fMpsxw http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EcGC3E8jVbM I ask are there any current player(s) who can play a ballad as beautifully as Hawk? Phineas Newborn An excellent piano player who may not be as well known as others. Recorded for Contemporary with other major players. Very swinging player with an inventive mind. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=khn4QBLS88E http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IJALytAL6oM |
These two guys are great together. I only started listening to Wolfgang, but am rectifying that recently. Blade is Blade! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwKgAQzATCU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkT7TY0P8W4 |
@acman3 I saw Brian Blade play with John Patitucci's All-Stars (Adam Rogers, Steve Cardenas) at the Iridium in NYC awhile back. BB was just as you describe above. I thought both he and JP were masterful at staking out rhythms that grooved with countless possibilities. He was subtle, he was in the pocket, he was exploratory and accentuating all while providing a refreshing foundation for the other players to build on. it was a joy. |
**** Billy Higgins. He makes everything he plays on great.**** So true! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5ubU5TclcEg https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7wcYrx4d3Jg https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d9u51WVgXzo https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vXUPhR5HQLU |
Thanks to a neighbor and fellow music lover for recommending Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge". Recorded in 1964, this has aged well over the intervening 54 years and sounds very fresh to these ears. McCoy Tyner’s piano work is excellent and Elvin Jones drumming contributes to a high level of energy. Track 3, El Barrio, here... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztVT1_8ZmDY |
Here is more Henderson, from ’Page One’ album, playing K.Dorham’s standard ’Blue Bossa’... https://youtu.be/U7eOs5lERww more about the song... http://www.donsickler.com/blue-bossa-what-you-dont-know/ another version... https://youtu.be/HgwCddPksEM |
nsp, sorry but I just realized I never confirmed your question about the Chevy pictured with that video. Yes, it was a 1958 Impala. That was the first year the Impala replaced the Bel-Air as their top model. A friend in HS had a turquoise '58 Impala convertible. I was green with envy, but didn't have the long green to buy one. :^( Speaking of the late '50s, early '60s era, anyone here remember the 45 changers available as automotive accessories then? I knew someone who had one in his '56 Bel-Air convertible but only ever heard it playing records while parked curbside. I wondered how well it did driving over anything but the smoothest streets? |
Thanks @alexatpos An interesting read. On the first link to Blue Bossa, right at the start of his solo (exactly at 1:01), is the trumpet player, Kenny Dorham, intentionally overblowing to get that (almost trill-like) distortion or is that a defect in the recording posted to You Tube? His tone is mostly clean later in the solo. Anybody know? |
No defect. That is called flutter tonguing and is used for musical effect; can be done on any wind instrument. Imagine saying the word “Arriba!” and rolling the r’s, not in the stereotyoical way an Anglo might, but the way a native would. The player does the same thing with the toungue while blowing into the horn. Fantastic Henderson clips; all classics. Thanks for those, Alex and ghosthouse. Amazing player and one of the giants; up there with Rollins and Trane, imo. Love that beautiful blend of funkiness with control and harmonic inventiveness. One of my favorite tenor tones. This record is Henderson at the very peak of his creative and inventive genius, imo. Warning: bass solos and no piano 😎: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gvksR_tcAKk I posted this previously. One of my very favorite jazz records: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMD9X0rJLX6bVX8SIMSmPlVv_PAFx3v85 |
