A little late on the Larry Young. That's what happens when you deal with people whose brains are firing a little slow. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNkY5Zv2cBo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNkY5Zv2cBo
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.
31,760 responses Add your response
Excellent Woody with his clarinet... Another genius pursuing career in music... "Never mind the words" https://youtu.be/0daS_SDCT_U |
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“Following Frank Zappa’s appraisal that ‘jazz isn’t dead; it just smells funny’, I would say that I think it smells just fine. It’s like cilantro – some people really like it and some people just can’t get with it.” — Brad Mehldau https://youtu.be/7vMszycqqlc https://youtu.be/qPe-9jW21tQ ”Like they say, as you get older, you either get smarter or you get stupider. And the people who get stupider are the ones whose thinking gets stuck. They lack the ability to continually re-contextualize themselves in the ever-changing world around them. Wisdom is nothing less then a deep understanding of our contingent nature. It is not learning a set of truths and then resting with that knowledge and living out your days. Wisdom involves accepting that truth itself is variable. To really know this involves humility, for one must be humble to forsake one’s own claim to unshakable truth. The best literature is wisdom literature. It’s always teaching us to not give into our vanity, and it’s teaching us to constantly question a presumption we make before it becomes calcified into personal dogma – in this way, we don’t get stupid. Wisdom literature will teach us to not fall under the sway of teaching – even its own teaching. The best learning is always inherently contradictory, malleable, and full of irony. It will always contain a clause that renounces any supposed absolute truth that it might possess. It is something to play with and discard, and then perhaps come back to again at a later point in life, when there is something else to be gained from it, something new and different. Any great wisdom should have this ability to re-contextualize itself at any given moment. If ideas cannot be re-contextualized, they are mere dogma, and wind up in that trash bin of history.” |
For you. Check the introduction... Wynton Marsalis Septet at Dizzy’s Club 2013 https://youtu.be/gKHM53iv2VI I love the Wycliffe’s solo... |
In USA a form of jazz , mostly big band swing but straight up jazz as well ,was THE music of the nation from the 20’s to the mid 50’s . Then rock started and within 18 months jazz was off the radio airways which was how 90% of the people listened to music . As I was there at the time and only had a small AM radio , I grew to hate rock .Still do . Kind of like you would feel about somebody who killed your mother in a car accident . |
Acman, thanks, glad you like it. I have very few jazz albums from 70's, always thought that 'best' time for jazz has been already passed by then, but in fact all those guys are still quite strong. I cant imagine how they felt in those times, probably like they are in paralele universe. I am curious, have anybody of you guys 'witnessed' the moment when jazz has 'lost' the contact with wider audience or it was gradual thing? Or there was never 'wider' audience? |
Larry Young /
Bobby Hutcherson
/ Elvin Jones / Grant Green ======= Street Of Dreams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08balpAm9Ak Tracklist 1 I Wish You Love 0:00 2 Lazy Afternoon 8:44 3 Street Of Dreams 16:30 4 Somewhere In The Night 25:32 * * * Grant Green - Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SHdqD077yY From the album - Feelin’ the Spirit, 1962 Grant Green - guitar Herbie Hancock - piano Butch Warren - bass Billy Higgins - drums Garvin Masseaux - tambourine * * * GRANT GREEN - Sookie Sookie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLfdtNoDD_A * * * Love this one... Grant Green and Hubert Laws - Creature https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IVZ0qVqem8 Creature, by Grant Green and Hubert Laws (flute) from the album "The Main Attraction" |
Earl Hines, Coleman Hawkins - Live in New York 1965 https://youtu.be/qbca-f-fbdU Unique recordings of Jimmy Smith, Illinois Jacquet and James Moody on tenor saxophone and Art Farmer on flugelhorn, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Clark Terry on bugel and Roy Haynes on drums. the Cannonball Adderley Quintet featuring George Duke, Dave Brubeck & his Trio with Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond,and the Charles Mingus Sextet featuring Cat Anderson at the 7th Newport Jazz Festival at the Doelen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1971. ...IN COLOR! https://youtu.be/fZNC7sZS6qI |
Bud Powell - piano, Oscar Pettiford - bass; Kenny Clarke - drums; June 2, 1960,from album at Essen Jazz Festival, Germany, with guest Coleman Hawkins https://youtu.be/0MeUzghR-eY https://youtu.be/Hc0OC6gH9nE |
It Ain’t Necessarily So - Grant Green w/Sonny Clark https://youtu.be/pwexZIZwgfc Maybe tomorrow - Grant Green https://youtu.be/k9oNHowrg4w We’ve Only Just Begun - Grant Green https://youtu.be/wEXdNZjkE_s |
https://youtu.be/Hreyv1zfQDc?list=RDT8JvzWyEL1c&t=2 More than anyone else , in any genre., this is the guy I go to when I just want to relax and think all’s well in my world. Done at the Frost Music School at the University of Miami, which has turned out many fine musicians . |
That is very nice and educative post fro. What I haven’t added in the previous post is what you have written: "Each player will also have certain “built in” sound characteristics." The instrument obviously can sound (react) differently in different hands. However, from the point of the guitar for example, if the guitar ain’t good enough, no performer will make her sound brilliant... |
Paul, if you dont have it already, check the Sonny Clark's album 'Standards', recorded on Blue Note from 1958. https://youtu.be/_E3euik5JWk https://youtu.be/iXB2f6rpYrI https://youtu.be/kIWzzvXexi4 also, complete recordings with Grant Green is a nice album as well |
Austrians are Germanic, but they are not as blunt and are more laid back then Germans . Stefan Mendel is quite high up on the European chamber music ladder. I can’t read his mind, but his comment about the Steinway treble harmonics was the way an Austrian might give a back handed compliment . Before it happened I knew an Austrian would leave it up to you. That CFX gimmick didn’t even sound like a Yamaha to my hears . Guten Flug ! |
Waiting for my connecting flight and was about to send and saw mary_jo’s excellent post. To add to it and perhaps of interest to some. Long 😱: —————— On a long airplane flight with some time for a few further thoughts on the issue of differences between instruments. Btw, re the comparison done by “the kid”, my favorite SOUND was from the Bösendorfer. I stressed “sound” because there was nothing special about the music making from the player himself. That particular comparison was interesting because it included the Fazioli, an instrument that has gained quite a bit of notoriety recently; especially considering the fact that it is such a new company (only about 40 years). Considering all the good press and feedback from players that this brand has been getting I was surprised that, for me, it came in a distant third in the comparison. On the excellent comparison that Schubert posted, which did not include the Fazioli, I was less decided as to which piano sound I liked best. I did not like the Yamaha at all and vacillated between the Steinway and the Bosendorfer. I loved the Bosendorfer’s clarity and power, but there was something uniquely beautiful about the sound of the Steinway (I’ll take a little salt with that; sea salt, please 😊). All this goes to why further thoughts and also relates to my earlier comment re the sound of instruments in response to Alex’s earlier question. Every instrument has a certain “built-in” sound quality that will manifest itself to varying degrees no matter who the player is and varies due to who the player is; in part because it will also have particular and unique response characteristics. All this for the reasons mentioned in my earlier post. More generally speaking, each brand of instrument will have certain sound qualities as well as certain specific response characteristics unique to that brand. Of course, there is variability within different samples of the same model instrument, but the “family resemblance” will always be there. Now is where it gets really interesting: Each player will also have certain “built in” sound characteristics. Every player has a different physical makeup; and, as a hopefully interesting aside, this relates to some of what the audiophile in us deals with as concerns issues of resonance and the “tuning” of an audio system. Just as the supporting surface that a turntable sits on becomes part of a turntable and subsequently affects the sound of the turntable; or, the way that hard cones vs soft squishy footers underneath your preamp also impact the sound, when a musician strikes a piano key or holds and blows into a trumpet, the musician and his unique physical makeup becomes part of the instrument itself and affects the resulting sound. Of course, and obviously more importantly, there is also the “touch” and the musical intent of the player which is how a musician “shapes” the sound. It then becomes easier to understand why the unique response characteristics of each instrument (“action” in the case of pianos) suits or is preferred by a particular player more so than others. Also why there is no universal “best” instrument when dealing with different instruments of extremely high pedigree. IMO, an instrument cannot be more “musical” than another of similarly high pedigree; the player can be musical. The instrument, for all the reasons mentioned, can be more synergistic for a particular player than some other instrument. Preference for a particular family sound (brand) by listeners is a personal preference. For a musician, when a particular family sound and response characteristic mixes with that particular player’s inherent sound, approach and artistic intent in a synergistic way does the result cross over into the realm of the musical. Rubalcaba sounds fabulous on the Bosendorfer; it suits him very well. So did Oscar Peterson, another player with great power and clarity of tone. I recently posted a clip of the Bill Evans trio with Pepper Adams playing “Three Little Words” as an example of Adams as sideman. I don’t know if anyone noticed, but Evans was playing on a Bosendorfer; the first time that I have noticed that. Every time that I heard him live at the Vanguard he was playing the club’s Steinway. I don’t know what he played on all his recordings, but I have no reason to believe that they were not Steinways. What I do know is that on that clip, before I noticed that Evans was playing a Bosendorfer, I noticed that his sound was more brilliant than the somewhat covered and more gentle tone that I associate with his playing; sounding less introspective. Better? Worse? He was always great, but it did sound slightly less like Evans to me. Nice way to pass the time; “Rocketman” was disappointing ☹️. Best to all. Sent from my iPhone |
"$225,000 range. Bosendorfers up to $500,000 depending on finish. Unique instruments can go for over $1M on auction." Wow, this is crazy...like $791,500 is crazy for Eric Clapton’s acoustic guitar. It is mostly the name (the brand) that you are paying (in these extreme prices of course). So, even-though the prices are exaggerated, at the classical guitar the price matters. "Luckily", I am talking here about the guitars range $5000 to $18,000. Usually (but that’s not the rule), the higher the price, the better the guitar. It depends of course on what are you looking for. This brings us to what fro has mentioned “ Top players often go to the manufacturer (by invitation) and try many instruments in order to find THE ONE for he/she”. Can’t be truer, imho, any instrument just does not fit to anyone. The best guitar is actually THE ONE that suit You the most. In size, in sound, in playability, how it resonates, etc… I will try to be as short as possible. The used material and the construction of the guitar is where the guitars mostly differ (from the same producer). The top of the guitar usually comes in cedar (produces darker, warmer, "full" sound which I prefer) or spruce (produces sharper, brighter and more clear, joyful sound). In the guitar construction it’s the bracing system that matters. It is the name given to the wooden structure that is placed under the soundboard (inside the guitar) which purpose is to reinforce it. Bracing system is very complex and it goes beyond the role of just a pure structural support. Thanks to different bracing (there are many types), the guitar will respond in different ways and will produce different sound. Bracing actually influences/controls the vibration of the strings. Why the guitar needs reinforcements of these kind at all? Well, guitar top’s differ not just in material but also in the thickness of the top. When the top is made so thin that is on the edge of the collapse, with just enough bracing (reinforcement) to keep it from breaking, they say that the sound is in this case the best one. Wouldn’t know that but lighter guitars do sound to me nicer because the thinner top transmits the sound of the strings in more powerful way into soundboard vibration and you get a guitar with bigger volume, and faster string response. I see this as if the communication between the vital parts is going smoothly. Meaning, the guitar will respond well to both, the aggressive and the gentle right hand techniques. This soundboard vibration and how the guitar resonates is how the guitar gets it’s character. There are, I would like to call them “working horse” guitars and guitars with character. The first ones will do the work well but will not impress you (no charm there), the second one will move you in many ways (as written above, in sound, in playability). Astonishing difference. There are more things that also differ on the guitar: the string height (action), the thickness of the neck (can surprisingly influence on left hand positioning), the position/location of “wolf notes” (some notes are a bit louder, more clear and better defined. Some not - “wolf notes”), etc, etc, there are much more to say… Also, since the material is wood, the wood is alive and reacts on weather conditions (humidity) and can sound surprisingly different in different weather conditions. The age of the material (wood) also differs and affects the sound. So, although the guitar might look simple, it is actually a complex instrument. Especially if you are looking for the good guitar, there are plenty of facts on which you have to pay your attention on. And the conclusion is, due to all the things that are written above, even the same type of the guitar, from the same producer (especially if it’s hand-made), does not have to sound necessarily the same.
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TGIF! More Sonny Clark With Buddy DeFranco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYU8H4A7YDM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-t9rKMKN_w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIBkXK6r50 |
This player may well be the deepest thinker Jazz Artist alive .Damn sure he is one of them . I rest my case. https://youtu.be/bXwWRFl6LSk?t=2 |
Here is the real pianist who plays piano throughout the movie "The Pianist" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janusz_Olejniczak The song I posted from the movie is a Frederic Chopin composition. According to most of the commenters its Ballade No. 1 Op. 23 in G Minor (with the middle cut out), or Nocturne No. 20 in C Sharp Minor. Here is the Discogs info: https://www.discogs.com/Various-Music-From-And-Inspired-By-The-Pianist/release/1032398 |
schubert after after listening several times to the young man playing the piano it was obvious that all three pianos have a different sound in presentation. My preference was the Bosendorfer. although the Steinway sounds beautiful I felt the Bosendorfer was much Fuller and richer sound and able to better convey emotion of the person playing. Hands down that would be my choice although I would have to sell my house to buy either one. Lol .The Fazioli I didn't feel was at the same level as the other two IMO. Others May differ. |
BTW, I would not know the difference in a blind listening test between the Steinway, Fazioli, or Bossendorfer piano if each were played by the same competent pianist playing the same song on each piano but one of my favorite movies, the pianist, has one of the most emotionally moving piano solo’s IMHO, near the end of the movie (especially moving after watching the movie up to that point). Its as if the pianist is spilling out all of his frustrations, fears, heartbreak and sorrow that was pent up inside of him after hiding like a tiny starving mouse in a massive ghetto crawling with cats for 3 long years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPrQdlrCzPY Of course Adrian Brody is not the "real" pianist that the movie is based on who is Władysław Szpilman. Szpilman really did hide like a mouse (jews) from the cats (Nazis) and survived. |
Sonny Clark played piano on one album of the great "Sweet Papa" Lou Donaldson titled "Lou Takes Off" and all 4 songs off the session showcase Sonny's comping skills. Lou Takes Off is a late 50's session and it swings hard. In the 60's Lou got more into the gospel/funk infused jazz. Here are all 4 songs in order as they appear on the album https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evDzBWnQcYY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fdk_KIZfmo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrVVJULuwU0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjyQ6SQj-iw |
Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark never played to a large venue and was most likely penniless when he died way to young from an overdose of heroin while "bootin It" (4th link), but he certainly was, IMHO, a master rhythmic accompanist and played with some of the greatest names in jazz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP8EiargMt4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAUcfCQ0tQg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GKvPNEkNdw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdZyx2uj1ls |
Re. The Kid at the piano comparison was full of himself and wanted what he wanted on technical grounds , so would I if I had to play it.But I don’t , I listen to the piano from a distance and only care about the music. IMO , here is a better comparison from a humble and mature player who is fair . To my hears if the Bosendorfer is not more musical I will fly to Budapest , swim up stream to Vienna and eat the piano. No salt . But I could be wrong , I was once , but she left. This is no doubt my broken brain, but every time I hear a Bosendorfer , I think it is voiced to the human voice , not a machine but a living thing ! Some Great jazz players use them. https://youtu.be/T2GYYV8JSqM |
schubert love that version by Beegie of "Autumn Leaves". Never heard of her before. She had to be in her seventies when that video was recorded. looked her up on Wiki and she's still going strong at 81 with concert dates. Any decisions on the three piano comparison video? The guy who owns those pianos must be loaded. Just out of curiosity what is the price structure on those three pieces? |
alexWell said and I concur with your statements. keegiam I understand and feel the same about certain statements made on this website. But do you think any one person(s) is going to change the opinion of another person on this site. If you are so troubled about someone's comments on this forum Maybe if you really want to do something about it you should contact the people who run the forums.And as far as my wanting to stick to Jazz, that's my business not yours. Have a nice day. |