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.
There was a musician who got a week long gig in a restaurant playing guitar for the people eating.
Night after night he played marvelous music and nobody ever acknowledged him. On his last night he decided he was going to be so awesome someone had to notice.
He started playing great music all that last night and as closing time neared he began to play better than he ever had before in his life.
As he finished his last song he heard clapping way back in the back of the restaurant. He looked up and searched the room for the person clapping. The person who had finally noticed his playing .
He then saw it was a fat man hitting a catsup bottle, trying to get catsup out of the bottle.
acman, the musician from your story got it all wrong. The restaurant guests are just trying to be fit. Have you heard of the “Crunch Effect”?
The Effect means that you are likely to eat less if you are more aware of the sound that your food makes while you are eating.
When you are listening loud music and eating at the same time, you will not be able to hear the food sound and you’ll probably eat more than originally planned. Especially if you focus yourself on the good music - huh, bam (!), there you go, in one evening +2 kg.
Found this little gem today. Harry Allen seems to come directly out of the Coleman Hawkins line skipping Coltrane. Smulyan is always good! And then there is Eric Alexander.
Here's one from my side of town! If yr feeling adventurous and are in the NYC area, this band's playing at Carnegie Hall tonight! The Dafnis Prieto Big Band. This is the title tune from his latest, the tune features his old boss; Henry Threadgill. The tune is a 'bolero', Paquito D'Rivera sez a bolero is just a ballad with a side order of rice & beans!;) A beautiful tune from an outstanding new release! https://youtu.be/zn3Vfz87FtY
I return you to yr regularly scheduled programming!;)
Great clips, acman3. And good analysis of the Harry Allen clip; I agree. Harry Allen has been a fixture on the still fairly vibrant Swing scene in NYC along with others like Ken Peplowski and Frank Vignola; great player. That recording is new to me and one to put on my list to buy. Thanks! Interesting that they went for the sound of the “Four Brothers” saxophone section sound with three tenors and baritone. When I hear current players like Allen, Smulyan and Magnarelli it’s obvious Jazz is not going anywhere.
Good to see you back, Chazro. Dafnis Prieto is a force of nature. Amazing drummer with an uncanny ability with multi-rhythms. Thanks for the clip. I checked out some of the cuts from that record and I like them a lot. I posted this a while back. May not seem like much at first, but it’s pretty amazing. His sense of time is remarkable in its ease and ability to pull the listener in.
I like Dafnis’ big band record a lot. I tried, I really tried with Henry Threadgill on that big band clip. I do get it. I know he is a bit of a giant in the “out”/avant-garde scene, and he does have some moments in that solo when he sounds highly emotive and lyrical (in a way). But, I just can’t get past that sound and funky (as in bad) intonation. The “out” guys sometimes get a free pass on those aspects of playing. In certain settings that aesthetic actually works well. In a ballad (bolero) like this, I’m not so sure. Just me.
Nice! One of the unsung heros of the alto; very interesting character also. Great clips, thanks. Since I commented on Henry Threadgill in my last post, it strikes me that Hal McKusic’s style is diametrically opposed to Threadgill’s. Not a put down of Threadgill; apples and oranges. Traditionalist, great command of harmony and beautiful tone leaning toward the “cool”; all strike a nice balance between a classic Desmond/West Coast sound and the classic Bird/East Coast sound. Loved the clips.
Here's a name I've heard but I'm not at all familiar with her music. She came to my attention in a promotion for a concert here in January. Just look at the names she is associated with! One bit of information stated her 1962 release on Blue Note was the first by a vocalist on that label. That alone seems pretty note (!) worthy.
Sheila Jordan never had the big "Diva" voice, but she got everything she had out of the voice she was given. Seeing the live music on Youtube she has put out recently, I would go see her without hesitation .
I received that initial link from a friend who's granddaughter is an aspiring jazz vocalist. That young lady (still in high school) will be joining Jordan in the January concert. She (Zion) is part of a "Young Lions" local group of teens all looking for careers in jazz. Her particular fascination focuses on scat singing so I expect she may fit well with Jordan.
prysoThanks for posting Sheila Jordan.I was aware of her but did not know sg e was off tgge jazz scene for so long rai sing her family. She has done 2 recordings on th e MA label in duet with bassist Harvie Swartz wh8ch I recommend. Great playing from bot h and excellent sonics. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jC42nNCbvNo
Going back prior to my interest in jazz I was a fan of harmony vocals, first in some doo-wop, then the folk craze -- Kingston Trio anyone? So as my jazz interests grew, I enjoyed music from The Four Freshmen and the Hi-Los. Here's an example -
All that is an introduction to a story some may not have heard. In an interview Brian Wilson, primary writer and arranger for The Beach Boys, was ask about his influences. He related as a young teen hearing The Four Freshmen on the radio and being fascinated by their harmonies. So he adapted that into his songs for his group. Who knew the Freshmen would be indirectly responsible for the millions of sales of rock records?
I received Take 6"s first album from one of those Columbia Records get 21 records for a penny and they send you 1 record a month, which you could send back if you didn't like it, but never did.
One of the few pleasant choices. Kept buying the next couple because I liked the first one, but as Frogman said, they weren't as good.
Wow, 21 LPs for a penny! acman you got a better deal than I did. The memory falters but it seems I got 10 or at most 12. Most of my selections were jazz as I'd just gotten into it about that time. I'm not even certain of the ones I chose now, but maybe I could find a hint. I believe the Columbia Record Club records came with a plastic inner sleeve, rounded at one end and straight with a perforated edge at the other so you could easily strip it open. If they were the only ones like that I might be able to verify some of those early selections.
Pryso, Probably was 10 or 12, but as a Texan we are legally obligated to increase the number every time a story is told, or increase size of the number as time goes by.
Next month CBS will broadcast the 41st Kennedy Center Honors with honoree Wayne Shorter, one of my very favorite musicians. Amazing musician with an unusually unique and personal voice both as a player and composer.
I’m pretty sure that I posted this previously. I think this record is a masterpiece; unusual jazz language. One of my very favorites:
“Masquerades disclose the reality of souls. As long as no one sees who we are, we can tell the most intimate details of our life. I sometimes muse over this sketch of a story about a man afflicted by one of those personal tragedies born of extreme shyness who one day, while wearing a mask I don’t know where, told another mask all the most personal, most secret, most unthinkable things that could be told about his tragic and serene life. And since no outward detail would give him away, he having disguised even his voice, and since he didn’t take careful note of whoever had listened to him, he could enjoy the ample sensation of knowing that somewhere in the world there was someone who knew him as not even his closest and finest friend did. When he walked down the street he would ask himself if this person, or that one, or that person over there might not be the one to whom he’d once, wearing a mask, told his most private life. Thus would be born in him a new interest in each person, since each person might be his only, unknown confidant.” ― Fernando Pessoa
mary jo, and anyone else interested in buying used jazz vinyl on the Crown Records label mentioned in her last post, I would avoid it. Years ago I picked up a couple of their LPs and found them to be very poor. They had noisy surfaces (even though they looked clean) and the sonics were thin sounding, flat, and without bass extension. They may have been at the low end of the budget labels but not worthwhile even if free in my experience.
frogman, Shorter's Speak No Evil was one of the first jazz albums I bought way back when. I had the privilege of seeing Wayne live at Town Hall NYC around 5 years ago.
Although the set he played that night was almost exclusively Avant Guard I enjoyed it very much as did the company I was with. After the show I thought my friends were going to assault me on pressing them to see Wayne as he is an all time great as a player and composer and even I was surprised at the selected tunes for the session.
However, each and every one of them were in awe and thanked me for suggesting they buy a ticket!
pjw, Billy surely knew how to pick his music companions. Ozzie's vocal fits the song perfectly. As if Ozzie finds himself in this song. So as Billy. When this happens, I guess all goes with the flow. (Now I sound like I'm coming from the The Unbearable Lightness of Being novel.)
I like Ella when she sings this song too but imho, Ozzie does it more effortlessly. Maybe somebody else sees this differently.
One more from Billy's garden. If I would not know that he was a jazz composer, I would think of him as a botanist. : )
acman3Thanks for the 2 recent posts on Mingus( UCLA 1965 & Jazz in Detroit). Bo th are are on my short list to buy . I was not aware of the UCL A recording which was all new? Music and has been available for quite a while.
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