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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Good to see Charlie Mariano get some love. Great player and a favorite alto player. Some of my favorite Mariano is as a side man with the great Elvin Jones. I confess to having to make an adjustment in my head (ears) to get used to his idiosyncratic sense of intonation, but I love his soulfulness and story telling.
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Good pick @frogman I haven’t listened to Eddie Daniels in a few years. |
Jazz is way more powerful than we may think because it can transform any piece of music in something different and not less beautiful, proving to us that music is more than the sums of his parts. The proof about that are in some articles i recommended , a true acoustics revolution, in Bolong thread "the mystery of sound is mysticism" ... Jazz is the deal ... 😎
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**** I’m not sure there is a bad Eddie Daniel’s album. Clarinet or Sax, always a good performance. **** There isn’t! Eddie is the greatest ever “woodwind doubler”. Hero to woodwind players in the NYC scene. He achieved a level of mastery that is truly astounding. Little known fact is that he is also an outstanding flutist. While he has been concentrating on the clarinet in recent years he revisits the tenor and flute periodically. This is one of my favorite records of his. Early (first?) record of just duets with the great Bucky Pizzarelly on guitar:
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Last night, I was watching a YouTube video from Absolute Sound. An album mentioned was How Love Begins by Nicole Zuraitis. I just started listening to it and before the first tune was half over, I liked it. Well recorded and she has good voice. The guy in the video said it was the best Jazz album of 2023. |
Nobody can play at the same level each days on drugs... But he was used to it it seems and even with it he could play minimalistic with a power of speaking and singing expression most trumpet players not on drug can only be envious... 😊 I own 100 albums of Baker ...Save for few evident one he was professional and never played when he was unable to do his job... The only artist in my own mind thinking of jazz i will compare his artistry is the singing expressive playing of Bill Evans who as Baker try to serve a song more than serving himself with the song ... They are so great artist that i think of them more than trumpeter or pianist...poet i will say ... My thesis is they are brothers from an unknown father ...😁 But nobody will believe me here ,,, I had liked poetry all my life it tainted my musical preferences ... I was listening 17 century folk song french and english at the radio canada emission under 5 years old each noon dining ... I was listening madrigals and Choral music at 16 when my friends invited me for the Beatles ... 😊 I begun to appreciate jazz when i begun to appreciate musicians for what they are i was old already near 35... Before that i was mainly classical written choral music ...Bruckner revelation and scriabin revelation educated me and i goes on Persian and Indian ectasy till today with jazz from all countries because jazz is no more just an American language it is universal ...but jazz will never forget his black roots... By the way the greatest book i read 4 years ago on acoustics and revolutionary was written by an African Acoustician Akpan J. Essien and specialist of the Yoruba speaking drums whose work contradicting Pythagoras was just proven right this year... I spoke about him in another thread .. I speak too much but it can be useful i hope ...
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Thats the problem i had.... For me Miles Davis is the best trumpet player... No doubt ... But Baker sing better with or without trumpet ...😊 I am in a bar and the dude in front of me speak and mumble a bit ... He spoke to me right now and if you want listening Baker i can say what he spoke about with his words coming as a cigarette smoke ... Thats how Baker can play when he is not too much on drug ...😁 And he did it two times learning anew with with no teeth... Then he does not play as this with only his mouth it takes what we must call a soul as in Armstrong playing i forgot speaking of Miles as the best which is true as Jupiter exist ... Armstrong is the sun.... Baker is the moon ....Miles is Jupiter .... Evident for me .... It is jazz planetology 101 ... 😊
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I explicitly said that i cannot approve or contradict these impressions from Richard Williams (not my impression then it is a quote) . I quote it to add to my own opinion about Montoliu ... I put it to reveal that not all jazz afficionados takes Montoliu ,underestimated in America, as a secondary pianist but as one who can rival Peterson in the same way Chet Baker rival Miles Davis in his own individual way . In music all great musicians are beside one another on the same podium for different reasons linked to their soul/body individual unique expression ... i like Peterson as i like Bill Evans , Keith Jarrett , Brad Meldhau, Montoliu , or few japanese pianists unknown here or Bill Charlap etc .. Montoliu and Bill Evans and Jarrett and Peterson are my favorite ...but the lists of the one i loved is too long to put here ..... jazz is no more an American genre for many decades after the war now ... Jan Johansson from sweden is one of the great jazz pianist i love for example :
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@curiousjim When I listen to Black Christ of the Andes by Mary Lou Williams, I feel like I’m in Heaven. The title track is one of the great pieces of music of the last 60 years to these ears. |
Here some impressions i cannot entail nor contradict, but which shows how underestimated is this Spanish master of piano : «As Richard Williams has observed, Montoliu is a far more interesting pianist today than Oscar Peterson – harmonically more resourceful, more given to subtle humour and with a greater range of mood and tonal colour. Though he has developed in sophistication and technical command over the years, he remains a player of instinct and impulse and his dexterity and clarity of execution are tools waiting to do the bidding of his inventive mind.» https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2021/08/29/jj-08-81-tete-montoliu-trio-at-ronnie-scotts/
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I only discovered 50 of them ....on near 100 possible ... We can debate if he is beside Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett , but he is not far from them in creativity and originality ... I dislike none of all the albums i listened too ... I can listen to him for days as Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett ... I own 50 of Montoliu and near 100 of Evans and near 100 of Jarrett ... I dont need to upgrade my gear but i need to upgrade regularly my musical country ... 😊 i came to you and few others here for suggestions ...
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Listening to Cheese Cake. Thanks @pjw81563 |