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.
“probing, contemplative”. I like that and I agree. He has always been one of my very favorites; not only as a player, but also as a composer. It’s always been fascinating to me how his style got more and more economical through the years even though he has always had technique to spare.
Thanks for the correction re his age. A slight correction of my own, if I may. Although not quite on the same level of overall importance, but there is still a handful of greats in that general age group who thankfully are still with us:
Benny Golson, 90 Jimmy Heath, 93 (heard him lead his big band just a month ago) George Coleman, 84 Charles Lloyd, 80
What does everyone think of the new Wayne Shorter? It is only on CD and vinyl, as far as I can tell, and I have not heard it yet.
I really enjoyed the concert from Frogman in a jazz orchestra setting, but here he is in a completely different setting, which to me is more difficult. I will need to hear it.
frogman you left two great sax players off your list of the senior sax players and they are, IMHO, two of the best tenors
Odean Pope and Pharoah Sanders
An excerpt from an article written in 2001 about Pope, who turned 80 this past October 24:
Odean Pope spends his time in the relentless pursuit of truth as codified in the fiery scales of a searing free-jazz sax solo. Indeed, 10 minutes into a phone interview with this obscure Philadelphia-based tenor sax player, it becomes clear that this is a man who is not a mere musician in the traditional sense of the word, but a committed spiritual seeker thirsting for sacred knowledge inside a swirl of polytonality. "To me, music is a universal thing," says Pope.
An excerpt from an newspaper article written in 2006 about Sanders, who turned 78 this past October 13:
After moving back to the East Bay, Sanders joined Coltrane's radical "free" group and stayed in it until Coltrane's death in 1967.
Here, however, is what gets lost in the conventional retelling: Sanders did not adopt Coltrane's tone -- Coltrane adopted Sanders'. Their styles are compatible, but who rubbed off on whom? It's clear: By the late '50s, Coltrane was up to his shoulders in pentatonic scales and minor modes, pioneering approaches to harmony. Sanders? Somewhere else completely.
Both tenors use overlapping rhythms and strong dissonance, an approach Sanders continued to refine into the 1970s. One of his favorite spots for it was the Keystone Korner in North Beach, which before closing in 1983 had incense on the stage, mandalas on the walls and lines out the door. A clear fit.
I saw Odean Pope, Pharoah Sanders, and James Carter live at the Blue Note NYC in 2014 and the three of them brought down the house playing solos and together. The honks, squeals, and screeches blended in perfectly with a harmonic rythm that only these 3 tenors, IMHO, could pull off with justice. One of the best, if not the best, concerts I ever saw.
Frogperson, I had the great once in a life-time luck this weekend to hear Artie Shaw's "Clarinet Concerto" played by one Gabriel Campos Zamora and the Minnesota Orchestra of which he is principal clarinet . A ton of fun and Zamora is a fine player but unless memory fails me(a distinct possibility ) Vanska is even a tad better .
Well, as you know, the Artie Shaw Concerto puts certain demands on the soloist that most orchestral players seldom come across. Not too many great orchestral players can play that piece with a truly credible jazz feel. Zamora is a terrific player and the son of jazz musicians; he can definitely do it. There is a clip on youtube in which he talks about and demonstrates excerpts from the piece. Glad you got to hear it.
Nice groove. Michael Leonhart is a very talented young musician. Son of well known bassist/singer Jay Leonhart. He is part of the most recent Steely Dan horn section and does a lot of their arrangements of new material. He does some really nice work arranging and playing trumpet and vibes on Fagen’s recent “Sunken Condos” record.
Glad you liked it, mary_jo. Apropos recent mention of the clarinet, here is Ted Nash on what some less versatile jazz saxophone players only-half-jokingly refer to as “the misery stick”:
fro, it displays to me that the video is not available. It might be that the video uploader has restricted the video for specific geographical location? Is there any other link with the same title?
Catching cold has it’s advantages. You free yourself from every day work and you enjoy in the benefits of beautiful silence around yourself since you are voluntarily placed in some sort of quarantine.
So I am sitting in my room now, with layers of clothing, it is probably warm inside but I do not feel it. Properly dressed, looking more like a polar bear on ice than human, I feel feverish and fine at the same time.
My only companion, big bright orange, is lying in a carefree way on my computer desk, unaware of the fate that is about to face.
Time for jazz. No other time would be more appropriate.
Cold winter nights (aldo not really,really cold here) are great for reading and music. Picking some albums from shelfs that I do not listen often, this came as a pleasant surprise that I had to share.
'The slightly unusual date 'Two Jims and a Zoot' features tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims interacting with two guitarists (Jimmy Raney and Jim Hall) while given subtle support by bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Osie Johnson. Although the eight selections (none of which caught on as standards) had all been written recently and sometimes display the influence of bossa nova, the quiet performances could pass for 1954 rather than 1964. The cool-toned improvisations and boppish playing have a timeless quality about them'....
I have to admit that the last thing I expected to hear on your first clip was “Sing, Sing, Sing”, mary_jo. No “woe is me, I am not feeling well”; more of a “let’s kick this cold in the butt” attitude. Hard not to think of Benny when the clarinet is mentioned. Sorry the Ted Nash clip is not available to you. Hope you feel better:
Thanks guys for the list of older sax players. frogman how could I forget Charles Lloyd ? Especially when I mentioned him last year when he turned 80 and posted some music. I really only became a fan several years ago. I think his Atlantic and later Ecm recordings are his best.
Pjw I am a fan of Odean Pope also and have a number of his recordings. A very strong voice who can play inside or outside.
One other sax player who is still alive---Marshall Allen , long time member of Sun Ra's Orch. And Orch. Leader after Ra's passing. He is 94 and still performs.
Fro, if it would be otherwise, it would not be interesting. From the drums of Gene Krupa till the Chet’s trumpet lullaby. A perfect set. From strong to easy going. I have to pamper the cold you know. Poor thing is very busy these days. Your funny Muppets will fit right in. I thank you for that.
Cold Weather Blues, excellent.
By the way, have you noticed the comment below Goodman’s Sing, Sing clip?
"I’m only 16 and I like this music. I’m 14 and I like this music. I’m 4 and I like this music. I’m 3 months old and I like this music. I’m 2 days old and I like this music. I’m 2 hours old and I like this music. I’m still a fetus and I like this music. I’m an embryo and I like this music. I’m still an egg cell and I like this music. I’m a strand of DNA and I like this music. I’m a Carbon atom (not yet part of a DNA strand) and I like this music. I’m a Neutron (soon to be part of a Carbon atom) and I like this music. I’m still a Quark and I like this music."
A new release , "Montreal Memories " , caught my eye as I’ve been madly in love with Montreal since I was ten .Your jazz cred card will be revoked if you don’t get it !
Wonderful! Thank you. Heard him at The Village Vanguard back in the late ‘80s and still remember what great music he played and the buzz that his comeback had created. Cedar Walton was the pianist as I recall. He had recently been released from one of his stints in prison on drug charges. How sad and tragic that society dealt with this problem of the human condition in such a way. Beautiful player clearly out of the Parker school and still individualistic. You must know that he is a native of Minneapolis. There clearly must be something in the water there to foster so much inspired music making.
A real duo as well.No, I did not know he was from the Mini-Apple .
I lived in Berlin a long time and save for Opera there is more music here than Berlin . The reason is Minneapolis was founded by Nordic Lutherans that believed that Luther meant it when he said "a prayer sung is a prayer said twice", he himself was a talented composer .I am fairly sure there are more chorals here than any city in the world and they are the base .
Only place I ever saw that to make the high-school or college choir is as respected as much as making the football team .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHsjiZCVSUg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyfwoFZerKU Jazz is American but there are other lands that love it just as much if not more ! One is Japan which plays jazz with a bit of" lilt" because the Japanese language has a bit of lilt . These guys love jazz it not a show . In first clip check the petite young percussionist in the foreground .A badass little sailor had me swinging . Second one is the most played piece in swing ," Sing, sing , sing" If this is not the most alive, explosive and incredible rendition of this great standard I'll eat my computer !
Schubert, Thanks! I could not help but notice how fit the young ladies are from their dancing. Do you know if the boys are in the band, but not pictured.
Well, I always thought "September" was well within the hazy line of what is jazz and what isn’t . In any event I was trying to show a bit of Japan more than the music itself . I spent 3 years there in my teens and have a deep love for Japan and the Japanese .All those smiles on the Navy Band are for real .
There are a few boys in the band on brass but it is a all-girls High School with high academic standards . There are a top of clips even better than mine of the girls marching in the 2018 Rose Bowl Parade ..
acman, I lie . I was thinking of Tachibama Womens University , a premier women’s private university in Japan .
The feeder HS is about 1200 , 60/40 women to men .In Japan the winds are favored by women as more like the female voice and more "lady like " . If you watch the Rose Bowl marching clips you will see a few guys but only on brass .
mary jo, got a bit of cold my self . Thanks so much for that Chet Baker "Tenderly " ! As one of the comments by a Japanese lady on You Tube said " Less noise- more music " . Good thought for life in general .
Jim Hall must be a very insightful person ! The pace and interweave of the players is like a Japanese conversation . Discuss everything and always work towards the ultimate goal, "wa" , working together in harmony, the cornerstone of Japanese culture .
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