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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mary jo Art Pepper’s Nature Boy is sublime jazz. Jimmy Heath composed an album while doing a 4 year sentence for Heroin. It was smuggled out and recorded by Art Pepper and Chet Baker. Its called "Playboys" and the title fit the two of them well. They were both very handsome and considered "Ladies Men" until heroin took its toll on them both. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Hu80C5tjI Look how handsome a young Art Pepper was when he recorded "Plus Eleven": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWJw216hhlo And a young Chet Baker playing "Just Friends" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88CqlgFAJ-k They were definitely "Playboys" Ok with all these handsome men in the video’s I just had to throw in one with a beautiful woman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PYKOo_jgJo I have walked up and down that walkway hundreds of times through Ipanema which is a village on the Copacabana strip along the beautiful beach - Linda Praia in Portuguese. The tile pattern of the white and gray stones that that gorgeous woman is walking on has been there forever - miles of it running parallel along the beach. And not mention Astrud Gilberto’s sultry vocals! |
God bless you , mary jo . I personally saw chain gangs in the 50's as a young soldier in South Carolina , made my blood run cold , still does . "Small" things show what the big things are in a country . One was yesterday when a bigger, stronger and better funded team and their fans made a circus out of crushing a team that had no chance . Canadian team told them to their face this is despicable behavior . Karma is another name for Hubris . |
Thank you schubert for the journey through the part of the USA history. I have just read several articles on Paul Robeson, a musician and social activist, including articles on Joe Hill, a labor activist and labor folk hero. "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." Martin L. King Schubert, if we continue writing like this, we might both end up behind bars. You should appoint somebody in time, to bring you lunch and cookies there. I count on Alex to bring me the cake with the file baked into it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G5KtQynWvc |
How true mary jo, how very true ! We are losing the ability of being human ! This is my go to guy when going on is getting tough .A superb artist and a great patriot in the true meaning of that. . Not a flag waver but a brilliant man who saw what was wrong and tried to make it right. One of the greatest Americans ever born . https://youtu.be/XBN0byLC0HA https://youtu.be/n8Kxq9uFDes |
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From the same link above, from National Public Radio site is also Black, Brown and Beige, Duke Ellington and his orchestra featuring Mahalia Jackson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0PlS8nuceA (Come Sunday) what I have first heard of when frogman posted it a quite while ago. Although I am not quite into gospel as musical genre, could not help noticing the expressive contralto voice of Mahalia Jackson. Later found out that she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel". Jackson on her choice of gospel: "It gives me hope. With the blues when you finish, you still have the blues." Today, being massively bombed with inhumanely auto-tune voices, she sounds to me like the oasis of a warm, natural, emotional, human voice. |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HpYsUlBWFQ
"Bobby Watson, saxophonist: "When I was in the Jazz Messengers, [bandleader] Art [Blakey] had us play 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' — the Black National Anthem — at the opening of every show. That was his musical statement. He didn't go to the mic and talk about why he was doing this song; he just did it. He never made any speeches, but we all knew why. He was very political, and there was always an undercurrent of social awareness and black pride in the music. Art also demanded respect by the way he had us dress in the band. We wore overalls, and it was because as black men, off-stage, you could not just walk around free and get any respect dressing that way. But Art would not allow perceptions to dictate anything. He was saying, 'You're going to respect me for who I am, because I'm great at what I do.'" Resource National Public Radio, Inc https://www.npr.org/sections/ablogsupreme/2012/06/18/155318747/five-jazz-songs-which-speak-of-the-freedom-struggle?t=1560240321155 |
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I understand and agree with you frogman . That said , it might be better as the immortal Greek watchword " Everything in Moderation " Or anything but "Checks and Balances" . Only time I ’ve heard "Checks and Balances " is in reference to the US political system where it does not work . And seldom has . Gives Jazz a bad name . Much easier to not make a mess in the first place than to clean up an amorphous mess after its done . P.S . I had my computer encrypted and have trouble with clips . Lucky you all . If I could enter the trumpet beauty contest it would be Clifford Brown playing " Laura " . |
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Checks and balances. The checks and balances of life and on humanity which are like Jazz itself. For it to succeed there has to be a joint effort between all sides; compromise for the tune to really swing. If any one side insists that its (musical) viewpoint is THE one and there should be no consideration at all of the other then the feel of the tune will suck. When our side doesn’t get its way the all-too-human reaction is pessimism about the state of humanity. The same as the needless and pointless pessimism about the state of Jazz. All this in spite of example after example that point to why one should feel optimistic not pessimistic. Important to understand that the reason that we didn’t get our way is often just the message that we had gone too far with OUR viewpoint. Checks and balances. With the recent mentions and posts of late Coltrane and its ferocity I find it amazing that the same player can also play with this kind of sensitivity and gentle beauty. As far as I’m concerned Coltrane’s solo on this is one of the most beautiful and lyrical jazz solos ever. Cause for optimism: https://youtu.be/PoPL7BExSQU |
TBone Walker with Jatp https://youtu.be/pFqK6PBq-hA it is from this album https://youtu.be/WdDpUfQ9npI but, speaking of 'funny', would not mind to see some of these 'shows'... https://youtu.be/ZblPwNLH6hg |
I would have loved to be at this show. I was just a 4 year old at the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-WwhDh894g |
Alex probably wanted to buy a gun, that’s why he knows that our law about carrying a gun is a quite strict one. So, have you bought it? You are scaring me now. I can’t open links for some reason. And I want to laugh like pjw. : )) p.s. pjw man, you have some heavy machinery there, will have that in mind next time I feel the need to tell you anything. p.s.1 If I were Janie, I would have a gun. |
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Funny, but true, on subject (not jazz) https://youtu.be/0rR9IaXH1M0 second part is even better https://youtu.be/a9UFyNy-rw4 Speaking from different perspective and part of the world, we have very restrictive laws about guns. Also, it is safe, for people and children to go anywhere at any hour, during day or night, despite the fact that average income is low (compared to other EU countries) and there are lots of people who struggle. Maybe its a kind of cultural or traditional thing, but blunt robbery of another person is considered to be a shamefull thing. Of course, that in normal, every day relationships, business or private, there are scams, like everywhere, but 'resolving' such issues rarely involves use of weapons. Not long time ago, we had mandatory army service that lasted around one year and every male person had some sort of military training. We had a quite savage war 25 years ago raging all over the country and wider for 5 years and losts of people still do have illegal arms, including bombs, anti tank missiles, land mines, heavy machine guns and so on, but there is no much use of it during crimes and we do not have much heavy crime at all. Perhaps becuse the biggest criminals are the ones in suits and the biggest robberies are done in silence and even the strees thugs know where the real money is. If you want the piece of action and best loot, you should join some political party or better,government body at any level. Education ,including university is still free and health care as well, for all the people (with or without job, retired, etc (despite some problems that such system creates) |
True in a country with more guns than people evil people will lay their hands on them. What can be done and has been done in other countries is confiscate all semi-auto military clones with 30 round magazines etc. With severe penalties for those who keep them in case Chinese Airborne troops land in their back yard and/ or a Democratic president sends a company of marines to burn their house down because they fought off the blacks that drove 300 miles from Chicago to assault their wife . Two kids killed in a school is better than a dozen . |
He uses the human voice in most songs, and is based on biblical books. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqxfdNm4gZQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfHWsjJePyU |
nsp, Hear is the info on Coltrane album Living Space: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Space_(album) |
acman3 I like the song. How is the rest of the album? I read some of the content from your second link and don't agree with a lot of Brad's political views. Criminals will always get guns no matter what laws are passed. As far as the military budget of the U.S.A. I have already stated on this sight it should be cut in half and the money used to provide free healthcare for all plus help homeless people living below the poverty level. |
Very insightful, and very good record. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHP1iKN0FIM Agree or disagree, Truth or propaganda, food for thought. https://www.bradmehldau.com/news-post/2019/5/30/note-from-brad-the-prophet-is-a-fool |
This is the only Archie Shepp session I have so that 5 disc set will fill some gaps in his repertoire. Album cover is whack but I have a few tequila bottles that look like it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MjoR4Rq9s0 The following All Music review sums up The Magic Of Ju Ju. Its very challenging music. Definitely Not for "standard lovers" And rhythmically hypnotic would be an understatement for the opening 18 minute long track. https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-magic-of-ju-ju-mw0000744563 |
schubert I have also I have also been listening to Eddie Daniels this week. Will post some Daniels music next week.That WDR recording with Paquito D'Rivera is on my to buy list already.Hilario Duran really impressed me. Gary Burton made a recording many years ago titled" libertango". Here he is playing live http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkSQV5tk4Pg |
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nsp, I have the remastered version of the Kenny Dorham double disc complete At Café Bohemia and the sonics are very good. You cannot go wrong with that purchase. Speaking of free jazz I just added a few more John Coltrane discs to my collection. Major Works of John Coltrane 2 disc set with the songs Ascension 1 & 2, Om, Kulu Se Mama, and Selflessness. I already own the single disc Ascension parts 1 & 2 and the single disc Kulu Se Mama. So basically I bought it for the songs Om and Selflessness which I do not have. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000003N6C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Also purchased Living Space and Newport 63. Can't wait to hear the Newport 63 date which has Roy Haynes replacing Elvin Jones on the drum kit. https://www.amazon.com/Living-Space-John-Coltrane/dp/B0000065KF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JNAWKW5E6CVX&ke... https://www.amazon.com/Newport-63-John-Coltrane/dp/B000003N6R/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=john+coltrane+newp... Also bought a nice 5 disc collection from Archie Shepp: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BLHMWYL/?coliid=I1H1ZRFF4T7EF5&colid=2MJEFFF7AFXNS&psc=0 Amazon does not list the albums on the Shepp compilation. They are as follows: Four For Trane - On This Night - Fire Music - Mama Too Tight - The Way Ahead R.I.P. Dr. John |