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.
nsp, a beautiful album that I’m lucky to have . Alexander just plays which I enjoy .
The last guy is Estonian , every musician in Estonia seems under the spell of Arvo Part , an Estonian semi-mystic Classical composer and devout Orthodox Christian who might well have sold more recordings in last few decades than any classical composer alive . I would imagine some jazz lovers might like some of his stuff .https://youtu.be/z8ZScAdV8qE Monk fans would be my first guess .
Anyone else find this on the Monkish side ?https://youtu.be/MmBrep A master of tempo and the space between notes . His personal style of melody and polyphony .
Late night with Stan Getz and John Coltrane. Two very different tones on the tenor. They referred to Stan's tone as "The Sound" and John Coltrane was quoted as saying everyone would sound like Stan Getz if they could.
A great quote from what many consider the "god" of the sax as the Trane shows much respect for Stan.
Then there is the rythm section of Oscar Peterson, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. A great ending to my Easter Sunday!!
I can't stop now. Wes Montgomery showing the difference between a "good" guitar player and a "great" guitar player. Unlike Grant Green of whom I love, Wes plays rythm as well as lead (Grant does not like rythm). Some "no names" in the rythm section but they are great also.
81563, you can bet your last dime that average rocker would think him a boring player . Great as Wes is , I prefer Joe Pass and his acoustic sound myself., Which means nothing , Ac, that flute player is off the chart, fabulous !
Schubert that is a hollow body electric guitar Pass is playing. Just as Wes was playing a hollow body electric guitar in the previous links. I'm sure both could also play "unplugged" (acoustic) just as well.
Here is a great version of Stardust featuring Helen Humes on vocals and the very underrated Don Byas on Tenor.
Thanks 81563 , I looked at the Pass clip again and say him plug in the bottom .So, I'll just say I think Pass is a better player . Is there a top-notch jazz guitarist that does play acoustic ?
@pjw81563...Ah if it were only that easy. While all guitarists "can" play acoustic, that doesn't mean guitarists, even professionals, play both electric and acoustic guitar at the same level. This doesn't mean a player can't excel at both. But, ask most guitar players who are being honest and they will tell you they are principally devoted to one or the other. It is a relatively short list of players who have mastered both. Even in the jazz world. I've been playing the guitar for 40 years--I wish I could pick up an electric guitar and do exactly what I do on an acoustic guitar and have similar results. Alas, pick attack translates differently--finger picking translates differently--note resonation is different, dealing with ghost notes (if you want them and if you don't), etc.
@pjw81563 Hmm...okay, not how I interpreted your post "just play the same way they normally do with an electric guitar and an amp with an acoustic guitar and no amp." If you played the same way on both, one could sound terrific and the other could sound bad. No worries. Thanks for clarifying.
A bit softer but not bent Little "mirco" echoes and twitches I don’t hear with electric , of course my hears might be broken . I haven’t heard every jazz guitarist there is but, of the ones I have heard, Pass is by far the best . He reminds me of a Mozart piece , when its done you know the notes could be other way .
Thanks for the Humes and Byas masterpiece pjw . I don’t recall hearing them but they did that "Stardust: as a duo" , incredible how they drew you into the song instead of hitting you over the head with it .Real artists !Checked other works and both could have sung and played anyway they wanted . Wish I knew what arranger had to do with it , if anything . That bothers me about jazz .
VERY interesting guitar talk from Jim Mullen .It’s always been hard to live in Scotland so they are a pragmatic lot ! Watch how much music there is in the Celtic music he goes out on , those "little ditties " have hundreds of years behind them. https://youtu.be/TOutRlybKBs Anyone who has the slightest interest in guitar should hear the 10 minutes of this wise man talking to" Guitarist" magazine .
Wonderful. “Satin Doll”; classic tune that players love because of the relative simplicity and obvious logic of the harmonic changes.
I posted this a while back. Pass and Niels-Henning Pederson had a special affinity for each others’ playing and styles. The changes for “Tricotism” are more obtuse, so harder to improvise melodically over them:
Pass was a fantastic bebopper with a pretty straightforward style and was pretty much untouched by what could be described as the post-60’s harmonic sensibility and swing feel. Pat Martino’s bebop style is more forward looking with a less “swingy” feel and a rhythmic drive that shows his fusion side; it owes more to the Miles/Coltrane wave:
Yeah , I more or less , probably less , knew that .Of course a musician can appreciate technique that means nothing to me .To me , melody is what its about and that and the means to that is it . The b3 and Martino on oleo are fabulous but they ain’t pretty . Pass and NHP are fabulous and pretty . I don’t doubt the reverse is true for a trained musician which is fine with me . .Why would Pass change, he already had beauty .Pass has total confidence . A lot of players look scared .
Martino looked sick in your clips . Hope he wasn't .
It’s not about “technique” in the usual sense (chops). Pass had tons of it; possibly more than even Martino. And, you’re right, “why would Pass change?”. Who says he should have? Different players. Mozart and Schubert were great melodists. So were Prokofiev and Shostakovich; in entirely different ways. The best? I don’t see the point.
Btw, he WAS sick. In 1980 he suffered a brain aneurysm and after surgery he was left with total amnesia. No recollection of anything including how to play his instrument which he had to relearn. Took years. One of the most remarkable comeback stories.
There is no point other than you like what you like .And more often than not , that is what you have experienced. I can put the Russians in their place in history , love Prokofiev melodies in particular .
When people give me the "music is the world language " bit standard smart butt answer is I've never met an American who is a fan of Chinese Opera .
In all aspects of life I really have only two that I absolutely believe are the best , God and Bach .
frogman I knew about Martino's car accident and how he had to "learn" to play again. I have seen him a few times and he is a very small and frail man. Maybe 130 pounds soaking wet. I have a photo of him and I together and I remember when we put each others arms around our waists for the photo he felt like a feather.
Mind you I am 6'2 215 pounds....
Of the current jazz guitarists I really like Peter Bernstein. I believe Jim Hall was a great influence of Bernstein who I have also saw live. Bernstein and Martino shine on sessions with Hammond B3 players.
Amen , Don’t think there was much talk who was the head "bone when J.J was around . Never thought these 2 were in same time , ain’t easy being dumb . IMO , judging by the one clip , Bernstein is an elegant player , always room for that !
Bobby Broom is another great guitarist from the newer generations. I think he and Bernstein started recording professionally around the same time in the 80's.
81563, as nobody wants to answer you question I might as well stick my big-mouth in . You only have to listen to a few clips , whether you speak his language or not , to know that few players have as much to say as Metheny . That alone makes him top-drawer in my book Off hand,.only jazz player that has even more to my hears is Gonzalo Rubalcaba .Sonny Still might be better as an improvisor but I don’t know enough about Metheny’s music to be sure of that .
Thanks Schubert. As I already mentioned I have the first recording he put out. You mentioned Rubalcaba who I am just beginning to explore thanks to you and frogman.
Metheny collaborated with a multiple Grammy award winning (10 if I remember) pianist on albums 2 and 3 which I also have. His name is Lyle Mays and he is very good piano player himself as evidenced on the following song:
Metheny's first album, Bright Size Life, was a trio session with Pat on guitars, Jaco Pastorious on bass, and Bob Moses on drums.
His second and third albums which I also have, he added Lyle Mays on piano. Mays is the "driver" of the music on both of these albums titled "The Pat Metheny Group" and "Watercolors. Mays contributed arrangements and compositions on these albums.
Here is the Lyle Mays Quartet live at The Ludwingsburg Concert Germany, early 1990's
Well, I think that at my age and values I can smell spiritually like a hound dog smells a pork chop .Mays is certainly a fine pianist but I don’t get a whiff of the depth which pours off Rubalcaba .
Of course I may be a delusional old fool .And I mean that .
pjw Not a big fan of Metheny back in the day due to my main interest in bebop 50's and 60's jazz as the real deal. I was happy that Metheny and his group brought more new listeners to the genre. Listening to the cut San Lorenzo and really enjoying it with much more of an open mind. I don't have Bright Size Life but another trio recording he did with D Holland and R Haynes Question and Answer I like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MAGraRUVog
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