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.
orpheus10 & frogman I would like to Clarify my position on gato Barbieri. I did like his work with Don Cherry on the two blue note albums from the 60s. I have a later 60s album with Gato in a trio which is totally avant-garde and I don't like.That speak low cut posted by O10 could have been recorded by CTI heavy on the orchestration light on the improvisation. I think he made his stylistic turn with the soundtrack he did for Last Tango in Paris and never looked back. I don't think he ever topped it . I did like some of the impulse label things he did but I no longer own them. The rest of it you can keep Here's another standard recorded by gato and the complete albumhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wQgSft3pf8
Nsp, thank you for that interview. That was an incredible time in an incredible city; The South Side was like a city unto itself that was quite diverse. That no longer exists.
orpheus10 that's too bad it's no that's too bad it's no longer like that. I guess times change. it sounded so vibrant with all the different clubs and churches on every corner all with music. At least you have your memories and you must feel lucky to have been there at that time. I will have some other comments about his interview when I finish it.
A great live recording at Newport Jazz Festival and engineered well. Sonics are excellent on the CD.
He does a medley based on the Bill Withers song "Use Me Up" which I have seen and heard him done before a couple times in person. The version on this new release is awesome as are all the other songs. Highly recommended.
Nsp, Wright spoke of 47th and Calumet; I recall sitting in my cousin's car on Calumet, waiting for him to come back, when some guy came running down the sidewalk past my window, and hearing a policeman scream halt before he fired his revolver; this guy turned and fired back at the cop then kept on running; I recall he was well dressed. It's funny how details stick in your mind at a time like that.
Fortunately for me they were fairly good shots, they missed each other but the bullets came within feet of my window or closer and they didn't hit me or the car. That let me know I was in the big city. At that time, the population of Chicago was 3620962 and it was number 2 in the USA.
Pjw, thanks for the James Carter recommendation. Looked for it on the Tube; not there yet. I look forward to hearing it.
For me, one of the all-time greatest instrumental pairings in Jazz was the collaboration between Bill Evans and Stan Getz. To my ears they both lived in very similar musical planets. I posted this previously:
I post it again because it was long thought to be the only recorded collaboration between the two. Not sure how this eluded my radar, but I just became aware of this other, previously available only as a bootleg, live recording:
Evans, by his own admission, was heavily influenced by Classical composers. A beautiful example of this “cross pollination” of genres in his very interesting chord voicings on their fabulous rendition of “The Peacocks” @ 39:57. Bela Bartok with a touch of Ravel all the way.
Its on all my music memory sticks in both cars. great driving music. I also have this version by Bebe and Cece Winans. Bought it at a store in Montgomery, Alabama. Don't why I remember that, I just remember the time and place I purchased certain CDs.
This guy has been around a while. Played with Dizzy in the Les Hite big band back in the early forties. Assistant Band master in the Marine Corps. The entire CD is Monaural. For you youngsters, that means no stereo. You only needed one speaker. Ah, those were the days.
I was very impressed with his playing on my CD. After reading your posts, I realize his playing was just the more obvious of his many positive attributes and achievements. He was also a great human being.
Joe Wilder was also a pit musician. Pit musicians who play in pit orchestras are not only required to play multiple instruments at times, but they must also be familiar and able to play in multiple keys, styles, and tempos and make a switch instantaneously. The orchestration for a musical is written in a key best suited to range of the singer. Some keys are more difficult to play in than others because of the increased attention that greater amounts of sharps and flats require. Musicals also tend to have a number of styles which can range from a soulful ballad to a syncopated funk tune to a driving hard rock song. Many musicians have been trained to play in a certain style, such as classical music, but in order to play in pit orchestras, musicians must be able to play a range of different styles. Because musicals are live, many elements can change from show to show; pit orchestra musicians consequently should be able to play different tempos every night and even skip through their music to a new spot if an actor or singer makes an error.
I know you guys remember my long and boring post about watching these musicians when I went to a Broadway show. Would you like for me to repeat it? I must have a unanimous vote for an encore.
Wonderful trumpet player. I have heard many Joe Wilder stories and references from musicians in NYC of that generation (many no longer with us) and who worked with him; he was a fixture in the NYC scene. They all speak of Wilder with nothing but admiration and references as to what a kind individual he was. He graduated music conservatory (Manhattan School of Music) where he developed his unusually “schooled” technical ability. He was one of very first to break into the previously all-white (and lucrative) Broadway musical theater scene. Amazingly for a Jazz player he also worked with the NY Philharmonic in their trumpet section. All, surely enabled by a his formal training since a certain kind of playing is required to be successful in those fields; a level of control and technical finesse on the instrument that Jazz players typically don’t have.
His playing had a very suave and elegant quality about it and with a rhythmic feel that clearly showed that he was coming out of the Swing era. Beautiful stylist who improvised in a very harmonically “inside” style typical of the pre-bebop Swing era. A bebopper he was not. I love his playing.
Very talented duo. She plays trombone, sometimes, and does all of the arrangements. Although they do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time and effort trying to recreate a nonexistent connection between American black music and Africa.
I’m fairly new to the jazz genre, but decided a few months ago to give it a go, and now realizing what I’ve been missing all these years. These are the Lp’s and sacd’s that I’m starting with and they are perfect for me.
Ben Webster - Ballads Ben Webster meets Oscar Peterson Coleman Hawkins encounters Ben Webster Dexter Gordon Clubhouse Miles Davis - Kind of Blue Ike Quebec - Blue & Sentimental
while I’m not an aficionado (yet) I look forward to continuing my journey and exploring and discovering all the fantastic recordings out there.
Thank You Orpheus10 for your well wishes. My journey has begun, I just pre ordered Born to be Blue - Grant Green on vinyl.....will have to wait until the end of October for its release but if it’s anything like Blue & Sentimental it will be well worth the wait! Again, Thanks!
Acman, I've never heard that Max Roach before. I'm glad it's nice and long; I'm listening to it as I type.
That's new, new if you know what I mean, and I think you do. All of that inventive percussion has really captured my attention. I don't know any of the players but all of them are mesmerizing.
A Canadian pianist. His international reputation is far greater than his rep here in the USA. I love his playing. He is like another Canadian Jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson, in that, he is not a creative innovator, but a very fine player. A Class Act indeed.
His career shows the importance of being fully merged into the Jazz scene in this country. It makes a difference.
Here are three tracks from the CD, two written by Jones and one by Bill Evans. All very easy on the ears.
Why do we like the music that we like? In pop music it was thought to be a generational thing. I'm applying that same theory to jazz, and it works out to a point. Beginning with "swing", which was before "Bird", he brought in "be-bop" which phased into "hard-bop" and what I call "modern jazz" that covers a lot of territory.
"Bird" was active from the 40's to 55 when he died. Most will agree, no one person made a greater change in jazz than Charlie Parker; since his time, jazz has branched out in different directions, all related to Charlie Parker, and morphed into what most people call "modern jazz". That has gone on through the 60's and into the 70's.
We did a side step with "fusion", but we went back to "modern jazz", which is pretty much a catch all category. I can't see where we have gone past "modern jazz"; somebody keeps talking about "free jazz" which sounds like "chaos" to me and a lot of other people; anyway, that "free jazz" never quite catches on, I know I have a lot of it I would like to sell if anyone is buying.
If there is some great movement after "modern jazz" that has eluded me, would someone please bring me up to date. I stated music and jazz was a generational thing, and I haven't gone anywhere in a fundamental sort of way for decades; am I stuck, or is jazz stuck?
Very nice player, Oliver Jones. Nice clips. Student of Oscar Peterson and shows it. He doesn’t quite reach the amazing technical command of Peterson, but who does? Lighter touch and not quite as rhythmically assertive as Peterson, but brings a somewhat more modern harmonic approach to the table as your second clip (Mark My Time) demonstrates; as opposed to Peterson who always stayed in that place between Swing and bebop. I like him. Thanks.
Jazz is never stuck. Whether we can unstick ourselves to understand, appreciate, or like where it has gone is another matter. There is a big gulf between today’s Jazz (modern, by definition) and “free” jazz. The great majority of today’s jazz is not free jazz; but, stuck it is not.
**** There is no new and old. Just the good and the other kind.****
Not sure about the first sentence, but the second is exactly right.
The Duke answered this question years ago. I don't know why people insist on making Jazz some kind of fly by night music that goes in and out of style like some teenage top forty 'hit'.
The 'good stuff' goes through life with you. There is no new and old. Just the good and the other kind.
Today I was watching a thing on youtube about 'million dollar' stereo systems. The most beautiful rig I have ever seen. Had three 10" RTR decks. Power amps the size of dog houses. You get the picture. One of the tunes he played on the RTR was "house of the rising sun". Didn't catch the female singing. Couldn't hold a candle to Dee Dee, but there it was.
Now read the wiki article. Note the dates, times and places concerning the 'origin' of House of the rising sun. Without doubt, it goes in the 'good stuff' column. Humans will be playing it forever.
I had found a live clip of Jones playing with Peterson, but Peterson was very old and this was his post-stroke period. Decided to pass on it. Along with Gene Harris, my very favorite Jazz pianist.
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