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.
Thank goodness for the internet. We will always be able to at least get a glimpse or hear the era where all this great music was at its peak.
Hows about this one...Billie Holliday just hangin' while Mary Osborn shows the guys how it done. What an impressive resume this woman had...Perfecting her Jazz chops with Charlie Christian? Wow!
All we need to add to those three guitar players is "Skeeter Best", his playing is timeless.
He is accompanied on these cuts by some of the greatest jazz artists that ever lived. I have "Skeeter" on old records, but I don't know whether or not you can find new records or CD, but this puts you in jazz heaven if you can.
great link of 3 "must haves" in any complete Jazz collection. That is first time I've seen Grant Green play...and see him comp, he's more of a solo guy.
Very cool to see a young Kenny Burrell tearin' it up with that made in New York City DeAngelico "New Yorker".
Hey there, Frogman. Now that you are back (vacationing?) maybe I can get someone else to join in appreciating this lesser known Chick Corea recording. Chick Corea Quartet, actually. Recall, if you will, comments made a few months back about not enjoying soprano sax. This track with Bob Berg is making me reconsider (along with some performances elsewhere by Jan Garbarek). I gather the album is considered fusion but more than rock I hear strong classical influences.
Here is the link for Fresh Sound Label, they have large inventory of albums otherwise out of print or impossible to find,all new, you can buy the 'Jazz on the Rocks' there and many more.
Take a look, of course, hope that other will too. You can order directly.
Orpheus, thanks for suggestion, that clip was just a little bit 'soft' for my taste. About that other album, I honestly dont know, I am away from home this summer, will check it when I come back.
Nice post, tablejockey. When I was in college I roomed with a jazz quitarist whose two quitar idols were Howard Roberts (discussed here many moons ago) and Royce Campbell. I remember Campbell’s "The Art Of Chord Solo Guitar" playing incessantly in our dorm room. Royce Campbell is an excellent player who has had a very successful career in the studios and as touring guitatrist for major acts and has remained, as you say, "under the radar" for a lot of jazz fans. Your description of his style is spot on: Barney Kessel meets Wes Montgomery; I would add Joe Pass to the mix of influences. Not surprisingly he recorded a Wes Montgomery "tribute" album. What may be surprising to many listeners is that they have probably heard his playing many times without realizing it. As a longtime member of Henry Mancini’s orchestra he recorded much of the popular Pink Panther music including the famous theme.
Gorgeous Julie London "Laura"; thanks for that. Coincidentally (?) its Barney Kessel on guitar on the beautiful minimalist arrangement of this Johnny Mercer classic. The opposite of minimalist I love this arrangement of the tune by the great Nelson Riddle for another favorite rendition of the tune:
I've brought up guitarists in the past, since listening/playing is a passion of mine. Dropped out since I felt there's nothing to add.
Always surprise myself when I find someone current and who plays "straight ahead"influenced music. This cat is channeling a few greats-Barney Kessel, Jim Hall..I hear some Wes octaves...
Perhaps there's a player or two here, that's hip to this fine musician, Royce Campbell. Clearly he's one of so many "under the radar" musicians, that only get mentioned by a more "immersed" Jazz fan.
This no frills video of Royce playing the beautiful song "Laura" brings images of the 50's greats to mind, but Royce "owns" the song
I hope some some of you have Julie Londons 1955 mono album, "Her Name Is Julie" On another thread, I mention I always fall back in love with her, anytime I play this album.
If Orpheus10 asks me to leave his thread I will do so. As for analizing the hidden intentions of the participants, it would serve no purpose here and is not possible either.
As usual, your condescension overcomes all shubert. You stand apart from the decent human beings offering support and empathy in the mist of a devastating natural disaster as I suspect is your intention.
Glad you’re glad, ghosthouse. O-10 has been trying to run me off this thread for some time now and point-blank asked me to leave and start my own on several occasions; sometimes realty checks are a little tough to handle I suppose 😊. No worries, I'm still here with no plans to leave. Personally, I would much prefer to not have this type of dynamic creeping into the discussions and instead be able to have disagreements and expression of different perspectives without drama; and, yes, occasional reality checks. Regards.
O - I listened to the Shadowfax track you liked (and linked), "A Thousand Tear Drops". Quintessential Shadowfax. Sweet melancholy. I enjoyed the way it built from the opening’s simple melodic statement (Lyricon over piano & guitar) to the more complex, layered interplay heard around two minutes in. A well crafted piece. It has a similar feel to something by Oregon, just replace the Lyricon with Oboe. This is something that, a long time ago, I might have been inclined to spend more time with. Not so much now. Tastes change. On the other hand, this might be something I come back to when the mood hits.
Of greater current "interest" is something like this:
That tune I submitted for Dave is in reality, "the best of the best" when it comes to "soul jazz, blues"; it's been that way since they did it in 58, I believe. My CD of that is not the best, if I can ever get 45 vinyl, I will; that's the way it came out on the juke box, and got many of my quarters, but it was worth it.
"Blue Funk" is the best of the litter for my money, but they were all so good, that any one else who differed, could very well be right. Those were some of the very best musicians who made that double album; and that's fact with very little room for argument.
I believe with Popwell and Carlton in the band that was the Crusaders, not the Jazz Crusaders as labeled. Not that it matters to me, I find both to be worthy and enjoyed that number.
Re: Shadofax, I intended to say "a step away from smooth jazz". That has an identity while if light jazz is any different, not certain what that identity might be. I just don't bother with it.
Acman, plus any others in the TX/LA coastal area, best wishes you have minimal impact. I have family in the Houston area and just learned they are moving what they can to the second level of their home just in case.
I liked the Jazz Crusaders better than the Crusaders, but still listen to all till about Live in Japan. I am a big fan of the Jazz Crusaders as you guessed.
Dave is still in a hurricane aftermath, so he may be a little busy for a while.
Pryso, the factors that determine what music we like are many, and incredibly diverse. It's easy to understand how someone steeped in jazz, would not care for anything "New Age".
As far as "The Crusaders" go, I liked them better when they were "The Jazz Crusaders".
One of the local musicians who was a pianist, could play as well as Silvers, and I questioned him as to why he stayed local. To make sure that I understood that staying local was a personal choice, and that he could have gone on the road with ease; when he saw me come in, he began to play Silver's most popular tunes.
I sat there with eyes closed enjoying the music, and for that time, it could have been Horace Silver himself there on the piano.
Since then, I have learned going on the road and becoming a famous jazz musician is not all it's cracked up to be; I thought that rich automatically went along with famous, but it ain't necessarily so.
o10, not that it will matter to most here, but yes, I do listen to a wide variety of music, including classic rock, blues, string band (blue grass), classical (mainly symphonic), World Music (that catch-all for other than American or European), and selected soundtracks. I have around 3,000 LPs, 300+ CDs, and even still at least 100 cassettes (self recorded, I didn't care for commercial, hi-speed duped offerings). However between recordings I own and (fortunately) a great local college jazz FM station, I listen to more jazz than any other music.
Then I assume the four tracks for comment were in your 8/26 post. So here are my quick impressions.
- Shadowfax: never really listened to them, nothing offensive there but only a step away from "light jazz" which holds no interest for me at all.
- Jazz Crusaders: yes, I enjoyed them, even after they went for a larger, main-stream market when they dropped Jazz from their name.
- Silver: I've not heard them all but never listened to a Horace Silver album I didn't enjoy. As a footnote, over the first couple of years in college I attempted to play with friends in a trio or quartet. The pianist was self-taught and heavily influenced by Silver so that was the groove we attempted to play in. "Filthy McNasty"!! I don't have any real musical talent but was able to find a cheap upright bass and learned some basic "walking bass" patterns after being shown them on the piano. It was great fun, even if we were not very good, other than my friend on piano.
Charles & Bags: good stuff, I like Brother Ray whether vocal or instrumental.
O - I will go back and listen to all of that Shadowfax track you linked and then provide some comments. I was mainly focusing on the music category assignments you made. For me, I don't think of New Age as jazz. I guess there might be exceptions...
By the way, I said I liked some Be-bop and Hard-bop along with Fusion. Probably less Be-bop and more Hard-bop and Post-bop (along with Fusion). I was doing some reading about what those category names mean. Reminded me about the latter parts of Eastwood's "Bird" where CP is sort of bewildered by the ascendency of R&B. As per Wikipedia, some music writers claim Hard-bop was the response by certain jazz musicians to this "trend". Very interesting.
inna, one of the best and most memorable concerts I've attended was Mahavishnu Orchestra at Funky Quarters in SD in the early '70s. It was a small club and we had a table up front and center. Just watching and hearing all the interplay between musicians as they fed and challenged one another was exceptional. A real emotional high that I remember more than 40 years later. ;^)
Ghosthouse, I re-read your post, and discovered you didn't actually comment on "1000 Teardrops". You mentioned "Shadowfax" and New Age, but you didn't really comment on the music. It seems the music was nixed because of it's association with the aforementioned entities, Shadowfax and New Age.
If the music had been labeled "Old Age", it would have possibilities.
Pangaea by Miles is the only album worth listening after Bitches Brew. There were also a few good tracks, though, Time After Time is definitely one of them. Mahavishnu Orchestra at their best were and are incomparable. Not to mention that no-one can play a guitar like McLaughlin.
Pryso, the only thing in your entire post that I disagreed with was Miles, our collections would be quite similar. I bought Miles out of habit, until I discovered I didn't like what he was doing after "Bitches Brew", but he made so many albums, that now I'll have to wade through them, and see what I should have bought.
I think "Kenny Garret's" solo is quite special, I wonder if Miles complained about how long it was? ( his biggest complaint with "Trane")
That "Senor Blues" is quite special to me for the reasons stated; that piano solo is longer than on the record, and they were really into the music. Sometime live music is so fantastic, that the group couldn't repeat it if their lives depended on it.
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