You are so serious today. Preacher.
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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o10, in the past you and I have aligned pretty well regarding specific music or performances, I don't know why we have such a disconnect here? 1. I picked up on your three offerings of "Speak Low" to relate my opinion that when lyrics accompany a song they suggest a tempo or feeling that is best expressed in any instrumental performance. Sonny's version was an example that was not appropriate so did not work well, again my opinion. But that can be true for any song once lyrics have been attached. 2. Somehow you jumped to the conclusion that I "will never be able to understand all the various aspects of the song "Speak Low" ". Just because I didn't agree with the tempo played by Sonny and that group? I thought it was my understand of the main aspect of that song that suggested it be performed in a subdued, slower fashion as a tender love song, a ballad even. 3. As I concluded earlier about tempo for ANY song with lyrics, I can understand if others don't find this meaningful. For me it is simply something I've always felt in judging a performance. With that I'll end comment on the subject. |
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When Nina Simone became more well known in an interview, probably her first main one, she was asked whom her big influence was. She replied without hesitation and matter-of-factly, Johann Sebastian Bach. When people say things like that, whether it's Bach or Bird, it seems to me you should be able to 'hear' that influence in their music. Cheers |
it wasn't until I had a hearing test that the source of the problem was revealed. Ages ago, in the Air Force, my left ear drum was injured in a rapid decompression incident, and as many injuries, they get worse with old age. A lot of posters in the various sites listed hearing loss as a possible cause for the perceived channel imbalance. Always, the left channel was stronger. In my case hearing was eliminated as a cause by the Chesky disc. Some of the tunes actually started with the right channel. On several, the effect was, Trumpet and Trombone on the left, Clarinet and saxophone on the right and Drums,Bass, and banjo dead center. Since then, I have decided some disc, a lot, are biased to the left, some aren't. Classical discs seem to be the best recorded. Although I was sort of disappointed in my recently purchased, 4 seasons / Rachel Podger. It won top awards in all the Magazines, and is a SACD. Today my Mozart Violin Sonatas / Perlman & Barenboim was outstanding. No problems. Like you, I will just have to live with those with the problem. Cheers Btw, a good way, i'm told, to verify hearing, is to sit in the sweet spot with your back to the speakers. Now your right ear is listening to the left channel. Does the dominance shift? If yes, it's your hearing. If not, the system / recording. |
It would be 6-8 weeks till most of us would be gone . This thread has been going on for over seven years. In that time both the OP and The Frogman have been absent on occasion. The Frogman goes on trips with his Orchestra and sometimes he pouts. The OP just pouts. Lately he has pouted more than he has posted. The point is, the thread goes on. It has to. Where else Will Jazz be discussed if not here? In any event, The Jazz Queen and I will be here to the bitter end. Even if it comes to posting Ornette Coleman plays Sun Ra. Cheers and Chill |
Unusual times indeed. Rok is concerned with stereo channel balance and makes reference to musical “influences”!!! 😊 As far as “pouting” goes, leave me out of that one. Besides, the smeller is the feller, as they say. I seem to recall having to reel you in and persuade you to stick around just recently, Rok. 😠 Unusual times indeed. Hey, we have even seen our pouter in chief acknowledge the influence (speaking of influences) of (musical, my word) African DNA on today’s Jazz players. Unusual times indeed. Good news is progress CAN take place. |
Bach & Jazz: The Modern Jazz Quartet tried to make this work years ago. They couldn't. I think they called it 'Third Stream'. I remember a friend of mine, from NYC, trying to explain it all to me, in Atlanta. This was back when a new Porsche cost around 7000 dollars. That long ago. Never the Twain shall meet. Cheers |
Bach and Jazz: I rather enjoy this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri85RVGWtcY&list=PL452AD126B9D448A6 This too - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhU7euFPWwo |
Me too. Good stuff, thanks. Some interesting reading on the subject: https://newyorkjazzworkshop.com/were-beethoven-bach-and-mozart-jazz-musicians/ https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/bohp/22/ https://www.wrti.org/post/surprising-influence-js-bach-jazz-great-bill-evans |
Bach & Jazz: The Good Lord continues to test me. The Blues on Bach thing is nice music. So is the Swingle Singers. I even have a CD of both groups together. It's nice music because it's played by consummate professionals. I'm sure MJQ can play Bach. I know they can play Jazz. They just can't play both at the same time, within the same tune. And if MJQ couldn't pull it off, no one can. They even dress the part. I must have misplaced my copy of Schubert (the real Schubert) At The Blue Note. Perhaps, Vivaldi at Newport. Hog Calling Blues for String Quartet? This is the closest anyone has ever come, and wiki says it's 'Orchestral Jazz'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynEOo28lsbc wiki --- " Rhapsody in Blue is a 1924 musical composition by the American composer George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. " Nice try. No Cigar. Cheers |
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I’’m pretty sure that most of them , in a month or two , could have played jazz as well as they did classical . They may have been able to play some improvised music following the rules of music theory. Jazz? That's a different matter altogether. Jazz is hard. Esp Jazz on a level that people will pay to hear. Takes more than 'rigorous' training. Cheers |
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rok, I suspect we all appreciate that labels can be difficult. I readily admit that the Swingle Singers are not jazz, not in the strict sense. Is "jazzy" a better term? So far as my limited musical knowledge takes me, they are singing Bach's score. But it is not only the tempo, rhythm section, and their choice of vocal blends; the contra punctual form of Bach's music matches the lines followed by instrumentalists in many jazz groups. I've told this story before, although maybe not here. In college I got together Wednesday evenings with friends after studying to share recently acquired jazz recordings. One evening after an hour or so we were at a loss for what to listen to next. The guy who's apartment we were visiting put on one of the Brandenburg Concertos, I'm no longer sure which. Up to that point I'd had almost zero exposure to classical music, but I loved that! So I began buying recordings of Bach and other Baroque composers. Only later did my classical music tastes expand to other periods. So maybe that is why I might accept Bach in the jazz realm more easily than you. |
Baroque music played by Jazz great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUOTq_xGWpE This is as good as it's gonna get folks. Cheers |
the Swingle Singers are not jazz, not in the strict sense. Is "jazzy" a better term? So far as my limited musical knowledge takes me, they are singing Bach's score. Based on this, there is no problem, or even disagreement. MJQ tried to merge the two genres. Sort of like so-called 'fusion' is supposed to be the merger of Jazz and rock. Non-Jazz groups singing Bach is no problem. Even if they try to 'Jazz' it up. Jazz groups playing Bach is OK, It still remains Bach. Which ain't bad. Third Stream was a dead-end. That is my only point. They never made it work. If they did, share with the rest of us. Cheers |
@schubert And the winner is? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7heXZPl2hik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSMuTm649Hk Cheers |
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Somebody mentioned Ornette Coleman? :--) The Love Revolution Ornette Coleman, Buddha Blues and >>Suona<< https://youtu.be/BJePdnU_bwc |
Ornette was on page one of this thread, where he belongs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7lfI6GFg0U |
You beat me to it, acman3 (wouldn’t be the first time); right were he belongs indeed! Here is the world’s greatest musical genius, greatest artist to ever exist, only player EVER to be able to do it all, keeper of all that truly matters in Jazz AND Rok’s musical soul brother; and who, it was presumed, would NEVER do something as egregious as this 😊, paying tribute to none other than..............Ornette! https://youtu.be/-OIlqV4scgs Making things even more interesting. This one is for you, mary_jo; per your recent advice 🙄: https://youtu.be/j3Tk6Z6XbMs |
Yep, the end of days is near. Better listen to this while you can. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6cYz7svyn0 At volume. Cheers |
Awsome! That’s got to be Turrentine. Like a slow Les MacCann groove. Thanks. Funny, I heard this this morning on XMRadio (It’s really not radio, but that’s another story). Anyone who knows the “Swiss Movement” record knows this groove. With Eddie Harris, “I’ll Take Les”. No SM, but pretty good. Harris kills. https://youtu.be/SBOFSZAjML0 |
John Scofield: Very nice. Shall we say, Attempted Grand Theft: Groove. But anything that reminds me of SM has got to be good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pejJxEs_v-s Heard this at my sister's house in Maryland, bought it as soon as I arrived in Germany. Cheers |
I know, I know, 100 times or less? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfNIVdnz1FQ No title, you just have to open it to see it. :p |