Money in whose pocket Grant Greens or Blue Note?
Business people have devious ways of figuring the bottom line
Enjoy the music.
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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This is good party music, not great Jazz. I always heard a sameness to all this 'soul-Jazz', esp if it was heavy on guitar and B-3. Not much different from R&B. Just better musicianship. Please don't say when you listened to this you could see yourself on the March in Selma. :) No jammin' there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dce3qcQ6qeE&list=PL8RdfaZOB1PIS6UQv66jbDoDuTuAv-Ksu If there was money to be made, his music would have been released on LP. Remember Talks and walks? The notes you quote state why his stuff was not released. Wes et al. Cheers |
I belive you will find it pleasing. I have that album for a long time now (edition with Donald Byrd's album on single cd) and I like it. I even like that Byrds alubum, no matter that on moments it sounds more like a soul/pop effort, melodies are quite 'catchy', still there are some fine playing. Green https://youtu.be/Dce3qcQ6qeE Byrd https://youtu.be/4oRJpv-SAb4 |
I just recieved a Grant Green CD, titled "His Majesty King Funk", and there is a picture of Grant Green that looks like the Grant Green I remember; anyway, this reads as follows: "Throughout the Seventies and Eighties, Grant Green had become the forgotten man of jazz guitar. Overshadowed by such virtuosos as, first, Wes Montgomery, and later George Benson, Green was reduced to performing pop material with mediocre groups at the time of his death in 1979. Some of his best recordings remained unissued until the Eighties, and were then only available in Japan in limited quanties." That explains a lot of things for me; I've got all of these boss CD's by Grant Green, now the question is "Why aren't they LP's"? That's the way so many other people that I have in my collection are, the point is, if these albums were made back when, why didn't I have them in my collection "back when". This also coincides with some clown on "Agon" that's been saying that Grant Green had albums that couldn't be released because they were substandard. That also goes a long way to explain his economic troubles. Right now, steam is coming out of both ears, so I'm not going to expand on the above paragraph; I'm going to put the CD in, and hear what it sounds like. Enjoy the music. |
Alex, Donald Byrd has one of the longest records in jazz history of producing consistent high quality jazz albums; but even when he left the "jazz reservation" he was still producing high quality music. Such a long record makes it easy to overlook some of his best. I'm enjoying this "Paul Chambers" album big time; that's because I don't have it in my collection. Chambers perspective on this album takes me back to a more laid back time. My ability to go back in time, enables me to enjoy jazz much more than someone who can only hear through a present, 2016 perspective; someone who was not only alive at that time, but was quite active in listening to and collecting jazz, can surround themselves with scenes of the jazz nightclubs, and events at that time. Middle 50,s to 61, was the time John Wright's album "South Side Soul", depicts the south side of Chicago; and to this day, they honor him and his album, on a certain day in the summer; that's because all they have left of that place and time is his album; that's the power of music. When I go back to that time and place in Chicago, I enjoy the music that was created then, so much more. Enjoy the music. |
On this album both ours last mentioned protagonists are playing. Aldo this is not my favourite album of Paul Chambers , there are some nice playing here as well. Here are some links from Paul Chambers sextet 'Whims of Chambers' from 1956. with Donald Byrd and Horace Silver, together with some other greats. https://youtu.be/3op2LT4B5e8?list=PL6A0DDC005EAF991F https://youtu.be/aI3eLPSQbzo?list=PL6A0DDC005EAF991F https://youtu.be/kNhwQFRrS4Q?list=PL6A0DDC005EAF991F https://youtu.be/c0t1-DxX5Ew?list=PL6A0DDC005EAF991F Just for the record, some very nice albums of Donald Byrd have not been mentioned in previous posts. Will post a couple. Again, Byrd with Silver, on 'Byrd's Eye View' https://youtu.be/9E3-z7-hlh8 Imho 'Royal Flush' is also a fine effort with some great playing https://youtu.be/7c6tzCXrqTc There are couple more, all from early years, that I like, but its a quite long post already. Hope you will like it |
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Cape Verdean Blues is an album by the Horace Silver Quintet, led by jazz pianist Horace Silver. The quintet is joined on half of these tracks by trombonist J.J. Johnson, with whom Silver had been eager to work for some time. The album was inspired by Silver's father, John Tavares Silva, who was born in Cape Verde. Track listing All tracks by Horace Silver, unless otherwise noted. "The Cape Verdean Blues" - 4:59 "The African Queen" - 9:36 "Pretty Eyes" - 7:30 "Nutville" - 7:15 "Bonita" - 8:37 "Mo' Joe" (Joe Henderson) - 5:46 Recorded on October 1 (#1-3) and 22 (#4-6), 1965. "Cape Verdean Blues" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gt7QXwYpZo Enjoy the music. |
Since nobody was posting, I spent a lot of time pursuing the Dragon Lady. https://www.google.com/search?q=dragon+lady+vietnam&espv=2&biw=1028&bih=635&tbm=isch... Check them out, they are all very interesting. Enjoy the music. |
If anybody thinks that he's making up that stuff about the rain dance, you would be very mistaken. The reason O-10 and I argue so much is that he and I know each other from way back. I am the other musician friend; the one who did practice that summer (constantly) and I was there on that desert trip. I have had incriminating evidence of his dancing all these years and have threatened to reveal it on several occasions. The "Carwash" post is simply too much to take. Here is O-10 doing his raindance: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JgZstbXnxaY |
If any body is still wandering why I don't reveal my friends name, another reason is it would be pointless; it's not that he doesn't have good jazz recorded as a sideman, and as a leader, but that music doesn't compare to what he was playing when he was staying at my apartment that summer; not one single note of that music was recorded; makes me want to cry. Enjoy the music. |
Rok, I remember "Psychedelic Sally", she was one hot mama, and could she dance, she twisted a hole in the floor. That rain dance reminds me of the time when I was in the Sonora Desert, and it had not rained since God knows when; it was so dry rattle snakes were crawling around with their tongues hanging out. Me and the Lakota Sioux were wandering what to do, when Horace, Stanley, and the rest of the cats pulled up in a long black Cadillac limousine; they started playing that there Rain Dance tune, that's when me and the rest of the Native Americans began doing our thing to the beat of the music, and before you know it, we had a thunderstorm. Enjoy the music. |
Today's Listen: Horace Silver -- SERENADE TO A SOUL SISTER This Silver is a little different. From the music to the Blue Note album cover. I like both. Stanley Turrentine shines. (1968) My two favorites from the CD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEkxWzUSDs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uNzmGsaZQ8 Cheers |
"Horace Silver", Hangin Loose; the piano definitely sounds like a cross between Horace Silver, and Bobby Timmons on some "Messengers" Album that I can't think of at the moment. "Clark Terry"; definitely has a sense of humor, sounds like he done had one too many; reminds me of some argument I've overheard before in a lounge; that was a good tune. Enjoy the music. |
Horace Silver Quintet; "The Dragon Lady"; this jam starts off to my liking; the beginning certainly fits the title. The Dragon Lady was a boss chic in the comic strip "Terry And The Pirates"; I know most of you are too young to remember that. I didn't care too much for "Terry And The Pirates" but I sure nuff dug The Dragon Lady; she was exotic, Oriental, and everything else that went with her name. I think this tune does a good job of depicting, "The Dragon Lady" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nE9u3VuwUM Enjoy the music. |
I agree "Silver n Percussion" was probably not one of his best (certainly not one of my favorites) and that his very "best" was probably before that date. However, I think a cutoff date of 1978 might be a little premature. Personally, I wouldn’t want to ignore everything after that date. Imo, Silver was one of those rare musicians who deserved a listen to everything he did. Some really good stuff after 1978 like: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lHUkX1cfDBk Love Clark Terry, talk about sense of humor. Here’s "Silver’s Serenade". Classic Silver composition. Man, the guy could write! And always with his personal stamp all over it. Blue Mitchell is great as usual. O-10, listen to Gene Taylor on brushes; very Art Blakey-like. Very laid back and not particularly propulsive; a particular style, that’s all, and creates a certain feel. Great tune. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ROht6SP6JdM |
Aficionado's, I've got "Silver N' Percussion" release date 1978, which I think is OK; of course that's not a good recommendation for a Horace Silver Lp, but that's all it gets. As a result of 1978 being the apparent cut off date for the best LP's, I'm going to go back in time from that point and anyone who wants to suggest an album we'll review it together. Silver's Serenade is an album that doesn't ring a bell with me, so that's where I'll start. AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek Horace Silver's LP Silver's Serenade is a swan song; it was the final recording with his most famous quintet, which included drummer Roy Brooks, bassist Gene Taylor, saxophonist Junior Cook, and trumpeter Blue Mitchell. The band had made five previous recordings for the label, all of them successful. The program here is comprised of Silver compositions. The blowing is a meld of relaxed, soulful, and swinging hard bop, as evidenced in the title track. However, "Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty" has one of those beautiful winding heads, beginning so slowly and then jumping a notch in both tempo and intensity. By the time the tune gets to full steam, though there are short stops, the joint is swinging in blues -- check Mitchell's solo on this tune and how he keeps returning to Silver's theme as the root for his blowing. "Sweetie Sweetie Dee" moves from hard bop to funky bop. The dissonant chords that open "The Dragon Lady" have an Eastern tinge. The tune's head is spacious and breezy within a minute, and the tune begins to swing. Silver returns to those chords again and again as if to keep the players inside the mode he's created, letting them solo for only a bit at a time. The knotty turn-on-a-dime changes in "Nineteen Bars," the final track, are pure instrumental and compositional virtuosity. Cook's blowing on his solo is matched by Silver's comping, moving through octaves and key changes. The tune smokes from start to finish as the album comes to a close. This is another excellent recording by the greatest Silver quintet. The 2006 Rudy Van Gelder Edition features no bonus tracks, but sound fanatics will be pleased by the clarity and separation here. Aficionados can go to "you tube" for a test drive on these tracks, or write a review on any they are familiar with. Enjoy the music. |
The best way to experience Sun Ra. 'King Porter Stomp' is really good, as is the dancer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SbvOPo4tHM Cheers |
Rok, Audio...WTF,,,,Although video will knock your mind out of socket, it's much better than any other other drugs. I think dope addicts should be forced to look at Sun Ra videos, and then they'll be spaced without drugs. Sun Ra; A Joyful Noise" is the video that shows the big house they live in, and gives a few performances of the crew; I found it entertaining. Enjoy the music. |
Frogman I credited "Sun Ra" to Rok, when you're the one who submitted him, my apologies. You ain't seen nothing until you've seen a Sun Ra video; I keep hoping that one of them will make some kind of sense; June Tyson, and the other members of his crew worked so hard to make it happen, but it always fell short. If you ever want to escape your own logical senses, look at a Sun Ra video. Enjoy the music. |
Rok, Sun Ra had that same group together for some time, they even lived in a big house together; they were the people who put life into his insanity, and made it bearable. June Tyson was a vocalist and dancer who understood his insanity, and helped to make it real. (insanity is a bad word, but that's the only one that came to mind) Enjoy the music. |
Art Pepper knew how important "The word on the street" is in jazz. So much so, that he overheard some "jive turkeys" bad mouthing him, and alleged reverse racism; what he didn't know is that the word on the street had given him his proper place in jazz as an alto sax man, and his record "Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section" confirmed that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Pepper_Meets_the_Rhythm_Section Jazz musicians are the most independent individuals I've ever met; Miles said something to Red Garland, that he shouldn't have said, and Red was gone, just like that. For better or worse, they live life like they see it, and don't have no "Boss Man" Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, would not have recorded with Art Pepper, if he wasn't qualified. Enjoy the music. |
Speaking of aristocracy, money and Grand Poobahs; the real Grand Poobah of Jazz: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8nppTSY-Rs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k341z3dsXy4 |
"Smokey Robinson" was when "Mo-Town" made Detroit one of the top cities in the country, and I was there; it seemed that everybody had a new car, fine clothes, nice home, and lived good. Now I know what a "Grand-Poobah" is. let's make Thursday, any thing goes day. Mapman, with a headdress like that, there could be no doubt who "The Grand-Poobah" was. Enjoy the music. |
"There is one thing I know about this country for sure. Money talks, BS walks. He would not be where he is if he were not the best man for the job. Too much is at stake for BS." Those are the truest words you ever spoke, "Whatever the aristocracy says, is what they say it is; end of all arguments. Enjoy the music. |
Wynton: Most of the stuff Crosby said about Wynton's playing was first said by Miles years ago, when I think Miles did feel under threat from the young hotshot / upshot. I bet if I asked Crosby, "who was Charles Mingus?" he would probably say "he was a bass player". Which is true, and almost irrelevant. Same with Wynton. If you don't call on Wynton for all things Jazz, who do you call? He knows the history, he has the education and the background, he knows the music, and most important, he can articulate that knowledge to the public. He looks and speaks the part. The importance of that cannot be over stated. Is there someone more competent on Trumpet? Enlighten us? Don't like his playing? Too bad. Deal with it. He's the man. The face of Jazz in this country. In the world. There is one thing I know about this country for sure. Money talks, BS walks. He would not be where he is if he were not the best man for the job. Too much is at stake for BS. Your article was 'barber shop talk'. Good way to past the time as you wait for 'next'. Cheers |
MY favorite Grand Poobah; I accept the title: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ATIkuOdDPnA https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9CgNwBh8vOY |
There is something in psychology referred to as "projection". Several times over the last several pages of this thread I have had that word on the tip of my tongue because it is what I have felt the OP often did in his attempts at rebuttals of my opinions and comments. I did not use the word because I felt it would be too provocative. I guess that in my mind things have reached a new low in the civility scale so as to make the use of that word not seem as inappropriate; how unfortunate. I have absolutely no problem with rebuttals of my opinions; I welcome them. What I do have a problem with is the gratuitous and thoughtless "jabs" that are so clearly a simple and deliberate need to be contrarian so as to "show" some sense of "authority", and that unfortunately hamper his own thread’s potential. That is the extent of my "having trouble" with it; beyond that, I respect anyone’s desire to come across as idiotic. Two observations that are emblematic of this constant conflic (and, I point them out again only in the hope that when an issue is recognized it may be resolved): The "Grand Poobah" comment: I have made it very clear that I have no interest in being considered any such thing, and from my point of view, the idea that I would feel "threatened" by a challenge to that supposed mantel is, well.....I will let the substance of my comments about music do the rest of the explaining. However, re "projection": to me it’s obvious who’s slide show is making the most "noise". Then there is the issue of substance (or lack of): I made two comments, respectively, about two things that I thought were fatal flaws in the Crosby article. One, I conceded that it was, while important to me (spelling), pretty insignificant overall; the other, very significant and potentially the subject of an interesting exchange of ideas. Do I need to point out which of my two comments received commentary? |
Well I don’t know that much about Jazz but I do know what a Grand Poo -bah is: http://www.tvacres.com/fraternal_org_buffaloes.htm |
WTF is a 'Grand Puba'?? hahahahhaahhha You guys need to take a break. It's Thursday, so that means oldies. A REAL genius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlzY6cWpoMQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNS6D4hSQdA Cheers and Chill |
Acman, we absolutely do not look at life from different angles, my friend "according to Wiki" started when he was a child, and worked all of his life, that's all he did. That summer he was was performing three nights a week and had absolutely no need to practice. My point is; the average person could work from the time he was born until he died, and never be able to do what "my friend" did. Have you ever seen and heard, some of the very best improvising jazz musicians perform; not one sheet of musical paper in sight. Now I know there are many who say, "they just couldn't read music" and I say to them, "they just can't improvise jazz at a high enough level to be performing in front of a crowd of critical jazz fans". No Acman we don't have different points of view, just different observations of reality. I forgot to mention, he performed on a stage "live" in front of what has to be one of the biggest crowds in the world, that's the stage under the arch in St. Louis on the 4th of July. Enjoy the music. |
O-10, In my experience, no matter what level of talent a person has in any given area, it took years of hard work to refine that talent into an art form. The hard work never guaranties success, but lack of hard work will guaranty failure. Of the talented people I have known, the ones who did not work to master there craft, were the underachievers who never lived up to their promise. They then blamed someone else or " Luck" for their failure. We just look at life from different angles. I guess it takes all kinds, as my Grandmother used to say. |