I’ve had a note laying around that I just found and all it said was “Egil Kapstad”. And when I looked him up, to my pleasant surprise, I found a couple of wonderful albums, Remembrance, Cherokee and a few not so wonderful albums! There is one other album I liked, Live At Molde Jazz. A solo album that’s well recorded.
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.
30,874 responses Add your response
I am big fan of Joey DeFrancesco as are a few others here. I believe there was a discussion about JD a few months ago. I never got a chance to see JD before he passed on last year and this is a regret. I have a copy of that Christian McBride Big Band CD and the bands rendition of Night Train is awesome as is the rest of the album. Interesting story of the origins of the song Night Train, of which jazz and R&B tenor sax great Jimmy Forrest made famous in 1951 with his signature solo over the 3 minute long groove head laid down by the rhythm section. Night Train (Jimmy Forrest composition) - Wikipedia
|
@pjw81563 -that is interesting. I do like Jimmy Forest's grittier version. I didn't know there were so many to choose from :-) Forest's saxophone reminds me of the sax on this song-
|
That Viscounts rendition of Harlem Nocturn is new to me. Definitely a "gritty tone" on the sax. This is my "go to" rendition of the same tune. But then again I am mesmerized by almost anything Illinois Jacquet blows and the brief but mesmerizing trumpet solo by Roy Eldridge just makes this version that much better
That said, there are hundreds of renditions of Harlem Nocturn on record for us all to enjoy thanks to Earle Hagen. Here is Telecaster master Danny Gatton's rendition.
|
And here is a favorite tenor of mine who's tone always sounds "edgy" or "gruff" but I really like a lot of Willis Jackson's recording sessions especially all of the sessions with a very young Pat Martino on the guitar. Pat's solo starts at 4:40 and even then, as young as he was (I think he was 17 on this session but not sure), you can hear the virtuosity in his playing. I saw Pat live at Birdland in NYC a couple years before he passed and I am so glad I went to that show.
|
@pjw81563 -Love Illinois Jacquet's rendition! Thanks for sharing. Jo Jones' drumming sounds like the IRT going over the 125th St subway bridge, late at night. Danny Gatton is under appreciated. |
Happy New Year! @acman3 Great "Lockjaw" selections. I like that live rendition of I'll Remember April a lot. Really swings. And Lock and Johnny Griffin always sound great in all of their "tenor battle" recordings. Them 2 went together like peanut butter and jelly! Lock was also known for his "edgy/gruff" tone. By any chance did you get the new (2020 release) release of the 2 of them live at The Penthouse in 1962 titled OW! on vinyl? I purchased the CD the day it came out. The sonics on the CD are very good.
|
"By any chance did you get the new (2020 release) release of the 2 of them live at The Penthouse in 1962 titled OW! on vinyl? I purchased the CD the day it came out. The sonics on the CD are very good." I just purchased Ow! at my local CD re-saler. PB&J, indeed. Anyone want any Art Pepper with their New Years Day brunch? Pepper is playing with George Cables on piano, George Mraz and Elvin Jones on drums.
|
@jafant - RIP. An excerpt form a Les McCann obit "Les McCann, a jazz pianist and vocalist who was an early progenitor of the bluesy, crowd-pleasing style that came to be known as soul jazz, and who, although he released more than 50 albums, was best known for a happenstance hit from 1969, died on Friday in Los Angeles. He was 88." Another excerpt-"His family was a musical one; he, his four younger brothers and his sister all sang in the Shiloh Baptist Church choir. " The influence of church choirs and sacred music once again plays a role in a jazz musician's development. |
@mary_jo Hello Marija welcome back and Happy New Year!! I wish you all the best and much happiness in 2024! I have to say your first post in many many months (a year?) is a really great song by a great band (I had the privilege of seeing this exact band live). A suggestion for you is this 2005 Live at Smoke (another of my NYC hangouts) album by Eric Alexander and Vincent Herring And here they are over 15 years after that live recording session playing the same song at Emmet Cohen's NYC Jazz Loft. Eric and Vincent like playing together! And they like playing "Blues Up and Down"
|
Some time ago I have posted few links about ECM editions beeing out of phase. I have very few albums of that label, but this one fits the description. When I switched the wires on my speakers I found out that it sounds better (in phase) If you have it, you may check it as well. Keith Jarret trio, live in Paris 1999 (could not find it on ytube) Also, not on ECM, but this, my only, Diana Krall album fits the description
|
@alexatpos I have a Bluray of Dianna Krall Live in Rio. When I’m in the right mood I watch it, maybe once or twice a year since I purchased it. My favorite Female vocalist is Sade Adu. I have all of her releases of live concerts either on DVD or Bluray. Sade’s natural vocals live, IMHO, have few equals of other female vocalists with Annie Lenox, of Eurythmics fame, a close second. Sade and Annie both started to gain national attention here in the USA and globally in the early to mid 80s and I have enjoyed both of them for 40 years now. What are your favorite contemporary female vocalists? On the subject of audio set up I have invested in a couple of highly recommended books here and plan on using Dirac Live in the near future now that I have a 7:2:2 set up (recently installed rear wall speakers and front and side height presence). Dirac is receiving a lot of attention with audiophiles. The Art of Digital Audio: Watkinson, John: 9780240515878: Amazon.com: Books
|
|
Well @alexatpos what can I possibly add to that? I knew you prefer 2 channel stereo or mono when listening to music and also you prefer vinyl/analog over digital but did not know you are not a fan of home theater. I love my digital set up and have around 100 SACDs, DVD Audio, and Hi Res Blue ray music discs. Many are multi channel and getting a lot with atmos now as well. I love my "movie night" and the DSP with audio immersion experience thats on tap with my AVR. I still love 2 channel stereo and mono especially with my jazz music collection. I know its digital but I prefer a neutral and "uncolored" sound experience so tubes are not my thing.
|
Since we are talking (hope nobody will object, its a hidden corner anyway)...Also I enjoy digital, have many records still, but everything I bought in quite some time is on cd. I could not afford (or find) all that music on lp's, not to mention the jazz collection I've got already. The closest thing that gets me to the turntable is my belt driven cd player,ha Bought some movies on dvd, the ones that were hard to find before everything has become available online. Its perhaps interesting that aldo I like movies as much as music, I prefer to collect music (on physical media) and not films. When I think about it, it makes no sense, but anyway...and aldo I am member of library I am still buying and keeping books. Perhaps it has something to do with habits from upbringing...that I never care to change.( do not think that ever I will own an electric car) As for the home theater, again, it was never my thing because as long I can remember, I liked to go to the cinema, which I frequently did or do still. Even did not like to see some movie, before it was released in cinema. This has somewhat changed, because cinemas are on decline and the movies they play are more often than not aimed to broadest of audience, meaning, lots of movies never come to cinemas. For this reason I have started to watch movies at home, aldo I am not fan of doing so. In the same time, the quality of sound, the effects or the soundtrack are not of big importance when on tv. Just the basics are enough to me, I guess.Maybe the way of life has something to do it as well, as younger and single, never cared to spend much time in front of the tv. Still do not (thats way I have no any tv subscription) Reading this, it almost looks like its written by somebody who is old and grumpy, ha, but its not the case...I hope so,ha, anyway. I have ss gear now, last system that I had was all tubes. Before that there were different combinations, ss, hybrid or ss and tubes together. I do not regard tubes as 'colored' and I do think that with right gear they can provide more vivid reproduction, but maintenance comes with it. The main reason I switched back to ss was the heat, during almost 6 month a year its very hot here and having A class tube amp made listening almost impossible much of the time. There are not many ss gear (imho) that can come close to a very good tube set up and I have picked the one I prefer the most (Burmester) but I am considering the tube preamp of different manufacturer as well.
|
I was not aware @alexatpos that you switched over to SS gear until now. The "warmth" and "organic" adjectives are two of the most common "audio reproductive descriptions" used by tube gear lovers. These descriptions imply that the audio reproduction takes on a certain characteristic of what the particular tube gear being used is known for. I have listened to tube gear and my ears recognized some of these characteristics. I think that most tube gear lovers enjoy these characteristics and there is nothing wrong with that. I also am aware of the hybrid tube amps (I would love to demo the newest Mcintosh pre amp/amp SS/tube hybrid). I think with tubes you have to spend a lot of money to get that ultra low noise floor with a neutral sound but I could be wrong. Front Cover Jul19.indd (mcintoshlabs.com) To me an amplifier should do just that- "amplify" leaving no "sound signature". I also like to have a physical audio collection and I will always be old school like that. That is why in 2017 I purchased the best disc player in the world at its price point - the Oppo UDP 205. This player was used to test the Mcintosh tube gear in the above link. I collect SACDs, DVD Audio, Blu ray audio, Blu ray and 4k UHD Blu ray movies. And like you I love to read. And I have a very large physical library in my house. I save the books even after reading them. I think you and I have been off topic a bit but nobody else was posting recently anyway (last 48 hours) except us two. Back on topic. I am going to see the Charles Mingus Big Band tonight at Drom music venue on the lower east side of Manhattan. "Let My Children Hear Music"!! Mingus Big Band Residency @ DROM — CHARLES MINGUS My man Jeremy Pelt will lead the trumpet section and Alex Terrier is in the saxophone section.
|
@curiousjim Hands down my favorite pianist! Is that an Amazon exclusive, I'm not familiar with it and nothing comes up on Discogs? |
| Post removed |
The Kenny Drew Trio – Introducing The Kenny Drew Trio (1989, CD) - Discogs You may have as New Faces New Sounds. |
@acman3 Thanks! I can never get enough of Kenny Drew. |