I will definitely have to get that Pharoah album, so I can hear it better than my computer speakers. A lot of things happening! Noise my a$$!
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.
31,525 responses Add your response
Rok, I am listening through the computer speaker in my MAC. so you know what that sounds like. Even worse as the music gets complex. I just bought new speakers on the main stereo, so I will keep listening to the computer speakers for a while. I saw Freddie and Clapton in 1974 or 75. They tore it up for the encore. |
I ain't stuck in no 50's & 60's. The OP's favorite also! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwkvC2FT7Xs cheers |
Frogman, now that I'm in a 70's kind of groove, I realize how jazz evolved into a "mellower" kind of music. Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and Lonnie Liston Smith expressed this groove quite eloquently, here's Alice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eACC7W5xX9I Although this night drive is in LA, it could just as easily been St. Louis; as a matter of fact, I had no trouble imagining I was driving in St. Louis at night; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWzC9QqeEDs Here's Lonnie Liston on another one of his dream excursions; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IvsqPUTZNo Enjoy the music. |
Recommendation: Tia Fuller "Decisive Steps" features her all fully competent female band which reminds me of the old adage pertaining to women being the stronger sex. She does allow three token Males on a few cuts :) which is: Christian McBride, Sean Jones & Warren Wolf. They can certainly hold their own, otherwise. |
***** I use the Aego sattelite/subw three piece system by Acoustic Energy and it sounds fantastic for what it is.***** I found them, and they look interesting, but I have only found them on UK sites. Will keep looking. The ones I have sound great, and get excellent reviews, but if there are better out there, I want them. What happened to J&R?? Cheers |
*****Rok, just as sure as the sun sets in the west and rises in the east, I could have predicted your post.****** I can only be me. I didn't like those guys back in the day. You said it yourself, we are exposed to, and programed, to hear certain music. Some things I just don't 'hear'. When I look thru my LP collection, I am amazed at some of the stuff I once thought was good. Examples: Grover Washington, Weather Report, Gabor Szabo, Lee Ritenour, Pat Metheny, Al di Meola, Herbie Mann, Stanley Jordan, Al Jarreau etc......... you get the drift. Just passing fads. So I have had my fill of noise makers. But, the great stuff never fades. It remains great forever. And I bought it all again on CD. Cheers |
Rok,These are two great albums of Herbie Mann that cant be called 'noise makers'. Maybe you will like them. First, one made with Bill Evans 'Nirvana' http://youtu.be/1QQ5Y_xB230 Than, one made with few other very famous jazz men,Burrell, Rouse, Waldron called 'Just Wailin'... http://youtu.be/59886h81bKo http://youtu.be/T1NCDEbHMgs |
Anachronism, Tia Fuller is a very nice player and yet another example of a current young player who can really play. She has a modern harmonic sensibility combined with a (dare I say it?) rather feminine tone that is round with little edge and is not splitting the horn at the seams. Nice observation about her drummer Kim Thompson who, like Tony Williams, has a very propulsive but light touch on the ride cymbal. Thanks! https://m.youtube.com/?#watch?v=s72zz92nvcI |
****I was going by the recording date. 2010. Surely you and the OP cannot be critical of anything recorded that recent.**** Focus, people, focus!!!! :-) This is one of those times when I wonder wether we are just spinning our wheels without focus. The issue is not the recording date, but the music's style that defines what era we are talking about. I think that this may explain some of the disagreement about some of the players we talk about. The Wynton clip is a fine study of this; at least from the standpoint that I'm coming from. This is not meant as yet more Wynton bashing since a player that accomplished can't be bashed; but, we talk about the very best of the genre on this thread. Wynton is an incredibly versatile musician and fabulous trumpet player (two different things), he can play modern and traditional jazz, and Classical. He does it all well with the kind of trumpet skill that is almost unheard of. But, I listen to that clip of "Sweet Georgia Brown" and I hear along with Wynton two players (Vignola and O'Connor) who have made that style of traditional jazz ("hot jazz") their thing and their thing only. They don't (can't) play modern or Classical. They have lived and breathed that idiom and understand the language in a very deep way. I guess I don't have to say whose solos are the most coherent and idiomatic. The most obvious way to tell is always by imaging that we didn't hear the "head" (tune) at the top, that there is no rhythm section playing and one is just hearing the solo, then ask yourself the question: would I still be able to tell what tune they are soloing over? Can we follow the tune? Wynton sounds impressive as hell, but he can't help but resort to some pyrotechnics and playing around with the time in a way that is not idiomatic. Vignola and O'Connor (especially Vignola) are inventive and very idiomatic. Great clip, fun, great feel, great playing all the way around; but...... |
Two players/records that, for me, scream 70s. One, an extension of the hard-bop tradition that preceded it, but with an even more modern harmonic spin; the other, from one of the true masters and which brought a incredibly high level of sophistication to the funk groove: https://m.youtube.com/?reload=7&rdm=1fwj8r83#/watch?v=tgjTnRcxOJA https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=6DqC7CC1hRI&list=PLC9DEF5E042643CD6 |
Here are two more Gato's I like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjV4LqHHUMU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i4dLVaidFM Enjoy the music. |
When I heard "Rain Dance" from the album Sextant, I thought it was the most unusual piece of music I had ever heard, it blew me away; even the album cover was unique. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtX2kQYlAOk Weather Report "I Sing The Body Electric"; that took me to another dimension, or maybe another planet in a far away galaxy; I'm not sure where, but I liked the trip. At the time I was looking for something different, and I certainly found it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyejgAL7JB0&list=PLYQ_u-nkZNLmOyc8-2sqjliJaW77VGSJJ Enjoy the music. |
If you live in SF Bay area you should try the SF Jazz Center for a performance. Great artists and a first rate acoustic venue. It may be the best in the Jazz Hall in the country. Always had a great time and good dinning in the center and other good restaurants with in short walking distances. Saw Taj Mahal trio last night. They were hot. |
*****Weather Report "I Sing The Body Electric"; that took me to another dimension, or maybe another planet in a far away galaxy; I'm not sure where, ****** From the sounds of things, it was The BORG Home World. By Jove, I think the OP has been assimilated!! Zawinul, what happened to him? He was great while with Cannonball. Cheers |
Repost: Two players/records that, for me, scream 70s. One, an extension of the hard-bop tradition that preceded it, but with an even more modern harmonic spin; the other, from one of the true masters and which brought a incredibly high level of sophistication to the funk groove: https://m.youtube.com/?reload=7&rdm=1fwj8r83#/watch?v=tgjTnRcxOJA https://m.youtube.com/?reload=7&rdm=1fwj8r83#/watch?v=hNlm-W3m1qc |
Thanks for the clips, Alexatpos. That rhythm section with Motian and Lafaro was one of the all time greats. Speaking of jazz flute and the 70s, when I think of the 70s CTI records always comes to mind. Before Wynton came along and showed, again, that a player could be equally accomplished as a Classical player as well as Jazz, Julliard student (student of the great Julius Baker) Hubert Laws played with the Metropolitan Opera and NY Phil before becoming a jazz star: https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=JxfB18EPeL8 |
O-10, appears there is some kind of incompatibility between the Kindle and whatever device you are using. I, likewise, cannot download your clips on the Kindle, but I can on my IPhone. In case you're interested, my recent posts were: Woody Shaw "The Moontrane" Herbie Hancock "Sly" Hubert Laws "Moment's Notice" Thanks for the Gato clips; that's his calling card. |
Frogman, I checked those names and cuts on 'you tube'; of course I had Herbie's album, I was into fusion at the time. I'll bet Rok had it as well, "Fusion" was a good idea at the time. I found some bright yellow, bell bottomed, double knit slacks with three inch cuffs, in the back of my closet a long time ago; since the waist was way too small, they could not have been mine, but the wife said she had no gentleman friends over who left their slacks, so maybe they were mine; if so, they must have been "a good idea at the time". Enjoy the music. |
Wynton under attack by female noise makers. Some good points, but female Jazz Trumpet players??? ahahahahahahah get serious!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFZ5JCZkuZ8 Cheers |
Complete and utter bullshit (not to mention, misinformation). First of all, blind auditions are NOT "industry standard"; only in symphony orchestras, and even there there is, afterwards, a probation period to make sure that, as the young lady (?) in the clip decries, all parties concerned are comfortable with the choice. The truth is that, while there are some very good female jazz players (vide Tia Fuller), some get record contracts BECAUSE they are women. A band leader like Wynton picks the very best he can find, based on artistic considerations and wether he feels comfortable for everything from wether the player is an asshole or has terrible body odor. And why not? If there was a woman player stylistically superior and even more versatile (arranger?) as what he has, she would be in the band instead. God help us if the loud cries of bullshit sexism apply too much pressure to the powers that be ($$$) and cause Wynton to dumb down any standards. I don't believe there is any active sexism in jazz. Favorite quote from the clip: "In the 26 years, Wynton hasn't had a woman" Unlikely. |
Now we can go into the eighties: Pat Metheney, George Adams, Stanley Jordan, Bobby McFerrin, David Sanborn, John Scofield, plus the Marsalis Brothers are some of the names that came into prominence during that decade. I said Wynton Marsalis was the best trumpet player ever when I first heard him. That was when he was a sideman, and before he came out with his first album. I sold all his albums I acquired because they lacked "originality", the key ingredient for something new. While that certainly didn't detract from his trumpet playing skills, those albums indicated his individual music making skills were lacking. Me and nobody else ever said Wynton couldn't play the trumpet, he just can't compose music; those are two entirely different skills, as long as the music isn't his, it's just fine. You can give us examples of that decade, or share whatever you choose to share with us. Enjoy the music. |
*****I had Herbie's album, I was into fusion at the time. I'll bet Rok had it as well, "Fusion" was a good idea at the time.*** Well, at one time I thought Fusion was Jazz. I dropped it about the same time I got rid of my Bell bottoms and Nehru Jacket. I hear Herbie Mann, I think Booker T and the MGs. All that Memphis stuff. Good to party to, not so great just to listen to. Cheers. |
Is that it? For the 70s? We haven't even scratched the surface. Personally, I think that is a problem with this thread. We move way too quickly through an era and a style and don't dig nearly deep enough. I think that is why some of the stereotypes about genres and styles hang us up. One man's opinion. |
No, we haven't even scratched the surface; that's because only the two of us care to. Rok couldn't care less, Alex doesn't know, Acman post's a sentence every now and then; just who are you going to debate? We can go as deep into the 70's as you like. We can disregard the 80's post, and you can lead us as deep as you like through the 70's, I'll follow. Enjoy the music. |
Rok I'm jealous because I never owned a "Nehru Jacket", but that was more into the 60's; I was a turtleneck pendent kind of guy myself. If I could find those bright yellow double knitted bell bottoms with the four inch cuffs, we could do a seance kind of thing over them, I bet they could tell us a lot about the 70's. Enjoy the music. |
**** Rok couldn't care less, **** I beg your pardon!! How did you come to that conclusion? I may not know anything about Jazz, but you can't accuse me of not caring. And another thing, you "aficionados" are leaving the 50/60's, and have not even mentioned Jutta Hipp. The baddest Frau in Jazz. Ties in with the 'female' thingy on Wynton. And besides, my lack of knowledge has never stopped me from posting my opinions! Cheers |
Ghosthouse: I have never heard of this group. I did google them after I read your post. I watched and listened to a clip of their concert in Paris. I thought it looked a little dated, then realized it was done in 1970!! These guys have been around forever. I then listened to "5". I should have listened to "5" first, because I thought it was pretty good. But first impressions are the most lasting, and that was the Paris gig. There, everything about them screamed "Rock". From the music to their appearance. I am not sure they are playing Jazz. That is, as I unbderstand Jazz. O-10 and The Frogman can better speak to that. I did find an interesting statement in one of the reviews on Amazon. Long ago, someone wrote, "Young people think that any instrumental music (without vocals), is Jazz." This has always stuck with me. This was back when Rock ruled. From Amazon Reviewer: "They took the crowd totally by surprise. Their performance was wordless, and contained very little vocal. It was just great playing, with improvisation, and, I learned later, a close relative of jazz fusion.". Thanks for the post. Cheers |
Rok - Thanks for your reply and especially for giving Soft Machine a listen. I'm definitely interested in your opinion and that of Orpheus and Frogman. Beyond the heavily improvisational nature of their music I don't know if what they play is jazz either. But then, I probably can't tell you what jazz is to begin with. At any rate, if you do Spotify and are interested, you can find a lot more of Soft Machine there. I owned '5' long ago. Was glad to rediscover it the other night. it's a bit of a stretch for me but not totally out of reach. It holds my interest. By the way, if the time machine has moved into the '80s, and guitarists like Metheny and Scofield are going to get mentioned - don't forget Ralph Towner (although start with him in the 70s). Check out Solstice with Garbarek, Weber & Christensen or Dis w/Garbarek. Don't know if this stuff is jazz either (although I'm not trying to pollute the thread!). Ciao |
Ghost soft machine was an early Canterbury rock group that was very influential to other later progressive rock groups. Caravan. Is one of my favorites that comes to mind. I was never big on soft machine themselves though. Kind of a psychedelic rock sound with a penchant for jazz like jamming. Some caravan had more outright jazz influences than others. Their album Waterloo lily is the main one that I think a jazz lover might take too. Great album. Soft machine predates bitches brew btw and I could guess that groups like soft machine were an influence on miles in the late sixties. |
Hello Mapman - Yes, I'm recently aware of Soft Machine's Canterbury/psychedelic connection, though by the time of 5, I don't think there's much left of that sound. Did not know their influence on Prog Rock or your Caravan. Interesting you should mention Miles and Bitches Brew. I was thinking about Miles while listening to Soft Machine last night. There's definitely a connection (at least in my mind). A similar sort of (free-form?) loose improvisational structure maybe. But not so out there and cacophonous as something I once heard by Pharaoh Sanders (and hope to never again). I'll have to pull out In A Silent Way and compare that as well. |