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.
This is the first time I recall hearing Larry Willis, although I probably heard him as a sideman. Yes! There is a big deal on Larry Willis; there's a big deal on any body who can play at this level.
The problems in jazz, are caused by people who can't accept "evolution". "If it doesn't sound this way or that, it's not jazz". Let them keep their definition, and I'll accept the music.
I bought a lot of LP's on sale, after this LP came out, that were of this genre, that I haven't played. As soon as CD hit, all the excess LP's of that time were almost given away, and I've still got new LP's to sort out; but buying a new cartridge is not on my things "to do list". This CD has been added to the shopping cart.
Frogman, so many people played Be-Bop after Bird's demise, that it's not worth debating. The only question that remains is, "How much of it was of the same quality as Bird's bop."?
I never heard of Larry either O-10 . Only reason I bought his CD at Goodwill was it was a Mapleshade , even with no liner . Listened to " Solo Spirit " half-dozen times. Mr. Willis is a big deal to me, tons of soul in the most general sense of that term . Just ordered 2 more of his CD’s on Amazon ."This Dreams on Me" and" My Funny Valentine "
Larry Willis was also a core member of the legendary Latin Jazz band ; Fort Apache (Jerry Gonzalez's group), for decades. Rumba Para Monk, Obatala, & Earthdance are outstanding records!
I feel that current Jazz artist are a lot more versatile, or multifaceted than the greats of back in the day. When you look back and think about it, they seemed to, with few exceptions, stay in their comfort zone.
This woman may not be the greatest ever, but she may be the most enjoyable to listen to, ever. She is like Wynton, in that she does everything, and does it at the highest level.
No filler. All the tunes on the CD are listed on the youtube page. Check them out. You won't mistake this Orchestra as being from Cuba, NYC, or the West Coast. No uncertainly as to where this is coming from. Of course Dr John is a dead give-a-way..
These various 'orchestras' or Big Bands, seem to be a lot more nimble than they once were. They pretty much play like small groups, just with a fuller sound.
Thanks to you, fellow aficionados, this has been a very good year for new acquisitions. What's amazing about my "new" acquisitions, is that they were not current, with the exception of "Dee Dee Bridgewater". Larry Willis was someone I missed completely, but that was before the age of personal computers, and so much good music came out in the 70's, that it was easily missed.
By attempting to stay within my chosen genre "jazz", I was probably unaware of good music that wasn't in the jazz section at the music store; and quite naturally I looked at the well known chosen names first. Now I'm catching up to all the good music I missed, thanks to you.
BTW - I was thinking about you, Orpheus and the other regulars that post to this thread. Wanted to recommend to all that haven't heard it yet, Allen Toussaint's "The Bright Mississippi". It is a really wonderful recording. Called jazz by some (though to my ear, not in the same way as something by Miles or Coltrane...the songs date from an earlier time). At any rate, it's a 2009 release and, as usual, I'm late to the party having just discovered it. So if this is old news, apologies for that...nevertheless might be a good reminder and something worth dusting off to listen to again. Happy New Year to you all.
"The Bright Mississippi" has been talked about and praised on more than one occasion on this thread. Is it Jazz? It would be more accurate and informative to call it, music of New Orleans. Without which, there would be no Jazz.
As it happens I was reading the interview of Toussaint in 'DownBeat' this morning. If you don't have DownBeat's "The Great Jazz Interviews", I can highly recommend it. $25 on Amazon.
It's one of the few CDs I keep on my desk in easy reach. I play it often. I always visualize this music as being played is a fairly large and sparsely furnished room, with a floor of wooden planks. Southern comes to mind.
Glad you enjoy it too, Rok. I actually did search on Bright Mississippi and saw a number of old posts about it but didn't quickly find any that were specific to Jazz Aficionados. Would have been surprising had it not been discussed (and gotten some love) in this thread.
I'm a lot more a blues/rock "aficionado" than jazz so what surprises me about this recording is how much it holds my interest. It isn't music I'd have predicted liking, but it absolutely swings.
"...music of New Orleans. Without which, there would be no Jazz." - very true.
"The Bright Mississippi"; the interesting thing about that glistening muddy river from St. Louis to "Nawlins" is that the culture of the people along the river, and the music are so connected. "Board plank floors and Juke Joints", are another interesting aspect of the music, the river, the culture, and the people; I suppose when you put them all together, you got "The Bright Mississippi".
Just so rok, just so ! Few realize the role that geography plays in destiny.
One reason foreign cities lag so far behind a great American city like New Orleans is poverty-stricken ,crime-ridden hell-holes like Montreal, Copenhagen,Oslo,Stockholm ,Helenski, Hamburg etc are just too far north for the human brain to develop true mental acuity .
The real reason they lag behind the U.S. is, they are not free people.
And there are all sorts of hell holes. Some are like most prisons, noisey, violent, people acting up and out, chaos.
And then there are some that are like Super Max prisons. As quiet as a Tomb, and just as safe. And those places are reserved for the worst of the worst. They break harden men.
Sort of like Finland. The Finns even imported and adopted the TANGO, to see if they had any passion. They don't. They are the antithesis of New Orleans. So are the rest you named, with the exception of Hamburg.
I am beginning to think Schubert went to Europe and went native on us.
Thought I would listen to St. James infirmary. Good stuff. My rating is
1,4,2,3,5. I like the PHJB. I like the others but it sounds like Armstrong and Toussaint are just coping the intonation of PHJB. Which along with the timing is what the piece really is. It is my view though. Just don't let me hear I am wrong. I might cry in my scotch.
I think any order for Rok's list would be ok with me, but would add Armstrong's original version was 30 years before Preservation's version so who is copying who?
The video hid itself above, by itself. Very fitting though.
The spirit of St James, the Blues version. So to speak.
Pops came closest to capturing this. Of course, with a New Orleans sensitivity. They can't stay serious for long. Son House's tune is deadly serious, and sad.
As a new member I'm loving this thread. It's making me revisit old friends and make new ones.
I've hung out in jazz clubs since the early 70's and have had the opportunity to meet a number of really fine musicians. I've met a few of the famous ones we all know as well as a lot of "A" players; musicians who never made it "big time" but travel most of the year playing gigs.
One of the things that hit me was that there are, in fact, a lot more truly fine musicians than we know exist. I've played with some smokin' hot killer players who did things other than play music to make a living. It hit me that in order to make it, you have to be willing to embrace the lifestyle. In other words, you have to be happy being away from home. Pro athletes, actors etc all do this. Yes they are the best, but I believe there are many others that are also the best we never see because they don't want the lifestyle.
As much as I'd like to play full time I couldn't handle the being gone. This song played by Chet Baker gives one insight into that life.
Recent purchase of another one I wasn't aware of as leader until late. So many greats on this one. From Silver to Blakey. Music very engaging and easy to listen to. Beautiful tone.
Rok and Jazz, I've been enjoying the posts and the conversation. Right now I'm dealing with big time weather related problems, and won't be posting for awhile.
These weather related problems of one kind or another have been going around like some kind of contagious disease.
Always thought that Chet Baker was a great figure in jazz, so much, that I never posted any of his albums, thinking that everyone has lots of his albums. Beeing 'obscure' (not thinking about CB) once, should not stop us finding and listening their music now, I guess thats the reason why we all are here. Let me post a guitar player who is quite 'obscure' even for me. Lou Mecca, once considered as a 'new star' in Down Beat magazine, started on trumpet, changed to guitar later.
In 1947, he befriended jazz guitarist and educator Johnny Smith who, along with Tal Farlow and Joe Pass, are Mecca's greatest influences on his instrument. In 1955, he recorded for Blue Note as a leader of his own quartet, featuring Jack Hitchcock on vibes, Vinnie Burke on bass, and Jimmy Campbell on drums. Mecca has also performed and recorded with Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Evans, Teddy Charles, Gil Melles, Eddie Costa, Al Cohn, and Chris Conners.
Rok, Please put your heart medicine beside the computer BEFORE clicking on this link.
I don't know where they came up with the title "Epic" :). On most everybody's top 10 list for 2015. It gets better the more you can absorb, as there is a lot going on. Anybody reminded of Sun Ra Orkestra?
These folks make Sun-Ra seem like Lawrence Welk. I think this 'band' used to be the house band at the CIA. If truth serum, water boarding, and sleep deprivation didn't work, a few sets of this, and they confessed to everything they thought they knew.
Some years ago I kind of got into Roy Hargrove. I found his music to be solid, melodic and diverse. Here's one where they are simply blowing the doors off the hinges. Check out the piano solo, you can thank me later.
Another from Roy Hargrove. A ballad. He shows incredible restraint here, playing only the notes that need to be played and nothing more. Grab your lover, put this on, hold hands and enjoy the music.
Excellent Clip. Good result at capturing the ambiance of a live club performance. The drummer deserves extra pay.
I have several CDs by Hargrove, including the SuperBlue and Jazz Futures discs. Do you think he had a career commensurate with his talent?
I have always been partial to the Flugelhorn. Always felt Trumpet players should play it more often. Wonderful tone. The master of course being Hugh Masekela.
I hope everyone is having a happy and musical Holiday Season. Some thoughts on recent topics:
Acman3, "First Song" is a beautiful tune. Time, as is always the case, will determine whether it becomes a standard or not. I think it deserves to be so, but probably too early to tell.
Rok, I haven't forgotten your question re rehearsals.
The topic of the unsung hero is a recurring one here, and while there has been disagreement sometimes about the relative merits of these unsung players I am with Alexatpos this time. I, too, have never thought of Chet Baker as an "unknown"; quite the contrary. Certainly not with the very highest profile (Miles) for the casual music lover, but definitely on the list of the very top players; and certainly as a unique voice and stylist known to most jazz buffs. One of those players that could create a mood with one note; aka, true artistry. Loved the clip "Almost Blue"; thanks, jzzmusician.
Lou Mecca I had heard only by name but never by music. I disagree with Rok on his assessment of this player. First of all, to me, the idea that somehow the absence of reeds or piano makes it more difficult to play credible jazz doesn't quite hold water. I've known players who can make great music with a set of trash cans and a whistle; this ability is genre-blind. In fact, by that line of thought one could make the case that by playing a more "conventional" instrument the reed player or band with piano has an automatic leg up in the quality department; a silly proposition. BTW, the piano-less trio has been discussed here as a particular challenge for players, but the challenge is not the absence of piano per se, but the absence of a harmony instrument; in Mecca's case the guitar takes on the role of the piano, as do the vibes. Lou Mecca is a great player with a bit of a "cool" sensibility and an interesting harmonic sense. Of all the "unknowns" posted so far he's probably my favorite. Thanks, Alex for the introduction.
On the other hand, Roy Hargrove is clearly a good player, but to answer Rok's question, I think his career recognition is exactly where it deserves to be. He is good, but in the scheme of top players past and present he is no Kenny Dorham (nice Dorham clip btw). Nice flugelhorn playing. Beautiful tone and as jzzmusician says, he shows lots of restraint; a good thing. However, for perspective's sake (my perspective, anyway) I consider Lou Mecca (to have been) a better jazz player. He demonstrates a better ability to handle the changes in a logical way that creates lines that have a melodic direction with little needless repetition. On the first clip Hargrove has lots of energy and excitement in a "in your face" kind of way that to me rings hollow with pauses in the solo that are not silences as part of a phrase, but pauses to figure out what he's going to play next. Same with the rest of his band (in that clip). Listen to the alto player: lots of speed and lots of notes; but, jeez!, how many times is he going to start each phrase the same way, with the same lick? I find the overall vibe over the top and bombastic; almost angry. Sure, the drummer deserves extra pay for working so hard; but, that is precisely the problem, he's working too hard and not a particularly good Latin feel at that. Liked the piano player 'though.
Jazz is different things to different folks. Some like lots of energy. Sometimes that is a good thing; but, as always, the feel and the logic of the improvisation are paramount. I know that "feel" and "logic" may seem like contradictions, but they're not. The best players had/have a certain logic in their improvisations: taking a motif (musical nugget) and developing it within the context of the harmony of a tune in a way that gives it direction and meaning; a sense that it is going somewhere. That is the reason why it is sometimes referred to as spontaneous composition. That is what separates the men from the boys.
*****In fact, by that line of thought one could make the case that by playing a more "conventional" instrument the reed player or band with piano has an automatic leg up in the quality department; a silly proposition. ******
The great unwashed beg to disagree. First of all, I said no Piano, no Reeds, no horns. You have to be one hell of a player to make that work. On the other hand, maybe it was just the tunes.
Here are the three tunes played by Mecca. I own these CDs, so I didn't cherry pick.
In my opinion, Mecca sounded like the group in a small lounge. Playing while the customers engage in conversation and pretty much ignores the group. Just background music.
Frogman, nice post! I wish I had the time and the brains to craft such a good read. Thank you.
Re: Roy Hargrove; he remains one of my favorite players for me because I find a lot of his music just plain fun to listen to. He's also not locked in to any particular style or genre either. I like that he's always trying new stuff. I agree with Frogman that his career is probably about where it should be. He's a wonderful player, but not in the upper echelon. I will still listen to him and still buy his music.
Here's one of my favorite piano players playing possibly, just possibly my favorite song. Brad Mehldau, "My Favorite Things."
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