Rd: Let me know the next time you're at Yoshi's. That, of course, is the best place to hear live jazz on the West Coast! Cheers, buddy!
Who are the Jazz Cats on Audiogon?
Okay, let's get down to it. WHO are the audiophiles on this site who claim JAZZ as their first music? In other words, every time you consider a new piece of equipment, it's because you want to hear Miles sound a little sweeter, or Trane sound a little more authorative, or Duke more like the master composer that he truly is? How about a roll call . . .
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I've been a hardcore jazz fan for 30 years but am still learning every day. For me, it all started during the fusion period in the early 70's with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, The 11th House, and Tony Williams. I lived in Chicago so I had an opportunity to see someone nearly every week. Fusion allowed me to bridge the gap to Coltrane and Miles and I never turned back. Coltrane opened my ears to all the free players. Listening to, and learning about jazz is a real process which continues to evolve. Lately, I'm listening to Anita O'Day. Great. I admit it. I'm a jazz snob. But at least I'm an educated jazz snob. I've put in my time. Tenor sax fans ... try Billy Harper, Odean Pope and Booker Ervin. |
I reckon I'm a jazz cat, or at least a kitten. As is the case with so many, my portal into jazz was Miles Davis--fusion first (I believe Jack Johnson and Bitches Brew were the first two jazz LPs I bought, in the early 1980s), then the immortal 'Kind of Blue' shortly thereafter. I am a newspaper columnist, and for years I've relied on Kind of Blue as the soundtrack when I write. For the next decade and a half, I slowly added to my collection, mostly the immortals--Monk, Coltrane, Ellington, Coleman, Parker, Holiday, Armstrong, etc. But I was still mostly a rock and roll cat, buying at least 10 rock LPs for every jazz LP. In the past couple of years, the balance seems to have tipped. Now I tend to buy a LOT more jazz LPs and my collection has grown exponentially. Still, it is the tip of the ice berg at 500 LPs. Virtually every month I discover someone new that I just love. This month it was Sam Rivers and Don Pullen. Next month, who knows? It is simply a thrilling adventure. I'm now as likely to reach for Cecil Taylor's "Conquistador" as the Stones' "Exile on Main Street." If all that makes me a jazz cat, then 'meow'... |
Count me in. Been listening to jazz since I was 13 and about 75% of my listening is to jazz. I have 1000+ jazz CDs -- most of it covering the period from the mid-to-late 50s to date, with a particular weakness for piano trio and solo, Coltrane, Miles, Sonny Rollins and 50s-60s Blue Note artists (Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan Horace Silver, etc). Just today, I just discovred about 20 unopened/unlistened-to CDs that I forgot I had purchased! I've got another 500-750 LPs, most purchased from 1970-1985. |
Can't claim to be a true expert, and it's not my #1 music, but I get by. My collection must run into the several hundreds of vintage jazz vinyl, mostly from the 50's and 60's, but I enjoy - to a greater or lesser extent - almost all genres predating fusion. I especially dig those few artists whose specialty was/is a balancing of composition and orchestration with improvisation, who move beyond forms standardized in the service of jamming. |
Yes-on the Jazz, no on the cats. Cats should never be allow in a serious music room. They like to lay on power amps and then the room smells like pussy. I try to buy at least one new Jazz release per week (this week- Lalo Schirin's "Ins and Outs and Lalo Live at the Blue Note." Live cuts are excellent) , it would be nice to see this thread or a new one, become the Jazz picks for the week. |
Jazz is probably the most extraordinarily diverse music form, with many idioms to choose from and enjoy: trad, swing, be-bop, hard-bop, cool, west coast, vocal, free, avant-garde, contemporary, fusion, acid, smooth, funk, nordic, latin, cuban, etc. Some of these may not be well-regarded or even considered jazz by some, but to me they all include an element that is not usually found in other styles of music: IMPROVISATION. Brad Meldhau (sp?) wrote in the liner notes of one of his recordings that if all forms of written/recorded music were lost, jazz would be one of the few forms of music whose players could return to their instruments and continue to play and create as if nothing had happened. |
Great music out there. Then and now, and not enough time to put a dent in listening to it. Figure, on a couple of hours a day. What's that in the scheme of 500 hundred+ CDs. I have more of a problem just trying to decide on what not to listen to. 2 hours is 2 hours. How much can you really listen to in that time? It is a wonderful couple of hours, though, when I have it.... peace, warren |
I own more jazz than any other kind of music. From Lee Morgan on Blue Note (1950's) to Paul Motian and Gonzalo Rubalcaba last year. There are so many great Jazz artists, it's impossible to listen to them all. I must also allow time for rock and roll, blues, (a little) opera and classical. It would be easier to control my music library if I didn't like so many different kinds of music. |
Clueless: Yeah, you're probably right about my handle. Actually, I see a very strong relationship between straight-ahead jazz and, say, Texas-style blues. But, I also have to agree with Marakanets; styles are really details. Music is basically 3 time-space phenomena: Melody, Couterpoint, Rhythmn. If there is one thing that characterizes jazz for me, it's the rhythmic expression--the swinging expression of notes. For me, it doesn't matter if this is found in Charlie Parker's "Now Is The Time," or Oingo Boingo's "Elevator Man," if it's got it, it swings, and I'm never going to get tired of it! |
Trane, Monk, Miles, Morgan, Roach, Rollins, Mingus, Dolphy ... put out tons of great stuff. No way is the story over. Ken Vandermark, Tim Berne, Dave Douglas, Mario Pavone, Henry Threadgill, Nils Wogram, Jean Derome, Vinny Golia, Tomasz Stanko, Eberhard Weber, Lucas Niggli, Nels Cline, Louis Sclavis and lots of other greats are doin' it now. Anyway, I'm probably in too, but refuse to poop on myself by being stuck in the past. |
My humble thanks to the several people who mentioned my name in connection with this thread. Perhaps those of us who love jazz should establish a separate forum within this forum? For those who have analog front ends in their systems, I want to mention that I am in the process of selling a significant chunk of my jazz LP's. This has become necessary because I will no longer be able to store my collection at my Dad's house (he's moving to an assisted living facility). If anyone is interested in acquiring some jazz LP's that are in excellent to mint condition, please send me a private E-mail, and I will send you the current list of available LP's. I currently have about 250 titles available, and will be adding another 100-200 titles to this list during the next week. |
While I consider The Allman Brothers Band to be my favorite act, jazz is my favorite genre. It was bassed on a newly found love of jazz that I completely replaced my previous home theater system with a 2 channel music based system. As I demoed and tried different pieces of equipment and cables, Miles - Kind Of Blue was my primary listening disc. And now I find great enjoyment trying different pieces of music with the new system. My somewhat obscure jazz reccomendation : Norris Turney - Big,Sweet,and Blue; Mapleshade(excellent jazz and an excellent recording) |
Yo, just got back from sdc's class on Jazz. Even if in less funky hours, I do the classical fuddy-duddy thing, I'm in! |
Hi Crazy4Blues. I listen to a lot of Jazz but probably can't call it my "first music." Ironically, one reason is that I listen to a lot of blues too and obviously so do you! Maybe you need a new moniker! Ditto re Scott. I have a jazz file of stuff saved from Agon on Jazz and it is about 75% Scott. I like new stuff too. Can't argue too much with Duke, Miles and Coltrane though. Cheers I remain, |
