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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.
orpheus10
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 
Learsfool, you're completely illogical, so why should I think anything you said was logical.
jazzcourier
205 posts
 
Eddie Lang died in 1933. He was incredibly active up to that point,so many great records and that singing,single string style really created a platform for so many to come.His records with Joe Venuti,Jack Teagarden and the great duets with Lonnie Johnson.You hear him in Grant Green and B.B. King.Into the 30's...some amazing guitar from Carl Kress,Dick McDonough and George Van Eps.Early electric and acoustic from Eddie Durham,also a trombonist and a great writer and arranger.His work wth Jimmie Lunceford ("Hittin' the bottle") on acoustic and with Lester Young on Commodore with his electric.Floyd Smith in the 30's with Andy Kirk ("Floyd's guitar Blues")
    Les Paul,the demon seed of the electric guitar,so many excellent sides from  rthe 1940's with speed and precision.George Barnes in the 40's with a ringing horn like tone.Billy Bauer into the late 40's with Lennie Tristano and several broadcasts with Charlie Parker.Standing alone as one of the greatest on any instrument....Django Reinhardt,throughout the 30's and into the 50's on the electric,even though he lost a step moving to the amplified guitar the sound was unearthly and another big influence on so many in that electric period. The 50's was a landslide of amazing players- Barney Kessel,Herb Ellis,Jimmy Raney,Jim Hall all heavily recorded and well documented.
    Of course Grant Green,who has become a legend and never failed to impress on any of the essential Blue Note's.By the time i got to see him in 1968 he had moved into that Funk/Soul Jazz bag and was playing to half full crowds,but we had all the Blue Note's and there was always amazing guitarists everywhere you turned in that period.B.B.King at his best before Pop came to his music.Albert King,a monster and Freddie King,the hardest driver of them all.Albert Collins fresh from Texas and T-Bone Walker on his last lap,but still with an amazing slow burn of precisely chosen notes like a surgeon.Buddy Guy! By the turn of the 70's most of these guys were compromised by the lure of Rock producers and the music went elsewhere.
     Still the best was Joe Pass,who seemed to combine elements from all these players plus an Art Tatum like one man orchestra approach.
     Just some darn good guitar players here.As far as the living,Howard Alden.
jazzcourier
205 posts
 
Pat Martino....greatest living guitarist?
Of Course....Wes Montgomery!
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Jazzcourier, you don't have to use a lot of words to say something, but if you are going to use a lot of words "say something".

Before I read Acmans post, I was in pursuit of a blues guitarist. One word in his post steered me in a different direction, "Charlie Parker"; that one word put Tiny Grimes in a different ball park.

After I found Charlie Parker and Tiny Grimes on "you tube", I realized why it's not in my collection, but it might be in my fathers collection. This music is called "early Bird"; that was "the Bird" in the making when he was playing with Tiny Grimes.

Alex, a friend of mine use to always say; "To thine self be true", and with that I'm saying I could enjoy Tiny Grimes if I were visiting you, and you played it, but I wouldn't rush out and buy it; although I can enjoy the nostalgic aspect of that music; it reminds me of music I overheard in my childhood. When I focused exclusively on "Bird's Horn" or "Tiny's" guitar, they sounded OK, but "Pre-Bop" is not my first preference in music.


Enjoy the music.








frogman
7,373 posts
 
jazzcourier, couldn't agree more re Harold Arlen and Joe Pass.  Pat Martino is in a class by himself among the living players.  Astounding; although Pass is the one that always moved me most.  He is sorely missed.  I posted this recently and I think it's worth posting again:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cyqJwJzGB0g

I heard this young man recently at a club here in NY.  I was very impressed with his maturity as a player who, while definitely with a modern sensibility, has not, as Rok likes to say, strayed too far from the Jazz farm.  I think he's someone to keep an eye on:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fYqaiEicGjs



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