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

@acman3

From Brozman to Tingvall -- quite a contrast!

This is pleasant enough but there’s something a bit too smooth about it, for my taste.

I know -- first I complain about too much dissonance; now, it’s too much consonance. What can I say? I'm finding it increasingly challenging to find music I really like, at this point. 

 

Came upon a new release from John Zorn, entitled "Homenaje a Remedios Varo" (Como se dice en ingles = "Tribute to Remedios Varo"). Here's a track:

https://youtu.be/mmdYRnKlxgE?si=hmTrtOLdoFzQUm1v

The guitarist is Julian Lage. The whole album is on Spotify.

I had never encountered John Zorn before; he seems to be a renaissance man.

 

 

John Zorn is a genius for sure...

his series of 32 albums "the books of angels" is completely astounding Klezmer- fusion jazz in a creative way...

Forget it if you dont enjoy non classical jazz... Anyway it is costly to buy 32 albums... myself i dont like them all for sure but they are many treasures...

Description of the 32 albums here :

https://johnzornresource.com/book-of-angels

 

I will put Zorn spiritual jazz with Sun Ra cosmic jazz and some other completely original creators as the spiritual jazz series albums especially with Japanese musicians.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNv2RxjsbWA&t=441s

Jazz/ Klezmer/ fusion at his peak...

an example :

Bar Kokhba Sextet - Lucifer (Book of Angels Vol 10)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNFh2FsJp8o

now this other album as you can see is completely different :

John Zorn - Marc Ribot ‎– Asmodeus (Book Of Angels Volume 7)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAZv11A-DpI

 

This first album though  is one of my best one :

Jamie Safto Trio - Astaroth Book Of Angels.1 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53YGLrK1JzA&list=PLec18SnEW_3wv53gH3Af3vo26CxFaIN2s

 

By the way i dont like klezmer nor fusion in general or in particular but as i already said we must make many exceptions in life and about our tastes criteria when we encounter musical geniuses...

I dont listen music styles or genres now so much but more the musicians as interpreters or creators ... Then no style or genre is out of my collection anymore...

What is music ? It is what musicians do first and last .... Nothing else...Nevermind the language they use , it is about what they do with it...

Music is a gesture of all the body with or without instruments ...The basis is time, timing and rythm...

 

 

@mahgister 

This John Zorn CD I bought years ago and had mixed feelings about it and a few other Zorn CDs I purchased. It goes without saying that if you are having mixed feelings (or second thoughts) about an artist, you will stop spending your hard earned money on him/her.

Voodoo • Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet (spotify.com)

Fast forward to when I happily started using Spotify and could listen to an album before buying it and I can now explore Zorn freely and pick and choose songs I like. I just put together this John Zorn Book Of Angels playlist I titled John Zorn 1 BOA (book of angels). It comprises the first 8 BOA sessions in chapter "1". When time permits I plan to make 3 more chapters covering all of the BOA sessions to give a listen.

John Zorn 1 BOA - playlist by Paul Irishman | Spotify

I listened to BOA Vol. 1 in its entirety and it is by no means "chaotic noise" Some of the songs were quite enjoyable.

However if you like to use genres for music/artists I would not call Book of Angels Volume 1 "Astaroth" jazz.

I do not know what genre I would call it. Maybe abstract music? world music?