Lee Konitz is often associated with the "West Coast Jazz" school,while this is wrong geographically it is correct as as far as his influence on many of the players in the early 50's.One mentions his influence on Art Pepper,very minor,the big influence on Pepper was Benny Carter and Charlie Parker.Pepper was a member of the Stan Kenton band before Konitz and it was the Kenton band that brought Konitz to the West.Kenton was based in Southern California and drew the players from this area.Konitz was offered a job with Kenton,in i believe 1950-1 and approached his teacher and mentor Lennie Tristano about this decision to join a coomerecial big band.Tristano was adamant about Konitz not going with Kenton,concerned with the "commerciality" of Kenton's music,not to mention Lennie did not want to lose his best student.Konitz' decision to join Kenton caused a multi-year astrangement from the Tristano circle.During this time,the early 50's Konitz won magazine polls and became internationally well known,travelling to Europe with Kenton and making records there.His solos on the Kenton records became very popular among saxophonists.Otherwords,this choice to go with Kenton was a major pivot in Konitz' career.
He ended up in L.A. in the early 50's and "sat in" with the Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker group,of course he knew Mulligan from the Birth of the cool bands and before that,the Claude Thornhill orchestra.It is these recordings that seem to tie Konitz to the "West Coast" school.
Certainly these early 50's Lee Konitz recordings can't be praised enough,as noted above,this was a rare departure from the Bird's overwhelming influence,and it was more than a deaparture,it was a fully formed and totally distinct approach to the saxophone.As Warne Marsh used to say"The YOUNG Lee Konitz was a beautiful thing" and that is very true.
The whole "West Coast" Jazz moniker has always been a confusing one.Lots of the remaining Big bands were centered in L.A. and this brought lots of musicians to the area,notably Kenton and Woody Herman.The scene evolved almost a good ten years after the birth of Be-Bop in New York and the lack of actual Jazz club work called for more "woodsheding" and rehearsal groups...Jimmy Giuffre,Chico Hamilton,Bob Brookmeyer.There was more experimintation without commercial scrutiny.Interesting,that many of these musicians had to return to New York to work and let these ideas breathe.Mingus was a good example of this,although a few years earlier.Dolphy,Giuffre,Brookmeyer,Jim Hall and others gravitated back to New York to make the music that was born in garages in L.A. bY 1954 Lee Konitz was finished with Kenton and ready himself to return to New York to start the next chapter of his music.His association with the West Coast school of Jazz,such as it was,well behind him. |
March 12 1955....Bird died.March 12 2013...the only thing that "ran West" was the railroad. |
More on Warren Vache.The best Vache/ John Allred recording is "top self" Arbors ARCD 19399 This a a well thought out session with Tardo Hammer on piano(check out his own recordings,especially the Tadd Dameron collection) and leans to a tighly arranged program of some good lesser known tunes by Blue Mitchell and Clifford Brown and some more well known works by Cannonball,Golson,and Bud Powell mixed with some standards.This is a hot band leaning towards a definite Bop slant.The Vache/Allred "Live in Bern" Arbors ARCD 19369 is almost all standards and is a great blowing session,again with Hammer, and this time they work in two Horace Silver pieces into the program.Straight ahead blowing you could hang your laundry on,pardon me if i'm swinging!
Vache's most recent work is on the English Woodville label (WYCD 132)with a small group of Brits led by label ownwer Alan Barnes."The London session" is a terrific outing of mainly standards played expertly.Barnes is almost totally unknown in the states and is a wonderful multi-reed player with the alto and clarinet being his babies.I like his alto playing,a touch of Benny Carter and a bit of Art Pepper(he recorded a tribute album to Pepper a few years ago)he is a world class player waiting to be heard.The Woodville label has some great recordings but has no distribution in the U.S. so they have to be purchased directly from Alan,who will likely send you an email"Off to the post,enjoy the music!" you gotta love that.Vache is on fire on this session,these are good,but unknown players...unless you live in the U.K.
"Ballads and other cautionary tales" (Arbors ARCD 19430) is from 2011 and finds Warren again with Tardo Hammer and this time the much under rated Richard Wyands on piano.Houston Person is a guest on tenor on three tracks(a great rapport) and John Allred guests on a track.This is cornet playing of great emotional depth.Sentimental,ironic,a little wistful,passionate and full of the technical whoha to pull in off.Have not heard this kind of playing since the Miles/Red Garland sessions.
Warren Vache stays in his big boy pants for all these recordings,they are devine. |
Thumbs up on Barney Wilen.Rare,but now downloadable,is "Barney" from 1959 on French RCA with Duke Jordan and Kenny Dorham...great session.A little off the beaten track,and a record that has bounced around to a few labels under different names is "Movie themes from france" from 1989.This is a quartet with Mal Waldron,Stafford James and Eddie Moore.You can pretty much guess the tunes and they are played in an almost calmly seductive manner.He was one of the poster boys of the French new wave cinema Jazz soundtracks.Of course,as mentioned,The Miles soundtrack is a masterpiece.I bought the dvd of the film with the bonus footage of Miles playing to the soundtrack and have to confess i have yet to watch it.I will do that this week and report back.First saw that film on the late,late show as a teenager when it played in the U.S. under the name "Frantic",which may have been the name of the novel it was based on.Hats off to Barney who slipped away in '96. |
A few comments on some recent posts....Clarinet-Kenny Davern,fill in the blanks of superlatives because they all apply,plus a determination to excell beyond his usual musical orbit and create in each solo,not only a history of Jazz, but to convey it in the most personal way.
Frank Vignola...Fine player,but listen to Howard Alden.
Eric Alexander...behemoth player,like the "Thanksgiving" of all the living big toned Tenor Saxophonists,he always seems to fill you up and satisfy you musically and emotionally.His latest effort,among many,"Touching" on Highnote tends to magnify his "sound" over content and some of the tunes are of a more recent vintage that don't capture my interest.I have to give him props for trying to extend the circle of compositions for improvisations.I am anxious to hear him over the next few years.
Dave Liebman and the re-formed "Quest" (with Richie Beirach,Ron McLure and Billy Hart) are back at it on "circular" on Enja.This is a program of 60's compositions associated with Miles Davis.This is a delightful session of mature players,comfortable together and pushing forwards in a sideways move,nothing earthshaking,yet forging a collective quilt of music that draws you in.Billy Hart is a gifted drummer who can see beyond the music while creating the pulse of it.
David Liebman....prolific and sublime,as a listener he instills an air of confidence that he is giving his ultimate expression,this is a direct influence of John Coltrane who re-newed high standards in a post Charlie Parker Jazz world.
Some interesting younger players to watch Jonas Kullhammer and Jon Irabegon (sp on both? sorry)
The curse and gift of Jazz is that it can be the greatest thing and it can be the most mundane thing,both survive, and can only be limited by the intelligence of the listener.I have ALWAYS found that the best music has the least audience and musicians that "promote" themselves usually do so because they don't have the dedication to put it into their instrument.The least talented always have the most time to hype themselves. |
I have no axe,or resentful weapons at all.I just wish you would make a SPECIFIC point that would benefit the listeners and readers.I think there are many here that would enjoy the challenge of Bley's music (a myriad of music created over 55 years) and his musical journey in the world of Jazz and improvisation.As far as i am concerned you can get all theoretical and start waving artistic aesthetics around, but frankly, you are boring us,and Paul Bley ain't boring. |
They are getting ready to kick me out of the library here in Bakersfield,so i won't be able to use the computer anymore.I have my Volkswagon parked over there behind the walmart and i am getting ready to curl up in the back seat with a pony bottle of I.W. Harper.I got me a little radio here and i am going to see if i can find me some nice music and get me a little sleep zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. |
I am very much looking forward to goofyfoot's monograph on Paul Bley.I would love for all of us to see a biographical and historical perspective.Musical analysis of his sytlistic evolution and of course what led to his "effortless command over the piano".Recommended recordings would be a plus.
The last time i heard effortless command over the piano was Roger Williams playing "Born Free". |
Thank you Art Pepper for mentioning Lester Young.The single biggest influence on the evolution of Bird's style.
These were the records these musicians of this generation were listening to...Count Basie..."Lester leaps in" "Taxi war dance" "Tickle toe" the list goes on.There was a whole generation of saxophonists who nursed that approach to improvisation {Stan Getz}and there was another,later generation of players that followed Coleman Hawkins' more forceful and direct approach-John Coltrane.Then there was another that combined the two-Dexter Gordon/Gene Ammons.
Don't forget the impact of Ben Webster during the glorious Ellington late 30's,his influence on the concept of ballad playing is undeniable.Prez,Hawk,Ben all played their best music before the Bebop era and each grappled with their own private adaptation of what became the norm in Jazz.This all has to be considered in the mix.
Whatever Pepper says,everytime he picked up his horn and played one of those way uptempo tunes like "straight life" or something based on "Cherokee" he was gunning for Bird.That was the highest mark of the state of the art and the competition was fierce.That is simply the nature of the beast.Also by 1952 when Pepper was coming well into his own Parker was finished and all bets were off on who was the best.But who cares really? They were all great and amazing and thrilling and each had something special to bring.Some more than others.One of Lester Young's little sayings was "You can't join the throng until you write your own song".I leave you with that. |
All due respect to Dick Hyman and his little repertory group at the 92nd st. Y.I have this session fresh in my mind as i just found the lp at as swap meet for a buck and have owned the cd for many years.This music is representative of what was known as the "Jazz Party" circuit which enjoyed an audience in the 70's and 80's and struggled into the 90's and sputtered out as the new century came in.This idea was fostered by Dick Gibson who started his Colorado Jazz party in the late 60's.These were private Jazz festivals that usually hosted around 25 likeminded musicians and the audience was made up of older fans who could travel to these events and spend the weekend with some great players in intimate and casual settings.The players ranged from Swing era vets,seasoned traditional oriented players and much in between.The Eddie Condon school always had a place with some free swinging,hard driving,vein bursting playing.Pretty much a celebration of pre- Bop music.I heard many greats at some of these events,and got to hang out with the players in casual settings afterhours when many the bottom of a bottle was visible as the sun came up.Joe Venuti,Bud Freeman,lots of great players.We got to spend the afternoon with drummmer Gus Johnson and took him to the San Diego Zoo,that is a great memory as Gus stopped playing not too long after that and passed.We talked a lot about Charlie Parker, as he was the drummer with Jay McShann's Orchestra when Bird made those records for Decca and they traveled together.I was about the same age as the "younger" players who were invited.
One of those was the brilliant Warren Vache who performs on the Hyman recording.Warren was just hitting his late 30's and playing some remarkable trumpet and cornet,as he does on that recording,as a matter of fact he outplays everybody on that date,his solos are simply incandescent.Warm and intense like Bobby Hackett.With the wit and charm of Ruby Braff.He is such a gifted player who gets little recognition nowadays,this is a pity as his last few cd's are about as good brass playing as you can hear today.This is just meat and potatoes Jazz improvisation.People always lament that this kind of honest music has died out,well it is still alive in Warren Vache and you would do yourself a solid to seek out his most recent works.They are a thing of beauty. |
I don't think i would characterize Norman Granz as a "robber"...stealing the "mystery" of the jam session, and exposing it to the public? In reality, few were privy to the "Jam Session" as it was the musicians domain,lets say the hunting grounds for the lions and tigers of the late night,feasting on the young and unproven musician who had to prove they could stand next to the kings of the Jungle.This is one thing that eventually eroded Jazz was the lack of public humiliation to make youyrself a better player.How do you think the young Bopper's matured so quickly?...they played.played,played! Thank goodness for the Harlem spots like Minton's Playhouse and Clark Monroe's uptown house, where nighly jams brought the older players to joust with the youngsters,albeit the Boppers were working on their own" alchemy" of variations on the "changes".The question became what older established players would get with the new and adapt, and forge, the way to the new music.Such is the way in the veldt...eat or be eaten.The "Jam Session" was a proving ground....the story aboput Bird being gonged off the stage by a cymbal being thrown....over ten years later a similar humiliation would be suffered by Ornette Coleman in Los Angeles.
What Granz did,among MANY things,was bring the excitement of this competion to the public with a new found dignity,a showcase for the myriad of talents within the music..Bird,Prez,Ella,Tatum...he took the greats of the music and brought them to your town.
An amazing look at the reclusive and innovative Norman Granz is ..."Norman Granz....The man who used Jazz for Justice" University of California Press 2011.Author Tad Hershorn spent years just getting the interviews with Granz and finally suceeded and opened the mysterious world of this man.Hershorn is a member of the Rutgers based Institute of Jazz studies,his is a multi-layered,scholary approach.The evolution of the "JATP" concept is a major part of this book,the tours,players,recordings and the fight for the dignity of the musicians of "color",not always easy in the 1950's.He shares the details of Granz' musical adventures with an ease and a flow that make this great reading.You will come away with a respect for the man who realized that Art Tatum needed to sit in the studio and record over one hundred solo performances.He was among the very first who listened to the artist and gave them freedom.You will lament the unfulfilled sessions (Lester Young with strings and Charlie Parker and Art Tatum duets)You will be amazed at what one man accomplished for Jazz. |
Jazz musicians thrive on public acceptance,they need an audience,they need feedback,they need to test their mettle-constantly.Even the most anti-social,introverted musicians feel this way.One of the most private musicians i ever knew was Warne Marsh,a gifted (beyond words) saxophonist and an improvisor on par with the best.He was a man of few words,but when he did you know it was something of value and a life lesson.I asked him once what part the audience and listener played in his art and i was shocked by his reply..."It is everything to me.The listener is fifty percent of my world" We need to bethere as listeners,as an audience.For Art to suceed it has have it's audience.The value of discourse can't be discounted,and Art must have it's critics and it's public.
Jazz,like boxing,runs the peril of being dominated by lightweights.Where are the heavyweights? |
Frogman...Thanks for the heads up on this Dane? Gilad Hekelsman. Certainly has chops and has done the work and i have always liked Mark Turner.I looked at a few more recent videos of Gilad and he is impressive.Sounds like he is searching for the right tone on that instrument and i say stay out of the murky waters of amplification and let the instrument speak. Pat Martino....profound!
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I don't see any mention of Andre Previn with Benny Goodman in 1958 in a small group setting on the Columbia album "Happy Session". Some of the "extra" tracks (unissued ) came out on one of the Yale University library volumes.Very nicely executed Jazz piano,perhaps not up to the level of Teddy Wilson or Mel Powell,but Previn captures the moment beyond criticism. His tune "You're gonna hear from me",written with his then wife,Dory,who did the lyrics,for the film "inside Daisy Glover" was a favorite of Bill Evans as a Jazz vehicle. There were many 50's Jazz sessions where Previn excelled...Benny Carter,Helen Humes etc.
Someone compared Previn to Duke Ellington,as he did "everything"...Duke did Duke,he didn't "do everything"...he WAS everything!
You guys,the two or three of you that fuel this thread just type,type,type and never say anything. Who wants to read it? .It just goes on and on and on and on and on....Say less and say smarter. Andre previn never took the elevator,always the stairs....yikes! You guys need to give Jazz a break!
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I invite all of you typists and Jazz amigos to join me on Fridays at KUNM.ORG to stream live (or check out the two week archive) for my edition of the Monday-Friday Jazz slot named (but not by me) "All that Jazz" we commence at 12:06 Mountain time and go to 1:30 pm.
This week,April 29th, i will be celebrating the Birthday of Duke Ellington
on the actual date of his birth with music from the 20's to the 70's with the emphasis on lesser known and rarely heard works.Face it,most Ellington falls into this category. In the last few months there has been features on Billie Holiday,Jelly Roll Morton,John Coltrane,Nat King Cole,Charles Mingus,Benny GoodmanJoe Pass,Toots Thielmans,Charlie Parker and even Grant Green, on his own and with Larry Young.Even mix in some living musicians (Toots is "retired") but the neglect of the great masters draws me to try to level the playing field and offer a little education and enlightenment that,obviously is sorely needed .Still some life out there on terrestrial radio,but the streaming option is great.I have listeners all over the world.
Yeah,enjoy the music..........
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Yes,Tiny Grimes with Charlie Parker "Red Cross" on Savoy 1944.Early Bird and almost pre-Bop.Tiny with Art Tatum,look for the Capitol trio recordings.He made lots of sessions in the 40's as Jazz was in transition from small group Swing to Bop.Prior to that he was in the "Cats and the Fiddle" a string group that played hot Jazz.In the 50's he had a instrumental band called the Rockin' highlanders and made some hard driving Jazz flavored R&B sides for Atlantic.Through all this he kept at that 4 string tenor guitar.I was fortunate to hear him live and meet him when he came to L.A. in the early 80's for a concert with guitarist John Collins,who was Nat Cole's guitarist as well as an important 52nd st.Jazz player in the 40's.Too bad Collins didn't make more solo records,he was a real master.
Tiny Grimes was not a Blues player as we would usually associate with that genre,but he always shined there and the relative uncomplicated nature of the Blues lent itself to the tenor guitar.He greatly enhanced those Prestige Swingsville sessions.
One of the unsung heroes of the intersection of Jazz and Blues guitar was Teddy Bunn. Poorly represented on records but if you can find them you will hear some great playing in the T-Bone Walker meets Charlie Christian vein.He made a few sides for Blue Note in the 40's.
Irving Ashby was another of those 40's guitarists who made a few records but had a great Christian influenced sound.
I would like to think that people still listen to and appreciate the innovations of Charlie Christian.Tiny Grimes might have been a footnote in Jazz,but Charlie Christian is a chapter.
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Pat Martino....greatest living guitarist?
Of Course....Wes Montgomery!
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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.
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Everyone feels their own passion about music and travels at their impulse in regard to what they feel is important and valuable.Jazz has always been a big puzzle and it takes lots of people to put it together,piece by piece.
Jazz has also "suffered" from such a broad definition that it can be the greatest thing or the most boring thing,but it is still Jazz.People define the music by what they like and they covet and defend that niche irregardless of what came before or after or what is around the corner.They simply have no interest in expanding their world beyond that neighborhood.You can't deny that comfort zone.So take of it what you will,what moves you and what calls to you,but let others venture beyond your horizon.The music has a strong and undeniable power that has taken it many places.It is one helluva ride.
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Johnny Smith! Good call.This guy was all about broad strokes of elegant harmony and he was almost alone in the preference for ballads to medium tempo tunes.What a great legacy of all those Roost and Roulette records.There were a few albums on Verve with Hank Jones.Gibson honored him with his own model archtop,it was the Rolls Royce of their line in the 50's/60's.Those early albums with Stan Getz are superb.Here is a guy who came up in the 50's and made his own path.Late in his life he made an album or two with George Van Eps while he was retired in Colorado.There is one guy left alive who plays that style-Mundell Lowe.He must be in his 90's now.He was a studio guitarist in New York in the 50's as well.
QUESTION...Anybody actually go to see either the MILES DAVIS or CHET BAKER films.....Please advise!
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I had not heard that Eddie Fisher "Third cup" in many years.The fact that it was on Cadet records out of Chicago was enough to buy it when it came out.I bought all the Blues on Chess/Cadet,or as much as i could afford at that time.The Fisher record was a little mysterious as there was little that fell into this category and grooved in a "Cristo Redemptor" kind of way.,only with guitar and this presaged the entire 70's Soul/Jazz thing.His second record was gawdawful with extreme wah wah on most tracks,that also presaged the worst part of the next decade.
I was surprised to see the performance video and as i recall he passed in 1994? Had no idea who,what or where on this guy.
OK...Listen up...You want a copy of "Third Cup" go to DISCOGS.COM and put it in the search and you will find there are many for sale and a decent copy looks to be had for about 12.00 new unplayed recent reissue.
You take a look and decide what works for you.Duscogs is a good site full of reputable sellers,i buy there all the time.
Eddie Fisher,you had a good five minutes of fame,rest easy.
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Somebody went off the "reservation"....? I didn't realize that there was a security guard on duty on this thread? FYI using the term "reservation" and what it implies (indigenous people rounded up and imprisoned) and how it was implied,has a very nasty racist overtone and will not,i assure you, be tolerated.I think an explanation AND an apology is in order,and just THINK before you type.
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This matter will be brought to the attention of Audiogon and it will be their decision if they want to condone this negative behavior on their website.
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