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
Frogman, I liked the more 'mellow' things, the ones that have faster tempo are played well but I do not find them appealing.
For what I can say, I miss certain 'sustain' in his notes. (Flanagan is someone with opposite style who I like)

But, as Acman has said, I would never guess that these recordings were more than 40 years old, when I first heard them I thought that they sound like some contemporary jazz that is played recently.
https://youtu.be/FnA-g9iw9tc

Thank you for your explanation, I certainly enjoy reading such notes
Alex, I am intrigued by your use of the word "Rococo" to describe music on CTI recordings.  Obviously not fair to generalize, but they definitely have a certain sound that shows, I think, a heavy hand on the part of the producer.  I have often felt a little cheated by some CTI recordings.   Somehow, RVG's Blue Note recordings tend to give more of a sense that the musicians are more in control of the final sound; somehow, the music tends to sound more intimate and warm.  If I understand what you mean correctly, I completely agree.  
Usually I would say they sound ’baroque’- esk, because of their ’grandeur’ caracter of production, but one could not attribue symmetry and strict regulations to any jazz music (as to ’baroque’), to be called it that way.

So, I kind of used that term to ’derogatively imply that the style was frivolous or merely modish’.
Is it ’superficial or just poor taste’, one has to conclude for himself.

Perhaps I would not say that they lack intimicy or warmth, but they sound over produced for me, with lots of ’extra’ added.
No matter that musicanship is often superb, still it sounds (imho) that work is result more of applied craft than of genuine inspiration.

When we look now at those recording in a context (as you allways say) of time when they were recorded, we know that they were made in a moment when jazz was in decline, so those musical arrangments had the purpose to bring or to hold attention of broader public.
I cant know for sure was there any succes in that atempt, but aldo I have some of those albums I do not consider them to be best representatives of jazz music in general.
I do not want to bring back that constant ’discussion’ but sometimes, at least when my simple taste is in question, I feel that ’jazz jazz’ had finished with its 'best' days some years prior to that period.

There is a guitar player, on lots of CTI albums, whose tone I like very much. Its Eric Gale. There is one his album 'In a jazz tradition' that I am curious to hear. Maybe somebody has it?