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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
acman3
4,114 posts
 
This is what I meant to play

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pINzrMgPUcc
frogman
7,339 posts
 
Hope it's ok to crash the party 😉.  Fantastic stuff; loved it.  Thanks for turning me on to Lage and Thile (knew Collie and Meyer); beautiful players.  Talk about easy with its own brand of swing.
jafant
18,763 posts
 
Linda Oh
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,277 posts
 
Hello O.  I could say, "I'm not surprised" by your recent comment about the Chris Potter "Dreamer is the Dream" album...but WON'T  :-) 

There was some discussion about him back on page 206 Aug 26, 2017.  

I still don't "get" him in the sense of...What's the justification?  What's he doing to advance the form?  What's new and fresh here? (even if there's only a subjective answer to that last)  With respect to that CP album, wouldn't someone else have done much this same stuff before him and maybe better?  If not stylistically or technically better, then better simply because they were first?  Rhetorical questions.    

Those same questions do come to mind w/respect to a lot of the classic or traditional jazz that gets posted here.  Maybe the subtle, distinguishing virtues of each is only apparent to ears that have listened to thousands of hours of this sort of music.  For me, at this stage in my "aficionado-ish-ness" instead of a few 1000 jazz albums, I'm thinking, I only "need" (a couple dozen?) that are best of the best or represent significant deflection points in the evolution of the form.  The work and learning is by way of the time invested digging through the overburden looking for a few diamonds...or at least those things that sparkle for me.

This thread has provided great opportunity for exposure to such.  Thank you yet again for starting it, O.  Can honestly say I'm listening to a lot more jazz (even if it ain't always what you would favor) than I have in many, many years.  Owe much of that to the music ideas that have been provided here largely by you, Frogman, alexatpos, and acman.  Thanks to you all.

Most recently (thanks again to Frogman again for the introduction) these diamonds would be preferred over that particular Chris Potter recording...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wZHJXPoFpI      

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r8L-9ay7uE


frogman
7,339 posts
 
I mostly agree re Potter.  I want to like his playing because I admire his playing so much for its virtuosity; but, ultimately, he leaves me kinda cold.  I put his playing and style in the probably unfairly broad category of "post-Coltrane" that reached a peak with Michael Brecker, Bob Berg and Bob Mintzer; and, for the more purist-minded, players like Liebman and Grossman.  

You articulated the dilemma very well.  What are they doing to advance the form?  I've always thought of this as a kind of "dirty little secret" in modern jazz.  Putting aside Coltrane's really far out explorations at the end of his life, the influence of his style was so huge in jazz that it created, except for the very best, a whole generation of players that had a stylistic inprint that is a kind of caricature of Trane.  With Potter its more about were Brecker took the Trane thing than anything, but still clearly going back to Trane .  That's one of the reasons I like Joe Henderson's playing; he took a very different road than the Coltrane highway.  For the listener it's a matter of just how deep into the nuances of the evolution of styles one wants to get.  Along the way there are some players who are clear "significant deflection points" (I like that term).  I will say, however, that getting to know the playing of good players who are not necessarily stylistic ground breakers helps to understand and appreciate those who are a great deal.  I used to feel this way about Joe Lovano, but I think his playing has matured a great deal and he is truly advancing the form.  I just posted this, but in case you missed it.  I think this is just great.  Interesting the similarities to Henderson's sound:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oVne9WvVP40

As far as your comments re the more traditional jazz I would say that to focus only on the deflection points would be a big mistake.  There were far more individualistic players back then who are really worth exploring and who while not being major deflection points were just so good and so fun to listen to.  This is just one of those players. Amazing ballad playing and feel good vibe.  And what a tone!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RKby3ZnxmAI




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