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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
pryso
1,901 posts
 
I can't add anything to the discussion of the earliest bebop recording, but I have I believe a related question I'll tag on here.

I'm also a bit of a movie buff so when Robert Altman's "Kansas City" was released I saw it.  The setting was the 1930s in KC and featured a club with a house jazz band in several scenes.  I remember thinking at the time watching the film the music was too modern, some too close to bebop for the '30s.  But that has never been an area of particular exposure or knowledge for me.  I jumped from the Armstrong/Teagarden style to post bop NYC and west coast jazz of the '50s.  Here's a link to the film -

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116745/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1

And the soundtrack -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyVNApGCeWE&list=PLA14E2CCB19AEBA3B  

So my question: did Altman get it wrong and place 40's jazz (early bebop) in his setting for the '30s?  Not sure, I might feel different watching it today.
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

I absolutely do not want to change the subject or alter the conversation, I just want an opinion on a current CD.


                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvB0f5akEoQ
frogman
7,339 posts
 
nsp, interesting question and great perspective. Personally, I would have to say that I don’t hear enough bebop in that 1944 recording to call it “bebop”. I don’t think that there is going to be universal agreement on where exactly it was that the style crossed some magical demarcation line into territory that can be called the first full-fledged bebop. The transitional recordings were just that, transitional.

pryso, listened to the soundtrack. I don’t think Altman got it wrong at all; quite the opposite. With the possible exception of “Yeah, Man” with its brisk tempo, I don’t hear bebop in that music. Kansas City, like other important jazz hubs, had its own style and sound and I think that music captures it well. Most of that music is based on simple song structures, mainly simple blues forms, the melodies don’t have the characteristic angular or “spiky” character of bebop tunes; nor the need for the virtuosity that playing bebop required. Some of the writing does sound modern, the way that ‘30’s Ellington can sound modern and especially coming from Armstrong/Teagarden. Great soundtrack. Thanks.
acman3
4,114 posts
 
Another thing that crossed my mind is that that the musicians have been playing/hearing post bebop since they were born. They can try to play like swing players, but it ends up sounding like a Texan trying to pull off a Brittish accent. 
jafant
18,774 posts
 
Bobby Jaspar
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