No that's not true, he died in Chicago with his family. I last saw him in the Fall of 69, and he wasn't well, although his music was fantastic when he was able to play.
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.
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.
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The ability to play jazz to me is remarkable, but the ability to hear jazz is just as remarkable. When I began to like jazz more than all other genres of music, I thought I was some kind of freak because everybody else liked some other genre of music; but now I know that it takes a remarkable mind to appreciate jazz, and those are in the minority. Without a doubt, the best jazz was created in the 50's and the 60's. Fortunately for us, there was so much created by different artists, we wont live long enough to hear it all. Today I would like to feature an excellent artist we haven't touched on; "Horace Parlan". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Parlan "Speaking My Piece" featuring the Horace Parlan Quintet; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5A6_8sG6LU |
o10, "we won't live long enough to hear it all". That's a sobering thought, but one which us older aficionados must face. As I believe I've mentioned here my music collection includes around 3,000 LPs and maybe 500 CDs. Because of my broad tastes they include several genres of music, not just jazz. There is no reasonable way that I'm going to listen to all that now at my age. That thought resulted in two decisions. First, to practically eliminate the purchase of any additional recordings. Yes, there may be newer, or older music I don't have, which I might enjoy owning. But would that enjoyment be enough to push aside an old favorite? It would need to be something exceptional. The second thing is to reduce my collection by at least half. That will still leave a sizable collection I know, but hopefully it will allow a good selection of favorites to suit any listening mood. So I've begun the arduous task of sorting my collection, which has not been as easy as I thought it might be. I'm nearly finished with the jazz and blues CDs. If anyone is interested contact me privately, I'll have a list and they'll be reasonably priced. Like o10, my favorite jazz came out to the '50s and '60s, but my collection is broader than that. |
Pryso I must have been on a record buying binge just before CD's came out, and bought them faster than I played them. After CD's came out, I had to hear the new sound; it was better than records according to my rig at that time; consequently I went to CD's. It hasn't been that long that my analog is better than digital; now I'm discovering that I've got a lot of new vinyl that I never played, one record worth $180., but doubt if I will sell. Although I'm late to the vinyl resurgence, I'm really enjoying it. While I'm not buying or selling presently, this is a good time to be selling; you might have records that are worth a lot more than you think. |
Just to think, I bought this album for the art work on the cover; I didn't even know who "Charles Mingus" was when I bought it; that was a very long time ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IsNHDuwJrM |
Rok, in Classical music a “Fantasy” (usually seen as “Fantaisie” in French or ”Fantasie” in German) is a musical work written in the style of, or meant to convey the feeling of, an improvisation. One of the key ways that a composer tries to achieve this is by not adhering to traditional “forms”. The composition then doesn’t follow many of the traditional compositional “rules” and so it conveys a sense of freedom. However, there is no actual improvisation and it is entirely pre-composed. As with all Classical works there is still much room for personal interpretation and expression in the performance. In Jazz there is, as we all know, spontaneous improvisation (spontaneous composition). However, unless we are talking about “free jazz”, the improvisation follows the “rules” of the specific form and harmonic chord progression of the tune. One of the most important aspects of the concept of “evolution” in jazz has been that the more modern the jazz the more those rules were broken or certainly stretched; particularly in the realm of harmony or the way (note choices) that players improvise over each harmonic change (chord) of a tune. |
Gracias. I asked the question because I was listening to this today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXcqDqaZo1o I was wondering if this was a piece that someone else would play the same as she did? On closer reading of the notes I see the Carmen Fantasy was composed by Pablo De Sarasate, not Bizet. Just as you said, it's written down. Thanks for the usual comprehensive response. Cheers |
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Likewise, “chaos” is in the ear of the listener. The problem with generalities is that there will inevitably be examples to debunk them. Not only are good examples of free jazz, in fact, improvisation, they are the ultimate expression of improvisation since they do away with the constraints of traditional form and harmony. Isn’t freedom in self expression supposed to be one of the main tenets of jazz? Please notice I said “ultimate” and not “best”. What is best is too personal and limited by the listener’s own sensibilities, sense of inquisitiveness and willingness to be challenged by art. Our personal limitations in those regards don’t apply to anyone but ourselves. In good examples of free jazz even if the traditional ideas of form and harmony are done away with, there is still interaction between musicians, development of ideas, tension/release, etc. and many other things that characterize jazz improvisation. Moreover, and especially for listeners who are tuned in to social issues and change, the relevance of free jazz in that context is huge and definitely worth learning about. One of the most important recordings that pointed the way: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVOYDgXAn1KLppLy-ZWM9DfEFPsX2u6MM |
This is "Free jazz" by the same musician, and it is "Chaotic"; anybody who wants it can have it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bRTFr0ytA8 |
**** One of the most important recordings that pointed the way **** “THAT POINTED THE WAY” free jazznoun
Ornette’s “The Shape Of...” definitely fits that classic definition. And that makes my point. You assume that “free jazz” has to be chaotic. That may be your definition, but it does not have to be “chaotic”. Much of it may sound that way to any given listener, but then we’re back to the “in the ear of the beholder” idea. How about an example of where you would draw the line, O-10? I prefer to not draw those kinds of lines, but that’s just me. That record POINTED THE WAY to: https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLCA8B2A8554D832CC&v=dtiSA2RKDzc And, of course: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xbZIiom9rDA |
I think the love of Jazz and its expression through our different personalities is really of interest. We have anarchist who want rules in music. We have conservatives who love open jazz because of its freedom, and other conservatives who want music to stay the way it was. All different perspectives on the same music from different angles. Love it! BTW, thanks for the awesome morning music! |
Cliff Jordan: Great clip Acman. How did I overlook Jordan? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THmLkXB9Glk Cheers |
I wonder why this is never considered to be the greatest Jazz album ever. Is there a better showcase of Jazz saxophone playing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYgow060zOg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUcEGOLfUTE I know it's been posted before, but WOW! Cheers |
Yes, great clip! Great player who could play traditional and “out”. **** How did I overlook Jordan? **** Did you? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhe6cW3ho_s Gonsalves/Ellington: Epic! |
I saw Aretha at the 20 Grand in Detroit, when "Motown" was Motown (more new cars than I ever saw in any city). She was young slender, and looking as good as she sounded. That was one of my most memorable times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmjHMUZQ8s0 RIP Aretha |
She was really one of a kind. In her genre, she had no peer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IerxTP31dAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNR0iLw92Gc Cheers |
"Spirit In The Dark"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOXKr7wh1Ac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsWJAFck0vQ&list=RDIsWJAFck0vQ&t=69 As per your request Schubert. |
R.I.P. Aretha Interesting discussion on what is and is not "free jazz" I own just about everything John Coltrane ever recorded. The thing is I could listen to Giant Steps and A Love Supreme over and over again and enjoy it. When I sit down for a listening session with his Ascension disc I can only take about 30 minutes at a time. When I first heard it I stopped after 5 minutes. It is an acquired appreciation of that music and it takes time. The screeching and honking on the reeds can make one confused and easily disappointed especially compared to A Love Supreme or Blue Train. JC was constantly reaching out to explore new territories. This is not so common with jazz musicians of his era. The majority stuck to what they were accustomed to playing. Some mixed hard bop with a tinge of Avant-garde/Free jazz ala Jackie Mclean which I think is excellent I’m always listening to Jackie’s discs One Step Beyond and Destination Out. Art Blakey is a perfect example of never evolving yet always making fantastic recordings with a variety of excellent musicians. Jackie Mclean Love and Hate from the disc Destination Out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8woYxaDjAM Ghost Town from the disc One Step Beyond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_um0Pvot8w |