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

@tyray Parts Connexion/Audio Connexion are owned by Chris, an absolute gentleman knowledgeable in hifi and electronics.  He's helped me a lot.  In fact Chris introduced me to Accuphase and I bought all my Accuphase components and Klipsch LaScala AL5 speakers from him. He also made my custom Furutech power cord.  I'll only trade and buy through Chris. If you go to Audio Connexion you'll see my Google review.

Just listened to to the remastered (2024) Newport Rebels, by The Jazz Artists Guild.  it’s good.  It’s shot, 39 minutes, but good.

Windham Hill Records meets ECM

I know this thread is about JAZZ and you might know how much I like Bobo Stenson,  Tord Gustavsen,  Marcin Wasilewski etc, but these past few days I've been listening to Will Ackerman, Jeff Oster and Tom Eaton collaborating on the albums Flow, 7 Conversations and Brothers. And given my appreciation for acoustic textures and the "Nordic jazz"/ECM-style aesthetic, I find these albums resonant. They feature a delicate and intimate interplay between artists and a sound I particularly like.

It seems that RYM’s top ranked albums are based only on people who actually take the time to find the site and then cast a vote and that has nothing to do with some sort of empirical research.

Case in point and how I found out. Are you ready for this? youtube has the Top 50 Best Funk Rock albums of all Time (RYM) / Rate Your Music / Essential Funk Rock Albums and the number one album on that list by people who cast a vote was, duh, duh, da, dah, Talking Heads! - Remain In The Light a 1980 release.

What!!! It doesn’t take a brain salad surgeon to know that the number one Funk Rock album of all time was: STAND by Sly and The Family Stone released in 1969.

You know, that band out of Frisco... Unbelievable. Sly changed everything. A mixed race rock band, a band with both men and women, a band also with diverse sexual orientations. The band even changed Jazz!

After Miles Davis’s wife at the time Betty Davis took him to a Sly and The Family Stone show, from then on he changed from wearing suits to his gigs to dresing like the folks Betty and Miles would see in the Haight Ashbury district in Frisco. And he later went on to record Bitches Brew in 1970. 

I may not know a lot about Jazz, but Funk? That’s my thang.