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

@curiousjim 

FYI, Annie Ross, member of the group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, write the lyrics. 

The following is copied from Jazz singer Kurt Elling’s website:

As I say, vocalese was invented by Eddie Jefferson, and is the writing and performing of a lyric which has been tailored to fit the lines of an instrumental solo from someone else’s record. Eddie fell in love with Charlie Parker records. He listened to them so much that he memorized the solos and started singing them. Words and stories naturally started to occur to him when he heard the solos in his head, and he wrote them down & began a new career for himself performing them. His most famous lyric, written in 1946 to James Moody’s solo on “I’m In The Mood For Love”, was made famous by a King Pleasure (Clarence Beeks) hit recording of the lick in 1952. The magnificent vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross brought the performance of vocalese to its zenith in the late 50’s and early 60’s with their interpretations of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Wardell Gray charts. Jon Hendricks is the acknowledged master of the writer’s art, and has continued supplying the world with fantastic and astonishing creations to this day. Dave Lambert, who died some years ago, did most of the musical arranging for the original group (for three voices and rhythm section). Annie Ross, the third member of the trio, though not a full-time lyricist, wrote some of the most famous lyrics, including “Twisted” and “Jackie”.

For the sake of comparison, here is the LH&R version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFiAZYnNRyQ

 

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@stuartk Here is one album you may like

'A Gasser' from 1959. Annie Ross with Zoot Sims,Hall, Perkins,Freeman, Bean, Budwig and Capp and Lewis

 

https://youtu.be/4SUJmb1C6Z4?si=lsmsl2WT910ctMlL 

@alexatpos I tried that Annie Ross YT link and it said video unavailable.

I found another from the same album there and I hope this link works

https://youtu.be/gK90pu_5om8?si=s6j4BnjXlkfX6o6c

Speaking of jazz trios led by a saxophonists sans piano, this is one of my all time favorites (a desert island disc) which I have on Analog Productions SACD. The great Sonny Rollins (still with us at 95) with Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. Lester Koenig quote on the Way Out West sessions:

According to the liner notes by producer Lester Koenig, recording began at 3:00 a.m. to fit the musicians' busy schedules, but "[a]t 7 a.m., after four hours of intense concentration, during which they recorded half the album, and should have been exhausted, Sonny said, 'I'm hot now.' Shelly who had been up for 24 hours, said, 'Man, I feel like playing.' And Ray, who was equally tired and had a studio call for the afternoon, just smiled."

https://youtu.be/LmMHG2THHck?si=hUQVpaPR-11PcJWu