Jazz for aficionados

I gotta say, you guys are killin it. There’s a lot of good music being posted here.

From Freddie to Wes...Wow.

To throw in a little latin tinged jam session, here’s the maestro himself. Tito Puente with the queen herself, Celia Cruz.

QUIMBARA-CELIA CRUZ Y TITO PUENTE

The only person I can think of who is a master at and of time signatures like Tito is The Count. Basie that is.

Count Basie and his Orchestra - Sarah Sings and Basie Swings (Part 1, Manchester, 1963)

Even at a young age, I noticed how Wes Montgomery and before him, Count Basie could hold your attention by playing absolutely nothing and just leaving space. As how Wes would put it...Less is more.

Wes Montgomery, TV show in Brussels, Belgium, april 4th, 1965 (colorized)

Wes Montgomery-Four On Six (1965)-Guitarra de Jazz

A few funky jazz reposts of mine: 

Eddie Harris – Is It In

Here’s another one for all you Jazz Funkateers out there. I’ve had this crate dug album for many years and have played the grooves off of it. Eddie Harris mic’d up his sax and created his own sound(s) and groove(s).  Hope y’all enjoy.

Eddie Harris - Is It In - 1974 Atlantic Recording Corp - Jazz-Funk / Soul-Jazz

Kool & The Gang - North, East, South, West - Good Times 1972 

As a kid I loved this track. It was a song that at the time I thought was jazz. Not like my Pop’s jazz, but nonetheless, it was my contemporaries era of funky jazz. It still resonates with me to this day.

Robert ’Kool’ Bell is the electric bass player and band leader of Kool and The Gang. They have been around a very long time. I think the band formed around the same time Sly and The Family Stone did and they’re still active today. This track has a very tight groove. With Kool and the drummer George ’Funky’ Brown holding down the rhythm section. Way ahead of its time

WAR - The World is a Ghetto - City, Country, City - 1972

And this WAR track also, gave me a funky jazz vibe, back in the day.

@pjw81563 

Have you heard Land’s Hear Ye with Red Mitchell? 

How about the later Mapenzi or Xocia’s Dance?

The various Timeless All Stars records with B. Hutcherson and Cedar Walton?

@tyray

I don’t listen to much funky Jazz but Herbie Hancock’s Fat Albert Rotunda is one I enjoy. I tend prefer bluesy to funky, generally. Not that the two can’t intermingle-- clearly they can and do!  

@stuartk,

I’ve appreciated your open mind-ness to Jazz for awhile now and am actually following your lead as to sometimes show something a little different than the status quo. And there’s a lot of serious jazz heads out there that love them some Eddie Harris. Matter of fact, I got a couple of more for yah. 

Les McCann & Eddie Harris - Compared To What - Live  Oh and how apropos this track is in today's days and times.

Eddie Harris - Silver Cycles (1969)

@tyray 

That Tito Puente video was definitely from an 80s gig. All of the woman dancing have "Big Hair" as well as Celia Cruz.

That Count Basie video is great. I love Mr. 5x5 Jimmy Rushing. One of the best blues vocalists of all time.

The Count and his big band are terrific as usual. Sonny Payne can really swing on the kit and all the soloists are top notch.

Old Man River by Count Basie is centered around Sonny Payne on the kit and he really lets it rip!

https://youtu.be/PJg4bHKICa0?si=3HOu25J8Gip4QU8d

Re Wes Montgomery; Wes's thumb was made of gold. His use of octaves is second to none when it comes to jazz guitar. Montgomery live with the Wynton Kelly Trio:

At the Half Note, NYC:

https://youtu.be/AiJCiFnzTHU?si=IKJSy2a7lulsJyis

At The Penthouse, Seattle:

https://youtu.be/0wSH4nS8ucY?si=KQAOF9cd_xpiju9I