Jazz for aficionados
Gene Ammons music is synonymous with the word "jazz"; his music makes you feel "jazzy", and I could listen to it all day. Lets try "Ca'Parange", and a couple of his other tunes that make you feel jazzy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9CxF7qxYqc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If77_P8v7iE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdvienyK758 |
My request to specify music to reflect today's society was not, nor did I intend it to be music specific. Since I see and analyze this society from the top to the bottom under a magnifying glass, I see it like it is; the top could care less about the bottom;"Raise yourself up by your bootstraps." I saw an adult young lady from the Bronx in New York City, who had been cast into the spotlight, and could not even speak decent English. I could see she was aware of this, and uncomfortable speaking to the Nation on an award show, but they wouldn't let her go, and she did the best she could, which was horrible. She was intelligent; I determined that from how she managed to get out of a hell hole, and succeed. How could a place with so many rich people fail her so miserably in the school system? (I am who I am) Donald Fagan has acquired a unique fan club, of which I am a member. "I'm Not The Same Without You"; a very different perspective. I liked the music, but failed to see how it is a reflection of society; although I'm better off without you was a different perspective. |
While I've been enjoying your musical posts, there is nothing more that I need in this horrible stage of my life than HUMOR! Me and Frogman discussed Grant Greens soundtrack to "The Final Comedown" and I liked the music. He said it was from a "BlackSploitation" movie; a genre I didn't care for because of the worst dialogue and script I've ever heard in any movie; "The Final Comedown" was no different, it ranked among the worst. I decided to see if I could find the funniest movie ever made, it was a "satire" on "Black Sploitation movies"; "The Holly Wood Shuffle". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXvTyk9kPsQ |
Toots Theileman said this was the best album he ever did; to think this album led by Bill Evans was the best that a musician as great as Toot's Thieleman ever did is about as high an honor as one musician could pay to another. (hope it's still in vinyl, mine is worn out) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ESLJebaWyU Every cut on this album is fantastic. |
"This is not say that I think she is a fantastic piano player in absolute terms. I don’t; as evidenced in part by the fact that we don’t find recordings (any?) by other artists with Simone on piano. She was the perfect piano player FOR HER music. Conversely, many great jazz piano players are not necessarily great accompanists to singers. It is a specific skill." That is the most stupid, ludicrous, and ridiculous statement that has ever been made on this thread. When I read it, it raised my blood pressure 10 points, which is the only reason I responded. "We don't find recordings by other artists with Simone on piano"; talking about brain out to lunch............ |
Acman, I can't thank you enough for introducing me to "Lisa Simone". The most fortunate thing about that link you presented, was the fact that it gave me the opportunity to see Lisa Simone several times without changing anything. What impressed me most was her "naturalness"; she made no effort to sound like anybody else but "Lisa Simone". Her bio says she served in the United States Air Force as an engineering assistant; that's a most admiral beginning. After that she became an actress, she was in St. Louis at The Muny in the Summer of 2006 as "Aida". The opening of "The Muny" was an event I looked forward to when I lived in the city. Lisa Simone is a natural vocalist with a unique individuality that will take her far; other than the name, there is no similarity between her style and her mothers; Lisa Simone is her own woman with a lot of spirit, her vocals was just what I needed to hear, and her inner confidence is just what she needs to succeed. It takes a lot of confidence to sing with these three woman and hold your own; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R_Qk1AN5S4 Lisa Simone, Lizz Wright, Dianne Reeves, and Angelique Kidjo; four woman not afraid to display their femininity. "Sweet Thang" was my favorite lady, as sung by Lisa Simone. I had to play that one twice. The second time around I heard Lizz Wright like I had never heard her before; her voice is dripping with dark chocalate; I've got to get more. In my last post about Nina Simone, I only focused on her piano; this song encompasses the raw power of "Nina Simone", I could feel her spirit as I listened. |
"Desmond Blue" is one of the most beautiful tunes ever recorded, and that includes the cover; that girl very closely resembles my high school honey, including the scarf. Paul Desmond – alto saxophone Albert Richman – French horn (tracks 1-4, 8 & 9) Phil Bodner (tracks 5-7), Robert Doty (track 1), George Marge (track 1), Romeo Penque (tracks 2-9), Stan Webb (tracks 2-4, 8 & 9) – woodwinds Gloria Agostini (tracks 2-9), Eugene Bianco (track 1) – harp Jim Hall – guitar Gene Cherico (track 1), Milt Hinton (tracks 2-9) – bass Connie Kay (track 1), Bobby Thomas (tracks 2-9) – drums Unidentified string section conducted by Bob Prince Jim hall is especially outstanding on this album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT5zGYaUN_Q |
Here's someone I've appreciated for sometime, "Etta Jones", not to be confused with Etta James. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBLaJtXbpRg |
Herbie Hancock was the best "fusion" artist ; his "Sextant" was my pick of the litter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mz5rR0y0fM&t=11s |
Frogman, and nsp, many years ago when I was in my early twenties, the owner of a lounge decided to turn it into a private club, and locked the door. (we were all friends) Besides the pungent aroma of weed, I recall hearing that tune, "It Never Entered My Mind" many times; it seems that everyone was in the mood for it, and the more I heard it, the better it sounded; like I was going deeper into the music each time. This was 3:AM Saturday night or Sunday morning, however you call it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN8y3XhwhE0 |
These are my favorites in no particular order; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvdQYSWOobc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvdQYSWOobc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGXFuxKTbfY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryNtmkfeJk4 |
"Bird and Diz" was one of the very first albums I bought, naturally it's long gone, but I will replace it if possible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajj9Sv3HQvw |
Jimmy Smith, "The Sermon" ; this is definitely one of the top tunes in jazz. It's best savored like expensive brandy or scotch; meaning the important contributions of each individual artist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IKC2BW4pxc Tracks 1, 3 Jimmy Smith – organ Lee Morgan – trumpet Lou Donaldson – alto saxophone (lays out on 3) Tina Brooks – tenor saxophone (lays out on 3) Kenny Burrell – guitar Art Blakey – drums Track 2 Jimmy Smith – organ Lee Morgan – trumpet George Coleman – alto saxophone Eddie McFadden – guitar |
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 |
"Skyscraper", what a moniker; I like it. You could have picked your list from out of my collection, and I mean the original records from about the time of their release; except for Bird and Lady Day, and Duke of course; I was too young. But I bought "Something Else" in 59; it was the hottest piece of wax available at that time. "Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster" came out at about the same time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMT8-9jiUW8 Gato, "Third World" is from early Gato which is my favorite period. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD3nK8700NA "Charley Parker on Dial", exists in some form on compilations in my collection, but not that specific record. Many people don't realize that "Bird" is several different musicians rolled into one; he can sound so different from one record to another that it's like hearing another extremely talented musician. John McLaughlin; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSh0nmretso Lady Day; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Web007rzSOI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUMuDWDVd20 Too cool for words; Alice and John. Welcome to the thread. |
Thank you mary_jo for the kind thought. Unfortunately, my responses will be intermittent for reasons that you are aware of, that need no discussion. Art Pepper's book made him more than just another jazz musician, he is a person who we feel that we know. That is the most beautiful tune I have ever heard by Art; those notes have so much romanticism, they convey the intensity of a new love affair. |
Schubert and Mary J; my favorite love song, by just about any body; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyp1yvSBq5I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdVZq20QAYc |
Schubert it's good to talk to old friends; I'm glad to see you up and about. Acman has introduced me to the only new artists that I like, and although Mary J. heard this before, it might be new to you. Lisa Simone is new to me; while she's Nina Simone's daughter, she is her own person; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xbUx44mKpA&start_radio=1&list=RD5xbUx44mKpA&t=0 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxbaEOEqUQ0 Lyrics for Invitation sung by Dinah Washington https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyp1yvSBq5I You and your smile Hold a strange invitation Somehow it seems We've shared our dreams But where? Time after time In a room full of strangers Out of the blue Suddenly you are there Wherever I go You're the glow of temptation Glancing my way In the gray of the dawn And always your eyes Smile that strange invitation When you are gone Where oh, where have you gone? How long must I stay In a world of illusion? Be where you are So near yet so far apart Hoping you'll say With a warm invitation Where have you been? Darling, come in into my heart Wherever I go You're the glow of temptation Glancing my way In the gray of the dawn And always your eyes Smile that strange invitation When you are gone Where oh, where have you gone? How long must I stay In a world of illusion? Be where you are So near yet so far apart Hoping you'll say With a warm invitation Where have you been? Darling, come in into my heart Without a doubt, Dinah Washington sings the best version of this song. While others may have more beautiful voices, this song is about mystery and "drama", which Dinah's voice adds. Picture yourself in a lounge, alone in a roomful of strangers, and there is a striking lady about four stools down, wearing a big black floppy hat that adds to her mystery. You glance at her to confirm her aura. Then you catch her glancing at you. Shortly after that, she leaves; leaving you with her aura, and the desire to see her again. A week later, you are in the same lounge, on the same bar stool, and again she's about four or five bar stools down; this time the big floppy hat is straw. Sneaky guy that you are, you decide to get a good look at her in the mirror behind the bar; low and behold, that's where your eyes meet, and she smiles, the hide and peak game is over. There is no doubt in my mind that Dinah actually lived this scene by the way she sings the song, plus the fact that she lived life with all the zest a nice lady could manage. Mary J., I don't know how to recreate this scene for you, other than to make you the striking lady wearing the big black floppy hat. |
There were also Bop vocalists who were quite interesting; they put words to the instrumental Bop; here's King Pleasure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0XYZNx6854 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2N8bVpRneQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c79mN5oNvU |
Be Bop is too complex a music to be simplified in writing; it boils down to either you hear it or you don't; it has been called Chinese music by some. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvdQYSWOobc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGXFuxKTbfY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryNtmkfeJk4 Copied from "Wiki" Through these musicians, a new vocabulary of musical phrases was created. With Parker, Gillespie jammed at famous jazz clubs like Minton's Playhouse and Monroe's Uptown House. Parker's system also held methods of adding chords to existing chord progressions and implying additional chords within the improvised lines Parker was a highly influential jazz soloist and a leading figure in the development of bebop,[2] a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique and advanced harmonies. Parker was a blazingly fast virtuoso, and he introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. His tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and somber. Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career.[3] This, and the shortened form "Bird", continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspiring the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology", "Bird Gets the Worm", and "Bird of Paradise". Parker was an icon for the hipster subculture and later the Beat Generation, personifying the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual rather than just an entertainer.[4] |
Diane Schuur is an artist that I don't think we've covered; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6DwEGPuyBs This is another one of my favorite songs; there are so many beautiful versions, I like them all; this is my favorite instrumental version; I think, but you may come up with something better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2_dTssW_eU The songs that get recorded the most have a life of their own, and "Speak low" is such a song; let us examine the lyrics; Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief Speak low when you speak love Our summer's day withers away too soon, too soon Speak low when you speak love Our moment is swift like ships adrift Swept apart too soon Speak low, darling speak low Love is a spark, lost in the dark too soon, too soon I feel wherever I go that tomorrow is near Tomorrow is here and always too soon Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief We're late, darling, we're late The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon I wait, oh darling, I wait Will you speak low to me, Speak love to me And soon Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief We're late, darling, we're late The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon I wait, darling, I wait Will you speak low to me, Speak love to me And soon And soon Speak low, speak low Speak low, speak low That is life; "Love is pure gold and time is a thief"; don't waste it. "The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon"; no matter how long it lasts, the curtain descends, and everything ends too soon. I cherish all the songs that played as the background to the movie of my life. |
Frogman, what all the other musicians knew is the same thing I'm telling you; the complexity of Birds Bop is beyond comprehension. What I liked most about Bird was that confident but "humble" smile when he was being interviewed; he knew he had "it", and all of the other musicians knew he had "it". People can write till the cows come home, but I hear no "Be Bop" in Coleman Hawkins music prior to Bird. |
mary_jo, Rok posted a number of fantastic women in jazz; I'll try and recall them. I brought up a lady jazz pianist that we discussed at length; her name was Mary Lou Williams, and what made her so unusual was how she changed with the times. I thought she predated the music I was into, and didn't bother to investigate; was I ever wrong; Rok agreed. What we need is your evaluation; that's the one that counts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X4r5ZioIBw I find her interpretations unusual; take "It Ain't Necessarily So"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20kDIh3q928 |
Neither Sonny Stitt or Art Pepper would agree about Bird, but if that's what you heard, it works for me. Pryso, I had a bad night and I'm kind of slow in the head about precisely where you're coming from, but I'll try. "Moods" by The Three Sounds is the album I'm going to pick, and a very special "Love For Sale" is the track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2--UacYXvY |
Although Sonny Stitt was compared to Bird, I think he wanted to sound like "Sonny Stitt". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp7zS1uoLwo This is beautiful, and it sounds like "Sonny Stitt". One of the first albums I ever bought; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXZWbr2fFrU |
Frogman, I consider your thesis quite accurate and valid. In regard to the evolution of jazz, it also has to sound good. When I ask for opinions on new jazz, I don't get any feedback, that in itself is an answer. Since it is you in particular who is always pushing "new jazz", why don't you shoot your best shot and give us a sample of what you call "The new evolution" of jazz and we can decide. |
Neither one of those versions are as good as this; even though Kurt Weill wrote it, he should never try to sing it in public; his version is totally out to lunch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiIb0TZbLOg let me post the words again; Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief Speak low when you speak love Our summer's day withers away too soon, too soon Speak low when you speak love Our moment is swift like ships adrift Swept apart too soon Speak low, darling speak low Love is a spark, lost in the dark too soon, too soon I feel wherever I go that tomorrow is near Tomorrow is here and always too soon Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief We're late, darling, we're late The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon I wait, oh darling, I wait Will you speak low to me, Speak love to me And soon Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief We're late, darling, we're late The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon I wait, darling, I wait Will you speak low to me, Speak love to me And soon And soon Speak low, speak low Speak low, speak low That is life; "Love is pure gold and time is a thief"; no time to waste. "The curtain descends, everything ends too soon, too soon"; no matter how long it lasts, the curtain descends, and everything ends too soon. The song itself speaks of "urgency"; the race against time. Carmen projects that urgency, while Ella's beautiful voice projects "romanticism"; this song is more about desperation to beat the clock; not a minute to waste, lets get it on and keep it going on until the curtain descends and everything ends. This is the rare case where the instrumental wins; the urgency in the words are best projected by Sonny Clark and crew; plus the couple listening to the music who know the words and understand the urgency of the situation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDd_0FuenDc |
Frogman, this is not philosophy or psychology, this is music; it is the discussion, not what you say, or what I say. When you say Be Bop, you say "Bird"; there was no Be Bop before "Bird". Parker was a blazingly fast virtuoso, and he introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. I'm not a musician, I don't really know what that means, but I can hear it; even with "Bird With Strings". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmRkZeGFONg Here I can hear all those "Be Bop" chords over the melody in such a way that nothing is lost in the melody; "Who else can do that"? There are imitators and duplicators, but when you say "Be Bop" there is only one "Bird". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug0K62enZ5E We have but one option, and that is to agree to disagree. |
No frogman,it is you who missed the point; Kurt Weils couldn't sing if his life depended on it, he should stick to writing. Of course we know Ella can sing, but in my opinion, that song, according to the words should convey the urgent desperation to out race time and the descending curtain; it should convey passion and the need to fill available time with wild romance and love; which Carmen's does; while Ella's conveys beauty; beauty is not a substitute for passion. All the words to that song convey love, passion, and time; "time is a thief"; the curtain will descend, and everything ends, all too soon. Time is so old and love so brief Love is pure gold and time a thief. The couple staring across the table and looking into each others eyes, while listening to Sonny Clark's music, who knew the words, got the message that "Love is pure gold and time is a thief". Life was for those who lived it, not for those who watched others live it. Another case of a great diva who missed the message was "lady Day"; she sang a song the wrong way that someone else chose at the last minute, and she was very angry about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMgK3vi4rMw This is the way it should have been sung; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf27yA20OhU You tell me why Lorez sang it the way it should have been sung, and Billy didn't; not my words in regard to the song but "Billie Holiday's". |
This is absolutely incredible; not because it's John Coltrane blowing, but because it's so "seductive"; this music makes the object of the music (the lady with the big black floppy hat) absolutely irresistible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8eYVN8hAlU Songs tell stories, or incite emotions; Billie Holiday was a master at both. |
Frogman, I never have, nor ever will be about shooting down every point you make; I'm about the song, and the music when it coincides with the song. Take this version of in a sentimental mood, it captures the emotion of the song more than any vocal; while I'm not always right, I think I am; that's because I've spent my entire life listening to this music, and absorbing the "aura" of each song. Now we both know that can't be true, but in my mind it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwweLcoHqNQ |
