Frogman, trying to have a discussion with R2id is truly an exercise in futility! This guy believes that what he THINKS is actually FACT. He's the type of guy who loves hearing himself talk. He doesn't allow for the possibility that he may be mistaken or that someone else knows more than he does. He hangs out at an audio site but is anti-audiophile. He claims he hangs here 'cause he's a music-lover. If that's the case, why not go to Jazzcorner, Allaboutjazz, or Organissimo, the guy's totally illogical. Just look at the stupid statements he's made on this thread alone, his arrogance is only surpassed by his ignorance! He's truly got an Archie Bunker mentality.
'I for one, am going down swinging.'
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Against what? Against who? 50 yrs from now we'll all be gone but you know what'll still be around? THE MUSIC!!! Old AND new! If you fail to recognize this fundamental reality you truly know nothing. Stick to yr golden oldies lovefest but try to control yourself when the adults are having a conversation! I'd tell you to look up Congo Square but you undoubtedly think you know all there is to know about that place and time, don'tcha Archie!?;) |
OK, here goes:
Reunion - One of the best Latin Jazz records ever! The reunion is between him and his bandmate from the great Cuban band, Irakere, Arturo Sandoval. D'Rivera had defected years prior to this but Sandoval had just made the leap. It's a difficult concept to understand for us born to freedom, but there's an exuberance in the playing that I attribute to these 2 brothers finally having their dream come true!
This exuberance can also be heard In PDR's 1st 2 records, 'Blowin' & 'Mariel'. Truly outstanding statements but I'm not sure if they were ever released on CD.
Dizzy Gillespie was fronting his all-star UNO (United Nations Orchestra) Big Band when he passed away. PDR was a member of the orchestra and decided to keep the band alive after Dizzy's death. They recorded 2 live records; 'A Night in Englewood' & 'Live At MCG' - Great stuff!
PDR's 1st strictly straightahead Jazz record is also one of his best; 'Who's Smoking!?', is a killa set featuring trumpet great Claudio Roditi and James Moody.
'40 Years Of Cuban Jam Sessions' is another favorite. Interesting in that while it's PDR's record, he sits out a number of the tunes, it takes a special kind of confidence and generosity to just allow yr bandmates to shine. Featuring the legendary Cachao and, here's another freedom tale, drum god Horacio 'El Negro' Hernandez had just arrived in Miami the day before the session after having defected in Europe. PDR knew he had just arrived and needed the work, of course never forgetting El Negro's monsta chops!
'Live At The Blue Note' is another great, great record. He's probably recorded close to a dozen live records which is amazing in that they all sound so different due to the different line-ups and configurations of the bands. This band is basically the Caribbean Jazz Project (ANOTHER great band he was a founding member of!) minus Dave Samuels & Andy Narell.
I've gone way long but I'd be remiss if I left out just a coupla more! 'The Jazz Chamber Trio' is my favorite of his Chesky releases (But the others are great also!)
'Funk Tango' is another favorite.
'Tango Jazz - Live at Lincoln Center' is beautiful.
'Benny Goodman Revisited' has some fantastic moments.
Paquito D'Rivera is a musicologist extraordinaire. Totally fluent in Jazz, traditional latin music from all over the world, classical, chamber, big band, you name it. Amongst his staggering amount of awards was the Medal of Arts presented to him by President Bush at the White House, he's the epitome of a successful Jazz artist. And yet, for all his genius, for all his accomplishments, I don't think he's recognized for being one of the greatest players that's ever lived, but that's a discussion best had at another time.
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Re: Paquito D'Rivera's 'Portraits of Cuba', I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with Rok2id's opinion of the record. PDR is one of my favorite musician's of all time, been an avid fan for over 3 decades and own over 90% of his catalog which is quite extensive. D'Rivera's one of those artists that's always exploring new directions and music styles, I love that in any musician. The problem with trying so many different types of projects (as opposed to just staying within a comfort zone) is that sometimes what looks good on paper doesn't quite pan out. 'Portraits of Cuba' was meant to be an homage to Miles's 'Sketches of Spain' but fell far short and somewhat flat. Although it won awards and praise I certainly wouldn't reccommend it to a 1st-timer. The only tune that's memorable (as a novelty) is the theme from 'I Love Lucy'. There's so many great PDR records to choose from. If there's any interest in some recommendations lemme know! |
I truly appreciate the thoughtful responses about PDR as they've honestly provided food for thought. I've never thought about the comparison between PDR and Wynton Marsalis. While I understand the basis of the comparison, I'd say that a primary difference between the 2 is PDR plays with passion and fire, words I've never heard associated with Marsalis. I'd add that while there are those that feel WM's style to be a little too cool for school (at the Jazzsites I visit just the mention of WM brings out some fierce haters!). I've never subscribed to that train of thought, while not being a big fan of his work, I do own a few of his records. Like I said, after giving it some thought, I'd have to agree the comparison is valid EXCEPT for for those 2 little words; passion & fire. I'm off to my Latin Jazz chatroom with a new subject line comparing PDR with WM, thx for input! |
"....but they did not practice..."
Orpheus, am I understanding you correctly? Are you saying Jazz musicians don't practice, or just this group of guys you know personally? 'Cause I'm sure you know there are Jazz musicians that practice to the point of obssesion. John Coltrane had a rep for shedding that I've read bordered on annoying! We all know the legends about Sonny Rollins shedding on the Brooklyn Bridge. You obviously have an above average knowledge of Jazz so my guess is that I'm misunderstanding you. If you're saying that steady gigs is 'enough' practice, I'd disagree. Not if the musician is striving to heighten his art. |
Apparently Q's having a huge birthday bash in Switzerland. A commemorative show is being prepared. I follow Take 6 on Facebook where they just posted this photo of the set list, looks like a good time!
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/p320x320/13231_531178113597660_1469039516_n.jpg
Hope the link works! |
OK, since you opened the door with the 'Bengal Jazz' clip, here's one by the outstanding NY Gypsy All-Stars. Probably not going to float everybody's boat, but give it a chance. It's great stuff!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p66kffsA_mQ&feature=player_detailpage
Listening to them led me to this band featuring 2 of it's members in a different setting/group; The Secret Trio. I love this record!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBNGLSLwjbA&feature=player_detailpage |
Been a big fan of Bobby's for decades! 2010's 'VOCAbularieS' is one of the greatest achievements in vocals-only music I've ever heard. Somehow, it feels like something so beyond acapella that I hesitate to call it that. Coincidentally, this weekend I picked up his latest; 'spirityouall' from my local library so I'm looking forward to giving it a listen later on during this wet Labor Day in Fl. on the main rig! Because don'tchaknow Bobby's music is always impeccably recorded and an audio treat! |
HUGE +1 on Lew Tabackin! Incredible musician, while I own a few of his solo projects I must own at least a dozen records by the Akiyoshi/Tabackin Big Band. IMO their best recording (although they've made quite a few stellar records!) would be 'Long Yellow Road', simply amazing! Another huge +1 on Conrad Herwig. Got a buncha records featuring him also. Coincidentally, less than 24 hrs ago I got the latest by pianist Bill O'Connell, 'Zocalo', a smokin' Latin Jazz record featuring Herwig & Steve Slagle on horns. When I was listening to it I actually thought to myself that Herwig's playing sounds better than ever, truly a musician that's currently at the top of his game! |
'Mambo Kings' was a wonderful book made into a so-so movie. The book, while being fiction, was centered on the very real NY 'Mambo King' era of the '50's and actually had a scene were the book's characters went to Hollywood to be featured on 'I Love Lucy', she was married to one of the true Mambo Kings, Desi Arnaz. Loved the book. RIP Oscar! |
As far as Jazz & tuba's go, IMO it begins and ends with the great Howard Johnson's band and debut recording; 'Gravity'. Piano, bass, & drums joined by 5-7 tubas. You'd be sorely mistaken by pegging this as a 'novelty' record. It's a beautiful, great Jazz record, you oughtta check it out! |
I've always felt a valid comparison can be made to Son/Salsa (latin dance music) and the time when Big Band Jazz + vocalists was the Pop music of America. Those big bands had complex charts, mighty brass sections, tremendous vocalists that very often got into vocal improv (scatting), but most importantly, they swung like mofos and people actually danced their asses off. The exact same thing can be said about the Son/Salsa bands!
I've owned 'Salsa Meets Jazz' since it 1st came out 25 yrs ago! Yesterday was Tito's birthday (4/20)! Nice to see some appreciation for the great Phil Woods. |
Michele Rosewoman released one of the top Latin Jazz recordings this past year!
Michele Rosewoman's New Yor-Uba! VERY ethnic/folkoric mixed with very exciting Jazz voicings. Not for the faint-hearted though!;)
http://www.michelerosewoman.com/newyoruba/ |
Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith gets a mixed review from me. When It's good, it great. Unfortunately it only feels good for me 1/2 the time. Probably a killa band to see live!
If you're feeling in a swingin' 'Nawlins mood, I highly recommend a record I just picked up yesterday; Henry Butler & Steve Bernstein (& the Hot 9!)- Viper's Drag. Now this is the shit!;). Bernstein's a good trumpet player with excellent credentials, one of them being that he co-produced the soundtrack for 'Kansas City'!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxbPKLHl_A0&feature=player_embedded |
Tom Harrell is one of the great ones! Besides the records I own of him playing with Phil Woods I've got, and easily recommend, 'Time's Mirror', 'Paradise', & 'Live At The Vanguard'. There's one that I own that's always been a dichotomy for me; 'Wise Children'. It's the only record of his that I own where he seems to be playing in a different style of Jazz style. kind of that modern Soul/Jazz (for lack of a better term). The record features tunes with Diane Reeves, Claudia Acuna, Jane Monheit, and Cassandra Wilson. It's good but I'll admit it's my least-played Harrell record EXCEPT FOR....the title song Wise Children. It stands alone on the record. It's one of the most beautiful and heart-breaking songs I've ever heard. I always hear it as an ode to 9/11. it's not referred to as such anywhere on the album but the cover is a painting that to my mind suggests the Towers. I'm listening to it as I type, God, it has such a sense of tragic gravitas to it. If you have an iTunes account, go pick up the tune for $.99 and hear for yourself! |
Re: rok2id's comments about African influence in Jazz. 1st, I got a good laugh from them. Than I'm like; "do I answer? Nah, don't go there". Talk about selective, revisionist logic! But, whatever floats his boat, there's no use trying to dialog with someone who....nah, I'm not gonna go there. You guys have a good day!;) |
I agree that lifting the embargo would have a minimal effect for the majority of the Cuban population. I was fortunate to have lived with a very lovely Cuban lady for over 6 years, she came over during the Mariel boatlift (a marielita!). During that time her family embraced me and I learned quite a bit from the Cuban perspective. An interesting point is that while it may be called communism, in truth, it's nothing but a dictatorship. While Fidel has remarkably lived longer than most, Raul, his brother and successor also seems to be in for the long haul. The economic landscape has irretrievably changed for Cuba. When Castro took over, the country was on the brink of becoming a major player with major U.S. companies setting up shop there and it's ports being considered as a major gateway to Central & South America. Castro changed all that, and now I doubt the companies would move back there and the import/export business has found a new outlet in S. Fla. Add to this the fact that there's at least one, maybe two generations of Cubans who have been born under Castro's rule, they know of no other system! If the average Cuban wasn't willing to fight for change before, they're even less prone to do so now. The war crimes committed under Castro's rule, from the pillaging of the nations wealth to the human rights atrocities, the likes of which remain largely unknown to most Americans, warrant nothing less than the hangman's noose for the Castro brothers! Whew! Bet you guys'll be glad to get back to some Jazz talk!;) |
Cool to see some love for Stanley T. A CTI record was the 1st Jazz record I ever bought; California Concert. It was the 1st time I'd ever heard Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, Stanley T., Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, Airto, & Hank Crawford. I was already into Billy Cobham (was one of the main reason I bought it!). The primary complaint about the CTI catalog was that the majority of the releases were over-produced, often featuring full orchestras + strings. I got that but still very much enjoyed most of their catalog. California Concert is just the band, no embellishments, and is absolutely kills! Although I've rarely seen it mentioned anywhere, I think it's one of the great Jazz records! |
I've always believed in the East/West coast sound/style difference. Of course this doesn't mean ALL the music can be automatically categorized as such but yeah, it exists. Not only in Jazz. I believe it's also applicable to Rock, Latin, and Rap. I think Big Bands are particularly revealing of their geographic's. It occurs to me that when I think east coast/west coast, in truth I'm thinking NY vs. LA. |
Not quite sure what you mean when you say 'the band was always trying to keep up with him'. Love him or hate him, Sinatra was a consummate singer with perfect time. That word 'prat' (pace, rhythm, & timing) that seems popular today seems to be tailor-made for Sinatra. Check out 'Live At The Sands' feat. the Count Basie Orchestra (Basie doesn't 'try to keep up';), if you can't find anything worth listening to on this record, than Frank'll never be your guy! |
I usually give this Jazz thread a quick glance due to it's often stated preference for music from the past being the the be-all and end-all of the genre (which I don't agree with). Usually it's a conversation between the same 1/2 dz. guys that's occasionally interesting, which is perfectly fine, some discussion is better than no discussion, right? But than sometimes it'll veer into truly groan-worthy territories like the reality of Africa's influence on Jazz, or Nazis, or this latest discussion about Fusion. To try to use Michael Brecker and Dave Leibman as examples of whatever negative point yr trying to make about Pop or European Jazz truly displays a fundamental misunderstanding of modern Jazz, hardly worthy of being part of a thread that has the words 'Jazz Aficionado' in it's title. I mean, you wanna use Kenny G, or Nagee, or the Rippingtons as negative stereotypes, have at it! But Michael and David? As usual, it's hard to tell with R2id whether he's truly as ignorant as he's trying to portray himself or is he simply trollin' (again!). Anyhow, I'll let you guys get back to it, have fun!;) |
"There was a time, 40 yrs ago or more, when the music had an edge. It was possessed by a renegade spirit. There was an element of danger in it. It was taking risks, crossing boundaries, making discoveries. The musicians themselves didn't have a name for this hybrid sound. They just played with the prevailing attitude of "let's do something different". It was Cream meets Coltrane. It was Jimi jamming with Miles, jazzers discovering the power of Rock, rockers capturing spirit of jazz. It was called Fusion." - Bill Milkowski, from the liner notes of a record called 'Chroma - Music On The Edge' (an amazing Fusion recording from the 90's featuring R Brecker, D Chambers, B Berg, M Egan, M Stern, and others). It's an oversimplification to define Fusion simply as the combining of Jazz & Rock. Let's look at the 4 greatest Fusion bands; Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, Return To Forever, & The Headhunters. The one thing they have in common is Jazz chops mixed with Rock volume/dynamics. Mahavishnu and RTF both brought a heavy dose of Classical structure and voicings. RTF also brought a Spain/Spanish/Brazilian influence (the 1st RTF band practically invented the electro/Brazilian/Jazz genre!). Zawinul and Weather Report had this European/other worldly international sound, and of course, Hancock's Headhunters brought the Funk! I've always felt that a prerequisite for a successful Fusion band is that there be at least a few virtuoso gun-slingers in the band! If I were to add the bio's of the musicians in these bands you'd see an amazing degree of variety in their overall experiences and skillsets. When you FUSE all the info and influences together you start to have a rudimentary understanding in the roots of true Fusion. In great Fusion you can hear Jazz, Rock, Classical, Funk, Latin, Brazilian, European, virtuosity, spirituality, and very importantly, a sense of fun! You guys remember having fun listening to music? The visceral joy you'd feel at a Hendrixian power chord? Rockin' out!? I'm 61 yrs old and I still enjoy rockin' out. It never ceases to amaze me when I meet with friends from my youth who USED to be avid music-lovers who have somehow lost it as they got older, or their musical tastes have softened to the point that they think 'rockin' out' is somehow immature or childish. Not this old timer! Anyhow, just thought I'd throw this Fusion tidbit out there, there's SO much more I could add. Lastly, any attempt to categorize Michael Brecker as just a 'Fusion' player couldn't be more incorrect. Anyone that thinks this is simply revealing how little they truly know. My concern is that perhaps someone that ISN"T familiar with the subject matter will read some things on this thread and believe them to be fact when they couldn't be more wrong! |
Have any of you heard Shorter's latest, 'Without A Net'? Astounding!! It's a live set featuring his over-10-yr-old band featuring Danilo Perez, John Pattitucci, & Brian Blade. This band is a Jazz supergroup! Highly recommended. |
Frogman - Cool video of Irakere. My one caveat would be that by 1986 D'Rivera & Sandoval had already defected and by this time the band, while by no means abandoning their Jazz roots, had largely become a dance band. They became one of the pioneers of what was later to be known as 'Timba' (Cuban 'Salsa' music would be the easiest and quickest way to describe it). The album I referred to was released in 1979. Here's an interesting track from it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ma59D5iBoQ
And here's the entire record. Warning! - this is NOT easy-listening! A total antithesis of the Poncho Sanchez gringo-friendly sound! But there was a reason there was such a heavy buzz about them at the time. Dizzy Gillespie in particular championed their cause! Recorded at the Montreux fests in NY & Europe. If you listen to the audience, they're really into it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7KMJ_dTawI |
Dave Douglas - Soul On Soul: A Celebration Of Mary Lou Williams. While only 4 of the 13 tunes are actual MLW written tunes, the rest are dedicated to her. This record was on many 'best of the year' lists in 2000 when it was released. Outstanding record! |
https://youtu.be/kKrqiKZu-oE |
Frogman, asere molina! I thought I was the only hispanic (PR) hangin' around here! Well, this opens up a WHOLE new area for exploration!;) Latin Jazz is my favorite genre and IMO Cuba always was, and remains, the primary source for cutting edge musica latino! As with regular Jazz, it frustrates me that the usual emphasis and focus always seems to be music from the past or music that sounds like it was recorded in the past. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing but love and admiration for the old stuff, it's just that there's so much new music to be discovered and enjoyed. I guess it's harder these days to give unheard and unknown artists a shot. So I'm curious, do you listen to contemporary Cuban music? This weekend I was listening to (amongst other things): Orlando 'Maraca' Valle & his Latin Jazz All-Stars - Live from Havana, German Velasco & Jorge Reyes - Live from Cuba, Interactivo (spectacular group!) - Cubanos Por El Mundo, Manuel Valera (grammy nominated record) - The New Cuban Express. How about Timba? Manolito Simonet Y Su Trabuco, Tiempo Libre, jeez I could just go on and on....Howzabout Dafnis Prieto, Cubanisimo, Paquito D'Rivera, NG La Banda....like I said, I could go on but I guess it's time to return this thread to it's regularly scheduled programming!!;) |
"Does the Bass, the instrument, have any special place in Cuban music as compared to other Latin music??"
Considered one of the original fathers of Cuban Descarga (Jam) is Israel 'Cachao' Lopez. This legendary Cuban bass player's been actively recording since the 50's. An interesting twist to his tale was that although considered a giant amongst musicians, he was largely unknown to the public. During the 90's, actor Andy Garcia found him in S. Fl. playing weddings and quinceneras (Cuban sweet 15 parties). He arranged a project for Lopez that resulted in the '2nd coming' of Cachao; the highly recommended 'Master Sessions - Vol. I & II'. The Lopez family is musical royalty in Cuba. Israel 'Cachao' Lopez is uncle to Orlando 'Cachaito' Lopez, another legendary Cuban bass player, featured prominently in The Buena Vista Social Club. Interestingly enough, he's only recorded one self-titled solo record that's a total departure from his work with the BVSC in that it features (small doses) of Electronica & Cuban Dub music. One of my favorite Latin Jazz records! ANOTHER Cuban bass dynasty in the making features Carlos Del Puerto, the original bassist for the legendary Irakere (the band founded by, amongst others, Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, & Chucho Valdes), and his son; Carlitos Del Puerto, one of the busiest bassist/musicians currently on the Cuban scene! I could go on about how the bass-playing in Cuban/Latin music's not only melodic but has a unique percussive aspect that I find especially delightful but I've gone on for a bit too long already!;) I'll return you to yr regularly scheduled programming now. |
While it could never be denied that Miles was trying to 'cash in' when he went Electric, it was still creatively important music. And as usual, the members of his band were the best of the best, most of whom went on to great success (relatively speaking within Jazz that is). After this creatively fertile time of his career he 'retired' for awhile. When he came back with 'The Man With The Horn', 'Decoy', & 'You're Under Arrest' was when I felt he was truly playin' for the buck$. But Even than he still made some music to be respected like 'Star People', 'Siesta', & 'Aura'. With a career as legendary as Miles had, it's a mistake to attribute it solely to his sidemen. I've read extensively about him and those same bandmates universally felt (and I agree) that Miles was, to put it in Milesian(!) terms, a muthafka on trumpet!;) |
LOVE Sophisticated Giant! I've got my original beat up vinyl copy, a used European pristine vinyl copy, and the CD! Columbia released 'Montreux Summit', 2 dbl LP's featuring their artist roster live in Montreux during the 70's. Largely a monster Fusion-fest but sprinkled in the mix were solo cuts of Stan Getz AND a few cuts featuring Dexter and his Sophisticated Giant band, very rare and special for a fan such as myself.
Also LOVE Phil Woods, I own close to 20 different recordings of his. I'd recommend:
Phil & Quill
Rights Of Swing
Musique Du Bois
Images (W/Michel LeGrand) - side B
Live From the Showboat
Song For Sisyphus
Phil Woods/Lew Tabakin
Evolution (W/the Little Big band)
Real life (also w/LBG)
An Affair To Remember
Celebration
Groovin' To Marty Paich
American Songbook
....and this is just some, not all, of my PW collection. What's amazing is that I probably own less than 50% of his discography! He's been playing for almost as long as I've been alive (60). One of the last of the originals still with us. I think he was married to Charlie Parker's daughter, a true living legend! |
Nice to see a request for modern Cuban Latin Jazz recs! There so much new, exciting music being created by my Cuban brethren I could easily make a long list but I'll just rattle off a few:
Elio Villafranca & the Jazz Syncopaters - The Caribbean Tinge - Recorded live at Dizzy's (Lincoln Center).
Manuel Valera & the New Cuban Express - Expectativas - The band was nominated for best Latin Jazz album 2013 Grammy's.
Pedrito Martinez Group - The band, led by white-hot first call percussionist Martinez (the man has played on so many records by others!). Their premier album is produced by Steve Gadd, smokin'!
Maestro Paquito D'Rivera, his discography is in itself a primer on Latin Jazz styles, has just released - Jazz Meets the Classics - another live recording from Dizzy's. A terrific record.
Lastly, I'll most enthusiastically recommend Alex Garcia's Afromantra - This Side Of Mestizaje - this is a great Jazz record, certain to be on most critics best of the year lists!
I'd have posted videos but I'm not at my computer, there's tons available on these 5 artists. Just as Jazz is a small word for an immense universe of music, Latin Jazz is a small term for an immense body of work. Made even more so when you factor in the different countries like Spain, Brazil, Columbia, etc.that all have thriving Jazz scenes happening. To the uninitiated, it's just a conga playing behind someone doing standards, but it goes so much further than that! |
"Randy's work is what got my attention...", "I'm going to create a channel for HER...".????? I've been a Randy Brecker fan for over 40 years. I've seen him and his brother Michael (RIP) many, many times. His body of work is prodigious and eclectic. Between his work and all the recordings he's been on his discography is enormous. He's got to be one of the most recorded trumpet players of all time! Maybe you should also create a channel for Randy! Just sayin'!;) |
Congueros!! Now we're talkin' my language!;) Poncho Sanchez is a direct link to the great Cal Tjader. He played with him and continues to this day playing that West Coast style of Latin Soul Jazz. The late Clare Fischer also was an alumni of Cal Tjader who very much kept that 'Tjader' style going after Cal passed away. One thing though, I wouldn't ever categorize Sanchez' music as Latin Fusion. I can easily rattle off lists of recordings that can be categorized as such, but Poncho wouldn't be on any of those lists! The best, most intense, and a personal favorite would be the American debut live record from the Cuban supergroup; Irakere. Of course, the marquee players in that band were Chucho Valdes, Arturo Sandoval, & Paquito D'Rivera but every member of that band was a monsta! I own so many records by most of the members of Irakere! VAYA!!!;) |
An interesting side note in the Cachao story was that the Master Sessions recordings were initiated by Cuban actor Andy Garcia when he was made aware of the fact that this legendary musician had been reduced to playing weddings and quinceneras (Cuban sweet 15 parties)in Miami. The records were literally life-savers for Maestro Cachao. For the more musically adventurous, Cachao's nephew; Orlando 'Cachaito' Lopez, bassist on the Buena Vista sessions, made a wonderfully contemporary, eclectic, and hip record simply called 'Cachaito' that's worth seeking out. |
Larry Willis was also a core member of the legendary Latin Jazz band ; Fort Apache (Jerry Gonzalez's group), for decades. Rumba Para Monk, Obatala, & Earthdance are outstanding records! |
"Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music. Modern jazz has continued in this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument. "
Martin Luther King |
Jimmy Greene - Beautiful Life - A modern day Jazz masterpiece. Inspired by the life of his 6 yr old daughter who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Released at the end of 2014, it's up for Best Jazz Record in this years Grammy's. I would strongly urge any lover of music in general, not just Jazz fans, to pick this up, it's simply stunning. Recorded at the Chesky Studios by David Chesky, while not released under the Chesky label, it's probably the greatest 'Chesky' Jazz record of all time! A very, very fine recording. Gottasay, it's hard to take any claims of 'no new Jazz records being made' seriously when there's music of this caliber being created. Only time will tell but IMO this is a classic for the ages! https://youtu.be/JmrexEYPTkg |
I'll leave it to you to label these! (thought I'd throw them out since other 'types' of Jazz are being mentioned) Jesse Fischer https://youtu.be/nHhKfcV2MMESnarky Puppy https://youtu.be/eZBlRkF0-toThis one is of a concert, try to hang with it as long as you can! I'd urge you to try to make it at least to the 5-6 minute mark. Here's a great example of how different music can have profound meaning to different listeners. The foundation of Latin music is a rhythm called clave (klah-veh). It's something that's fundamental and organically ingrained in any latin-music lover since childhood! It's either 1-2, 1-2-3 OR 1-2-3, 1-2. When the orchestra starts 'plinking' in clave, it never fails to make my hairs stand up! The audience reacts to it also, spontaneously applauding! Maraca & his Latin Jazz All Stars https://youtu.be/y5WPu6j3_nAFinally, I've got to thank O-10 for his mention of Cal Tjader. I was going to post about Tjader's deep legacy and how ex-bandmates Poncho Sanchez and Clare Fischer kept the flame alive after his passing. While searching for a clip of Fischer's tribute to his boss; 'Tjaderama', I came across this beautiful Fischer arrangement of an old classic, beautiful! Check it out! https://youtu.be/jLsOHDhfIqMI'll return you to yr regularly scheduled programming now!;) |
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O10 - I own Desert Lady, actually I'm pretty sure I own every Big Band/Orchestra release by Toshiko Akiyoshi. I think the way the story goes is that the band used to be based in NYC and recorded for RCA. They (husband & wife; Akiyoshi & Tabakin) decided to move to California, where they started to record for the JAM label and they used West Coast musicians (and Lew took up residence for a long time with Johnny Carson's/Doc Severinson's Tonight Show Orchestra). Even though the west coast records are excellent, I strongly prefer the RCA/NYC recordings, they were younger and it seems to me that the fire and the brilliance was stronger somehow.
Tabakin is such an amazing player, I seriously can't think of a single time I've heard him play and not come away impressed! |
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Carlos Henriquez is having a banner year! Aside from being Wynton Marsalis’s current bassist of choice, he released his 1st solo record; The Bronx Pyramid, and it’s outstanding! https://youtu.be/Z7SzZjSbZmY He’s also the bassist on Maestro Paquito D’Rivera’s latest; Paquito & Manzanero (PDR Plays The Music Of Armando Manzanero). Another stellar recording from the Paq Man! The band also feartures the drummer of the moment; Antonio Sanchez. Really beautiful work by all involved, chk it out! https://youtu.be/xVaMgO1malI |
...since yr talkin' 'Soul Jazz'. Came across an interesting recording last week. Leo Gandelman is a Brazilian Jazz Sax virtuoso who I'm a huge fan of. I searched iTunes to see if he had anything in the pipeline and up popped this recording which he participated in. Brazilian Groove Band - Anatomy Of A Groove. Apparently he came to NYC in '99 and recorded alongside some studio aces. For whatever reason, the record company sat on the record for TEN years, releasing it in '09. It took me seven years to stumble across it, and it's really a smoka! Basically a instrumental Jazz/Funk session with Brazilian percussion sprinkled throughout, right up my alley! https://youtu.be/YRCnVBRykxQ |
Jon Herrington, check, CTI, check! CTI tried to make a comeback in the early 90's releasing an interesting group of recordings. Unfortunately, the effort failed fairly quickly. One of the 1st was Chroma - Music On The Edge - taken from a live 1990 performance in Japan featuring an all-star line-up. The band was made more interesting by the fact that they went the ol'skool R&R route by opting for two lead gtrs, Mike Stern & Jon Herrington! CTI had a certain style of over-produced product that became their 'signature' sound. This sounds nothing like that! But anyone who's listened to CTI also knows they released a number of killa Fusion recordings. Fusion's always has had it's detractors, here and elsewhere but I'll always fly my F flag high!;) Unfortunately, this particular cut doesn't feature the horn section, that was on fire that night, Randy Brecker (tpt) and the late, great Bob Berg (sax). Oh yeah, this ain't yo daddy's Jazz, so if you give it a listen, don't forget to turn it up!!;) https://youtu.be/0Ba1PqlbcbII know this isn't the type of music usually discussed on this thread, it's cool to see the diversity of the genre manifesting itself every once in a while. I'm sure yr regularly scheduled programming will be back in due course!;) |
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Wassup fellas! Been awhile. Don't come around A'gon much anymore but it's cool to see you guys are still going strong! Very quickly re: the comment of Chris Potter being in the Brecker/Berg/Mintzer school of sax players. It sounded dismissive of 3 players I admire, and that's fine, it's only an opinion. But within that group I'd say there's Michael B., and than there's the rest! Here's a player I definitely consider above the rest; the mighty Anat Cohen! https://youtu.be/zLBvw50QQ7Mhttps://youtu.be/TsT8sEqDOxI
https://youtu.be/Q2wTkt9qLDk |
RIP Jerry Gonzalez. Latin Jazz legend and founder of the Fort Apache Band. Killed in a fire at his home in Madrid. |
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