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

Frogman, those were some marvelous tunes that were in line with this thread, and in the spirit of the holiday; it can't get any better than that.

Merry Christmas to you, and everyone else on this thread, and the Audiogon Forum.

This is the absolute ultimate in jazz; it's required that you hear through the worst recording ever made in order to make this distinction.

If only a better recording could be found.

                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0PwxDtN22Y


Merry Christmas to you and everyone here, O-10.  

While I'm not sure that I'm prepared to say that that great clip of "Night In Tunisia" is the ultimate jazz, it sure is a great clip.  I would, however, be willing to say that an argument could be made that bebop is the central point in the evolution of jazz.  To me, the development of bebop is probably a bigger departure from what came before it (swing) than any other earlier or later stylistic move in that evolution.  Hard bop is obviously a logical extension of bebop, modal jazz a logical extension of hard bop on its way to free jazz and fusion.  Bebop could be seen as the "eye of the storm" and there were probably more "what the fu@k?"'s uttered when first hearing bebop than at any other point; if only because there were probably more jazz listeners at that time than at any other.  Even Louis Armstrong, the granddaddy of jazz, famously said "Bebop is Chinese music".  

From this standpoint, I can understand how one of the greatest bebop performances by the best practitioners of the style could be considered the "ultimate jazz".  That clip is fantastic and Bird's solo break alone could make it the ultimate.  Another "ultimate" moment:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLC9h9deIXsDsBiB50lJRZjdPkU51c1gfF&v=h6NCx0wcrC4