How can any list of great jazz bassists not include Mingus?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7CoJEyiSfE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7CoJEyiSfE
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.
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.
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Right off the bat let me say that I don’t dislike Kamasi Washington; I rather liked the clips that Acman3 posted. However, after having made a point over the last couple of days of listening to several of his clips on YouTube (including some live concert videos) in order to see what all the media hype is about I have to say that, imo, much of it is just that...hype. I think he is an interesting conceptualist who has created a high-energy sound that combines SOME elements of jazz with funk/soul/hip-hop grooves and then pours on lots of dressing with vocals, strings and visual elements. As a player he has absorbed the high energy post-Coltrane-infused funk-tenor language of players like Michael Brecker and Bob Berg pretty well; but, I’m sorry, an accomplished jazz tenor player he is not. Notice that his tunes are mostly very simple harmonically and when he improvises it is always over simple one or two chord vamps. With all due respect, the idea that he has picked up where Coltrane left off is, imo, beyond exaggeration; especially when we have (or had) players like Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman, Brecker and others who are far more accomplished modern tenor players and who clearly extended Coltrane’s harmonic vocabulary. I would bet the iPad that I am writing on that he couldn’t credibly navigate the changes to "Giant Steps", never mind a standard ballad, if his life depended on it. I couldn’t find a single jazz standard by him on all of YouTube and there’s probably a reason why. He does what he does and he does it well: high energy, impressively "large" arrangements best described as "soul-jazz"; and, he looks the part. He has created a rather unique sound, not so much as player, but with his concept as band leader/composer that is appealing and mostly accessible. FOR ME, it just isn’t on a comparable artistic level as some of the artists he is being compared to. |
I suspect there’ll be a price to pay for voicing that particular form of critique, Mr. F. ;-) though I find it way more palatable than some of the outrageous non-music-related social commentary I saw posted over the last couple of days! I tried Kamasi Washington’s "Epic" a while ago. It’s HUGE...17 tracks and less than 7 minutes shy of 3 hours long! I was attracted by the album art to begin with. I wanted to like him...looked to be someone with a fresh vision. Or maybe just a retro-vision I could relate to. I can’t begin a credible technical assessment of his music skills and can only say, he didn’t hold me. I soldiered on through probably the first 2 discs. Certainly didn’t make it all the way to the end. The virtue of self-editing came to mind and lack thereof in this instance. I wondered what the producer was thinking - but maybe the length is part of the marketing. I won’t presume to rip the guy but "Why" is something else that kept coming to mind as the track time mounted up. Never did go back to listen again. Maybe I should. The Pitchfork Review: something of a counter to Frogman’s comments (not that I’m taking sides...really not) providing a little bit different perspective http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20557-the-epic/ Revisiting...I forgot about the Star Trek Singers. |
Pryso, you are so correct; that was a result of my laziness (or tiredness) I just requested a list from google. I still stand by Pettiford because I was thinking exclusively of the instrument. When you include all of Mingus's talents, he is head and shoulders above anyone else who plays bass, and that's for certain. |
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