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

Absolutely nsp; listen to that piano opening by Richard Wyands, it's boss, so is his comping all the way through the jam.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLKVsMuYoZA
mary_jo, in my book the best indication of a person’s character is his/her evenhandedness and sense of fairness; not to mention, logic.  You demonstrate all.  

nsp, is this something similar to what you were talking about? This is different from any Mingus I've heard; Jaki Byard on piano makes it so.


          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kilr601kki0
Two seldom mentioned live Mingus recordings worth checking out:

“Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy: Cornell, 1964”. A two disc set recorded live before the same sextet would tour Europe with subsequent recordings. Fantastic performances and a plus is pretty good sound for a live a recording. Dolphy and Byard in particular sound amazing. Another example of a “lost” tape, it wasn’t released until Sue Mingus found it about ten years ago.

No Mingus collection would be complete without a recording of “Epitaph”. Considered by many to be his greatest composition it is a two + hour long work that wasn’t recorded in its entirety until after his death. Parts of it appear on “The Complete Town Hall Concert” (1962); but for a recording of the complete work there is “Epitaph”, a live recording of the entire work from a 1989 concert with orchestra conducted by Gunter Schuller. Amazing musical mind.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S86WzxIbolw

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ngCE9Jk-hMA

(I sincerely hope no one is “insulted” by the above info 😇)