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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
4,637 posts
 
Excellent post Chazro.

****Does the Bass, the instrument, have any special place in Cuban music as compared to other Latin music??**** -Rok

One of the most distinctive and unique aspects of bass playing in Cuban music as opposed to, say, Brazilian music is that the bass rarely plays on beat one (!). Think about it. Beat one is the musical arrival point of a measure, a basic building block of any music's structure. In Cuban music the feeling of rhythmic arrival to the beginning of a measure is implied by the bass line, as opposed to actually having a note right on that beat; the bass note on beat one is held over from the previous beat (four). That is a key reason for the music's amazing swagger.
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
4,494 posts
 
Thanks for all the info on Cuban bass, Players and technique. Sort of like what The Frogman said about Mariachi trumpet, the Bass playing readily identifies Cuban Music. Or at least some types of Cuban Music.

I have the Cachao 'Master Sessions vol one' CD. I will have to give it a listen today.

Cheers
orpheus10 OP
5,988 posts
 

Chazro, I really appreciated your in depth description of "Cachao". here is what I found on you tube that caught my ear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekrHk9Ktxp4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYc76GeFSTo

Here is my favorite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN3XhJ6MpLw

Enjoy the music.
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
4,494 posts
 
O-10:

I liked the Blakey cut from the Drum CD. I have that on LP, but I will now have to get it on CD, Seems like everytime you post, it costs me money.

What other music do you listen to besides Jazz? And will someone pleeaassseee comment on Dr John's 'The Monkey Speaks His Mind' I have mentioned it several times over the months, to total silence.

Cheers
frogman
4,637 posts
 
I am no monkey, but I will speak my mind about the Dr. John cut anyway :-)

In typical Dr. John fashion, amazing groove. And what a voice! Hard to believe, but as he gets older his voice drips more and more funk; it's almost scary. The band is smoking. Simple, repetitive playing, but grooving like there's no tomorrow in order to feature Dr. John's "from the gut" singing and Nicholas Payton's trumpet in great "call and response" interplay. I love the use of handclaps as percussion; somehow seems appropriate for a song about monkeys speaking to each other.

What I find most interesting about the song is how a fun and infectious groove can be married to lyrics with a strong social-conscious message. And what a message. Great stuff!
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