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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
learsfool
1,206 posts
 
Hi Orpheus - I am back online now, and I have heard the Bennie Green clip you posted, from Glidin Along. I do like the music, however it unfortunately brings up one of my pet peeves in the recording of the brass instruments on many of these jazz albums. For some reason, they are very often recorded with the mike WAY too close - often they are playing with it just a few inches from the bell of the horn. This creates obnoxious feedback, and pretty much destroys their sound, as much of the extraneous noise that is made while playing is audible, when it would normally not be, even up quite close to them live. There are some Miles Davis albums I have where he is recorded this way, but the rest of the group sounds great. I just don't get it - it really makes no sense at all, either from a musical or a technical standpoint. It's not like these guys can't make a decent sound and NEED the help of the mike, like so many pop singers do. OK, rant over.
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
4,494 posts
 
O-10:

****How about the real deal?******
*** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDHpkYI5_FY ***

When this record was released, it created quite a stir in the state of Mississippi.

First of all, people assumed she threw a baby off the bridge. This was back in a time when there was such a thing as shame.

Secondly, and most importantly, for a spell, people did not know if she was black or white. So they didn't know whether they could show that they liked the song or not. In public that is.

Lest you think this is silly, when I worked in the movie theater, the Rock & Roll movie 'Rock Around the Clock', was shown at a special showing at midnight on a saturday night, "Adults Only"!!!! I was the only young person in town that got to see it. hahahhahahah

I think back and can't believe it.

It is a great song. Mississippi has always punched above it's weight when it comes to musicians and writers.

Cheers
don_c55
823 posts
 
In Clint Eastwood's movie Bird, Charley Parker hated Bird with Strings as not being true to his playing!

Charley Parker had many better recordings than strings!
frogman
4,637 posts
 
****Charley Parker had many better recordings than strings!****

True; no one is arguing that point. Still, great to hear Bird in that setting.

This brings up an issue that has always been interesting to me. Obviously, a listener's personal taste has to be respected, but when a great artist says, unequivocally, that he/she likes a particular work of theirs (Bird said BWS was his favorite) or a particular sideman, IMO the most productive attitude is that even if we don't agree at first (or ever!), an attempt should be made to understand why it is that the artist himself that we so admire feels that way. Seems to me that is the best way to fully understand the artist or a particular work and grow as a listener. In this case Bird was saying: "Look, I can be more than just the relentless bebopper that I am known to be; I can play with more delicacy than what most of my records demonstrate". Who am I to argue with that.
orpheus10 OP
5,988 posts
 

Rok, the very first time I heard "Ode To Billy Joe", I was crossing a bridge going into Hattiesburg, MS, in my brand new "deuce and a quarter", and I wrongly assumed it was the "Talahatchie Bridge" in Chickasaw county. That song also spoke of towns I had just passed through coming from St. Louis, consequently, I identified with it immediately; it was an instant hit with me.

I never stopped liking the song, and I have the CD. Bobby Gentry is one of the most authentic singer songwriters to come along. Her songs brought Mississippi to life, although they left out the ugliest aspects of that culture, which was most certainly best.

After I entered the state, I had the feeling I was in "The Twilight Zone", and had gone back in time without knowing it. Everything looked the same as it had in some long ago past; filling stations, farm houses, country stores, you name it.

Enjoy the music.
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