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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
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
4,494 posts
 
More Manna from the Jazz gods.

A good one from the most optimistic guy in Jazz.  All his tunes could be sub-titled 'don't worry, everything is gonna be alright'.  No brooding introspection here.  The entire CD is good.

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81LPHKdFR1I[/url]

I like the way he talks to the audience before a lot of his tunes.  Explains them to the audience.   The Frogman of Be-Bop??
Loved the 'Bach" quip on 'dis here'.

Cheers
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
4,494 posts
 
Boss Indeed!!

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vl4_f8Emtw[/url]

If Ammons is great, then Ammons + Stitt must be mo' better Greater.

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XT9XB9y_RU[/url]

Cheers
jafant
10,525 posts
 
2015 has been another banner year for Jazz.
Here's to 2016 and its continuation!
frogman
4,637 posts
 
Great stuff!

****No brooding introspection here****

Funny, that's the very subject that has come up recently in conversation a few times with other music nuts.  Specifically, how Cannonball, ironically and arguably, was a bad fit for Miles' "KOB".  Cannonball is probably my favorite alto player in great part because of the "happy vibe" in his playing.  There's a wonderful bouncy almost jovial vibe to everything that he played and in the context of "KOB"'s brooding introspection it seems a little out of place.  IMO.

"Jug":. What a tenor sound; love it!  One of the interesting things I have noticed about his recordings is how he was almost always recorded with a pretty healthy amount of reverb on his sound.  Would be interesting to find out wether that was his choice or the producers'.  The pairing with Sonny Stitt is fabulous.  Stitt recorded on both alto and tenor; but I think that in his "heart of hearts" he was an alto player.  He plays on both instruments on that clip; first alto, followed by Jug on tenor, and then at 9:14 he plays again on tenor.  Notice how he stays mostly in the upper registers of the tenor and has a lightness to his tone compared to Jug's more robust tenor sound.  He plays the tenor like an alto player.  Not a criticism at all, just an observation.

Just this morning I heard this on WBGO and thought about the subject of "brooding introspection" and how, as much as like modern jazz, it is true that one element often missing in modern jazz and that we often hear in jazz from back in the day is that "happy vibe" that Cannonball had:

[URL]https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLIvacmZCzEbC0G73i08xDbwXycf-895uI&v=2eYEY1xm60M[/URL]


rok2id's avatar
rok2id
4,494 posts
 
Today's Listen:

Mario Bauza and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra -- TANGA

This is so good it deserves two posts.  There is a post of them Live in Japan, they even had the Japanese moving!!  No small feat.  Irresistible rhythms??

No problem with drums here.

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t14FL8UwNkg[/url] 

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJaQ5d9hric[/url]

Cheers
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