Jazz for aficionados

I just got Leon's CD "Spirits Known and Unknown"; the music is fantastic and so is the recording quality.

It has one controversial cut; I wouldn't touch that subject with a ten foot pole, I fulfilled my military obligations at the time Viet Nam started. If that's a problem, I suggest finding another CD with as much of the music you can find that's on this CD minus Viet Nam.

I'm having trouble listening to his voice or looking at his picture; he sounds and looks the same as I remember, jovial and smiling.

When he sings song for my father, I can see his father; Leon looked a lot like his father. I'm going to have to listen to this CD in stages; enough for now.


Enjoy the music.

Rok, you know that Lou Rawls is my favorite male vocalist; that hasn't changed, and I like Diane Reeves, what's there not to like?

Enjoy the music.

Thanks for the Caterina Valente, Orpheus.  Not my usual listening but those certainly open a window back to another time, "In the days before rock 'n; roll" to quote Van.  How did things get so f'd up?  Love the somewhat busy string arrangement on The Breeze and I.  More and more these days, those arrangers are my heroes.  Kind of working off camera, if you will.  

Just another comment on Leon...he's someone who serves the music.  Not the other way around as is too much the case nowadays where so often music is just a convenient vehicle for self-promotion.  

Talk about killer arrangements.  Please give a listen to the following.  The LP is good but let's cut to the chase...the main point can be heard by dropping your needle right down at 20:30.  For me this is absolutely one of the best songs EVER.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayW8uK1JwTE
Kinda sad to me that Curtis got a lot more credit for a song that William wrote and recorded first! Hope you will enjoy it.

Jafant - listening right now to Hartman with Coltrane.  My amateur opinion is that Johnny's vocal style is a bit more studied than Leon's.  I hear Sinatra (or maybe even a bit of Dean Martin) in Johnny's "tone" (not talking influences, just similarities),  Leon's style is more "naive" and his tone quite different to my ear.  I think Donny's voice is slightly higher pitched than Leon when comparing the two signing a straight lyric (it changes when Leon does that yodeling!).  This might raise some eyebrows but when I listen to Leon getting into the mid and lower half of his range, I hear shades of Barry White.  Barry's generally a whole lot deeper but the two have a similar kind of rich tone.  Upper half, I'm thinking Nat King Cole. (Hope no one decides to throw stones now!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSYwGEiowHg

Ghosthouse, Grant Green died going on tour because he needed money, when his doctor told him not to go.

Grant spent much of 1978 in hospital and, against the advice of doctors, went back on the road to earn some money. While in New York to play an engagement at George Benson's Breezin' Lounge, Grant collapsed in his car of a heart attack in New York City on January 31, 1979. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, and was survived by six children. Since Green's demise, his reputation has grown and many compilations of both his earlier (post-bop/straight ahead and soul jazz) and later (funkier/dancefloor jazz) periods, exist.

They can say what they want to say about "Rappers" but they're taking care of business and making money.

I think your evaluation of Leon is "right on target". Now I'm going to pipe your link into the big rig, relax and listen.



Enjoy the music.

TY- orpheus10 & ghosthouse.
Happy  Listening!